Tag Archive | Kentucky

Sunday Grateful: Bardstown Festival – October 13, 2013

Watching my grandson play football was on the agenda…

He’s eight!  120915_004

A sad day for the team… being beaten soundly!

but, being with their buddies… out on a Fall day… Grandparents, parents and sister with

friends watching… 130817_001

It can’t be all bad!

And since it was the last game of the season… a reprieve from practices… quick suppers… hurrying… and being tired all of the time…

Our next agenda item was the Bardstown Autumn Festival…

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downtown-walking

and not far from the football game…

A perfect combo!…

A quick early lunch from McDonald’s since we had no breakfast,,,

and then on to see all of the crafts and food people have made…

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We lucked out in finding a close parking space for free…

The going rate was $5.00 at most places…

It was very crowded and had only been open for 2 hours…

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You could smell foods like kettle corn… pork sandwiches… peppers / onions with sausages and sweets…

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Then we saw fudge, cakes, candies, sandwiches, drinks, popcorn, ice cream…

Probably good we had just eaten… kept me from all of those goodies!

We walked and waked…

Of course, I was looking at everything!…

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Even Bobby looked a lot… getting ideas for his wood working projects…

Lots of orange (autumn colors) in door hangings… decorations… but, Christmas was there too!

Everything you can imagine… Doll clothes, pet items, girly scarves, hats, jewelery…

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Metal lawn art… spread out under the trees…

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Blow ups for the kids to play in…

Hand made wood items, pottery, sun catchers, purses, quilts…

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I always buy homemade soaps

Pretty, useful and smell so wonderful… Making nice gifts for someone…

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I did find these unique “rusty” Christmas Stockings that are candle holders

I wouldn’t actually burn them… looks like it could be a little dangerous… but, will make a cute little decoration hung somewhere at Christmas…

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We covered the whole area…

and by then we were ready for a hotdog and Cherry Lime – Ade from Sonic…

on the way out-of-town…

Bardstown is known for Stephen Foster’s Birthplace 220px-Stephen_Foster

… “Oh! Susanna“, “Camptown Races“, “Old Folks at Home“, “My Old Kentucky Home“,

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Jeanie with the Light Brown Hair“, “Old Black Joe“, and “Beautiful Dreamer“. Many of his compositions remain popular more than 150 years after he wrote them.

There are Bourbon Distilleriesbourbon

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A quaint, clean little town… with some beautiful homes…

and a great festival for a Fall Day!

I’m grateful for a lovely Fall Day consisting of Football, Crafts made by talented people, good food and an outing with my husband,,,

Daily Prompt: Luxurious

What’s the one luxury you can’t live without?

Photographers, artists, poets: show us LUXURY.

lux·u·ry

noun \ˈlək-sh(ə-)rē, -zh(ə-)rē\

: a condition or situation of great comfort, ease, and wealth

: something that is expensive and not necessary

: something that is helpful or welcome and that is not usually or always available

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………………………….

I tried to figure out if I had anything luxurious

Expensive and NOT necessary…

I guess it would be something I treat myself with that I don’t HAVE to have

Maybe a “special spice”… that would make a recipe “all that!”…k9220612

Bubble Bath or Pretty Smelling Soaps”… that just make me feel “luxurious”…k6565992

“My Pet Cat Jill” who gives me the most pleasure… but, requires a special kind of cat food for her finicky ways…OLYMPUS DIGITAL CAMERA

“Vacations” … to a place I’ve never seen… NO, I’m not a worldly traveler… but, across the boundaries of Kentucky at least…k14707353

A “special drink” for celebrating…k7901618

A “special dinner” with those I love…k4583019

A “Present / Gift” given to someone … who I know will love it!…sfo0344

A Gift Card just for ME… to spend on just me!…k4432558

A “Girl’s Day Out”… to be with those I share most everything with…mpe0008

but, my mostLuxurious” item I have… is my husband and my little family…

They give me more pleasure… a feeling of wealth… a feeling of having found precious stones… a “high” that comes naturally…a heart so full it could bust at times…

Yes! … I think I have got items that I would call “Luxury Items”…

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that I couldn’t live without… and they belong to me!

The Fair Came Last week

Louisville has a big State Fair

Animals, crafts, concerts, food, rides k10322270 , displays…

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We weren’t going this year… The cost of getting in is $10.00 a person + $8.00 to park…

$28.00 just to get in… and then you smell all of the food cooking and want something like a foot long corndog k0087791x13582244… or a funnel cake u13484842 k4242260or a fresh squeezed “Lemonade Shakeup”… k10651277 or ice cream… or a Pork Chop Sandwich k4158059

Well, you get the picture!

There are displays selling everything!

Clothes, jewelery, pot/pans, leather items , glass items, things I’ve never seen before…

It really is quite overwhelming!

