Today, we are up only to have breakfast and then get to the airport and on our way back to Phoenix.  It was a good time here  I am leaving Vegas with the same amount of money as I came with - other than meals.  So I consider that a win!

We arrived at Henry Reid Airport in plenty of time to sit for a bit and then board our flight - Yay everything in order and we left on time.  It is only a short 1 hour flight to Phoenix from Las Vegas - unlike our flight the other day!  We could have driven quicker...but who knew it was to be so delayed due to the terrible storms in the east.  

So arrived back on Phoenix and Mike was there to pick us up and drive us back.  I took some time to start packing for the trip home and yay -everything fits in my suitcase! Today the temperature here is a lovely 78 - 80 degrees and feels lovely and warm.  The planes are so cold.  I actually put a sweatshirt on in Sharon's house just to get cozy.

Tonight we are going to Nick's for dinner - this is a favourite restaurant of Mike and Sharon's that isn't too far away.  I think they took me there once several years ago.  It is very good!

Nick's didn't disappoint.  The food was delicious!  I had a capellini pasta with olives, onions, tomatoes and parm cheese.  Very similar to Capellini Pomodoro that the Olive Garden used to serve.  It was so good - I really enjoyed it a lot!

Back to Sharon's for a quiet night and to pack to go home tomorrow.

THE WIZARD OF OZ AND THE SPERE

After our long and tiring day yesterday, we were up at 8:30 to begin our first full day in Las Vegas.  Today I have an agenda!  There is a quilting store called Sew Yeah and I want to go there!   

After a breakfast we were ready to make our way to the front of the hotel to catch a Lyft ride to take us to our destination.  It was a great ride to see part of Las Vegas that I have never seen before.  It wasn't long before we arrived at the shop!  A huge shop with almost everything you can imagine and more!  I loved it!   Average prices per yard here are between 10.00 and 14:00.  The fabrics were all fresh and beautiful.  I can't even begin to imagine how many bolts they had of every designer imaginable.  They are not at all interested in applique not did they have any kits that I was interested in.  Even the kits that were prepared we and weren't very expensive.  I did by a glue pen - the kind I like - because it was pink will little butterflies!

  

After we left there, I had the Uber driver drop me off downtown on Fremont Street.  I really wanted to play blackjack and the tables are way too expensive on the strip.  Also they were doing a Canadian and Par promotion and I had taken $200 cdn just in case I would be able to take advantage of that.  

So back to black jack!  I was playing at a $10.00 table and the gimmick at this table was you had to always place an extra $2.00 on the spot.  If you got a black jack, you were able to spin the wheel for an extra bonus.  I managed to get 5 black jacks while I was playing and the bonuses I got were $30.00, $500.00, $40.00, $20.00 and  $20.00.  I was ecstatic.  This made up for my losing evening last night.  And I still had some of my original US$ left that I brought down with me.  

I took $680 away from the table after starting with $60.00 and went to play the slots at the casing with the at par and played for quite a while.  One thing I realized that if I had a win at the machine - I had to go cash the ticket in and pocket the winnings right away or as soon as you started spinning again, it was using your winnings first instead of going to the US$200.00 - so I was glad I figured that out as quick as I did.

I headed back to the Wynn and got there at 5:30.  Sharon and I had time to go to dinner and had a delicious pizza and salad and then make our way to the Venetian and the Sphere to see the Wizard of Oz.  What a spectacular show.  You really were immersed in the experience.  It was great and I was so glad to have the opportunity to see it.  I didn't manage to get an apple, however they were for sale in the lobby, so I bought one for Kim.  She really wanted one.  I did get some of the leaves, but no luck on the apple.

So back to the Wynn and the Encore for more unlucky slot play - but still fun.  Tired from our day and so much walking, I fell into bed around 12.15.  It was a very busy day.

LAS VEGAS ADVENTURE

Today started off well, got up and out of bed on time and then into the shower and ready to get to the Sky Harbour Airport for our 9:10 flight.  Nope that flight was cancelled!  so Mike was able to get us switched to another flight that was set to leave at 9:00 and sounded like a great alternative.  So we went to our gate only to find out after an hour and a bit that the flight we were on this time was delayed.  First of all by one hour and then later the announcement came that we would be delayed leaving until 4:00.  

That delay meant that we would not be in time to see the show we had booked at the Sphere.  We had tickets to see the 5:00 show of the Wizard of Oz.  A spectacular one we are told.  So Sharon got on the phone to ticketmaster to hopefully get our tickets changed to the later show or a show tomorrow.  After several unsuccessful calls, it seemed like we would be out of luck and out of pocket for US$220 each. However she asked to talk to someone in a superior position to see if something could be done.  When the phone call came 30 minutes later, the fellow was so kind and said that he would be able to transfer the tickets.  Another call later and he said that it would be easier to refund the tickets and then we could rebook them.

