In January, Mike became an unconditional permanent resident of the United States. Next step – citizenship, just as soon as he can memorize the words to all four verses of “The Star-Spangled Banner.”
April found us in Las Vegas for Spring Break. Although Vegas continues to reinvent itself, and many of the old Rat Pack stomping grounds have been demolished, we were able to toast them in Caesar’s Palace and visit the Bugsy Siegel memorial at the current incarnation of the Flamingo – and we rode the monorail to get there! As I say, Vegas keeps changing. We made also brief forays to Red Rock Canyon and Valley of Fire, which have not changed.
Over the summer, Mike continued his career as a lab rat for the Pennington Biomedical Research Institute here, with a stint as a research subject in a 14-week study testing a new weight loss drug (indications are that he got the placebo). It included a 2 and ½ week stay at the Institute and a later one of 3 days, during which he was not allowed to do anything but read, watch t.v. or movies, eat, and sleep (it’s a cat’s life!), and weekly visits. No alcohol or caffeine from the week before the study through to the end. He endured it like a trooper, and was rewarded with $4500. He got the HD video camera he’s been coveting, and the house got sorely needed new windows – and we’ll get a tax credit.
We played host to two lovely women from Australia in August. Denise and Nivette, friends of Mike’s sister, Judy, were on a month-long driving tour of the U.S. They rented a car in Los Angeles, and drove to Memphis and Graceland, then dropped down to Baton Rouge for a few days, then to New Orleans and back to L.A. via Las Vegas.
They were so enthusiastic on their return to Australia that Judy decided to see what all the fuss was about. She arrived in Baton Rouge just in time for Halloween and Mike’s birthday, and stayed through Thanksgiving. We thoroughly enjoyed her visit, and hope that she felt the same.
In October, I began my apprenticeship as a volunteer open hearth cook at the Rural Life Museum’s Harvest Days and continued with a Rural Life Christmas in December. I also told ghost stories at the Museum’s Haints, Haunts & Halloween celebration. The best part is that I get to do it dressed in 19th century working-class garb, including mob cap and apron!
We ended the year with a long-planned train trip to the Big Bend National Park and area in Texas. Film buffs that we are, we stayed a night at the Hotel Paisano in Marfa, location for the movie “Giant,” then a night in the ghost town of Terlingua, and 3 days and 2 nights in Big Bend itself, and were home again on New Year’s Eve. Find photos, videos, and more detail on our blog, S & M on the Road.