I was on Facebook… when a nephew of mine said he had two tickets that included parking for $10.00… 4561v1-max-150x150

That I could handle!

Late in the day… and the last day… but, I wanted to go…

You have to know why…

My husband and I met at the Kentucky State Fair… September 1968… and were married February 1969…

5 months of knowing someone… my Dad was about to have a fit!…

Not that we had just known each other for such a short time… but, that he was leaving for Viet Nam in March….

NOW, I grasp what my Dad was thinking…

but, LOVE conquered and we were married…

So, you see why I “need” to go whenever I can!…

It will be 45 years… this February-2014…

So, we went and walked and looked and talked…

We didn’t eat… because we had a good dinner with our kids before we left… and the only thing I bought was  some eye-glass/ jewelery cleaner

Didn’t need that!… but, it worked so good!

Better than food that would go straight to my behind!… is the way I looked at it!

Our short visit was very nice… the smells… the atmosphere… the memories…

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Main entrance …

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Mr. Goat greeted us…

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This was the cutest… Baby yellow ducks would swim to one end of the trough… ride up… eat a few bites… then slide down… and then repeat again…

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Trailer we would like to have…

“Dream Only!”…

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One of my students from when I was at middle school…

She is just a doll… (Special Needs Class)… she was 11- or 12 … now I guess in her 30’s… Her Mom and Dad sell Glass Figurines at the Fair every year…

so good seeing her… She had her face painted with a pretty purple design… her favorite color!

She hollers, “Mrs. Griffin!”… every year when I stop by for a visit…

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Fish Tanks…

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Easter Egg Plant…    

I liked this wall hanging for Easter…

It didn’t win a ribbon… but, I thought it should have…

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Hundreds of quilts on display… just a sampling! of some of the Blue/Purple Ribbon winners…

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Beautiful Cakes… so many… but, I liked these…

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Jams and jellies won ribbons…

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Balloon art… Our Cardinals and Wildcat Basketball Rivals… pretty neat!

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Donuts for buns on these hamburgers… and lots of stands selling any kind of food you could want…

It was a fun evening… and just long enough…

Daily Prompts’ These Boots Were Made for Walking

http://dailypost.wordpress.com/2013/08/24/daily-prompt-walk/, DP, Daily Prompt

Tell us about your favorite pair of shoes, and where they’ve taken you.

Photographers, artists, poets: show us WALK

Favorite pair of shoes???

Hmmm…

Summertime shoes are my favorite… hla0014

But, actually what God gave me when I was born… are my favoriteCB009902

Yes, I’m from Kentucky..k13078151. maybe that’s a clue…

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I go barefoot all of the time!…k13775721

Inside… outside…

Summer… winter…

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This morning… and no shoes on yet!

No, it doesn’t hurt!…

I’ve probably toughened them up over the years…

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I remember when we were young…

We kept our shoes in a certain spotjhe0030

I went barefoot all day… but, when Daddy came home from work… Mom would say, “You better get your shoes on!”… and we quickly did…

Why?… do you ask… was my Dad so obsessed with us wearing shoes

Because he was always building… He literally built our home himself… and so there were always nails… screws… splinters everywhere… k3474038k3192103

He hated the thought of us puncturing our feet…

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Of course we waded in the creek all of the time… stepping on stones… water trickling over our toes… the feel of dirt and grass cushioning our feet…k0036302

No wonder I hate shoes to this day!…k11954941

My feet had freedom all of the time I grew up…

I remember popping the hot tar bubbles on the road as we walked everywhere… and having to cream them down to get the tar off…k10149395

So… to say what are my favorite shoes… if I HAD to choose.just a pair of comfortable flipflops

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Bought these on Vacation… I keep them by the door… to slip on when I go to the store…

My feet still free and breathing…

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“part” of my collection of shoes…

I know!… I need to straighten them up… maybe another day!… so many more important things to do!…

like go barefoot!  u11004267

Don’t Go Away Yet… Summer!

I just read a post by “This Blog Needs A Title”… Yes, that is the actual name of his blog… and that’s what caught my interest… the title …

He expresses his statements simply

and the last being…

Where has summer gone?”… http://thisblogneedsatitle.com/

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I don’t know… except it has been an unusual summer weather-wise here in Kentucky

not as many hot days…k10226537

not as many sunny days…

lots of rain all of a sudden…095b0617

dry days for weeks…

and then starts all over again…

Things I’ve done…

Went on vacation to Savannah… and Tybee Island… Making me want to move there…

I’m really very serious about this… but, no one really believes me…

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Have been on numerous short trips to some Casino Hotels… pbu0761

They pay for the room and the food… So, we take advantage of that… A night away is always good to clean out the cobwebs… vl0008b110

Have lost a family member… a brother-in-law… so sad for my sister and the rest of us… watching this coming about for over a year…k5673685

Have had a few lunch dates with my “girl” friends… Enjoying talking… good food… and browsing in shops…u23965518

Have kept up my water aerobics… but, weather has hindered that at times…x23686509

Have managed to get husband to YMCA… and he wants to join… An achievement I’m happy about!…u15313290

Have met so many nice people as acquaintances… and made a few new friends Isn’t that grand!

