Same old stuff-April 30, 2014

I hesitate to say anything about the wind because so many people are far worse off than we are, but the wind has been unbelievable. It makes sleep next to impossible. We were here about this time last year and the wind was not an issue at all that we can remember. But we won't forget what this year has bestowed upon us. Our time is growing short so we are trying to see everything we have enjoyed one more time. I think I forgot to post one picture from New York New York.

Just inside the entrance is a Statue of Liberty. Not unusual, however, this one is made of jelly beans.
I would not want to guess how many jelly beans it took to build this statue. It is very unique and interesting. Her sash says "It's sugar". In the picture in the background, the girl has a guitar made of jelly beans also. Knowing the nasty germs probably growing on this work of art kept me from wanting to buy any jelly beans.

We have high hopes the wind will let up a bit tomorrow, however, it's a double edge sword. When the wind stops the temps go to the mid 90s. And that we don't like. So perhaps we should just be content with whatever comes our way.

UPS and Tuscany-April 28, 2014

Saturday was spent cleaning the dirt out of this coach after all the horrible wind and blowing dirt last week. It was dreadful and took us all day. Now we are fine and praying for no more wind like that before we leave. Today we packed a box to go to Mother because we think today is the only day that the weather is decent here. And it should be quite cool there at the end of the week. I call it her late Easter gift and Jerry says it is early Mother's Day. We had a fun conversation with the rather unusual UPS clerk while we were there. Then we took off for the Tuscany resort. We've never been there and wanted to be able to say we have been. It was very nice. Then we came back and I was fortunate to get to wash clothes. There's never a dull moment here!!

As with all the resorts/hotels in this city there are tons of lush green

plants growing around big water fountains. I state again that this is

arid desert climate and it seems so out of place to see all this water.

But then a pile of rocks and dirt would not be pleasing to tourists.

 

We will be leaving next week so we are trying to see everything we possibly can as well as going back to the places we enjoyed the most. It will be a busy few days.

We are nuts-no doubt about it-April 25, 2014

The wind was so horrible this morning we did not want to go out. However, we have a rule. Only on Sunday, our day of rest, do we allow ourselves to stay indoors. Well, there have been exceptions for snow and hail, but otherwise, we go out. So, what does one do on a day when winds are blowing up to 50 mph with gusts much higher? Well, of course, you go to the airport!! Frankly we have wanted to do this several times during our stays here. McCarron is so incredibly busy that we thought it would be interesting to see how it manages all those planes coming in only about 90 seconds apart. So, off we went. We found a spot in the parking area. We certainly were not alone! The first three dozen or so planes that landed were interesting, but the wind increased and the heart stopping action began. Every plane no matter the size came in crooked and every plane had an abnormal and bumpy landing. Before we realized it, it got really bad and one plane came in and touched down on only one wheel, the left rear wheel. He went over half way down the runway before he could get the other two wheels down. He was close to running out of room. The adrenaline started pumping. A couple of planes after that one actually aborted his landing before we could open our mouths to make a sound. He was at the beginning of the runway when suddenly he turned the nose straight up like a rocket and shot into the clouds. We did not utter a sound. We couldn't. It's called "speechless". After that we watched planes bounce up and down, tip from side to side, sit down closer to the tail than the middle or front and still we could only gasp. A very nicely dressed man pulled in and parked next to us. He got out and asked how it was going. So we told him about the aborted landing. He said his daughter loves airplanes so he stops there once a week to take videos for her. Nice father. The bouncing continued until one really horrific landing almost happened in front of us. It was so bad people pulled into the parking lot with their eyes as big as saucers. It was a United plane. It came down twisted in an odd direction and it was bouncing wing tip to wing tip. He bounced down and then back up, down again and back up. It was very obvious he was not going to land successfully. As the plane bounced nose up one more time he poured the pedal to the metal, so to speak and aborted the landing just feet off the runway. It was so shocking you could feel the electricity in the air all around us. We waited for him to come around again, but they changed the landing pattern and used a different set of runways. I cannot imagine the fear in that pilot's heart and mind. We were so wired we just had to leave and come home to catch our breath.

I was so busy gasping I could not take pictures of the bouncing planes. But I snapped a few of the calmer landings.

 

Southwest is the predominant airlines here. They don't fly any

big planes out of this airport.

 

Thomas Cook Scandinavia Airlines. Never heard of them.

I loved the big colorful heart on the tail.

