Paper Crafting Supplies

I've become a fan of stamp and die sets, which can be kind of expensive at times, so I'm always on the hunt for the best deals. Stampin Up sells my favorite sets but I also like Lawn Fawn, 7Gypsies, & Echo Park.

This Lawn Fawn card inspired me to create some A10 Birthday cards with the 'flying by' trailing behind the airplane.



For scrapbooking supplies, my favorites are October Afternoon and Graphic 45. These projects from the Graphic45 theme Voyage Beneath the Sea, especially this one, are some of the most beautiful I've ever seen and these have inspired me to buy each of the sets.

Oatman, Arizona & Bullhead City, Nevada

We had some trouble with the pool warming up today so C called the pool guy and while we waited for him to come we headed over to Oatman AZ.

Oatman is a former mining town just on the other side of the state line about 30 minutes East of Bullhead City Nevada and is on the original Route 66. There are two main roads linking Oatman to State Highway 95. One is paved and the other is a dirt road leading to Bullhead City about 25 miles away. The dirt road is in fairly good condition and is certainly a pleasurable egress from Oatman. The scenery along this route is excellent and will really make you feel like you're back in the untamed days of the old west.

You can see the old mines and a fascinating variety of desert vegetation and rock formations. Most of today's cars would have little trouble on this road when it is dry and our cellphones worked most of the way, too.

THE BURROS

The draw for me are the wild burros, whose ancestors were brought in to haul rock out of the mines and were turned loose once the gold had dried up. 'Burro Chow' can be purchased at any of the main street stores but C new to bring carrots and when the Burros spotted them, we got mobbed.

Here's C, G, and me with a couple wild cuties. They are a bit dusty and may think your fingers are food but they are fun to pet and feed.

I had to give this one a little talking to because he was nipping at the others.

Not me from my best angle but what the 'hay'

Ken said this lady in the blue shirt was trying to feed them but she only had Burro Chow and they wanted our carrots. Apparently these burros are protected by the US Dept of Interior.

THE SHOPS

So this is like a modern wild west town. The roads are not paved and are somewhat rocky and there are bitty shops along main street with touristy type things. Anything from rocks and antiques that were better left in the dessert to this shop with postcards, magnets, and hats and a proprietor who thought it was funny to put a fart machine behind this guy and 'let 'er rip' when people looked at him.

The Oatman Hotel is a must see for a number of reasons;

1. the food was good (I had a chix quesadilla)
2. the walls are lined with autographed dollar bills and number in the thousands
3. its the oldest 2 story adobe structure in Mohave county
4. it was the honeymoon stop of Carole Lombard and Clark Gable and the hotel has preserved the suite. Apparently Mr Rhett Butler had a real fondness for the area and loved to play poker
5. its the home of Oatie the ghost

G&C above and K&I to the right

Outside of the preserved Lombard and Gable suite are many thought provoking artifacts

THE BANK ROBBERY AND SHOOTOUT

Around 2pm, the Shriner's did a little 'bank robbery' skit out in the street. The 'cowboy volunteers did a great job and this is a try to see it if your hear kind of experience.

One of the bank robbers

Here's the sheriff who was on the job for his 1st day.

He had a hard time stopping the robbers......

The shot him......

and he shot back........

But the sheriff survived because he stole his wifes pot lid and used it as a shield.......

Las Vegas Nevada & Bullhead City Arizona: 2 states, 1 day

Ken and I woke up in Las Vegas Nevada and we are going to bed in Bullhead City Arizona. Ok so Bullhead City is a border town of Laughlin but its still technically 2 states in one day. If we had come here yesterday I could have said we had hit three states in 1 day.

I woke up at 7am and like ships passing in the night Ken was coming back to bed after getting up at 5 to have breakfast and play some blackjack. I went down to Golden Nugget (Las Vegas) for some coffee and people watching.

I met a friend, a couple actually. Birds were landing at my feet looking for treats and 1 even landed on my table and tried to eat my lemon pound cake. 

After I came back to the room Ken and I drove down to Sams Town for an hours. We lost $60 but that hotel has a lot of good memories for us. 

After Sams Town, we took a nap and waited for C to give us the word that G was ok and we could head over to Bullhead City to stay at their beautiful rented house. Im not a mountain fan but the view was pretty nice to look at while I wasnt sleeping. 

C made some strawberry dacquiries for us as soon as we walked in and gave me a tour of the house. 

Heres the pool and patio

the kitchen

and our bedroom 

Wefinished the night by playing a game of cribbage out by the pool. 

its hard to get this but they have a nice view of Laughlin from their pool area. 

Good night!

Waking up in Las Vegas

I've got to admit, waking up in Las Vegas is pretty awesome. Its been awhile since I've been here and all the sights, sounds smells, and memories; some good, some not, come back to me from all of my trips here over the last 20 years.

We are staying at 'the D', which is the very 1st hotel we stayed at but back then it was Fitzgeralds. Its gone through some cosmetic changes over the years. Heres what it used to look like;

Anf heres what it looks like now;

Gotta stop blogging, my Craps throwing arm is getting twitchy.