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and I have obtained a new jobteaching painting classes… That should help me stay busy this winter…x30276018

Things I would have liked to do:

Have my Grandkids more… They are busy with trips… ball games… friends… moved a little further away to a new house… Miss them!k5872361

Still haven’t zip-lined through the trees… b09989

Still haven’t made it to the drive-ink6801775

Still haven’t lost those pounds… k13970169

Still haven’t opened an Etsy Account to sell purses for kids that I like to make… 2839v3-max-450x450

Still haven’t done a few things (Repairs) around the house we need to make…k8994862

Still haven’t got a flowerbed fixed I’ve been wanting to redo…k13745297

Summer! You just need to give me more time!

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Could you just hold on for another month or two?

Sunday Gratefuls- June 30, 2013

Blue is my favorite color… Has been since I was a little girl…

Not that I don’t like other colors…

but, blue makes me calm…

makes me content…

makes me comfortable…

makes me happy…

and looking upward at blue skies makes me smile…

These are the Blue Skies of Kentucky taken Saturday…

I couldn’t keep from looking up at them…

and as you probably know… known for and called the “bluegrass” State…

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I found the answer to the question…

WHY??? is the sky blue?

The sun’s rays hit the Earth’s atmosphere, where the
light is scattered by nitrogen and oxygen molecules in the air. The blue
wavelength of this light is affected more than the red and green wavelengths,
causing the surrounding air to appear blue.

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My Sunday Grateful has to be for the Blue Skies

http://youtu.be/PUz6f7xiVmM

“Blue Skies” sung by Frank Sinatra75px-Frank_Sinatra_1973

Daily Prompt: The Artist’s Eye

Is there a painting or sculpture you’re drawn to? What does it say to you? Describe the experience. (Or, if art doesn’t speak to you, tell us why.)

Photographers, artists, poets: show us ART.

Art has been a part of my life forever

My coloring books k12009578x19421219 when I was young were my best friends… and don’t touch my crayons

They were almost sacred to me…bn261027

It seemed when someone used them… they always ended up broken

I really hated to have anyone else color in my books… but, I did… to be nice…

I remember coloring the girls in my books with blue hairmy favorite color

I just said recently, “I must have foreseen the future of dyeing hair!”…

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I later started drawing… then paintingk0338309 crafting and decorating

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I still get excited with color… textures… unique art workk7295399

Something that speaks to me…

New paint… brushes… materials… draw me to them all of the time…

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That section of the store is so me!…

I thought I would share some of the art in my house… not, expensive art… just things that make me happy

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This rustic blue chair… loved its color and story of being there now… just to hold flowers… not sturdy enough to hold a person any longer…

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My blue again… Blackberry Pickers… Family… Children… out on a summer’s day…

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Kind of a retro look… of kitchen items… and my color blue

says to me… come and sit a spell…

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I painted this one… Have just now started hanging some of my paintings…

The pear and colors match my Wallpaper Border in my kitchen…

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These are a few of the Cardinal Birds I framed… for my computer room… Louisville Cardinals and Kentucky’s State Bird… Just funky and cheerful… for a place I use a lot!

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Loved the bright pink and black accents for my Paris Themed Bathroom…

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Metal Wall Hanging… Paris theme… Just too cute!

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I painted this little Parisian Artist… design taken from wallpaper…

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I liked the simple lines of this Painting I did…

I even hung it… in my hallway…

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The colors grabbed me for my spare bedroomLavender and green

Peaceful… relaxing… but, cheerful too…

The metal sculpted Iris was so unique and seemed to go with this picture…

OLYMPUS DIGITAL CAMERAI love kitties… so this was MINE!… and went with my  feminine theme in my spare bedroom too…

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Another painting I did… trying to tie in all of the bright colors I had chosen for my bigger bathroom…

pink/peach/salmon/orange/yellow/red/teal blue…

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Flower plate that I just had to have… matches my ideas for my brightly flowered bathroom…

As you can see… I surround myself with color/art…

Daily Prompt: Say Your Name

Write about your first name: Are you named after someone or something? Are there any stories or associations attached to it? If you had the choice, would you rename yourself?

Photographers, show us  YOU.

