Tackle-It Tuesdays!!! #4

5 minutes for Mom is hosting another Tackle-It-Tuesday!
I'm not unlike the rest of you who have endless laundry to do...
I vow to do it once a week ONLY...and since I just finished it on Thursday (my usual day), it will be tricky to last the rest of the week and NOT have to do it again on Thursday, since I've done it today! We used more clothes than normal since we just got back from Las Vegas!
Short and sweet today------>

Separating clothes and washing one load at a time. I squeezed everything into three loads.












Folding the clothes and separating them. (This is not all the clothes)













All folded and put into drawers! TaDuh!!!

Let's go to Las Vegas!!!!!

• First, pack up your vehicle with clothes, extras, snacks, water, and if small kids, a portable toilet with extra bags.

• Second, gas up vehicle

• Third, bring your map/GPS/laptop, whatever devices you have

Ready?! All packed up and have your seat belts on? Okay-here we go!

First- you need MapQuest directions...

mine are:

    5. Merge onto I-10 E toward INDIO.  (go 64.6 miles)
6. Take the DESERT CENTER RICE ROAD/CA-177 exit, EXIT 192.  (go 0.2 miles)
7. Turn LEFT onto CA-177/DESERT CENTER RICE RD. Continue to follow DESERT CENTER RICE RD.  (go 40.3 miles)
8. DESERT CENTER RICE RD becomes CA-62/AQUEDUCT RD.  (go 27.4 miles)
9. Turn LEFT onto US-95.  (go 47.7 miles)
10. Merge onto I-40 W/US-95 N via the ramp on the LEFT.  (go 10.7 miles)
11. Merge onto US-95 N toward SEARCHLIGHT/LAS VEGAS (Crossing into NEVADA).  (go 79.7 miles)
12. Merge onto US-93 N/US-95 N via the exit on the LEFT toward HENDERSON/LAS VEGAS.  (go 21.9 miles)
13. Take the LAS VEGAS BLVD exit, EXIT 75, toward DOWNTOWN LV.  (go 0.3 miles)
14. Turn RIGHT onto N LAS VEGAS BLVD/NV-604.  (go 0.1 miles)
15. Turn RIGHT onto E BONANZA RD.  (go 0.0 miles)
16. End at  Las Vegas, NV
---------------------------------
Approx. 4 hours and 43 minutes-

So, here we are on I-10 E
(click to enlarge if you can't see)

Here you notice how bumpy and old the road feels for the next 64.6 miles



Here is another view out the passenger side window, in case you couldn't see well enough out the front windshield






Okay, next leg of trip...this is where we are on the map
















(Gasp!) Oh look at how beautiful the road is! It is soooooooooo smooth! Good thing because we have 40.3 miles on this beauty!






Oh L-O-O-K!!!! A car! Hurry and wave to them!!! "HI!!!!!"








Here is the surrounding countryside...all along here are train tracks, and a berm...somehow, some time, people come out here, collect the surrounding rocks and with those rocks, create messages and initials. I'm not sure what this means, but someone took a long time to make it!





There used to be a "Shoe Tree" out in the middle of nowhere. Someone burned it down and now people have started a "Shoe Fence"...don't know why, don't know how...but it sure breaks up the monotony.
(Click to enlarge)






Ahhhh...finally at Vidal Junction! (27.4 more miles until US 95!)
At this literal crossroads is this country store/gas station on one side, and...






The California Agricultural Inspection Station across the street.
Oh yeah, there used to be an old antique outdoor flea market on the opposite corner....





But as you can see...it is now empty.








I see rain clouds ahead. This can be very dangerous as this road has many whoop-de-doos in it that can flash flood very quickly.
The rain does smell good though!






This is when you start saying, "When in the *@&^ are we going to get there?!"







I begged for a potty break and something to drink....when I saw these 2 sad houses...I sure hope no one is living in them!
(you gotta see these! Click on photo)






FINALLY we are US 95!
We will be on this for over 79.9 miles! (Ugh!)







This mean we are almost there! Yippee!
Just around the corner and......








It might be hard to tell, but this is on top of US 95 overlooking Clark County






Downtown Las Vegas, near Fremont Street

We have arrived!

(That was the longest 5 hours in my life!)

Happy 40th Anniversary weekend!

