April 12, Las Vegas

I overslept a bit this morning. Don had to wake me up to go out and get the phony paper. I don’t feel bad about it, he oversleeps pretty often and doesn’t get into trouble. When he finally got himself together and ready for our walk, he got me into the truck and we drove a few miles to a park that we’ve never been to. It was very pleasant, with nice grass, some young evergreen trees, and a number of picnicking sites. I eagerly trotted around gathering new smells and rolling in the grass. The picnic areas were particularly interesting, the lingering odor of discarded, decomposing food items was heavenly. Anyway, it was a very pleasant walk and I hope we come back there again soon.

When we got back to the rig, Don had to do some chores like cleaning the windshield, which had a nice collection of bugs, and dumping the tanks. I decline to assist in either of these jobs, so I stayed in the rig and kept Geri company while she was getting herself together. After lunch, we all got into the truck and took a ride down what’s called “The Strip” in Las Vegas. Geri and Don were reminiscing about the old hotels that they used to stay in that are no longer there, and how even the really nice places they stayed at were like cat doo-doo compared to the new hotels that have gone up in the last few years. Personally, I’m really pleased that they don’t want to stay in those hotels anymore, ‘cause if they did, I couldn’t come with them, and they would miss me.

We drove by a place that Geri often watches on TV; it’s called a “Pawn Shop”, and the guys who work there buy and sell unusual things. Geri was going to go in, but the parking lot was full and the place was a madhouse. I guess a lot of other people watch it on TV. We saw a lot of places where people could get mated, or married, as humans call it. Some were very pretty, and some were kind of different, like the one with the bobble-headed Elvis playing his guitar. Bet you didn’t think I knew about Elvis; he’s a legend even among dogs!

We went back to the rig, where they made sure I was comfortable for my afternoon nap, and then they headed out for a casino they had never been to before. When they returned, a few hours later, they told me that they had been to the Red Rock Casino, that just opened a couple of years ago. They said that it was very beautiful, especially the fountains and waterscaping around the front of the building. They were not so effusive in their praise of the generosity of the slot machines. Geri took me for a nice walk, and we met one our new friends, another Goldie, a lady by the name of Miss Ellie. She’s a very pleasant individual, and I don’t mind the attention she gets from Geri and Don. Her folks are equally appreciative of me. She’s also a California dog, from Sacramento. When we finished our walk, I got my dinner and they left to go out to have theirs. I got some good naptime and watched a little TV. When they got back, they told me that they had been to one of their favorite Italian places, called The Bootlegger, and they had ordered the house special pizza, which turned out to be very good, but still not up to Geri’s very rigid standards. They had spent some time and money at another casino, but I’m not going to begrudge them that. Whatever makes them happy is OK with me, as long as my basic needs of food and entertainment are met. A nice day was had by all. I’m sure more are yet to come. See you tomorrow!