I'm still standing!

Hello from the depths of my Heart,

After a long bout of ill-health I'm back. It's been a long stretch of bad road - but I'm on the mend and ready to get back to blogging.

Life IS GOOD !

John

Las Vegas, NV

My very good friend, Kenneth Poole ( KP ) and I combined a working trip to Las Vegas with a few rounds of golf.

The weather was wonderful, our golf was....well less just say we had a good time.

We also visited one of our favorite places to eat. Hooters.

We figured, this is Las Vegas, the town of beautiful women, showmanship, glamor, top rated shows and if any Hooters would be a showcase Las Vegas was it.



What a joke!

It was in the Hooters hotel/casino all the way back in the corner.

You know those white tops the ladies wear, how bright they are, how nice all the ladies look and how the ladies flow with confidence? Wrong!

This was not the case at the Las Vegas Hooters. The white tops were dingy, I mean it looked like they needed to be washed in bleach more than once. The ladies looked like they needed to get their hair washed and the "make over" class had been missed.

It was nothing like we've seen in all other Hooters.

The majority of the crowd, yes we know we were a part of it, looked like they had just got out of detention. Where were the yuppies, bikers, college students, and families? Had we walked into a "twilight zone" and not know it?

The food was okay but not like we're use to.

On a scale of 1-10 with 10 being the highest....we give Las Vegas Hooters a 3,5.

Okay, enough about the lack of Hooters grandeur.

We played two "links" courses. That was a first for me and while I only have these two under my belt, they're not my favorite gold course. I like seeing a fairway, grass, green if in season, some idea of where the green is other than....over that way somewhere.

The first one was the Callaway Golf Center at 6730 Las Vegas Boulevard South.



Their web site shows this beautiful tree lined, grassy fairways and sand traps. We didn't see it....no beautiful trees or grassy fairways. It's an interesting 9 hole links course. The club house is great with a golf shop, friendly restaurant and bar.

The carts are gasoline powered and the course is well laid out. It's well laid out, a championship par 3 course, nine hole with holes from 110 to 185 yards.

We rented clubs, for $20 I think, cart for $10, round of golf $19 and off we went.

I had a brain freeze that day and forgot to take my camera. How in the world does a professional photographer forget to take his camera with him?

The staff was great, very helpful and we'd go back in a heart beat.

Next we had two days at the Revere Golf Club, 2600 Hampton Road, Henderson, Nevada.

It's a 36 hole course that will challenge you, delight you, and bring out all your golf emotions. It's a blend of fairways, desert, lots of sand traps, rocks, rolling hills, rolling greens and staffed by some of the nicest people you'll meet.

Club rental was $65 and that covered both days. Don't remember the cost for a round or the cart, but they were much higher Calaway.

The view of Las Vegas and surrounding area was awesome and worth the trip itself.







KP doing his best.



This is another course we'd go back to just given the chance.

Golf is a new experience for me. It's a long time passion for KP and together we kid, encourage, torment, and have fun.

John Madden

McBride's Steak House

If I'm in Wichita Falls, Texas, have any time, this is my place to eat. The steaks are truly mouth watering, tender and a meal you'll remember.

The menu is small, service is great, price is right, parking can be a problem, it's a quiet, family and friends type of restaurant.

I take anyone who is with me there and they are always thankful. They always want to go back!

The photo above is a pencil drawing near the cashier....check it out. It shows how the early Native Americans referred to the area, the water and their enjoyment of it.

PS...they have mints at the cashier that don't cost anything and for some reason they always taste better than anywhere else I get them.

John Madden

I rate it as high as I can!

Mamma Mia!

We have season tickets to the Broadway shows that come to Amarillo, Texas and this was one of the very best.

For me going to shows started in college, at Eastern New Mexico University, in Portales, New Mexico.

Every since then I've enjoyed plays, concerts, live entertainment (including ballet...Rudolf Nureyev and Mikhail Baryshnikov...folks these men were as atheletic as anyone I've ever seen on any field of sports) and seeing people dedicated to their dream and craft.

We, Judy, KP, Carolene and I saw the movie. It was outstanding.

The play was just as outstanding in a new and extremely entertaining way.

See if you can get in on season tickets of or for plays, concerts or any entertainment. The arts are called "arts" reason.

Artists are working at the art they love.

John Madden

Larry The Cable Guy

KP (Kenneth Poole) and I went to see his Hero....Larry The Cable Guy.

I'll admit I wasn't looking forward to this that much. Even thought it was my idea when I saw he was going to be in Amarillo.

KP is not only a good friend, but we enjoy doing things together. After talking to his wife, Carolene, I got the tickets and began wondering what had I got myself into?

We had floor seats, not bad at all. However the seating gang at the Amarillo Civic Center did not have their stuff together, as to where what seat was...with reference to where seat number 1 was and number 18 was.

We were seated at one end, told we should be on the other end. Moved, only to be told, we were told wrong and that we'd have to move.

Come on folks....let's get our stuff together, okay?

The show was great! Yes, I was surprised and really enjoyed myself.

Two couples (they were not what one might think of as "redneck" by any means) in front of us were as much fun as the concert. The two ladies laughed more than their men.

I became a Larry The Cable Guy fan, bought the hat, the CD and look forward to next time.

If you want to be entertained (disclaimer: some language will hit you as foul...it is...deal with it or don't go!)

This guy is FUNNY....

John Madden

The Gatlin Brothers

A blast from the past. It has been years since the Gatlin Brothers music was out and about, so to speak.

They were in Amarillo recently and our group (Kenneth and Carolene Poole, Judy and I) got to see them.

Larry is an ENTERTAINER! He interacts with the crowd, jokes with his brothers, in a humorous way draws attention to anyone coming in late, laughs, talks about his past challenges and thanks those who encouraged and helped him along the road and makes it an evening you'll remember for a long time.

His brothers are great, they're full of fun, humor and musical talent.

Their show is full of gray headed, super intelligent, appreciative, sing-a-long fans who can be heard saying, as they leave the show "money well spent."

Do yourself a favor, check them out if you get the opportunity. You'll be glad you did.

John Madden

Coyote Bluff Cafe, Amarillo, Texas

Located at 2417 S. Grand St., Amarillo, Texas 79103, (806)373-4640.

Tuesday - Saturday

11:00 AM - 2:30 PM

5:00 PM - 10:00 PM

Food: American (Traditional)

No credit cards.

Casual dress

Alcohol: Beer and wine only

No reservations.

Price range: good

We came across this via a gentleman who told KP (good friend Kenneth Poole) it was recommended to him by a local hotel.

We decided to give it a try on our Wednesday night "Hamburger night" (not always a hamburger, but a good excuse to eat out).

The service was good to very entertaining. We enjoy being waited on by someone with a sense of humor. It's well and alive here!

Food was well worth the drive across town.

It's not fanciest place you'll ever go to but it's one of the neatest, has a great atmosphere, not a lot of room, but people line up to get in.

Give it a try. You'll be glad you did.

John Madden