Travels with Tam

Fun and a Tournament in Vegas

November 16, 2014 By Tam Warner 1 Comment

Next week will find me in Vegas, playing in a Video Poker tournament! I have been a video poker player for nearly 30 years, and I play seriously, but I have never been in a tournament. Well, here is my chance!

I’ve loved poker since I was a child watching the penny ante games my grandparents used to play. My parents were card players as well, and poker was an extended family activity. I grew up playing Euchre, a trump game, at lunch during high school, and with friends. Cards were a big past time where I grew up (Southern Ohio/Kentucky), but once I moved to Dallas I realized cards aren’t played everywhere. My husband, Randy, and I found a few couples to play with, but for the most part, we were not surrounded by card players.

I learned video poker on my first trip to Vegas in my early twenties. My mom and dad took my brother and I to Vegas, and at that time, it was the remnant of the old Vegas. The RAT Pack Vegas. For those who don’t know, the RAT pack consisted of Frank Sinatra, Dean Martin, Joey Bishop, Sammie Davis Jr, and Peter Lawford. I think those are the guys, anyway. These were people that graced the covers of the movie magazines my mother was so fond of. The legends of Vegas were a large part of those stories. Mom also read a lot of biographies, and the more illicit the better. I often read these books even when I was little, learning about Marilyn Monroe and the Kennedy’s, Frank Sinatra and Eva Gardner and Mia Farrow….when the book The Godfather came out it included a lot about Vegas and the mob. I was raised on conspiracy theories about Sam Giancana, the Rat Pack, the Kennedy’s, Marilyn and Judith Campbell. And of course, the biggest star of all….Jackie O. My first trip to Vegas was like a trip to Disneyland.

At the most famous show in town....Siegfried and Roy! — At the most famous show in town….Siegfried and Roy!

Now, even people my age might not remember all of the saga and legend surrounding Vegas, and certainly our kids would have no idea. When I was in my early twenties, Vegas was still a legend….The Sands Hotel and Casino, The Desert Inn, Circus Circus, The Tropicana, The Flamingo which was started by Bugsy Segal the mobster, Caesar’s Palace…..the MGM Grand, The Frontier…..the only ones left are the Flamingo and Caesar’s Palace. At that time you could walk the strip easily….without all of the stairways and weird entrances and the skyrails….don’t get me wrong, the new Vegas is amazing. The techno and out of this world quality is truly….out of this world. But it isn’t the old Vegas….it is an entirely new city.

tam 86 caesers — Bathing in the fountains at Caesars?? No, it’s a double exposure. I love this pic of me though!

The Gambling Sisters, my Aunt Nonnie and Mom.

My mom and Aunt Nonie taught me to play video poker at the Imperial Palace. As time went on, a yearly trip formed. My mother in law, mom, cousin, and I went every year for a girl’s trip. Others joined us from time to time. Mom and Betty (mother in law) had “comps”…. free rooms, free meals…my cousin Lisa and I thought it was the coolest thing ever. Those trips were epic. I began to learn how to play video poker….the statistics of it, the math surrounding the odds. I still love to play, although there are plenty of losses to offset my winnings.

It is different now. The new Vegas is a huge, sprawling, bizarrely opulent city. Now it’s me getting comps…and pretty awesome comps at that! The year before my mother died I took her for what I knew would be her last trip….we had a suite at Paris, and she had a terrific time. Both mom and Betty are gone now. Lisa and I took our two girls for their 21st birthdays, but since then, we haven’t been out there together. I would love to start those girl’s trips back up.

Lisa and I with our daughters at the Voodoo Lounge, 2009

Ah, I love thinking about the old Vegas. But the new Vegas waits for me….and I cannot wait to play in the tournament! I’ll blog again from Planet Hollywood! Til then, wish me luck!

Fab Photos Friday: Fall has arrived…in the north!

October 31, 2014 By Tam Warner 5 Comments

I admit that I miss autumn in the north. Living in Texas, you don’t see very much color. There is something just not right about hayrides in 90 degree heat! I just returned from a trip through Kentucky, Ohio, and Indiana, where the foilage is beautiful, the temperatures are cool, and the caramel apples are awesome. Enjoy!

Hayride with Becca, Holly's granddaughter! — Hayride

My grandmother's old house in Ohio — My grandmother’s old house in Ohio

Ah, corn! — I grew up surrounded by cornfields

This guy is in trouble. — This guy is in trouble….

Veggies — Ah, the farms of Southern Ohio!

Happy Halloween!

