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About gambling, my aunt used to live in Las Vegas for 30 years and she worked for Mandalay Bay hotel for many of those years. When we visited her, she used to get us free rooms. She also knew the best places that the locals go to eat and which off-the-strip casinos pay out more. It was wonderful visiting her. The big fancy casinos on the trip are so beautiful to look at and tour. I remember arriving to Vegas for the first time at night many years ago before I reached legal age to gamble. I was in awe of the city. I had never seen so many colorful super bright lights flashing, spinning, shining everywhere on every building. We went inside a casino where the slot machines were. A security guard came and asked me how old I was and promptly escorted me out of the slot machine floor. Haha...
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Polarbear, my father would try one version after another to see if one would work, even though they were inconsistent with each other. If you questioned it, he had a special wide-eyed look but not an explanation. And a little smile, and a change of the direction of the discussion. It wasn’t about his memory, it was just the game. His brain was fine, twisted as ever, though at our last meeting it seemed to me that he was verging into living in his own lying world. Perhaps Paul’s Dad is the same. If you live in lies, you may not be able to get out.
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Paul, just curious, how do you think he could forget admitting to you he went walking to the betting shop the day before and expect you to believe he could hardly walk the day after?

It seems to me his memory isn't good anymore. Either that or some of his brain's functions aren't working together. He reminds me of a kid trying to lie but not quite understand how the pieces fit together. He also seeks attention and is self-centered just like a kid. Am I right?
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Disgustedtoo,

Isn’t blocking a great feature? Now get rid of the robo calls, right?
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"...brother starts calling Paul..."

Ahhh, yesss, but that's covered by being blocked on the phone and facebook... BWAHAHAHAHAHAAAA!
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Llama,

Yes, Jackson, NH was very quaint. I don’t know that I had a favorite place that I visited in New England. It was all great but NH had my favorite inn.

We mixed it up. My husband insisted on staying at The Ritz Carlton in Boston. Lovely hotel.

This trip was when my husband did lots of international traveling with his job. The airlines were extremely competitive then and he had tons of points racked up.

So the airfare (first class) was all free. The rental car was free. The Marriott Hotels were free. We used his points. We paid for the bed and breakfast, a few other hotels and our food and drinks, etc.

Those super competitive days are long gone but most of our trips were paid for then and since he traveled internationally so much we fly first class. This was in the 80’s!

I used to be horrible at packing. My husband got tired of lugging my suitcases. His mom taught me how to pack better. I hate overpacking now. Those were my young and foolish days! I wanted to bring everything on a trip.
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Disgustedtoo,

Here’s the thing. When Paul’s brother gets tired of his dad’s antics then the brother starts calling Paul and lay a guilt trip on him.

Don’t get your hopes up about the brother. It’s only temporary compassion for their dad.

I too have brothers where is isn’t a lot of brotherly love coming from them.
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"Anyway, told him I'd speak to him the weekend. This latest circus can run without me in the audience....."

THAT's the spirit!!! :-D

(oooh, brother is phoning him twice a day? maybe dad's found his man!!!)
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paul: You must have to hold your tongue if he's SO ILL, but is able to go to the betting parlor! Wow.
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Paul,

He walks a pretty good distance. He is doing fairly well then. My great aunts were like that. They walked or took public transportation nearly everywhere. They never had a weight problem. They stayed active. They lived into their late nineties.
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Need: Most New Hampshire towns are very quaint. Logging and ski resorts are the primary money makers. My two cousins are logging brothers, but boy - once they passed age 40, it took a toll on their bodies! Can't do it much past that age.
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NHWM - Not sure what its called in the USA? Not a casino (although they do have small number of slots in them mostly). Very popular in the UK - every high street has got one or two. Basically, a small store where you can place bets on mostly horse racing, but most sports. They've got TVs in there, chairs, some people spend all day in there.

Well, as usual, he forgot he'd admitted he'd walked there. Its half a mile across a busy road each way. So it wears a bit thin when hes telling me pretty much how hes been close to death for about a week.....
Same when he does the "2 inch walking shuffle" for my benefit taking literally a minute to cross the living room. When I know hes walked to betting shop day before - unless it did take him 5 hours each way but I doubt it!

Not so many casinos in the UK to be honest. In the big cities yes, but fairly niche. Not really something older people would do.

BUT, especially in working class areas, "betting shops" are very popular. You even sometimes get a "Betting shop" attached to a pub, so people nip in and out.

I've been to the casino at home. But that was when I used to play poker. (National Finals in Wales one year!)

We went on a cruise from Canaveral to Bahamas a few years ago and they had casino on boat. I was going to have a go. Trouble is $5 minimum bet on blackjack didnt really seem my idea of much fun lol.....
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Paul.

Betting shop? What is that? A casino?

He can’t be too sick if he can go gamble, right? So, what did he say? I am so ill but I was able to walk and gamble for awhile. How exactly does he explain that?

Do the nursing homes there take the elderly to the casinos? Here they load them up on a bus and they sit there and gamble the afternoon away. They go with walkers, canes, wheelchairs, oxygen tanks, etc.
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Dads off again. Called doctor out - gave him antibiotics again.

Telling me hes been SOOO ILLL. Brother phoning him twice a day. (Yet Dad managed to walk to betting shop yesterday!).

