Patience....Patience....Patience.....

This past Sunday, I went and visited a church in Mesa, AZ where Kurt Ploeger is now a pastor. Kurt used to be a pastor in Pipestone, MN where Christine & I got to know him and his wife a little bit.

They were both very surprised to see me walk into church and we had a very nice visit.  We talked about getting together at some point for lunch...or just to visit more...  The service was very nice and all the people I had a chance to visit with went out of their way to be friendly.  I was fortunate enough to go to a church that just happened to have a 'pot-luck' after this particular service.  For those of you who don't know what a pot-luck is....I'll describe it for you....
It's a thing of beauty....  (especially when all that's expected from you is to show up)  :)

It basically consists of everyone who is going to attend, bringing one of their favorite dishes to share with everyone else.  Some people bring great salads, some will bring delicious casseroles, others will bring homemade soups... and still others will bring some of the most scrumptious desserts you can imagine.  There's usually a few single guys...or older folks who don't enjoy baking and cooking who will bring some deli chicken or other type of food they can simply pay for...and pick up.....
It was an awesome meal with some of all the above mentioned items.

There was a nice lady there who after hearing that for the first time ever, when traveling, I had managed to find a place that did NOT have a Bible in the top drawer....was more than happy to give me her little pocket size Gideon's Bible....  She was a nice older lady who just loved talking about motorcycling and Sturgis, etc....  (She still wants to go check it out for herself someday!)  :)

It was a very nice Sunday morning/afternoon and I made it back to my apartment feeling very stuffed.... but yet very refreshed....

On Wednesday, I went for a little Motorcycle ride to visit one of my cousins in Tuscon.  Her husband is currently deployed in the Middle East and her son and daughter-in-law will be deployed soon.  We had a very nice visit and she also treated me to some great food.  All of my clothes DO still fit, but I probably should start going for some early morning walks, just to make sure that they continue to fit me the way they're supposed to.

Between the time I wrote my last blog post and now, I've also managed to get some poker playing in...  (Pretty much every day that I haven't already accounted for)  :)
The games have been even better than I anticipated.  I KNEW they were good in the winter time with all the snow birds playing.... but I've found out they're good in the summer time as well. There's plenty of people around here who have more than a little gamble in them....

There's one guy I play with that sells classic cars....who was nice enough to bring me a nice new "O'Reilly's Auto Parts" hat to replace my "EMT Flight Care" hat....which has seen it's better days...  It doesn't help any when those hats are stored in the saddle bags of the motorcycle.  This guy's a piece of work....and I really like him....  He feels pretty comfortable with me as well....'cuz every once in awhile, I have to warn him that he's a pretty old man....to be givin' me shit like he does...  He shouldn't just assume that I really am the nice guy I seem to be....  lol

Although the poker games have been good, I've had to do what they call "grinding" in the poker world.  They money hasn't been coming easy.  I've had to work hard for every dollar I've made.  My last session, I was stuck the entire session until the very last hand I played, where I won a nice big pot that took me from being a $800 loser or so....and made me a $219 winner.
I've still managed to win every single session but the big wins have been elusive.
It does however add up, even it's only $100, 200, or $300 at a time...
It sometimes is hard to exercise the great patience that is needed when the cards run like they have for me lately.  You just wanna kind of get in there and get involved in those big pots, even if you don't have the type of hand that warrants it.
I just keep telling myself, "Patience....Patience....Patience...."
I KNOW the correct/most effective way to play the game, but even for a seasoned pro, it can be difficult sometimes....

I actually am very pleased with my performance....and my results....so far.  I know that those big wins will come if I just can keep playing good.  Friday and Saturday are usually pretty big days at the poker table, so I'm looking forward to hitting it again tomorrow....

