by Pa Rock
Traveling Uncle
I left work at noon today - glad to get away - and headed north to Las Vegas. The drive was serene and uneventful. The trip could be made in five hours easy if not for the traffic congestion that is always present south of Hoover Dam. It took a little over one hour to drive the five miles immediately south of the dam. There is no point in getting in a hurry - that is just the way it is!
One of my stops on the way up was at a McDonald's on Andy Devine Drive in Kingman, Arizona. Remember the old Adventures of Wild Bill Hickok television show where Andy played the faithful sidekick, Jingles P. Jones, to Guy Madison's Wild Bill? Jingles was always trying to catch up with the show's star: "Wild Bill! Wild Bill! Wait for me!"
I am staying at a Holiday Inn Express directly across the street from where my nephew, Reed Smith, lives. Tonight he and Jamie and Jamie's sister, Stacy, joined me for dinner at The Outback Steakhouse which is adjacent to where I am staying. A couple of hours from now he and I will go to the airport and pick up his mother and sister, Tiffany, who will also be staying at the Holiday Inn Express.
The last time that I had seen Reed was in Amarillo a day or so after he regained consciousness. He is, of course, much better now, though he still looks fragile compared to the hulk that was in Noel for his grandfather's funeral in late December. Reed told me that he weighs about 130 pounds, down from 180 pounds before the accident. He tires easily and seems to have a hard time getting comfortable, but, nevertheless, he is drastically improved over how he was doing when I last saw him in Texas. (He also has trouble getting his arm up in the position to shave, and consequently has that scruffy Arkansas look!)
I am going with Gail (my sis, Reed's mom) to see Donnie and Marie Osmond tomorrow night. She really wants to take in their show, and her kids said they drew names to see who would go with their mom and I lost...er...uh...won! Yeah, that's it! They all seemed really happy for me that I was getting to go - and not them! It should be fun.
The last time Gail and I were in Vegas together was a year ago this month. We went to see a production of Jersey Boys during that trip - which was really great. The next time I get to Vegas I want to see Blue Man Group! There is always lots of great stuff to do in Las Vegas!
(My motel room has a refrigerator, microwave, and a dishwasher! Who the hell washes dishes at a motel? I seldom wash dishes even when I'm home!)
1 comment:
Thanks for the Reed update. Please give him our best. We think about him often. Good to hear you made it there safely. I only made that drive once the entire time I lived in Phoenix. I remember the Hoover Damn & the traffic you mentioned. That damn is really a sight to see!
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