 

 

The face on the tail of this Alaskan airlines plane appears to

be a Samoan man. But I am certain he would have to be of the

Aleutian tribe to be on an Alaskan plane.

 

Allegiant Airlines. Every once in a while a Copa Airlines plane

took off but I was unable to get a picture. That is one airline neither

of us has ever heard of. There were no 747s to land or take off.

 

If you had told me this morning that we would go watch airplanes land and take off I would have said I thought you were out of your mind. But................well, we just could not resist. It was more excitement than we have had in a long time. The wind has calmed down to 40 mph. Lovely. Another sleepless night lies ahead.

 

 

 

 

 

The Cromwell-April 24, 2014

We heard that the Cromwell was having its soft opening so while we are in between wind storms we decided to go check it out. Spring Break is over so the traffic was tolerable. The weather was very nice. The Cromwell is the newest resort to open on the north end of the Strip. It is really plush. The rooms are being booked now but will not be available until Memorial Day weekend. Cheapest room rate is $250 per person per night. It's a beautiful building. The carpet is so plush I just wanted to walk in circles and enjoy it. It is opulently and tastefully decorated in vivid red. Red, as you know, promotes the brain to spend money. And it makes people hungry. It's a proven fact I learned when I owned my candy store.

Just last week the construction crane was still on the roof. This week the building is open though work continues both inside and out.

All in all a rather small resort but beautifully decorated.

The white part of the building is Giada's restaurant which may open

by the end of May. It is her first restaurant so there could be delays. The

Cromwell connects to Caesar's Palace via the walkway seen in the lower

left corner. Caesar's Entertainment owns this one as well.

 

We then went across the street to Bally's which has massive construction going on. We walked through there down the long corridor into the Paris. Not sure we have walked that route before. It was very pretty.

 

This is part of the domed ceiling going into the Paris. It is enormous and

it's just stunning. This is real stained glass, not plastic and I would not even

want to guess how many thousands of pieces of glass are in this piece of work.

 

This is a glimpse of the ceiling inside the Paris. On the upper left side

is one leg of the Eiffel Tower which goes through the building and upward for 500 feet.

Originally the Tower was going to be life sized, but it interfered with

the flight pattern of McCarron Airport. So it is only half the size of the one in Paris, France.

 

It was another really pleasant day. Tomorrow we go back to 40+ mph winds and blowing dirt. The weather is easy to forecast here. It's hot or windy. That's about it.

 

Bad wind-April 22, 2014

We struck out this morning with the intentions of having a fun day. However, the wind brought that to a screeching halt. It was very difficult to drive the Cute Red Vehicle. And then there were attempts at dodging the blowing dirt. We have been under a high wind warning, a blowing dust warning and a high fire danger advisory all day. We are exhausted from being bantered about. However, I am sure there is someone in this country who is having a worse day than we are. So, I'll retract my negative statements and tell you that we will be fine. The wind will quit tomorrow through Thursday night. Then the wind returns on Friday and Saturday. You know we are thrilled about that.

Tomorrow will be a better day. I just know it!!

So hot-April 21, 2014

It was so hot today that birds were not flying. I'm not kidding.

These pigeons were barely moving. They just stood in the shade

of a tree. We could sympathize with them.

 

We went to the Sunset Galleria and walked and walked in the cool air. It was nice. Even with a/c running this coach can heat up and stay that way until the sun goes down. It's a little tough, but we don't have a lot of time left here so we will survive. I hope it was nicer where you are. 

Venetian-April 19, 2014

It was supposed to be hot and windy today. We were delighted they missed the forecast altogether. That enabled us to go to the Strip and walk a lot without being tossed around. We have not been in the Venetian since last year. I had forgotten how gorgeous the ceilings are.

The ceilings appear to be hand painted but I seriously doubt they are.

It's probably just wall paper. But, they are stunning.

The chandeliers are not shabby either.

 

This is just one of the beautiful fountains. This city is full

of fountains and running water. And it's a dry arid desert.

 

We absolutely love to walk either on the Strip or downtown. The exercise won't hurt us, but mentally it is very relaxing.

 

I pray that tomorrow will be a very blessed day full of very special meaning.

 

HAPPY EASTER!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Not yet-April 18, 2014

A return trip to the Strip showed us that the Lion's Share machine at the MGM Grand has not been won yet. One is left to wonder if it ever will be. Still it cannot be moved until it pays. There were only two people waiting while one was playing but that can be hours, so I took a picture and we left.