On the home front... I've done laundry now for the 2nd time...  Not my favorite thing to do...but I must say... I'm pretty good at folding clothes so that they look nice....  :)
I'm reaping the rewards of when I had to occasionally do that chore as a child.... so thanks mom... for that...  :)

It's supposed to get 115 degrees or warmer for the next week or so...  I'll make sure I leave the room on time in the morning to try to stay out of that heat as much as I can....  That's just plain HOT....  I know.... It's a dry heat.... but I don't care what anybody says....  That's hot whether there's humidity or not... 

I drink a ton of water out here...  I think that also contributes to me feeling good....

On the other home front... in Jasper, MN...  Christine and JD have been doing an awesome job of getting orders filled and getting them shipped.....so thanks to both of them for making my job a lot easier when I do get back home.  That really has been a blessing.  JD's been making some pipes for me....and I think as of right now, I only have 2 that I have to get done for people when I get home...  (that he isn't comfortable doing....or the people just want me to do it) In the winter time when we've been gone, and no-one has been there to make pipes for us, I come home to many, many, pipes and orders that have to be taken care of.

Now that you all are up to date again on my little trip....I think I'll go spend a little time sitting outside and enjoying the desert air before 'retiring' for the evening...  That kind of rolls off my tongue in a similar way as to when I call my shop at home a 'studio'....    :)

Back in Arizona

Picking up from the last blog post....  I left Springerville, AZ around 8:00 AM I think and the roads I took left no room for disappointment!  I just had some awesome motorcycle riding all day long.  Salt River Canyon was so much fun, I could've almost turned around and rode through it again....
I rode through that deep canyon and an hour or so later, I was heading through the mountains of AZ.  I took a little longer route, just to be on some real curvy and good motorcycle roads.

Once I got out of Salt River Canyon, it got really hot.  I stopped 2 or 3 times just to make sure I wouldn't get dehydrated.  I'd relax and gulp down a couple bottles of cold water.  It tasted SO good in those 100+ degree temps.

By the time I arrived in Phoenix, my body was getting somewhat overheated and I couldn't find a room fast enough...  I ended up in a little weekly/monthly apartment which has the basic necessities and everything I figured I would need.  It has a nice little pool which I've been frequenting for about an hour in the morning before I go play cards.

The day after I arrived here, I did go to the casino and arrived there, only to realize that I'd left my poker playing money at the apartment.  I didn't really feel like going back, so I counted the money that I had from traveling, (gas, food money, etc...) and thought I maybe had enough to get something going at the poker tables.

I got on the list for a couple of small games and then walked by the 20-40 game just to see who was playing.  There happened to be one seat open and I decided to take a chance with my limited amount of cash and see if I could get a little lucky.  I really didn't have enough money for this game, but you never know what might happen.  I figured I'd either lose the little bit of money I had or if I was fortunate, I'd be able to turn it into something.

Well, to make a long story short.... I was fortunate... and found myself up a little over $1000 after 2-1/2 hours.  I decided to take the win and go back to the apartment.

I ended up taking the next day off and just relaxing and catching up on some sleep after my days on the road.  I think the heat really took it out of me on Monday because I did a lot of sleeping on Wednesday.  I finally felt fully recovered on Thursday and headed back to the poker room.

I played Thursday, Friday, and Saturday, and was fortunate enough to beat the game all 3 days.  They were long, tough, sessions however.  I had to get stuck pretty good before I could make a comeback and book relatively small wins.

After my first day of poker playing....and winning the $1000+, just for the fun of it, I decided to see if I could get by just using only that money and see if I could turn it into something.  So far, I've been able to do that.

I'm happy with small wins....even if they come after long, hard, sessions.  It seems to me as long as you can stay away from the big losses, the big wins just seem to take care of themselves.  I'm looking forward to hopefully having a couple of those big wins this coming week.

I'm pretty much settled in here now....with some water, soda, beer, and fruit in the refrigerator.  I have some of my basic snacks in the cupboard.  (cheese & crackers, a few candy bars, a bag of chips, etc...) 