My MIL and FIL were married 40 years ago Saturday in a tiny little town called St. Onge, South Dakota. We decided to surprise them and drive all the way to Las Vegas on Saturday to meet them for a celebration dinner. (Whew...5 hours later) We had a marvelous time and took them to a great restaurant with my husbands sister and her family.
If you don't have a Joe's Crab Shack where you live, then on your travels somewhere, you have to visit them for a meal! It is an ecclectic mix of tiki/surfing/fishing and all kids of fun memorabilia!
Here is just one picture from above our table-
Very kid friendly, relaxed atmosphere, and great food!
(Click to enlarge)







SURPRISE!!!!!!!
Here we are!








Tierney enjoying her cousins Jake and Jack











Our gang was enjoying Joe's Crab Shack








This is just one slice of Joe's delicious and decadent 7 layer chocolate cake! It was heavenly.....


Happy Anniversary you two!

What happens in a "Flood Watch" here in Palm Springs, Ca.

Yesterday I woke up and could smell the rain. What a wonderful smell that is...we don't get that too often here. Seems funny growing up in the East, where everything is green, and remembering warm and cold rain showers, and now for the last 15 years I have lived in some sort of desert!
There is nothing that comes close to the smell of rain in the desert, but it takes awhile to hone in on perfecting your olfactory smells. As a seasoned veteran, (haha) once you smell rain, you can almost feel the whole sandy floor of this valley open up, ready to quench it's thirst.
Sure enough there was a valley flood watch for our area yesterday, and I was ready to document the whole event.

Impending clouds already overhead

Another view of the looming water clouds ready to unleash it's fury and flood the valley



This video is of the actual storm

and the actual damage from this flash flood is....











This is an actual puddle leftover from the aftermath. It is approximately 1 mm deep.

Vintage Thingies Thursdays #4

Welcome back to another addition of Vintage Thingies Thursdays, created by Lisa, at Confessions of an Apron Queen! We simply showcase something vintage we love!
My vintage item today is an old clock I remember being in our house since I was a little girl. I remember my dad and mom taking the key, opening up the glass door, and winding her up. It is a Sessions Clock Company, 8 day, half-hour strike clock.
She now sits pretty atop my Grandmother's country hutch, which I'll show you next week. Last week with our earthquake, she was the first thing I ran too!









(Click to enlarge)

Tackle-It Tuesdays!!! #3

I have some B-I-G projects that I thought I would do over the summer...but so far I have wimped out! (like the garage, hall linen closet, dining room hutch...you know, the big stuff)
Anywho....I tackled my NutriSystem cupboard last Tuesday, so this Tuesday I figured Ill tackle the surrounding ones.


(Right side was done)
Left side BEFORE and Left side AFTER



Before and After

General categorizing...baking goods, cereals, box mixes, etc... felt good to just have it cleaned up and orderly! Happy Tackle-It Tuesdays! Go see "5 Minutes for Mom" to join in the fun!

Bugs- Part Duex

Look at these we found this weekend!


















Lizards of all colors and stripes abound in Palos Verdes, Ca.
...as do slugs...usually coming out when moist, like late at night. These were on the steps of my uncle's house, and the F-A-T one, we almost stepped on him!
The lovely spider (gives me the heebie-jeebies) was found 'lounging' by our pool toys! Yuck!

What bugs do you have near you?

Bonfires and bugs go together...

Summer just isn't summer without a trip to South Bend, Indiana and a bonfire (aka campfire).
We have had a tradition of a yearly bonfire for at least 32 years, if not longer. It seems like each time we flew back to South Bend, either winter or summer, we had a bonfire.
Not just any bonfire either- a MONSTROUS bonfire sometimes!
The best were the winter bonfires, where my uncle would make a huge "ice castle" (as we called them) and somewhere nearby we would go out into the woods with our winter coast, boots, hats and gloves, and sit around the bonfire and chit-chat or roast marshmallows.

Just a few weeks ago we flew back, the whole family, to South Bend for a visit. My uncle didn't disappoint us as we had a bonfire/weenie roast! It was set in the side yard (which is a wooded area with a clearing) and we brought the patio chairs down from the porch, and had a wonderful weenie roast with all the fixings!
I wanted to share them with you~