Sharon was on top of that and booked us some seats for tomorrow's 8:00 show.  So other than losing some hours in Vegas, we are finally aboard a 737 aircraft and set to land in Las Vegas at 5:10.  It is amazing how tiring today has been.  I hope I am up to a full evening tonight.  I don't want to miss a minute of this little getaway!

Coming into the Las Vegas Strip is still as bright and beautiful as ever.  The new Sphere is very huge!  The scenes that are broadcast on this ever changing globe are so breathtaking.  I am glad to see it in person!

We arrived at the Wynn which is way further up the strip than I have ever been before.  We got up to our spacious room and got settled, freshened up and made our way downstairs to the casino.  We had a dinner reservation for 7:30 (as it was supposed to be after our show) so a quick gamble and a quick $60.00 gone and a Lemon Drop martini in my hand and it was time for dinner.  We ate at the Cave which is one of the many restaurants in the hotel.  Nice not to have to go anywhere.

After our dinner, we were once again on the casino floor.  Still no luck and then I noticed that I had lost my phone.  I asked one of the casino floor managers to help me and still nothing.  Checked with Lost and Found and it was probably too soon.  So off I wondered to play some machine and give some more time before I contacted Lost and Found again.  More money gone and no phone.  Until I was wandering around and the casino floor manager found me and said that Sharon had found my phone! I could hardly believe that she had found it and not too long after I lost it.  They had been looking for me for 45 minutes.  Sharon as annoyed at me and I don't blame her.  I had wandered too far.  However, now I have my phone back and I will certainly be more careful with my phone and considerate of Sharon to let her know about where I am in our remaining time here.

So...as I sit near Sharon, she is having some unbelievable luck!  I watched her take her bonus spins that went from 9 spins all the way up to 69 spins!  In all she won almost $300.00 on those spins and I figured she deserved such a good win after finding my phone and looking for me for as long as she did!  

So, here I am back in the room at 10:30 and hoping to connect with home, but you don't get free wifi from the room if the room is a free one!  I will remember to do all my messenging tomorrow from the casino floor tomorrow.

Tomorrow my plan is to be at a quilt store called Sew Yeah when they open at 10:00.  After that I would like to go downtown for a while and play some black jack.  It is cheaper down there and there is a possibility that Cdn is at par.  I would like that also!  However, now, I am ready to get to bed!  It has been a long day!

JUST ANOTHER DAY IN PARADISE

The weather is gradually heating up.  Today was wonderful at 72 degrees.  Just a taste of what is to come when we hit mid to late Spring at home.  I am still wearing a light jacket when out as it is cool in the shade.  

Sharon had some errands to do so out we went.  Dropped into a couple of cute shops for a browse and then to get some necessaries at a grocery store.  On a whim, I looked for canned oysters and THEY HAD THEM!  $9.99US per can, but bought two cans anyway!  On the whole, food prices are high here.  Higher than at home and that really surprised me.  However, since I haven't seen canned oysters in years in Surrey, I was happy to pay any price to have them.

On our drive to shopping today, it is so beautiful to see the landscape and the beautiful and different cacti.  It is so different with the low buildings and the desert colours.  All of the housing and shopping has to fit in with the natural landscape...so the signage and facades fit in being low to the ground and earth tones.  As you are driving, you can be coming up to a shopping plaza and not even know until you turn in the driveway and then discover the many shops and restaurants hidden there.  Not sure if this is all over Arizona or mainly Scottsdale.  The thought and planning that went into this area to ensure that every building adheres to this code has really enhanced the overall attractiveness of the whole area.

I HAVE A CARD AND I WILL SHOP

What a wonderful day today!  Visited 3 quilting stores!  This is truly heaven for me.  I did some damage and came home with 3 bags of treasures.

Sharon and I visited a store called 35th Avenue Sew and Vac!  It was huge - as huge as Fabric Depot was in Oregon.  Can't believe how wonderful and it was to be there.  I fondly remembered being down in Oregon with Kit and Rachel in Fabric Depot.  Those were wonderful times we shared...and now I have this wonderful time to remember with Sharon!  

The other store we hit was Modern Quilting.  In this store I realized just how different Sharon's and my favourite patterns and fabrics are.  It was fun to see our differences.  She like bright colours and bolder geometric prints and I am small prints and earth tones.  I bought a pattern with cactus and quail on it - applique.  The Arizona colours are really quite stunning and restful.

The last place we visited with fabric was Hobby Lobby and it was another spot to buy some special items.  All in all it was a fabulous stop and a perfect end to our shopping day!

This evening was an amazing sunset - I did get a picture of it...but seeing it outside is probably better.  Course it didn't hurt to have the beautiful saguaro in the foreground!  Thanks. Arizona!  You lived up to your reputation!

A NEW ADVENTURE DOWN SOUTH

So today began reallllllly early!  Brenda picked me up at 5:45 a.m.  After not very much sleep last night, I was still ready and excited to be on the way.