I did have a pizza the night I arrived in town, (and leftovers on the day I didn't play cards) but other than that, I've been eating casino food.  (which is free for me)    Even though it's free, I think it's pretty good.  They have everything from beef commercials to shrimp, blackened salmon, prime rib, T-bones, and a really good oriental menu....for those who like that.  They also have a wide array of breakfasts on the menu.... and they'll even do specialty orders, (of any kind) which I give them every once in awhile.  I especially like their asparagus and brussel sprouts...which I never get when I'm at home.

I am feeling exceptionally good....since I still haven't had a headache or signs of one....  I'm starting to be feel very optimistic about my chances for getting through this summer without any at all.

I left on this trip feeling really good about the poker opportunities as well....and I still feel that way.  I just feel like it's going to be an all-around great trip....

I know this probably has been kind of a boring update....but at least for those of you who are interested... it gives you the chance to read about what I've been up to...

On the road again....

Well, for once I beat a deadline!  I wanted to make sure that I was on the road before June 18th and I made it!  I actually left home on June 12.

My daughter, Kala, had put a post up on facebook that said she was needing a babysitter for my grandson Jackson.  She had a lot of replies from well-wishers, or people that lived far away and had good intentions, but no solid offers.

I posted to Kala that I could maybe do it for her and it all worked out!

I spent 2 glorious days watching Jackson all by myself.  We had a blast and he gave me a really good workout!  I slept like a baby all 3 nights I was there.

I left Kansas City on the 15th around 8:00 AM and finally stopped for the night in Clayton, NM.  I camped out, pitched a tent...and by the time it was up...it was dark.  I took a shower, shaved, flossed and brushed and went to bed feeling like a million bucks.

The one downer of the day was my evening meal.

I've made a half-hazard commitment to myself that I am going to try to avoid fast food or franchise restaurants as much as possible on this trip.  In the past, I've had so many great meals at mom & pop type restaurants, and also met great people under those circumstances.
I'm sorry to say that neither was the case with my first meal at a local restaurant.  It was a Mexican food place....and I don't know if I just ordered the wrong thing...or if all the food was crappy.  I ordered what would basically be a nacho-supreme....and it pretty much sucked.  :)  It was drowning in a cheese sauce that wasn't very good....and by the time I had eaten a few of the nachos everything... .& I mean EVERYTHING was soaked and soggy...and gross...  and the help wasn't anything to brag about either....  So much for the first shot at my little experiment...

I got a fairly good night of sleep.  I was up a couple of times, due to the hard ground and me not bringing my bed roll to lay on.  I had it set out, but it has a little leak in it and it just took up too much room.  If I end up doing a lot more camping, I'll probably buy another one...  Probably will do that for sure by the time I get to Sturgis.

I was on the road shortly after 6:00 AM  It was pretty cold out and really foggy in spots, but I made good time and kept comfortable with my chaps on and my XFRG waterproof coat.  Around 8:30ish I went by a place called Gladstone Mercantile.  Looked like a really cool little shop and on the sign it said they had restrooms.  I was pleasantly surprised to see the "OPEN" sign lit up in the window, on a Sunday morning, so I pulled in the 2nd driveway.

It WAS a cool little store with all kinds of unique items and lots and lots of antiques.  I saw they had a single dining room table in one part of the store, so I asked if they served food.  I was surprised again when the gal said, "yes" so I asked her what they had for breakfasts.... since I didn't see a menu on the table.  She looked in the back room (at her mother I think) and said, "Would a breakfast burrito be OK?"
I said, "Sounds great to me!"
Turns out they didn't even have menus....
Now that's the kind of place I just knew I was going to get some good food.... and I wasn't disappointed.  The mother came out and asked me if I liked green chili peppers... and I immediately told her that there probably wasn't anything she could put in that burrito that I wouldn't like.

It was an awesome burrito, topped with some homemade hot sauce/salsa.

