I wasn't planning on driving that much this weekend, but an invite from CCS got us out to Eastern Connecticut Saturday night. Instead of sitting at home and wondering what to do, we drove to Mohegan Sun to meet my friends for dinner, followed by both Gladys Knight and the O'Jays in concert.
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RQS and I relaxed most of the morning, and realized that it was 12:30 pm before we got moving to get showered, dressed, and out the door. We had planned to leave Croton around 1:30 pm to have adequate slack time to reach Mohegan Sun with time to spare. However, this was not the case. We left 30 minutes later, and it took all of 2 1/2 hours to get there. Luckily, we were not traveling in the opposite direction, as the Southbound traffic was jammed up throughout most of Connecticut.
Reaching the casino complex, I was impressed at how big it had become. Years ago, I remember coming here when only the first of the casino wings was open. The last time I was at the casino, the third wing was under construction. This time, all four wings were open, and one could need a road map to find his/her way around.
Our friends were waiting for us at Pepe's pizza, and we proceeded to order our pies. 30 minutes later, they were ready, and we proceeded to feast and chat. This would be the second time I met CCS's husband, and the first time RQS would meet CCS with her husband. CCS had mentioned my co-op's issues to her husband (he's a lawyer) and he gave me some information I can pass on to our board's president.
Around 7 pm, we walked over to the casino's theater. CCS and her husband received 4 free tickets to the performance as perks for their gambling efforts. I have no idea how much they gamble, but they get free rooms at the casinos as perks, and other goodies as well. But we consider myself fortunate to be there as their guests for this show.
Gladys Knight came on first. For a woman in her 80's, she still puts on a good show. However, one can see that age has taken its toll on her body, as she used assistance in getting on and off stage. After 45 minutes, her set ended, and we had 30 minutes to wait until the O'Jays came on. By this time, I should have stretched my legs and gone to the women's room. But no, this T-Gal stayed in her seat, allowing her legs to start aching.
Next were the O'Jays. One of the original singers had passed away, and this was noted by the group as part of their performance. And then they got on with their music. It was good, but not the music I remembered as a youth. As expected, their closing number was "Love Train", and they did not fail to get the audience moving to the beat.
The show ended around 10 pm, and we relaxed in the theater waiting for the crowd to disperse. Three of us had to rush to the ladies' room, and I was impressed by how clean it was - even after a show, when one would expect it to be a mess. Then if was off to the pastry shop to have a bite to eat before we were to go home. 30 minutes later, we left CCS and her husband, and made a "donation" to the casino before finally leaving for home.
I said that we'd stop at the first service area on I-95 we reached. While RQS was taking a bio-break, I could fill the car with gas. This was not to be. The gas station had turned off its pumps for its weekly refresh, and I wasn't in the mood to wait until 12:30 am to get gas. So, it was off to the next service area - 15 minutes away. And here is where I filled up and stretched my legs before driving another 100 miles to get home.
We reached home just before 2 am, and were exhausted. It was a long day, and both of us were grateful for friendships old and new.
