Spur of the Moment

A week or so ago, in a phone conversation, Anna suggested that we should come to Reno for a piano recital. Well why not? So Friday, after Kris finished work, we drove to Elko for the night. We had a good meal at the Star Hotel, a northern-Nevada Basque hostel established many years ago for sheep herders and miners who had emigrated from the north of Spain in search of work. The food was served family style and was beyond abundant!

We arrived in Reno on Saturday and found all well here. That afternoon we drove up I-80 into California to Donner Lake where we had a beautiful walk through the forest along the shore. It was a clear, cool day and the afternoon sun made the lake sparkle. Anna and Rob had a business dinner in the evening so Kris and I took the binkers to Fatburger for supper. It was fine, but doesn't compare to our favorite Smashburger.

 The Star Hotel in Elko

 The tail end of the dinner

 Yes, all is well in Reno

 A walk in the woods

 The troops

 The same group headed west

 Donner Lake with Donner Pass in the distance

 The water is fine

 Pop Pop, take a picture

 A bit of wading on the way out

 Dinner at Fatburger

Today we are headed to church and then on an adventure. So check back for more. This, however, is all for now.

OXO

D.

A Little Bit of This and a Little Bit of That

Since returning from the cousins' reunion, there have been no major events, just a bit of this and that. Linda Gibbs came to Utah on business and spent a couple of days with us. It is always nice to be able to visit and catch up, and we got to see Chelsea. We love having the Gibbs stay. May 1st was Ollie's ninth birthday. Phillip made a yellow cake (not the best yellow cake I've ever had). In truth, it was excellent.

Wedding plans are progressing. Two evenings ago, Millie took pictures of Katy and Daniel so they could include a photo with their invitations which are being printed as I type. So there are things going on, even if nothing major is in the offing at present.

 The final morning of the reunion at HB's house

 Chris is tickling Stephen's funny bone

 Chelsea, Linda, Emily, and Kris

 A beautiful spring May-Day morning

 Oliver David

 Nine years old

 Phillip's very good cake

 In the gardens of the MOA

 Looking fine

Millie at work

That's all for now.

OXO

D.

Dam Thing

Today was all about the dam. Returning to the hotel after yet another late breakfast at Denny's, Stephen and Ann said they wanted to go to see Hoover Dam. We also wanted to go and we all were joined by Cameron, Millie Kay, and Hank. Colette chose vitamin D by the pool. We climbed the hill to walk across the new bridge. I hugged the back side of the walkway to avoid the staggering drop off, but managed to get out far enough to look down at the dam. We drove down to and across the dam before returning to Henderson for lunch at In-N-Out Burger. Then this evening we drove back to Lake Mead for a dinner cruise. The food was surprisingly good! The company was great. We sailed right up to the dam for a slightly different perspective, but, sadly, it was too dark for a photo.

 The new bridge

 Hoover Dam from the Bridge

 Hank, Ann, Stephen, and Cam seem unruffled by
the staggering drop

 Excursion participants

 The dam is a great Art-Deco structure

 A remarkable bit of engineering

 Lunch!

The Hansen Cousins 2012

 The cousins boarding the boat

 Dinner on board

 The empty place is mine

 The old man and the sea ... er ... um ... reservoir perhaps

 The sunset was beautiful

 Yup, beautiful

This was another fun day. After breakfast tomorrow, the reunion will be finished and we will head for home. There may be a tiny bit more to record, but that's all for now.

OXO

D.

Monday in Henderson

Monday started with a lie-in, followed by breakfast at Denny's. I prevailed on Hank and Colette and they indulged me with a visit to  Ethel M's chocolate factory and cactus gardens. Ethel M is the wife of Frank Mars who made all the candy bars you grew up with: Snickers, etc. Anyway, after they retired they began making serious chocolates in Henderson and the factory and its adjoining cactus gardens are open to the public. If you are wondering where you might find several buses packed with Asian tourists, this is the place. Might have been a highlight if they had been making chocolates on Monday -- they were not.

The afternoon was spent with a bit of visiting at the hotel, eating leftovers, and visiting with cousins at HB's house. There was also a short excursion to some air-conditioned lockups to see some of HB's vintage car collection. The cars are quite fabulous, but collecting blue and white plates is more my speed.

Later in the evening we all met at the Sonrisa Grill at an Italian-like village at the other end of Lake Las Vegas for a Mexican nosh. It was another chance to get caught up with the cousins.

 The view of Lake Las Vegas from our room

 View of the hotel from our patio

 Kris and Hank returning to the hotel

 The hotel drive with Italian-style villas in the distance

 "My stars, how do Mars make such

wonderful candy bars?"

 Hank, Kris, and Colette in the cactus garden

 It's the season for cactus blooms

 Visiting in the loggia of the hotel

 Cameron, Millie, Ann, SKT, KBT and Chris

 HB, Norma, and Kris

 HDT Jr., SKT, and Cam

 If I were a car guy, I would have remembered

what kind of car this is

 Because I'm an Anglophile and watch lots of Masterpiece,

I know this is a Bentley 

 Hank, Colette, HB, Dorothy, Kreg, Eric, and Joan

(Norma's children)

Kris, Cam, Millie, SKT, Phil, waitress, 

Ann, Phyllis, and Chris

This has been great fun. The hotel, as you can see above, is very nice. The rate Norma arranged for us is very good, but in general, I think a Comfort-Inn-Hampton-Inn-type place is more my speed. I guess I'm too tight; I don't need a bell hop, I like the breakfast to be included, and the other amenities are not much use to me. I guess I spent too many years traveling on the cheap with study-abroad students. Oh well, that's all for now.

OXO

D.