Visiting the William J Clinton Presidential Library and Museum!

October 22, 2014 By Tam Warner 8 Comments

Earlier this summer I posted about my visit to the LBJ Presidential Library at the University of Texas in Austin, Texas. It was such a great experience, I decided that as I headed from Dallas to Ohio and Kentucky, I would stop and check out the Clinton Library. I am so glad I did, as it was fascinating on many levels. In addition to the library itself, the museum is currently hosting a Chihuly glass exhibit! It was a very enjoyable day.

During the campaign for the Presidency in 1992, Bill Clinton went on talk shows and played the sax. He also played at his inauguration ball.

cl economics — I think I can safely say we all miss this!

The Clintons failed to pass their Health Care Reform Bill….but I think there might be time for them to do this. (I believe Hillary Rodham Clinton will run for President).

Internet (and yes, Al Gore was instrumental in making it available to everyone, not just scholars).

The digital age was truly born during the Clinton years. I remember getting our first PC Christmas, 1993. My son, Wes, wanted to constantly play with the Dinosaur disc it came with.

missing Bill — The surplus didn’t last long.

The 1990s witnessed the growth of antagonism in political debate. The President was vilified by the Right, led by House Speaker Newt Gingrich. I miss the days when politics could be discussed calmly, without rancor. The vituperative discourse has only grown worse.

This began the intensity between the parties. I miss the days when you could have an opinion without sending someone into orbit.

The replica of the Oval Office was extremely interesting. Two things caught not only my interest, but my fascination. The first of these was the collection of “challenge coins” behind the desk. These are a small portion of Clinton’s collection, he has over 400 challenge coins that have been presented to him. A challenge coin is a small coin or medallion (usually military), bearing an organization’s insignia or emblem and carried by the organization’s members. Traditionally, they are given to prove membership when challenged and to enhance morale (Wikipedia). When President Clinton visited military installations, service areas, etc, he was given a challenge coin. He saved them all, and has the largest collection of any President.

Armed forces Challenge Coin. — Armed forces Challenge Coin owned by the guide at the Oval Office Replica.

Secret Service Challenge Coins. — Secret Service Challenge Coin, also belonging to the Oval Office Guide.

The second most interesting part of the history of the Oval Office during the Clinton years surrounded the Resolute Desk. The Resolute Desk is very famous, for several historical reasons. First, there are six Resolute Desks, made out of the HMS Resolute (Her Majesty’s Ship) which foundered in the ice of the Arctic, which it was exploring. It lay frozen in the ice for several years, and when rediscovered, Queen Victoria had several desks made from the wood of the ship. Four desks were designed and made by William Evenden. The desk in the Oval Office (currently used by Barack Obama) was presented to President Rutherford B. Hayes on 23 November 1880. A small “lady’s desk” was presented to the widow of Henry Grinnell and this desk is now in the New Bedford Whaling Museum. Queen Victoria had two desks made for herself: one similar to the one given to the president and people of the United States, currently in Windsor Castle; and a writing table, which she had made for her private yacht, HMY Victoria and Albert II. The writing table is in the Royal Naval Museum, Portsmouth.

Now, the Resolute Desk was made very famous by President John F Kennedy Jr. His son played beneath the desk, where a “filler” partition was made and inserted by Franklin Delano Roosevelt. FDR did not want others to see his crippled legs, so he added the hinged center piece with the US Eagle so it hid his disability. Look at the photo below, of the Eagle, closely.

Note the Eagle's head pointing toward the arrows of war? — Note the Eagle’s head pointing toward the arrows of war?

The arrows in the Eagle’s left talons represent War, while the Olive Branches in the Eagle’s right talons represent peace. Note that the Eagle’s face is turned toward the Arrows of War. There are only four such depictions in the White House. The now Official Presidential Seal depicts the US Eagle facing Peace, the Olive Branches. There are 13 arrows, and 13 olive branches, symbolizing the 13 original colonies.

The Eagle looking toward the olive branches.

Presidential Seal in the ceiling of Oval Office. — Presidential Seal in the ceiling of Oval Office, facing the Olive Branches.

My trip to the Museum was fascinating. I loved hearing about the history of the challenge coins and the Resolute Desk. The Presidential Libraries were historically fascinating, representing not only the presidencies but the “times”. I do realize that there is a brand new Presidential Library within 5 miles of my house in Dallas. I am not ready to tour that museum…but I’m sure I will be someday. Those days and “times” are still too close for my comfort….