In three weeks $5000 has been added to the total. That doesn't

seem like much but remember the machine does pay out a few

dollars here and there, just not the big jackpot. We'll check again before we leave.

 

I love to walk through the MGM Grand. Not only do they pump oxygen into the building but they add a wonderful fragrance that gets in my hair. Then it gets in the car and I still smell great when we get home! It's almost a baby powder smell. I love it.  All of the casinos pump oxygen into the playing floor. It makes people feel better. And happy people play longer. More $$.

 

We have concluded that this time of year it is either hot or windy and you pray it is not both at the same time. Today it was windy. By Sunday it should be really, really hot. Tuesday we have a blowing dirt warning. We'll tolerate whatever comes our way. It is all a part of enjoying this wonderful city.

 

 

Last of Shelby-April 17, 2014

I am hoping I can get the last few pictures posted. This Google Blogger is not always reliable.

This nice car started out as a Shelby GT 500. It is now a Shelby 1000.

The number stands for horsepower. This fabulous vehicle has 1000 horsepower.

They cranked the baby up and drove it past us. The sound was like no other

car we have ever heard. Shook the entire building. Our tour guide said

the only time it stops is at gas stations. And it runs on 91 octane unleaded.

It will be a long time before we forget what it sounded like.

 

This is a 1962 Shelby before they started converting Ford Mustangs. Carroll Shelby

took this one to a car show in New York to see how people reacted. It was such a hit that buyers

wanted to see more of them. So, he'd set up a date and time, run the car into the body shop

and paint it a different color, then take it to the buyers to see. He did that repeatedly and he sold a number of them. So, the waiting list was quite long for this car for quite a while. Today I think that would be fraudulent, but back then it was creative thinking. This original car is now worth $26,000,000. Yes, that is twenty six million dollars. And no, we do not wish to tow it behind this coach.

 

They also convert certain Ford F150s. Neither of us has ever

seen one of these on the road.

 

We had a really great time looking at all of these cars. It brought back some fun memories. This Heritage Center just opened on December 1st of last year. We are glad they were so easy to find.

 

 

Shelby American-April 16, 2014

Was this ever a fun place to visit. This is the production facility for Shelby Motors. They have a Heritage Museum with the gigantic shop behind it, but all in one building. Shelby, founded by Carroll Shelby, is not a manufacturer of cars. They only convert cars into Shelby GTs. If they become a car manufacturer then they have to conform to all federal regulations which they feel takes away from the purity of the car. They will build a car for you but will not put a motor or transmission in it. Or they will convert the car you buy to a Shelby GT. That cleared up a lot for us. We could take pictures in the Museum but not in the shop.

It took 1000 hours to polish this aluminum Shelby Cobra. Not for sale.

 

The black one is for sale. No price on the window. One might

assume if you have to ask you can't afford it!

 

Lee Iaccoca asked Carroll Shelby to help strengthen their Dodge Dart.

It was improved to be more stable and stronger, but it didn't save Chrysler.

This car seemed so out of place in a Shelby Museum.

 

 

Blogger has decided that I cannot post anymore pictures today. I have two more I want to share, so I will do that tomorrow or whenever it allows me to do so.

 

 

There happens to be a Mustang rally as well as a Shelby bash going on in town at the same time. We did not know that until we got to Shelby American. We happened to be taking the tour when all of the cars in the Museum had to be moved to the shop in order to make room for a banquet at night. That made our tour very unique and fabulous fun at the same time. You should have heard those cars being moved. We were allowed to watch as they parked them on display for the banquet. Unbelievable noise. Great noise!

 

Two bad things about today. 1. It is spring break for Clark County public schools. That means 280,000 kids are on the streets with their parents. Not a single one of them left town apparently. It is unreal how many kids are running and screaming all over the place. 2. We have encountered more rudeness in the past two days than we have in all of our time here put together. And we're not sure why. The majority of the rude people are not from here. They all have the same accent, so do we assume their schools are on spring break, too? It is such a huge disappointment to see this much rudeness being displayed. Surely, it will get better.

 

More on Shelby American tomorrow.

 



 

 

 

Blood Moon-April 15, 2014

If you did not see the Blood Moon last night in person, I hope you have seen pictures of it today. Since we are in this time zone we were able to watch it when the moon turned from black to red. It was goose bump time. Very pretty and also very exciting. And it meant more since I have learned the historical and Biblical history behind a Blood Moon. I'm sorry to post a picture taken from a dinky iPhone but it's all I have.