Needless to say, the 2nd part of my eating at mom and pop type placed worked out wonderfully.... and it only cost me $4.00  You just can't beat a deal or a meal....like that.

After eating, I hit the road pretty hard and ended up putting around 550 miles on.  I rode through probably 60 degree temps in the morning, 100+ temps in the afternoon, and got rained on twice.  It felt great!  (except for the hard little pelting on my slightly sunburnt head. 

As a side note, I did take the same road through Sante Fe, NM that I took a couple of years ago when I had that 'experience' with Reggie.  I was trying to make sure I didn't miss going by his place to see if he still had those ugly starving horses, but somehow I missed it.  I can't hardly imagine that those horses are still alive.  I'm thinking Reggie probably ended up butchering them so he'd finally have something besides a single pitcher of lemonade in his refrigerator.  (If you all don't know what I'm talking about here, you have to check back to some older blogs where I go into detail about my experience with Reggie)

I stopped outside of Albuquerque, NM to call my dad to wish him a Happy Father's Day before I would lose service again for the rest of the day.  My phone was dead, so I had to take the charger and go to a gas station restroom to plug it in and talk.  I got a few funny looks from people going in and out of the restroom, but that's OK.  :)  I had a nice conversation with dad.... (and mom)

Got back on the road and made good time all the way to Springerville, AZ where I am camped out in a cabin in an RV park.  Got a wonderful $20 deal (no tax and I didn't even have to register) because I paid in cash.

Was referred to a family restaurant by the nice lady behind the desk.  I did end up going there and had an absolutely wonderful 8 layer burrito.....along with an ice cold 16 oz Coors Light.  Another great experience with a non-franchise restaurant....

My motorcycle has been running wonderfully, (knock on wood) although it seems like I've put an awful lot of gas in it lately!  I think I've put about 1500 miles on since leaving home.  I'm taking a little longer route than I'd have to, so I can enjoy some roads that seem to be made for riding motorcycle through them.

Tomorrow I'll go through Salt River Canyon.  This is something I've wanted to do on the bike, since the first time I went through it in a 4 wheeled vehicle.  Tomorrow will almost be 100% great curvy, up and down roads...  I'm looking forward to it.  I will end up in a weekly apartment somewhere in the Phoenix area by the time I go to bed tomorrow night. 

Then by Tuesday hopefully, it'll be time to get some great poker playin' in.  I'm looking forward to that and I'm feeling really good about it....

Not a single headache yet this summer (knock on wood twice) so that might be a big part of why I'm feeling so good about this trip....  (If you don't know what I'm talking about here....read up on some older posts again)  :)

Had kind of a weird father's day since I wasn't home.  JD left me a phone message that I wasn't able to get yet, because I don't have phone service...  (I will tomorrow though)  I opened a very nice card from Heather and her family....as well as one from the grandkids with Jozilyn's own hand printed signature.  Heather always does such a great job of finding good sappy cards....  I think I've saved almost all of them....  They're nice to read sometimes when things ain't going so great...
I basically celebrated the day early with Kala and her family when I was in Kansas City and.... I think all of the kids and Christine had a nice little post on facebook.
So....it was weird.... but it was good....  Thanks to all them people mentioned for making me feel special!

Now... I'm POOPED!  It's around 10:00 where I'm at I think.... but my 'puter says it 12:00....and that's more like how I feel....
Sleepin' on a bed tonight in my cabin.... so should be a VERY good night's sleep....

Speaking of sleeping... gotta tell one more little story....
I'm sure you all remember Sabrina...  :)
Well, tonight I was offered by a gal at a motel I was checking out (before I found out how much it cost) to "bunk up" with her....  and her girlfriend....  lol
We'd visited for about exactly 1 minute....before that offer was made...
We never got to the point of exchanging names....  
WHERE do these people come from?

Well... these 2 were from Texas....   lol

Good Night!