The drive to the airport was uneventful and quite quick.  Managed to see the sun come up and get into the boarding lounge relatively quickly.  I was flying West Jet and so glad that I wasn't flying Air Canada as with the storms and bitter cold weather in the east, many flight were delayed or cancelled altogether.  The check in counter was very busy with long lines, however, the WestJet counter was quite empty.  

I was surprised that although the temperature at YVR was about 0 the plane still went through de-icing.  So even with that extra time on the ground, we are still going to arrive in Phoenix at 12:45 p.m.  It is a great time to arrive.  The sun is shining and the temperature is about 18 Celsius.

I wasn't going to bring my little puter, but couldn't resist the chance to add to my blog.  I can still add this to the blog and print it out in a book of my adventures.  

Mike and Sharon were there to pick me up and on the way to their house, we stopped in Kierland and had a lovely lunch at Zinc Bistro.  One of Mike and Sharon's favourite Restaurants. It was lovely and delicious.  

We arrived at their house around 4:00 and I settled into my lovely room for my stay.  I am pretty sure it will be a quiet night and an early bed for me!

THIS IS THE END FOR NOW

I think this will be the last post from our days at sea.  There is not much that is different or changing so I will talk about all the little things.  Laundry has been done a couple of times and it will be great to go home with mostly clean clothes.  The seem to do a fabulous job, but they put a label in all your clothes.  This is fine until the scratchy little thing you forgot to remove is poking you in a place you don’t want to touch when you are out in public.  Of course that is when it decides to poke you.  Would be nice if they were thinner and less pokey.

Interesting feature of this ship is that you can view the bridge from a room in behind.  You can't interact with the crew doing their job, but it is interesting to look out through the big windows up front.  It is strictly forbidden to take pictures, but I stood back and snapped a quick one that really doesn't have any detail - but gives you an idea.

We had another day of huge swells.  Playing cards on deck 5 the wave hit the top of the window.  The bang was quite loud and the splash was amazing.  One man was standing at the window when it hit.  What a surprise he got!  We were playing the card game golf.  I had forgotten about that one.  It is a lot of fun for 4 players.  

Magnet seems to be fixed on the bathroom sliding door.  If it stays rocky, it shouldn’t be slamming and banging any more.  Tonight will be a good test of that.  Hmm huge swells and entering the Bermuda Triangle…the skies are looking nasty and the white caps and swells are plentiful.  It is going to be rough seas tonight.  The weather map seems to indicate the rest of the way could be rough.

I don’t think I mentioned that the carpet on the ship has little fish swimming.  They are always pointing to the front of the ship.  So as soon step into the hallway, you’re aware of the direction you are heading.  It was very helpful for the first few days, now I don’t need them to point me in the right direction, but I enjoy looking at them.

Now as we are nearing the end of the cruise, I am happy to report that we are happy and healthy and hoping to remain that way.  It was a good time and we remain friends – that is good and very important.  I have begun to pack things into my suitcase to prepare for the final departure.  See you soon!

DAY 4 OF 8 DAYS AT SEA

The at sea days are not very exciting.  Today being another one of those.  We had a quiet night last night without any pitching and rolling about and woke up to a lovely day.  The weather was very warm and it was actually too hot to sit out on the balcony for more than a couple of minutes.

A new Scrabble game made an appearance in the game room so Brenda and I were able to have a game.  It was a good game.  I think we play similarly and that always makes for a good game.  We also played a couple of the usual 2 player card games that can pass the time.

The decorations around the ship are really becoming more prevalent.  Each day something new makes an appearance.  There are beautiful displays in each of the dining rooms that appear to be made of marzipan, gingerbread, icing, lights and lot of imagination.  They are fun to look at.  I usually have my camera or my phone handy to snap pictures of any new decorations that appear.

This afternoon the pool deck was very busy with lots of pool time, sun bathing time and just people enjoying the heat today.  I imagine as we sail further west and south that we will see more sunshine and warmer temperatures.  Then, Brenda and I will need to acclimatize ourselves when we get home.  Home might be sunny...but it won't be very warm.  

Home is looking pretty good right now.  I think that 16 days is too long for me now.  I guess I am becoming more of a homebody.  Not exactly homesick, just looking forward to home, family and friends.  I even feel that the food is all starting to taste the same.  Dare I say that I miss my own cooking?  I think I do!

The TV selections are rather dismal.  There is one channel that plays movies, one channel that offers a selection of TV shows (you can’t choose, it is only what is being broadcast) could be a cartoon, Shark Tank, Gilligan’s Island, The Office or Blackish.  Then there are other channels:  MSNBC, BBC or Fox News and a few of different languages.  Wow I can’t wait to get back to our room in the evening to sit back and watch the telly!  Guess they really want you out and about an not in your cabin.

So only a few more days to go until we begin our flight home.  We’ll see what tomorrow has in store for us.