Our Vegas trip is coming to a close.

My brother's wedding was very sweet. It was in Fire Valley state park about an hour outside of Vegas.  The location is otherworldly and beautiful. 

For the rest of the time we hung out, ate and saw a few shows.

We all got along well. My brother and I have been arguing since we could talk, so this was nice.

We are about to embark on two and a half weeks of travel-- three days in Vegas for my brother's wedding, then a week in Ireland for the husband's job, then a week in Paris for vacation.

While in Ireland, I'll be working. This is the farthest I've pushed the "remote work from anywhere" provision that my job has.

T&J were in town for the weekend. T is one of the husband's oldest friends. They have known each other since they were five.

T&J are making the leap to retirement. They are selling their home, and buying a smaller, but nice place in some tiny town in Oklahoma. They think this will reduce their expenses enough that it will fund their retirement. 

J has prostate cancer. I think it's under control. They intend to use Medicare to pay for any additional treatment.

Their plan is too risky for me. 

We've been discussing the retirement more seriously. J, a friend of mine, decided she wants to retire around age 55. As lucrative as her job is, she hates it. 

That got the husband and I talking. We are doing our jobs, more for the money than because it's our calling.

The husband's said that he doesn't want to retire until after his mother dies. That's a clear qualifier. Sometimes his mother does need emergency cash. Us having jobs is a nice safety net.

Last night we had dinner with her. She is constantly on oxygen for COPD. Her travel oxygen machine is breaking down so she has to stay close to power at all times. This is fine while she is at her retirement home. It's more complicated when she wants to go out. We spent a good amount of time discussing the type of machine she needed, and the complexities of Medicare.

We spent the weekend in Seaside Oregon with QJ & C6.

Driving back from Seaside-- it was raining hard. The roads were slippery. Just ahead of us two cars collided. Everyone in the traffic around us stomped on their breaks. As we braked, the car infront of us got awfully close, awfully fast. On the right side of our vehicle, we saw a Fedex truck spin around-- a complete 180. 

And then it all stopped. The people in the accident ahead of us were OK. No additional cars were damaged. We breathed deeply and then carried on our way.

Back to Seaside--

We were there for an annual AA convention-- The North Coast Roundup. While I'm not in AA, I regularly attend. I have so many friends in AA that it is a nice weekend away. The speakers are always interesting. I may not have their problems, but it helps me sympathize.

The convention is large. While I don't know the numbers, well over 1000 people attended the Saturday evening speaker.

Seattle is very dog friendly. I know of at least four dog friendly bars and restaurants. I frequently bring my dog along to my weekly dinners with C2.

I think my dog is appreciative of the outing. Of course her nose regularly pops out from under the tables that we eat at. But she never begs or barks and she loves sniffing. This is different than her life in the Suburbs. At home she doesn't hesitate to bark at strange dogs. Or aggressively beg when we are eating.

For years we've attempted tp train our dog to play fetch properly. When you thow a ball, she'll chase it. However, after she retrieves the ball, she will runs off and lay someplace where she can chew on it undisturbed.

I've used treats to encourage her to return the ball to me. Unfortunately, once she knows I have treats, she focuses on the treat and ignores the ball. She is very food focused.

"Neither a borrower, nor a lender be. For loan oft loses both itself and friend. And borrower dulls the edge of husbandry."

A few weeks ago, I loaned C2 our iron. That was my mistake. C2 doesn't want to buy more stuff. He borrows when he can.

Of course, last Saturday the husband needed the iron. I reminded him that C2 borrowed it. The husband was miffed.

"He has a good income. He can go buy his own iron." The Husband worked off his frustration by heading out and buying a new iron.

A few days later when we shared these events with our room mate, she said "Irons are cheap. Why didn't he buy one?"

I texted C2 about the loaned iron. He responded "What does it really mean to 'loan' anyway?"

My bad. I have learnt my lesson.