The drive to Lake Tahoe from Shelter Cove is about 8 hours, so we decided to break it up by leaving a day early from Shelter Cove. Randy’s legs have been swelling a bit due to his prednisone dosage(steroid), which he takes as a precaution against inflammation in his brand new lungs (see An Unexpected Journey, Lung Transplant). Why don’t I drive? Well, because Randy cannot stand it when I drive. I hear all kinds of bitching about what a terrifying driver I am (which is bullshit, pardon my French), but I dislike driving with Ran in the car because he constantly tells me everything I am doing wrong. Anyone would be nervous if they had constant criticism while they were driving. I like it better when he drives and bitches about all the other drivers and how they don’t know what they are doing.
By the time we were half the way to Tahoe, Randy decided he felt fine and wanted to drive on into Tahoe. I called my casino host at Caesar’s Group, Katy, and arranged a room at Harvey’s Hotel and Casino, with a gorgeous lake view! Not that I looked at it for very long as I was in the casino and playing in no time. Katy is my casino host with Caesar’s Group, which includes Harrah’s, Caesar’s, Harvey’s, Flamingo, Horseshoe, Rio…and other casinos and hotels. Yes. I enjoy gambling. I love to play poker, and I am pretty good at it. I don’t play the tables, especially not Texas Hold ‘em, which I find time consuming and boring. The table games are too S L O W. I can play 725 hands an hour on the video poker machines, so that’s where I head. Randy likes to play Hold ‘Em at the tables.
Within the first hour I hit a very nice jackpot, and….I kept winning. There is nothing like winning, right?!! And yes, you put some of those winnings back into the machine in order to win again, if you are lucky. I took a dinner break at Cabo Wabo (Sammy Hagar’s restaurant), but it was not a good meal, can’t say I recommend it (Sorry, Sammy). I’d rather eat at Taco Bell. I ended up sending my dinner back because it was slimy. Yuck. Randy’s meal was lousy as well. After a dinner I did not eat, I went back to the poker machines, and Randy went back to the poker tables. I was doing so well I arranged for a late check out the next day so I could play in the morning. Yep, I won again!
I come by my love of poker honestly…I can remember being a very, very little girl and watching my grandparents play penny poker with their friends. I grew up playing cards, Euchre (a trump game) and poker were my favorites. My mother and dad went to Vegas once a year, and after dad died, my mother, my mother in law, my cousin, and I (with various friends from year to year) did a yearly “girl’s trip” to Las Vegas. Sadly, my mother became a gambling addict, so those trips ended back in 2007 when Betty became very ill, and passed away. At that point, I tried to keep my mom away from casinos. That is another story…but I still love to hit the casinos every now and then. I play on my computer at home as well, training for my trips! The more you play, the better you get.
After a successful evening and morning at Harvey’s Casino (thanks Harvey!) we drove to the house we are staying at in Tahoma. It is a lovely home, with great lake views. We are members of 3rd Home, a great club for people with second homes. If you have a vacation home, you might want to take a look at it! Time to go exploring, I’ll be checking back in!
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