My Uncle Ray Mielzynski (Mallow) aka flag man. We brought our boys to visit him in Pahrump, Nevada early April 2003 to see our land.
Our journey began at the Venetian Suites in Las Vegas. What a gorgeous way to enjoy this part of the country. We spent our time visiting just about every hotel on the strip and in the surrounding area, eating hot dogs at Nathan's in New York and watching the shark exhibit in Monterey Bay. We walked and walked all over. The only places we did not see were those not already built such as the Wynn Hotel which could be our next destination so we can see Garth Brooks perform. I heard his show is awesome. The entertainment in Vegas is spectacular, with Cirque de Soleil, burlesque, wax museums, tons of restaurants and gorgeous pools. Wayne and I frequented two strip joints recommended by a friend of ours, Jaguar and Sapphire. I got my first lap dance there, but enjoyed Jaguar so much more. Classy. These places love when women visit and make sure they let you know same. Believe it or not, we did not gamble once while in this gambling mecca. My goal was to learn to shoot craps but upon our arrival I had absolutely no desire to throw the dice. It was probably due to the fact we wanted to spend every moment with our boys touring. Our senses were so overwhelmed by the slots and colors and lights, it was not necessary. I could still hear the sound of the locals flipping the stripper cards on the street while we walked the area. Besides, our goal was to visit our uncle.
Steve and I spent down time watching an oriental channel, pretending we knew exactly what they were saying.
Once we hit Pahrump, my boys were in heaven. Uncle Ray relocated about 40 years ago and pursued his passion of buying and selling land. Sometimes he would barter land for cars or gold. Such a cowboy! He found his niche with his patriotism and walks a mile everyday with a flag promoting justice to all. He is a frequent visitor of the courtrooms and oftentimes brings coffee for the prisoners. His random acts of kindness have the locals dubbing him flagman and he expresses his views on the local news station and has articles printed about him. He lives simply and loves his life. The hardest part of living in the area is the duststorms. They can be treacherous, but worth living the life he does. Uncle Richie lived with him for a few years but passed away from cancer. The four brothers, Ronnie, Bob, Ray and Richie were tight-knit and always defending each other. I remember visiting Grandma Mielzynski on a Sunday and the brothers would entertain us in the basement. They had a band called Apollo's Apaches and even cut a few records, one of which I still have labeled Cry Me A Lie. Good times, let me tell you.
We sat for three hours and my boys were just amazed at his life history. Uncle Ray showed them his instruments and they were hesitant to visit his bomb shelter, fearful of the snakes. When Dan went to sit on his sofa at the trailor home, something was bulky so I lifted the pillow and there was a gun, used for shooting the snakes. Yikes! Rattlers are everywhere in this part of the country. He has about 9 doggies to make a path wherever he goes. Uncle Ray made his own water pond on his land. Pussy willows grow there. Who can do that? Water is valuable in the desert. Dirt is the best investment so we purchased a few acres with my sisters Marilyn and Karen. It is still out there waiting to be sold at the right time. Now is not. Someday my boys can retire on the sale. 
My dad phones his brother every Saturday and they chat about whatever is up. Their bond is deep and we need to get Dad back out to visit him very soon. Perhaps we should just make arrangements with Aunt Diane and Uncle Bill and take a trip.
We don't like to gamble, but we love the warm area. There is so much stimulation; we could never be bored. We have so many destinations on our list of places to see this year, San Antonio, the East coast to see the whales in October, and Punta Canta in the Caribbean, but Pahrump is like a second home and it feels so good when you have a relative to connect with in a different land.
Until we meet again, flag man. Be well. We love you. xo
