While here in Menifee, we got to witness the recent solar eclipse.  I remember using a couple index cards to view it many years ago in grade school, but we made a bigger viewer this time.  A recent antennae purchase provided us with a cardboard tube that was about 5 feet long.  We put aluminum foil on one end, and white tissue paper on the other, poked a small hole in the foil, and we had our viewer.  It is a little tough to aim and hold steady, but we made use of some of the tree’s to get it done.  Here’s a few pictures.

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The main reason we had scheduled a week in Las Vegas was for me to attend a class there on VMware products.  It was a fantastic class, and I learned tons.  This will greatly help me at work, as I’m supposed to be the “VMware guru”.  I feel more guru-ish now.

While there, our fulltime family friends showed up, and we got to spend a few days with them before we split up again.  Lot’s of hanging out and chatting, a trip to the Hoover Dam, and a lovely dinner with super excellent fish taco’s, nacho’s, and such.  I enjoyed the Hoover Dam tour, and getting to say “Dam” without Molly charging me a dollar every time. 🙂

The whole “gang” has kinda been together on and off since early February I believe.  We had met the McCloskey’s earlier, but met up with the Travaglino’s and Garrison’s in Quarzsite for a visit, then “living” with them starting at Pio Pico.  Now, some are headed up the western coastal states, others to the north, then across to the Northeast.  All the talk of moving on, and the planned changes for Megan’s living arrangements have inspired Diane and I to look at making some excursion plans as well.  It looks like our summer will have us touring CA, but the fall will see another trip east.  This time, as far north and east as PA, then down to FL, and then a slow trek back.  We’ll be out there for Halloween in NY or NC, Thanksgiving in GA, Christmas in FL, and just to see if certain family members are paying attention, we should be in IN staying at the Horseshoe Lakes Thousand Trails during the Covered Bridge Festival.

Ok, back to Vegas…

We enjoyed the campground there.  It is a bit cramped, but the facilities were nice, and clean, and the staff was super friendly.  You can see certain undesirables in the area outside the park, but they are kept outside.  We’ll have to check it out again in the future, when the pool is open.  Also, there are a few other RV parks/resorts that are located nearby as well.  They didn’t seem to be gated like the Thousand Trails, but the rates looked low, and the grounds looked well kept.

Our next stop… Menifee, CA, for a week or two.

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