3 Coffee Mugs and a Stuffed Animal Later

What a title to a blog, but believe me It has a purpose. Now the date of this trip has been debated by all parties but the story is the same either way.

It was the Summer of 1998. My parents and I did a road trip from Oregon to Texas, over to Las Vegas, down to San Diego, and the home to Oregon. Lots of driving but allot of fun, until Las Vegas that is.

I was 18 at the time. As you can tell by some of my previous post, gambling is in my blood. Most, if not all, of my family gamble. My mother's side are the Slot players and my fathers side is the Black Jack and Horse racing crowd.

In Las Vegas we met up with my Aunt and Uncle from San Diego. We spend most of our time in Circus Circus so I, the 18 year old, can have something to do. By now I've done the circuit of kiddy games, Ive knocked over milk bottles to get 3 Circus Circus coffee mugs and Ive won the roller ball horse race game to get a stuffed animal, Ive wasted about 50 bucks on games, owe well at least I had fun......

We leave Vegas for San Diego, Ive got my mugs and an animal to keep me company on the 5 hour drive, yeah.

We have been at my uncles house for maybe an hour. I'm at the table playing on a laptop, when my uncle asks if we want to go to the casino. I'm sitting at the table looking at him going, I just sat in Vegas and watched you guys play why would I want to do that here too.

My uncle replies "you only have to be 18 to gamble at the Indian Casinos in California."

Wait, hold on a minute, you only have to be 18 in Cali, I'm going nuts. You couldn't have filled me in on this little detail about 3 coffee mugs and a stuffed animal ago.....

30 minutes later were sitting at the Barona Casino and I'm playing. Nervous as all heck, thinking I'm breaking the law or something, but playing.

Needless to say on future trips to Vegas, I didn't play the midway games, I didn't play the pinball machines, I just stood by, leaned against the 2nd floor rail at the Rio, and watch my parents play the machines below. Knowing that in just a few hours we would cross that magical state line that kept me from doing what I love, gamble.

J