Vegas III

So it's time to get back to work a little bit around here.

We'll start with cleaning up from the September Las Vegas trip which saw my college friends Drew and Heather get married. It's a little fuzzy and distant in my rear-view mirror now, but we'll do our best.

It was great seeing the old gang. They're different-- been through some things, made some choices, and raised kids. Yet they're the same good people that I came to know nearly 20 years ago at Texas Tech. I'm still incredulous that my path continues to cross the paths of so many good, solid individuals. I'm also pleased to still call them friends.

We stayed at the Excalibur. The rooms are no frills of course, since they want you downstairs spending money. There wasn't a whole lot of structure to the weekend-- no rehearsal dinner or anything like that. Just the wedding. Beforehand, we got out and about a little-- walked around some, drank margaritas, and watched football. It's amazing just how much infrastructure is there. It seemed like I could walk across town and not go outside, what with all the underground walkways and monorail systems.

The First Lady is typically in charge of the restauranting on our journeys-- we started at Fleur at the Mandalay Bay, where we observed happy hour and nibbled on fried chickpeas-- nothing too much, yet crunchy enough to satisfy us. Then we met up with the other married couple and decided to head to RM Seafood, also at MB. It was close to 9:00 pm by now, so I didn't order much-- a bowl of clam chowder and a Thai green papaya salad. Both were delicious. This was a great chance to catch up with Jacky and Kathleen, whom we'd not seen since our wedding three years ago.

As our last meal before heading to the airport, we stopped at Fleur again, having seen and tasted enough to want to go back to see what they could do. It was Monday lunch so it was not crowded, so we walked right in with our luggage and sat down.

Ann had a croque monsieur, basically a French version of a ham and cheese sandwich.  She reports this version was toasted and had a very special sauce. I had a short rib lasagna that I now remember as being quite good.

The wedding, also hosted by the MB, was at sunset at the outdoor artificial beach and was nondenominational and secular in nature, as the newlyweds are not religious. I was perfectly suited for my role, which involved being the number two behind the best man. Jacky and Drew go further back (and also live considerably closer to each other), so the Jackal played the role of best man.

We went upstairs to the soon-to-be honeymoon suite and waited for the newlyweds. The reception was in the suite, and was limited to 15 to 20 folks. After some food, conversation, and fun, we said our goodbyes and went back to Excalibur for a nightcap.

Kathleen and Jacky also stayed at Excalibur, and we met up with them for a short breakfast and say aloha before they headed to the airport. Again, I moved to Oklahoma, Kansas, and now Alabama, so my time with these good friends is always very rare and never long enough when it happens.

Before long, it was our turn to head to McCarran and our flight back to civilization.