Atlantic City & Sweet Adelines

On Tuesday, Terri took us to the Borgata Casino in Atlantic City for a few hours so we could work on supplementing our income, unfortunately it didn't quite work out that way. Even though we lost a little money, we still had a good time. When we arrived, we got a couple pork sandwiches from Tony Luke's, but the sharp provolone cheese on them was just a little too much for our tastes. Next time we'll get them without the cheese!

The thing that we really noticed about the casino was how quiet it was as none of the slot machines payout coins in Atlantic City. A few years ago when we were in Las Vegas, they were also using the paper coupon payouts, but you always had a choice of recieving your winnings by coin. There is nothing quite like the continuous clang, clang of coins being paid out by thousands of slot machines. The quiet was eerie and in our opinion, really takes away from the excitement of being in a casino. Another major difference is that only horse racing is posted in the Sports Book. That is because only in Las Vegas can you legally wager on other sports. Russ said that this really makes the Sports Book pretty boring as he is not much of a race fan, but then again for those on the East coast it's much more convenient than Nevada!

Wednesday night I visited one of the local Sweet Adelines choruses, Jersey Sound, a mid-size chorus of about 50 members with 41 present that night. Their director, Stephanie Brictson, is dynamic and enthusiastic and really made it a fun evening while adding in all that educational stuff. I actually knew the first two songs they were working on (Lazy Day and Softly) so after physical and vocal warmups, I was able to jump right in on the risers to sing. I'd never sung them in barbershop, but since I sing Lead (the melody), it was easy to get in the groove! Since they had a performance scheduled for this Sat., they worked on several other songs, some I knew and some I didn't, but I was welcome to look at the sheet music and join in.

The ladies were all very friendly, which doesn't surprise me since this singing organization is known for making guests feel right at home. No matter where you go, it is truly a sisterhood. Throughout my travels with every move over the last 11 years, I have always found a chorus and instant friends, which helped make those transitions easier. Now I'm getting the opportunity to visit other choruses throughout the country and continue to learn and enjoy this craft. And who knows...possibly make even more friends! You can check out Jersey Sound Chorus at http://www.jerseysound.org/.

The next few days will be spent watching the British Open and no doubt eating. Russ has put on 6 pounds since we arrived here, and I'm afraid to get on the scale! It's not like the food is being forced down our throats, but it seems like there's always something to munch on, and Bill and Terri both do an excellent job of fixing dishes for us to enjoy. We had a Caesar salad prepared by Bill the other night yhat he made from scratch, and would rival those in any restaurant. Garlic chicken was also on the menu.

On Monday I am heading down to Rehoboth Beach, DE, to visit my sister for three days while Russ stays behind and catches up on some minor RV maintenance and prepares for our departure on July 30. We will be heading to Gettysburg, PA, for four days, and then on to Harpers Ferry, WV, for another four days. From there we head to St. Louis arriving Aug. 10 for about six weeks to see family and friends.

Till next time!