Back From Vegas

   Saturday morning (we woke up at 3 am) we flew to Las Vegas to attend the West Coast Pipe Show. We arrived at the Palace Station Hotel in plenty of time to unpack before the show started at 10 am. I have more then enough pipes so was mainly interested in purchasing tobacco. We pipe smokers in Washington State are at a disadvantage because it is a felony to order pipe tobacco through the mail or package services. That's right, the brilliant (?) powers-that-be have deemed it a felony to mail order pipe tobacco. Having marijuana mailed to your home is a misdemeanor. Go figure. Is it any wonder I am anxious for the husbeast to retire so we can move somewhere a bit less stifling? But I digress. Back to the pipe show where I am furiously making my way up and down the aisles looking for my favorite tobacco, Butera Kingfisher. I notice a lone tin of Orlik Golden Sliced but I was on a mission. A failed mission. There was precious little tobacco to be had and none of it was Kingfisher. Sadness. Then I remembered that tin of Orliks. Back around I went, trying to remember where I had seen it. I searched and searched, to no avail. Someone else had claimed that prize. I didn't come away empty handed. I purchased 2 tins of Virgina-Perique blends from a vendor I was unfamiliar with. I also nabbed 8 tins of Molto Dolce from Sutliffe. I am not much of an aromatic smoker, but when I get the urge this is the tobacco I reach for. Once I was finished shopping I could focus on the real reason I was there. Drinking, smoking, and schmoozing. We spent a good deal of time (and money) at Jack's Irish Pub. The highlight of the trip happened quite by accident. We headed out to dinner Saturday night with the Guss Brothers (Matt & Jon). They know their Indian food and the conversation kept me in stitches. Free entertainment. Eat your heart out, Louie Anderson (he was headlining at the hotel). Sunday evening we headed out to the strip (God, I hate that place) to make our pilgrimage to Bouchon at the Venetian. We had eaten there 4 years ago and had fond memories. This time I chose poorly. I ordered off the specials menu and my veal was just so-so. The husbeast's "tower of seafood" looked fabulous, though. Kind of made me wish I didn't find oysters disgusting. Monday our flight didn't leave until 6pm so we hung around the hotel, killing time. I was glad we did because I got a chance to meet Carol, Bob Taylor's wife. All in all it was a pleasant experience. I enjoyed the company and the show but I probably will not return because of the awful state of our hotel room. My husband booked us into the Courtyard to save a bit of money. We had stayed in the Courtyard 4 years ago and found it to be fine. I do not require a fancy room because I don't intend to spend much time in there. I do, however, require it to be CLEAN. If I wanted a room full of dust I could've stayed home and saved my money. If I am PAYING for a room I expect it to be vacuumed. Our room was horrible. Look at this dust. This doesn't build up overnight. It takes months.

Under the heater/air conditioner.

On the valance over the curtain.

   No, I did not ask for another room. The same maids clean all of the Courtyard rooms. I knew the hotel wouldn't move us to the Tower. Friends had found fault with their Tower room and the hotel offered to move them.....to the Courtyard.

   We arrived back home around 9 pm Monday evening. Dead tired. It's been nearly 3 days and I'm still draggin' my wagon. Today I got the craving for some quinoa salad. I love the stuff from Costco but it is rather pricey. I decided to try to make my own. The toughest part was finding the quinoa. I had to visit Marlene's. The salad turned out delicious.

   I am back on my health kick, again, and am going to drag the husbeast along. I am mentioning it here so I'll have witnesses and be forced to stick with it. I am getting way too fat for my comfort. It would be nice to be able to fit into one of my dresses for the Pipe Club Dinner in January.

   I've been doing a little wheeling & dealing since my return. I had found this OOP vintage Raggedy Ann sewing pattern at a thrift shop for $.59.

It is now on its way to Australia for $25 plus postage. I also traded a pound of henna for vintage fabric.

1 3/4 yards of this lovely Chinese print.

3 yards of this knit. 

It's 60" wide with a border down one side.

And 2 yards of this canvas with a Pennsylvania Dutch feel.

I don't know what I'll make with it but I like it better than that henna. Payday I'll order up some better quality henna from Mehandi.com.