Been major floods in his area. High street shops closed, GPs partially closed. He knows the GP is struggling to cope - yet he insisted they HAD to visit him. (I do wonder if it him "testing" them - he does this to me!).

Anyway, told him I'd speak to him the weekend. This latest circus can run without me in the audience.....
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Needhelp - Yeh you want to get off after 9 hours with my daughter!
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Paul,

Yeah. Longer trip with the kids would be harder. The California coastline is spectacular.
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Jackson, NH was a one horse town with a beautiful bed and breakfast. The bed and breakfast are really special in New England. I always think of that show with Bob Newhart when I think of bed and breakfast. It was a cute show.

I think it would be interesting being an inn keeper. My husband would never go for it. He isn’t that type at all!
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Disgusted: Yep. I can handle recognizing black ice even. Skilled winter driver.
Need: I miss my mother, who lived 3 miles from the Nashua, NH. That's why I said basically I'm from NH.
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This is a bit like the ‘you’ve never seen snow’ comments. Try a long haul flight to Australia, with a connecting interstate flight when you get there. My favourite was with DH1, plus 3 year old, 18 month old toddler, and my mother with semi-paralysis from a stroke. A plane was pulled in Sydney because of a suspected fault, the trip was routed to many odd places over about 3 days, we got to Heathrow on an early morning businessman’s flight from Amsterdam (not on our itinerary and toddler not fitting in with the suits), luggage lost (of course), and DH1 having to collect hire-car at Heathrow and drive across London to Romford. I have to hand it to DH1 about that one! Heavens - it’s 15 hours non-stop just from Sydney to San Francisco. I feel sorry for the performers who get a big welcome interview as soon as they get through Sydney customs. And I never did like snow, either.
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Llamalover47 - lots o' snow... Yeah I sometimes laughed at people around here. 6" snow you'd think it was Armageddon! Sure, it can be tough going, depending on what time it hits (rush hour) and how fast it comes down, but if you live in this area, it comes every year, you should be used to it! I really wanted to tell them to go live in upstate NY for 2 years and come back, we'll talk! Lake effect snow, huge banks, snow all the time, power lines crusted in ice! We lived there the first 8 years of my life, so I remember some and have seen pix of us looking down at my dad in the driveway!

On the flip side, places where it doesn't generally snow much or often (my OB lives in NC), they don't have enough equipment to clear the roads, so a simple 2" can shut down everything! HAHAHAHA!

(I don't have the t-shirt, but I made it through the Blizzard of '78!)
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Work attire- As you all know I work contract so get to work loads of places.

85% I reckon its shirt/trousers/proper shoes then dress down friday.

Hardly anywhere expects a tie or suit. But then I'm not customer facing.....

Like I said where I am now, there is no dress code. I wear jeans/t-shirt mostly. But this is uncommon.
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NeedHelp - Would love to go California. Trouble is our kids are 16 and 6. So we did it all first time around and now again.

It already 9 hours from London (3 hours to drive there too!) if we go direct. Sometimes, if it costs too much we fly indirect (we've done newark, atlanta, miami, philadephia, washngton, boston, charlotte in the past). Then we're looking at 13-14 hours. With a fidgeting 6 year old thats enough!

Of course, California would be 4-5 hours more?

Would love to see more of the US. We've done lots of central florida (20 times), the keys once, and we went to new york once (wifes 40th) but thats it.
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Yeh my Dad. Know what you mean. Nothing I say will change him and to be honest the professionals will never join up and work it out.

You're all right. I need to let him crack on with it....
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Llama,

We did not. The inn we stayed at was at the foot of Mt. Washington. I loved all of New England.

We went to Massachusetts, Vermont, New Hampshire and Maine. Oh gosh, this before we had kids. I was in my 20’s. A lifetime ago! Hahaha

It was a fun trip! The autumn colors were so beautiful.

Do you miss New Hampshire?
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Need: I no longer live in New England. Did you go up to Mt. Washington's summit?
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Llama,

I went to New England in the fall to see the leaves turning. No snow! I would not know how to drive in the snow. You have long winters in New England. We have very brief winters here and honestly, they are mild. Some winters are so mild that we can buy a Christmas tree and instead of coming home to hot cocoas, we can be in a T-shirt and shorts and drink iced tea!

Our favorite bed and breakfast was in Jackson, New Hampshire. The Inn at Thorn Hill. It was at the foot of Mt. Washington. I loved it!
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Disgustedtoo, you are so right!!! No hard feelings here. I got over it. I’ll kiss Isthisreallyreal and make up with her.
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Need: Snow is NOT AT ALL intimidating to me to drive in. I grew up with 6 to 7 foot walls of snow from November through April in New Hampshire. Went to my volunteer job as the President of the U.S.O. organization at the start of a major blizzard many times. Mom saw me off without any concern at the front door of her house!
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Disgustedtoo,

Yes, it is very intimidating to drive in the snow when we haven’t done so. We wouldn’t be the best drivers in the snow because it’s scary. Hahaha

True, we would need to learn to drive in it. Eh, I suppose every area has it’s attractions and drawbacks.
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paul: Wow - shorts and a tee are allowed attire over there? Okay, then.
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