Well, our trip to Las Vegas finally ended and it was a sad time to have to say “good bye” to our children and grandchildren.  Such is life.  We tried to spend as much time as possible with the children.  We didn’t go to any museums or nature areas, as we had done those in the past.  We did our required bowling time, because they all enjoy it and while the atypical Grandfather won one round, he didn’t win the second round and my back let me know later that evening that I can no longer use a sixteen-pound bowling ball.  My Bride and I had some quiet time to be together, and we also had time for the always present computers, hers for work and mine to try to keep up with Social Media; which is something that can never be accomplished.  This trip also proved that my Bride’s method at the one-armed bandits did not stay true to form, but that was probably the least of the cash outlays, so all is good, and you won’t here us say that we left winners from the casino, but we were winners for spending as much time as we did with the family.

We also found out that one of our favorite haunts at Tivoli Village which is just across the street from where we stay, is closed.  In fact, it appeared that all of the shops on the second floor were gone, so maybe by our next trip, we will discover something new.  We will miss the View Wine Bar as it was always a delight just to run in and have a bite and a couple of distinctive glasses of wine.  Hopefully next trip in, we can find a suitable replacement for when we develop a bit of a thirst.

There were several restaurants that we went to, that did not make mention, because of a lack of wines and a couple of places that were just for desserts.  One of the restaurants that did have wine was so chaotic and poorly managed that we will never go there again, so they will not be named, but we did have a nice glass of wine there.  The wine was not stellar, but in the middle of the day, sometimes all you want is a well-crafted drink that will not break the bank.  The times when we had ten out for dinner could break the bank.  We enjoyed some Charles & Charles Chardonnay 2015 from Washington State, and while we have had it before, it was the best offering from a limited wine carte.  Charles & Charles is from Bieler and Smith, a joint collaboration formed in 2008 between Charles Smith of K Vintners and Charles Smith Wines and Charles Bieler of Three Thieves, Bieler Pere et Fils and Gotham Project.  The fruit came from the Columbia Valley and from three vineyards there; Evergreen/Ancient Lakes, Shaw High River and Moxee.  The wine was very crisp and belied its popular price.  They aged the wine for eight months on the lees, with twenty percent in barrels and the balance in Stainless Steel.  When we got to the airport, my Bride and I parted, as she was taking advantage of being so far west that she went to visit one of her co-workers who had retired and I went home to begin getting back to a normal cycle of life.