Just a Walk in the Park

Wow this week got away from me! I can’t believe it’s Friday already! Other than having a busy work week there was only one other notable thing that happened. I finally got a harness big enough to go around my fat cat Buddy!

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So with harness and leash attached we tried a little afternoon jaunt on the grass in front of the condo. Everything went well except my neighbor’s cat hated Buddy on sight and by extension, me.

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Poor Moochie. He’s my “little Buddy” so I didn’t like him being upset.

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He’s so tiny next to my big guy but they could almost be twins with the black and white markings.

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The first trip outside went so well that we tried it again last night. Buddy was in his element. He really loves it. In fact he was having so much fun that he did not want to come in when the time was up.

He had rolled in the dirt and run down hill and sniffed the plants and flowers but all good things must come to an end and time was up.

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I carried him back up to the front door but put him down to open it. Stubbornly he refused to go in so I picked him up again and lifted him into the entry. Now I had to put him down again to unlock the inside door. To my surprise he trotted right in.

But success was short lived. He plopped himself down next to the stairwell and refused to go any further. I didn’t want to “take him for a drag” because I was afraid the velcro fastener would let go and then the chase would be on so I bent over to pick him up again.

Sometimes I think Buddy is part Rag Doll because he turns into a limp noodle when he doesn’t want you to hold him. And that’s what he did now. As I tried to get my hands under him so he wouldn’t slip  he decided he’d had enough of this man handling.

He chose that moment to grab onto my head with his paws, claws out to get a grip and that’s how I carried him into the unit! As I bent over to release the harness I saw little blood drops fall. He got me good!

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Now if I’m asked who beat me up I can say, my cat!

Polo Towers

After a long but uneventful flight we arrived at McCarren International Airport, Las Vegas, NV.  A quick hello to the tortoise in the terminal

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and we were taking a  short cab ride to our destination, Polo Towers, in the heart of the strip.

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Polo Towers is a time share resort. There is no casino but we had a lovely one bedroom on the 14th floor.

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There was a huge bed in the bedroom and a pull out couch in the living room. We also had a full kitchen with fridge, stove and microwave.

There is a shuttle to some of the malls and a grocery store but we were content to pick up our provisions in the little mini mart in the resort.

There is also a pool and a fitness center although we didn’t get a chance to use either.

Upon arrival we were treated like VIP’s.  Everyone making us feel welcome.

It had been a long day . We left Albany Airport at 11 am but didn’t arrive in Las Vegas until 6:30 pm. We quickly got checked in and settled.

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We took a quick look at the views of the strip from our room and then headed out for dinner.

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DSC_2412 copyOur meal was enjoyed with the elephants of the Rainforest Cafe before we returned to our room for the night.

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Time enough to explore in the morning.

Farewell South Beach

Well it was my last day in South Beach.  I finally got to spend a little time with my favorite cousin.  Kathy and I had lots of fun growing up but we haven’t seen too much of each other as adults.

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Kathy picked me up in front of my resort and we went in search of someplace to have lunch off the strip finally settling on a little deli style place where we could eat at a table in front.

My afternoon was spent packing up and roaming the strip. I ran into some of the homeless folks that I’d gotten used to meeting on my walks. I was touched and surprised when one grabbed me and hugged me and wished me well.

For my last evening I decided to treat myself to a salad and shrimp cocktail right on Ocean Drive.Shrimp-Cocktail-2-800

The shrimp looked like mini lobster tails and were delicious. I rounded out my healthful meal with one glass of chardonnay. I got sticker shock when I got the bill. After I added the tip it came to $108.00! Wow! I could eat a lot of steak in Boston for that. But it was worth it.

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The next morning my cab ($40.00 including tip) picked me up on time and delivered me to the airport with time to spare.

All too soon I was winging back to the cold northeast but at least my furry roommates would be glad to see me.

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Gator Wrestling Anyone?

Once we returned from air boat ride we followed the signs to the gator wrestling pit. This was in a different place from the old pit where I saw J Mark do his performance.

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The new pit had a cover so if the rain started only the wrestler would get wet. The audience would stay nice and dry. There were tip boxes placed along the fence.

We had a lady wrestler that I’d never seen before. I don’t think she was ever on the Gator Boys show but I could be wrong. I may have missed an episode or two.

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She did the usual tricks, nothing new. After the show you could have your picture taken with a baby alligator.

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I have to admit to feeling a bit let down. My last visit has so much emotion attached to it because J Mark passed away after I’d seen his show. As a result this visit left me feeling kind of flat. I would have liked to see one of the show’s principal’s make an appearance. But that was not to be on this day.

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The air boat ride was good, especially with the iguana at the end but I’ve been spoiled by going out on the smaller 6 person air boats. Now the big Holiday Park boats don’t have the same thrill as before.

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All I can say is they do good work, rescuing alligators and deserve support. I’m sure I’ll  continue to keep them on my South Florida activity list.