I was named Marilyn Kay… k6575224

I’ve heard a few stories about how my name was chosen…dyi0003

I was born on the same daysame hospitalrco0036 … of another little girl cousin…

I was born 3 hours before her… k4190806

From what I hear my Dad was not so good at watching anything to do with birthsFainting… right out! Out_Cold

Mom and my bigger sister from what I hear thought a neighbor’s great-niece was the cutest little girlk12843214 … and my sisterwho can be pretty persistentbegged Mom to name me Marilyn… this little girl’s name…

My sister’s name being Carolyn… made our names sound like twin names… maybe there was something to that too…x19209803

Then… my oldest brother who was in the Coast Guard 75px-US-CoastGuard-Seal_svg… sent my Mom a letter szo0433 wanting me to be called Donna Kay… if I hadn’t already been named… From what he says… a girlfriend at the time and of course he thought that was a beautiful name

Mom compromised and “Marilyn” stayed and “Kay” was added… making them both happy…

Evidently my birth was a little special… since Mom was 40 and Dad 41… and my sister’s and brother’s were all older… My sister being 6 years older… when I was born…

Surprise! 15477-39dgk8410538

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Two Years old (1951) … taken at Renfro Valley… Kentucky’s Country Music Capital in Eastern KY

Oaks Yesterday…”Run for the Roses” Today!

Today is The Kentucky Derby #139 … “The Run for the Roses“… here in Louisville

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It is the Horse Race all dream to be in if you are an owner, trainer or jockey

Rain is showing up throughout the day… but, I assure you… the Race will go on… and the people will arrive at the gates… dressed in their finery for show… or in casual dress for the fun…

People have been in line since 3:00 am…

They run to get their favorite spots set up in the Infield

Of course those with the dollars will casually come in later and go to Millionaire’s Row k8282612 k0373390 where they will mingle, drink and eat… and of course show off their Derby Attire of picture perfect dresses/hats/shoes for the ladies u30387456  … and suits/hats for the guys…

The colors are just awesome!

Yesterday… was The Longines Kentucky Oaks #139“The Run for the Lillies“… Oaks-139-fillies_2 also called Lillies For The Fillies… PINK…PINK…PINKis seen everywhere!

Started in 1875 on May 19thChurchill Downs was known as the Louisville Jockey Club at that time..

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The Kentucky Oaks is among the most popular races in American horse-racing society… It has such a great attendance… At least 1000, 000 people every year… this year 113,820

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“The Princess of Sylmar” was the winner yesterday…

Horse Racing: Kentucky Oaks

Jockey: Mike Smith and Trainer: Todd Pletcher

This year Rosie Napravnik is the female jockey to watch… She is considered to be one of the world’s best jockeys!… She will be riding Mylute

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By age 7 she knew she wanted to be a jockey

and has fulfilled that dream with more than 1500 race wins… she became first female jockey to win the Kentucky Oaks in 2012 aboard “Believe You Can”… appropriate name I would say… and she came in 9th in 2011 Kentucky Derby aboard “Pants on Fire”… 

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I will be watching from our living room this year… on the TV  k1651217… which is not a bad seat to have… especially since it’s raining…

Watching my two youngest Grandkids while Mom and Dad can party at a friends…

We always have a pretty good time…

Sloppy Joes k1039519 … Macaroni/cheese…k11792924…Corn k12667995 on the menu…

Foods they like!

Maybe let them bake cookies   k9620047  or make homemade pretzels

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I’ve got the horse names printed out for our drawing… We always have a “pot” of sorts… 25 cents… maybe even a dollar… k11239620 …

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We will cheer our horses on like we were sitting right in the Grandstand!

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Belterra Casino… Short Road Trip…

The day looked so good as I looked out my front door…

Pretty blue sky… white whispy clouds… OLYMPUS DIGITAL CAMERA No rain in the forecast and around 80 degrees expected…

A day for a short road trip

We decided to drive up to Belterra Casino in Indianabelterra-e1339103970901 … It’s about an hour drive from Louisville… just long enough…

The scenery was pretty, but I prefer side roads to interstate…

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There’s green grass now… pretty Redbud Trees blooming…OLYMPUS DIGITAL CAMERA

Fields are getting plowed…OLYMPUS DIGITAL CAMERA

We headed to Highway 71 N. that goes toward Carrollton, Kentucky and Cincinnati, Ohio…OLYMPUS DIGITAL CAMERA

We would go this way to Butler State Park when I was young…

Sometimes we stop there for a small break… but, nothing like the park I remember…

We pass so many big trucks… I imagine over 100 easily… Some day I’ll count just to see…

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We pass LOVE”S… logo  It’s just a truck stop, with a BBQ place , Subwaysubway-logo and McDonald’slogoimage … besides anything a truck driver needs… at the turn off going towards Belterra…

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We usually stop for a burger or sub to eat on the way home when we are leaving…

The Kentucky Speedway is passed going this direction too…OLYMPUS DIGITAL CAMERA

We cross over the Ohio River near Markland Dam…

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and then we are in Indiana

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We arrive at the Casino…

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It was nice to get out for the day… and the weather was beautiful

No, we didn’t win playing our penny slots… but, it was fun!