Short Story

How I Spent My Summer Vacation

Nancy's Notes 🖊️🎶

The last time I used that title was for an essay in 4th or 5th grade!

Our vacation started the morning of Wednesday, July 10th. The destination? Mohegan Sun in Uncasville, CT to attend a concert and play the slots …. two things we haven’t done in a very long time. It’s a little more than a 2 1/2 hour drive straight up I-95. Check-in time wasn’t until 4PM but we lucked out because our room was ready when we arrived at noon and we were able to check in right away. We dropped off our bags in our room and headed for the slots.

One thing we forgot since the last time we were at Mohegan Sun is the place is enormous and designed in such a way that everything feels like it’s about 4 miles from everything else! We did a lot of walking and later in the day my lower back started barking like a junkyard dog but I wasn’t going to let that stop me! 😖

Sitting at the slot machines gave me a chance to rest and my back calmed down, but every time I started walking again the pain came back. We tried to limit our walking but it was extremely difficult.

Our main reason for going to Mohegan Sun was to see the Daryl Hall + Elvis Costello Concert Tour. We took advantage of the accommodations/concert package which meant we didn’t know in advance where we’d be sitting for the show or how much the tickets cost. You can see by the photo of my ticket that there’s no price indicated. It turns out the seats were very good and we had a clear view of the stage.

We were in section 16, 5th row, seats 1 & 2
on the aisle next to Section 15.
Our view of the stage

Elvis Costello and his group performed first. They were excellent …. a tight little combo …. and I was surprised how much my husband liked them; he wasn’t familiar with Elvis’ music and didn’t know what to expect. We were both blown away by Elvis and his band …. keyboard player Steve Nieve and drummer Pete Thomas.

And I can say the same for my man, Daryl Hall. In all honesty, though, his sound check wasn’t the greatest and the sound quality was mixed. Hall’s band of seven was extremely loud in person but it doesn’t come across that way on the video. The songs were great, Daryl was in good voice and his piano playing was excellent. Some of the most enjoyable parts of the concert were the sax solos by Charlie DeChant who’s been playing with Daryl since the early days. That guy can really play! The concert wasn’t perfect but it was great and a long time coming for me.

Charlie DeChant

The action at the slots was pretty good – teaser payoffs, nothing big – and we probably broke even. We’re not big time gamblers; it’s all about having fun and knowing when to walk away with some money in your pocket.

Just a few of the nearly 4,000 slot machines at Mohegan Sun

There were a few moments of panic during Saturday evening’s dinner when we heard about the shooting at the Trump rally. Our son Bill is a cameraman and teleprompter and has been assigned to cover some of the rallies. He’s a grown man and doesn’t check in with us when he’s out of town for work so that night we didn’t know if he was at the rally or not. A couple of quick texts reassured us that Bill was safe (and at the Met game in Citi Field with his sons). This scare reminded me of something I’ve said many times: it doesn’t matter how old our children are; we will always worry about them.

Once we were assured our son was ok, we were able to relax and enjoy the rest of our vacation. We left Mohegan Sun Sunday morning and made ourselves comfortable for the 3 hour drive to Saratoga Race Course, where we spent one very exciting and extremely hot day, weather wise. It’s incredible watching the people who are into racing or following a particular horse; they really go nuts! My back was throbbing like a bass guitar and I had to sit a lot during the races.

After a day at the races, it was off to Lake George …. only a half hour drive. The entire area of Lake George is gorgeous and so very relaxing, which was exactly what we needed after five days of busy-ness. There’s nothing like being right on the water, sitting in a lounge chair and staring at a beautiful, peaceful view. I did a lot of that while at Lake George!

Lake George view from our hotel

It was wonderful to get away for a bit; it wasn’t our usual month in Montauk but it was just what we needed. I was surprised how much I missed blogging and I’m happy to be back here with all of you.

So, what’d I miss?

NAR©2024

Here’s a little taste of Mr. Casual, Charlie DeChant, and his awesome sax.

All text, graphics and videos are copyright for The Sicilian Storyteller, The Elephant’s Trunk and The Rhythm Section and are not to be used without permission. NAR©2017-present.

41 thoughts on “How I Spent My Summer Vacation”

  1. So happy to see you fresh back from your great vacation! You had really a nice time. Hope your back is also back to normal. Take care, Nancy 🙏💖

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  2. Same ol’ same ol’ for the rest of the world, but sounds like you two had a great time together.

    And I’m gonna be on the lookout for opportunities to borrow your back pain analogies. Laughter and apt comparison are the best medicine for aging!

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  4. Welcome back high roller! 🎲 Your presence and stories were missed but glad you two had a great get away and thank goodness your son is safe. A heart sink just reading that. I had the pleasure of seeing Elvis Costello a few years ago at the Mesa Performing Arts Center. Excellent show!

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    1. Haha! High roller! That’s a good one, Michele! 🎰

      I appreciate your lovely comment regarding my son; to say we held our breath for a minute is no exaggeration.

      The concerts were outstanding; I’ve waited a long time to see Daryl Hall and it was worth the wait. Now we’ve been introduced to Elvis Costello and I look forward to listening to a lot more of his music.

      It’s great to be back!

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  10. Vacation? What’s that? Yes, the world and all it’s troubles etc still goes on even on vacations. I couldn’t have walked 2 blocks.
    Welcome back to the calmness of blogging. I’m happy just sitting and piggy backing on the vacation of others.

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    1. Then I’m glad I could offer you a piggy back ride; maybe that’s why my back hurts so much!

      I’m trying to remember the last time we went away and I think it was that week from hell in NJ. Just as soon forget that one!

      It’s good to be back, Sighs.

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  11. I too am not so familiar with Elvis Costello’s music, but that clip of ‘Pay It Back’ sounded good. I’m glad you got to see your man – Daryl!
    That would have been concerning regarding your son’s well being upon hearing about the assassination attempt.
    One of the things I miss about Australia are the horse races and I’m glad you were able to enjoy them on your holidays. Lake George looks gorgeous…so serene.
    Thanks for sharing about your lovely holiday.

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