Homecoming

October 20, 2014 By Tam Warner 4 Comments

Thomas Wolfe said one can’t go home again, and in a sense, that’s true. I cannot be a child again. My parents are gone, friends have moved on, and much has changed, yet the landmarks remain, and there are still people I care about. I had forgotten the beauty of the change of seasons, and the simple pleasures of the country…hayrides, fruit and vegetable farms, pumpkin patches. A piece of my heart will always be here, the place where I grew up: Montgomery County, Southern Ohio.

I have a family wedding next week in Kentucky, so I drove up a week early to spend time with my “sister” and her family. Holly isn’t really an actual relative, but our parents were best friends, and I’ve known her since I was a baby. I normally saw her at least 2 or 3 times a week, during which she and my big brother, Mike, teased and tortured me, as older siblings do. They were a team when we were little, and I was the baby. They locked me in dark closets, told me there was no Santa, and committed the usual tricks that siblings perform. I survived. Mostly, the times were good. We spent our Christmas Eves together, watched The Wizard of Oz together, and played together. Holly is 6 years older than I, and I thought she was the coolest thing ever when she was in high school, and received her driver’s license. So many of my childhood memories include Holly. She is family and an integral part of my life, as is her husband and two daughters.

And they have kept me busy! Taking drives around the area, seeing what is new, driving through the cornfields, taking hay rides, picking pumpkins, visiting Yellow Springs, Ohio where Antioch College was founded in 1852 (it is the cutest town, and very progressive). We also went to Young’s Dairy to eat ice cream and pet goats and cows. I even saw a Pumpkin Chunkin’!

Our group, The Shand Pebbles! Look at those OUTFITS!

I also saw old friends….people I went to elementary with, sang with, and grew up with. It is an incredible experience to sit among them again. The connections are still there, the thread of childhood and the discovery of growing up together. Those memories bind us, and always will.

Tomorrow I head for Kentucky, but this week spent with my “family” has been wonderful. I could use more sleep though….Holly and I have stayed up until 2 a.m. more than once! I have enjoyed the amazing colors of Ohio, so different from the fairly lame display we get in Texas, and I can tell you that hayrides in the cool, brisk air beats hayrides in 90 degree heat. I head out tomorrow, and I leave with a happy, full heart.

Corn Maze with my "niece" and "great niece" (what?????) — Corn Maze with my “niece” and “great niece” (what?????)

Happy autumn!

Wordless Wednesday: Art of Chicago, Pt 2

October 15, 2014 By Tam Warner 3 Comments

The Chicago Art Museum is full of treasures….these are just a few of my favorites!

Henri Matisse, "Bathers" — Henri Matisse, “Bathers”

Joan Miro "Standing Woman" — Joan Miro “Standing Woman”

Claude Monet's Water Lilies — Claude Monet’s Water Lilies

The Awakening of the Forest by Paul Delvaux…I love this, it reminds me of *A Midsummer Night’s Dream*.

"Excavation" by Willem de Kooning — “Excavation” by Willem de Kooning

Van Gogh's "The Bedroom" — Van Gogh’s “The Bedroom”

Van Gogh, the Observation Deck at Montemarte

The Blue Guitar by Pablo Picasso. My grandmother said he painted like that because he needed glasses!

Fab Photos Friday: the Art of Chicago Part 1

October 9, 2014 By Tam Warner 15 Comments

I love Chicago. If you have been there, you know what I mean! Yes, it is too cold to live there (at least for me!), but I’ll take many more visits! I went to the Art Institute, and saw Marc Chagall’s White Crucifixion in person. I absolutely love Chagall’s work, and am fortunate to have some of his Lithographs. Seeing this work in person, up close, was incredibly moving, and exciting, and I could hardly drag myself away. Chicago’s Art Institute is a marvel, but the city, by itself, is art as well.

Jesus as a Jewish Martyr, an incredible concept in 1940.

ai 14 chagall wc — This painting caused an uproar…Chagall was a non-practicing Hasidic Jew who left the tradition…but a Jew painting a crucifixion was unheard of.

ai 14 wc jesus — Jesus as a martyred Jew, in a Tallis.

ai 14 wc jews — Depictions of the devastation of the Nazi pogroms against the Jews.

The Praying Jew, a representation of Chagall's father, a frequent theme in his work. — The Praying Jew, a representation of Chagall’s father, a frequent theme in his work.

ai seurat 7 — Who could go to the art museum and not study the pointilism of Seurat? This is a seminal work.

Next week, more art!

Travel Adventures!

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