Basic Economics, Vegas Style

We've got a time share in Whitefish Montana that we bought from MP's mom who bought it from my mom. We've never  been there. From what I garner in my travels, timeshares are not the best investment and this one is no exception, it cost 500 bucks a year along with the RCI membership and then if you trade for another location its 189.00.....so its about 700 bucks to use it somewhere else....like we did for Max and Sam in Mexico last year and Tom and Angel the year before and.....well, we just need to use that darn thing ourselves, after all, we don't want  to 'lose' a week we already paid for. We might spend a ton of lettuce in Vegas next week but by jiminy we ain't going to waste a week of RCI.

Someone once said that Vegas is the perfect metaphor for America....its electric, its expensive, and you always lose. Well, I don't know about that but it does certainly teach you what money is all about, or what I think its all about anyway. We really don't gamble much but one night we will and that night we usually spend some money, then the next morning you're looking for a 2 dollar buffet.....mmmm.....whats that all about? For me the gambling has always been a real casual thing but this year I'm doing it different, I think its a matter of attitude. Every morning as I get ready to go fishing I'm 100% sure, I'm certain, confident that we're going to catch fish so why not apply that same mind set to the gambling? But part of my confidence in fishing comes from the work and preparation I've put into it so I've done the same this year with the gambling by practicing my blackjack on the computer an hour a day. I'm pretty comfortable with the basic strategy, so we'll just see....

One of the things we like about Vegas is the desert views, its expansive and a little bit like being on the ocean that way. We also like the quirkiness of the whole area.  Like this ponderosa pine cell phone tower....now that's some great thinking, blends right in with the terrain don't it? We love to hike in the desert so this year we're going to investigate Death Valley. This pic of me was taken about as close as we've gotten to Death Valley at a place called Tecopa we discovered where theres a wonderful natural hot springs. I know that thing looks to being leaning to the right but its really me leaning towards the left as always.

Theres a place few people know about called 'The Springs' right in downtown Vegas. Its an old spring fed ranch that was preserved for desert education. It has all the flora and fauna of the area as well as history where I got to meet these Mormon city fathers.

Usually by October 1st its starting to look like winter here at Mile 14. But this year its different, we've only had one frost and the fall colors as well as the fishing just keeps lasting. I took this pic to show you, its the hay field of our friend Abby's right around the corner from my house.  Notice that line along the trees that stands out so well....its just the maximum height that our moose can reach and as you can see they pretty much cause this 'tunnel type of effect along all the roads and open areas of our town.  So we're leaving this view for a week, trading a 50 degree high for the day for a 90 degree....but its a dry heat eh? Come back, me and MP should have some adventures to report in a few days.

I know you've seen this shot many times, its my everyday Jet-dog walk....beautiful.