Mon.-Wed., July 5-7, 2021
We loaded up the car at 5:00 a.m. Tuesday with younger son Michael and grandson Jacob joining us for the five hour drive to sunny Las Vegas to visit with son Andrew, our daughter-in-law Jenn and grandson Kevin.
The purpose of our voyage to the Nevada oasis was to celebrate my 74th birthday.
How did that happen?
Morning stop in Victorville, California
Our normal, non-Coronavirus travel plan is to drive for two hours and then stop at this great hole-in-the-wall diner for breakfast and a restroom break. At 7:00 a.m., just as planned, we arrived.
AWESOME BREAKFAST
AS USUAL!!!
The traditional post-breakfast
photo op at Emma Jean's
After another two hours, we took another quick restroom break in Prima, Nevada, aka State Line, before entering the Contreras desert home complete with . . .
. . . Andy's tremendous
Star Wars collection
The green Boba Felt to the left was a
gift today from our granddaughter
Mary to her uncle Andy
Cousins Kevin and Jacob
in the back seat of Andy's truck
But where we we going?
Andy had asked me over the weekend what I wanted to do for my birthday.
My answer was both quick and decisive in keeping with my new found Summer mania of attending minor league baseball games.
It was a boy's night out to Las Vegas' beautiful new ballpark that is the home of the local Pacific Coast League AAA team.
So who was playing?
The River Cats were in Fifth Place
in the PCL's five club West Division
They are affiliated with the National League's San Francisco Giants and were 23-29 going into the contest, 10.5 games behind the Division leading Reno Aces.
The Aviators were in Fourth Place
in the PCL's West Division before
the start of the game
The Las Vegas club was 25-28 going into the evening's contest, nine games behind the Reno Aces. The Aviators are affiliated with the American League's Oakland A's.
Except the Aviators were not the Aviators tonight, they were the . . .
Why the change you ask?
A few games each season, the Aviators don their alternate persona, the Reyes de Plata, to pay homage to the migrant workers that helped shape the rich mining history of Nevada and gave the state its Silver State nickname.
It also helps sell a ton of Reyes de Plata merchandise like the hat I bought.
Jacob and Kevin enjoying a photo op
We had time before the first pitch so we opted to walk all the way around the concourse before settling into our seats.
Another photo op in the
left field corner
Their is a VIP pool in center field
Inviting but we were not VIP material as it turned out.
The egalitarian Splash Pad, also
in centerfield, was more our style
Great little ballpark
Anyone can sit on this grassy knoll
The direct sunlight was not appealing at all.
Almost game time
First Pitch
With much of the time spent driving from California to Nevada, my goal of 10,000+ steps/day was in jeopardy.
The answer, in part, was to circumnavigate the stadium's concourse again at the end of the second, fourth and sixth innings.
Another view from left field
Without the direct sunlight,
the grass looked much more inviting
When I returned to our seats,
the Aviators/Reyes de Plata
goose mascot "Spruce"
was with the boys
It must be said that the Howard Hughes Corporation owns the team hence the Aviators and Spruce Goose references.
Jacob did not get to keep Spruce's sunglasses.
Good Times!
Kevin joined me on my
sixth innings walk
I just like the left field line view
In a slugfest, the Reyes de Plata won 14-9.
The boys had a good time
overall but there were moments
Our final look at the ballpark
The only problem was that I was still about 3,000 steps short of my daily walking goal.
No big deal, Andy and Mike both wanted to join me for a stroll once we were back at Andy's home.
What the . . .
It was still 100°F/37.88°C at 10:24 p.m. when we started strolling.
But it was a dry heat.
I reached my 10,000+ step goal thanks to the boys help but decided that I definitely needed to start my walking much earlier in the morning to take advantage of the cooler temperatures.
"Relatively" cooler, that is,
when I started walking
I got a bit over the half way point of my goal and that was enough in this heat.
Since it was now my actual birthdate, I got to make the call on food for lunch.
It was easy . . .
Best BBQ spot in Las Vegas
in my opinion and another fine
hole-in-the-wall dining spot
We ordered takeout with each adult getting a two-meat combo that provided enough protein for at least two meals.
I was a happy 74 year old!
If I was in Camarillo, I would
usually start my afternoon walk
at about this time
Not today and not in Las Vegas!
For my European friends, 115°F equals 46.1°C!!!
Speaking of my overseas and American friends as well, Grazie, Danke, Merci, Tack, Gracias and THANK YOU for all of the Happy Birthday wishes today.
Much more comfortable
for an evening walk
in the neighborhood
OK, I'm ready for a 75th trip around the Sun.
