THE RETURN TRIP

My daytrip to Lake Tahoe was a good one. I'm of the thinking that it's near impossible to have a bad trip to Tahoe, though it has happened. Anyway, we arrived at the St. Pauli Inn right at opening, 11 am, and a few minutes later we were working on a couple of dark beers. We sat on the deck overlooking the American River. Life is good. We ordered lunch.





*****
Roast Pork Juicy, tender pork loin—Horseradish or gravy on request
15.95
Beef Stroganoff Our own recipe! Try it with spaetzle
10.95
(2) Dinkelacker Dark
3.95
*****
The trip was shared with a good friend of mine, John, and whenever we get together the conversation is stimulating, at the very least. John is a school teacher and a professional poker player. Here's where the stimulating part comes in: He was born and raised in Berkeley, graduated from Berkeley HS, and then went on to graduate from UC Davis. Yep, he's a liberal. However, he isn't a nut. He's able to discuss matters of politics and world affairs with a high degree of common sense. A rare trait in a liberal from the East Bay. His parents are the reason he's able to remain grounded in his thinking. Mom is a stockbroker and his Dad was involved in professional sports--both conservatives, and very rich. Though he's a lib from the womb of liberalism, he remains practical and lets common sense guide him. Because of that, you can engage in some great conversations with him. You can't do that with the "nutjob" brand of liberal. No way. Ain't happenin'. Most times we're able to learn something from each other. A good thing.

The casino portion of the trip began rough. The craps table took our money as fast as ever, as did a slot machine. So, I ambled up to a roulette wheel to get my dough back where it belongs: My pocket. After a slow start, I made a comeback and hit a few numbers straight-up with $1 on them, then pressed the action to $5 bets and hit a couple more. I left even-steven for the trip. They had their money, I had mine.