My Mental Vacation

Love Those Free Trips!

We weren't planning on going back to Las Vegas again this year, but the Palazzo is comping a suite for us for few days in October. Can't pass that up, eh?

I'd like to think that this invitation was a result of that post I wrote a while back, in which I mentioned all of the luxurious features of the hotel, and also the shabbiness of the toilet paper. But I checked my blog stats, and nobody reads this thing, so that can't be it.

More likely, they noticed that I got addicted to this one silly slot machine on our last trip. Seriously addicted. See, I'm not a big gambler. I'll usually just play the slot machines for a little while, until I've gone through my allowance. Not the last trip...

I saw this machine called the Reels of Dublin. Now, I'm a good Irish girl, so had to throw in a couple of quarters. I won something right away. Probably 50 cents or a dollar. But the machine started playing an Irish jig! Reminded me of when I was four and used to dance the jig on my uncle's bar. (That's a story for another day.)

I kept winning, and I kept getting extra spins. The whole time, the machine is playing this wild Irish music. It was almost embarrasing! People were staring at me bopping on my bar stool, but I didn't care. I was up 200%, 300%, 500%! I think I played this game for about four hours, and I walked away with several hundred dollars. Not bad, based on my initial $20 investment. And the next day, I did it again!

See... even though I don't usually gamble, I got taken in by the marketing... the packaging, the music, the come-on! I should have known better, but I was having a blast! That's great marketing. One-to-one. Direct-and-personal. Fun.

A Great Place to Stay in Carmel

Tony and I just celebrated our first wedding anniversary and spent a lovely weekend at the Highlands Inn in Carmel. What a great place! The location is awesome... miles away from the throngs of weekend shoppers on Ocean Ave, and just a bit farther south than beautiful Point Lobos State Park.  Awesome views, which you can enjoy from your suite, your deck, the fire pit, or one of the hot tubs.

We are big partiers (hah!) We arrived Friday night, ordered room service, and watched the opening ceremony of the Olympics on television. But we loved it. The food was excellent. (How often do you get cioppino from room service?) We lit a fire, popped open a bottle of wine, and just relaxed. Over the next couple of days, we went wine tasting, had some great meals, and hiked at Point Lobos.

Best discovery: Nico's resaurant in Carmel  Charming staff, and great food. Nico caught us outside looking at the menu, and he said, "Come in and try the crab ravioli in champagne sauce. I promise you will love it." So, we tried it, and he was right.

Old favorite: Passionfish in Pacific Grove. We love the food. 'Nuff said.

Don't miss: Point Lobos State Reserve provides what I think are some of the prettiest coastline views in the Carmel area, and the trails are well-groomed and fairly easy to walk.

No longer a secret: We've been visiting Parsonage winery since the tasting room was in the garage at the Parson family house in the Carmel Valley. They are now in their second or third tasting room on the main road, and this is the first one they have to themselves. The wines still have their signature touch, but the tasting room experience is now like any other winery in the area.

Is Camping Considered a Vacation?

I will be the first person to admit that camping is not my top choice for a vacation. I'm basically a wimp when it comes to getting dirty and sleeping on the ground. But, my husband, the Eagle Scout and forestry major, loves it, so what's a girl to do?

We just spent a few days up at Plumas Eureka State Park, which is an absolutely beautiful area in the Sierras. Easy to find... Just take highway 80 to Truckee, take a left, go 50 miles north, and there you are - right in the middle of the forest.

Jamison Creek runs through the camp, and I saw a young boy catch a huge fish in it. Six inches, easy! He was so excited about it, but didn't have a clue what to do with the fish once he had caught it. Very funny! Luckily, his dad came to the rescue and turned it into dinner.

I wanted to work with my new camera, so I took a lot of pictures. I'll post them soon. The park is built on the site of an old silver mine, and there is a museum on site, along with a working blacksmith shop.

The campground now requires reservations in advance, which can be made online. Most of the sites were full, but it was lovely, and we still had privacy. Good showers, with hot water. No electricity, though, so my hairdryer was useless. Oh well...