Chicken pot pie.

Picture this. Las Vegas in June. 126 degrees in the shade. We were at Sam Boyd Stadium – outdoor stadium – to see the Dead. Our friends Rob and Debbie were there with us. Truth be told, they weren’t our friends yet.

Here’s how it started. We went with a group to see the dog races in Council Bluffs, Iowa(we went to dog races???) and Rob and Debbie overheard us talking about going to Vegas to see the Dead. They asked if they could join us. What do you say to that? Sure! The more the merrier. Okay. Let’s go to Vegas with strangers. Fun.

So, the four of us headed out west. We landed at the airport and took a cab to the MGM Grand. We had a great dinner and hit the casino. I won a quick C-note on the slots starting the night out nicely. We had some drinks and cackled as the voice over the intercom kept paging people…

Mr. Jones, paging Mr. Casey Jones.
Mr. Straw, paging Jack Straw.
Mr. Row, paging Jimmy Row.

Well, you get the point. Or you don’t. In which case, sorry for the inside joke.

So back to the story. Next day, we woke up and had a leisurely breakfast. We couldn’t wait to hit the pool. Needless to say, it was hot. So we swam a bit and then went back inside.

The concert started in the afternoon. So we put on our shorts and tie-dyes and took a cab over to the stadium. It was a longer cab ride than we expected. But no worries! We couldn’t wait for the fun ahead. When we got there, it was the typical Dead scene. Lots of vendors selling sandwiches, water, t-shirts, beads, balloons, good thoughts, and all the other various and sundry things you’d expect to see for sale at such a venue. It’s a carnival feeling. Only hotter this time.

As we entered the stadium, we realized there was no shade. But they had showers of cold water everywhere and the people were all wet. Seemed the only way not to die of heat stroke, if you ask me. We bought some doo-rags so we could keep our heads wet. There was music everywhere, though it was not the Dead yet – I don’t even remember who it was!

Here for your viewing and listening enjoyment is a selection from that very evening…

Grateful Dead 6-26-94 Las Vegas, NV The Music Never Stopped

And as we sat there, we saw the Domino’s delivery guy bring a huge pile of pizzas in for spectators. Rob(one of the funniest guys I’ve ever known) started a conversation about food. Rob wanted to know what was the most awful thing we could imagine eating in this heat. Aside from pizza, we talked about beef stew, hot chocolate, piping hot soup and the big winner was….

Chicken pot pie.

So when Andrew made this beautiful chicken pot pie for dinner last night, all I could do was smile.

And I was grateful that it was a cool evening.

PS: If you ever consider taking a cab to Sam Boyd from downtown Vegas, think again. There was no way to get a cab back. We walked for miles before we found one. Come to think of it, now with cell phones so ubiquitous, it would probably be no big deal. So nevermind.