THESE STORIES ARE ALWAYS INFORMATIVE AND USUALLY HAVE A BIT OF TONGUE AND CHEEK HUMOR.
IT IS ALWAYS FUN TO SHARE WITH OTHERS, DIFFERENT WAYS OF HARVESTING, THE TRIALS AND TRIBULATIONS THAT WE HAVE FACED OUT THERE WHILE WE WERE HARVESTING.

REGGIE

A GUEST AUTHOR’s HARVEST STORY]

PALA CASINO PALA, CA

STEVE GOBEL

Pala
Well, we're back to the Las Vegas Strip in the sticks again. Guess this place is busy as it's on the highway just a short drive from Oceanside. Whatever.
$5 BlackJack table. I sat down at 3rd base, and the Pit Boss informs me that there is someone sitting there. He must have been invisible and slightly squished with me on top of him. There were no chips at the positition, no drink, dealer didn't say anything, no towel on the back of the chair (or over the chips, had the guy just left for a bathroom run). No sign of life as there would be in Las Vegas. After seeing me not moving well after getting off my scooter, he made me move to anther seat. (Saving seats on a $5 table??? OK, this is not a strip casino!)
Cards dealt "Old Style": face down. I picked up the cards just a bit, not taking them off the table, but as I'm a sometimes poker player, instinctively used both hands in a "protect your hand" poker style. Pit Boss snapped at me again "Only one hand on the cards!" Excuuuuuse the Frick out of me, Damn. If you don't want us touching the cards, deal 'em face up. Leaving the table after one hand would have been my play even if it was not my usual M.O.
Outta here, on to the last place on the tour. I'd been hungry for a while, and was going to get a personal Pizza at Pauma, as their prices were not too outrageous for casino food these days. $7.50 for a personal sized pepperoni pizza. But the line was 1/2 an hour long, so I skipped it. Problem is, now I'm jonesing for a pizza. The path to the next casino was off the highway and on to the back roads that I'm guessing the tourists don't hit. A couple of blocks from the casino, in the Youth Center parking lot I see a trailer with a sign "Hot Pizza". Turned and went back to check it out. Personal Pepperoni Pizza, baked fresh, FOUR DOLLARS! Not even any sales tax. Waited 10 min for it to come up. Not super special, still very good, and a heck of a deal for the price. Had to wait a while for it to cool enough to eat it, while driving on a mountain road... If you go to Pala I'd certainly hit this food trailer, for some good cheap munchies.
Steve