This is when the eclipse first started.

 

Please use your imagination. This is one time I

would have loved to have a professional camera.

Still you can see it starting to glow red. The glow was quite intense.

 

It was so interesting to see and I am glad we were able to do so. These special Blood Moons have happened in 1492, 1948 and 1967, all on Jewish holidays. You recognize those years, don't you? This year's Moon is on Passover. If you get bored, start researching Blood Moons and you will no longer be bored. It's fascinating. 

 

Oh the wind-April 14, 2014

I want to tell you one thing that happened late yesterday afternoon. The wind was so strong and relentless that it pushed in the slide on my side of the coach about 6 inches. And I was sitting on the sofa when it happened. So it moved the slide and me with it! I kept telling Jerry that the wind was making the sofa hit my back and it hurt. I had no idea it was actually moving the slide until I opened a cabinet door and banged it on another cabinet door. We can cover up the ding in the wood. But I'm still struggling with the wind being that strong. And there were Canadians who left here yesterday morning headed home. No way you would have found us on the highway in that wind. It was just plain nasty.

Today was cooler, thankfully. The wind is only a breeze. Today was prescription refill day. That is such a tiring ordeal. So happy we don't have to do it too often. After that we found a place to walk and get some sunshine.

I think it is supposed to be really hot tomorrow. It was wise of us to drag out the summer clothes though no self respecting Southern lady would wear summer clothes before Easter, especially light colored clothes. However, sometimes there are no options. Survival comes first!

Palm Sunday-April 13, 2014

We are having terrible wind today but Colorado is much worse off. Snow is falling there. So, given the choice, we'll take the wind.

I hope you all have a peaceful
                            and very blessed Palm Sunday.

Horse Show-April 11, 2014

Before I begin, please let me share that Kenna Rose is home and doing beautifully. Those were such sweet words to hear today. It is hard to grasp that she had open heart surgery on Monday and goes home on Thursday. She definitely has youth on her side. Thank you again for all your prayers.

Last night we heard that there was going to be an Arabian horse show at South Point today. Neither of us has ever been to a horse show. Neither of us knows a single thing about Arabian horses except what we saw on the news last night told us they are extraordinary animals. So, we went to South Point today. We might estimate that this complex is perhaps the second largest in Las Vegas, second only to the Caesar's Palace property. The arena is inside the building so we had to walk a long way to get to it plus going up and down a two story escalator. No problem.

This is a beautiful arena. Indoors and air conditioned. No smoke.

 

It goes without saying we didn't know a soul there. It was very easy to pick out the owners of the horses. When their horse was led out they made very unique yells that I suspect only the horses recognized. Then there are people at the end of the arena with plastic bags attached to long poles. They pop those bags as if trying to get the horses excited. No doubt it is a useful thing but it seemed out of place in a very sophisticated environment.

 

This frisky two year old had just completed her run

around the arena.

And this young lady is being judged.

 

There were 11 horses in the first judging. It goes without saying we do not know how they are judged. But we can easily tell you these creatures are absolutely stunning. If I were going to own a horse it would be an Arabian. We were just taking it all in when lo and behold look who graced the doorway............................

 

 

The man in the center in the black shirt with dyed black hair

is none other than Wayne Newton. I did not care to get closer

for a better picture. I could not have gotten close anyway. He hugged every man in the

owner's circle and kissed every woman in that special ring, except me. I did not

care to get in line and wait on his sweetness.

 

What we found interesting is that he lost his longtime job in Las Vegas. He lost his home and all surrounding property. He is bankrupt. He lost all of his exotic animals. He lost his airplane. He lost his horses. He can't rub two pennies together. However, he showed up and made a perfectly timed circle through the VIP tables and owners, headed behind the curtain and walked out with about 20 middle eastern men as a co-owner of the winning filly. She scored a world wide record high. He had his picture taken with the horse and her other owners and then led her around the ring in a victory stroll. We have pondered since we left there how he timed it so perfectly and how he knew she was going to win? If he lost everything in bankruptcy how does he own a world record holding horse? How indeed? It was so odd it really puzzled us. We felt sorry for the other owners and horses that were there. They obviously did not stand a chance to win. We have ideas about what is going on here, but we will let you draw your own conclusions. Mr. Newton is obviously a very lucky man. His wife was not with him.

 

 

This is a gigantic bronze of Benny Binion just outside the arena.

He is given credit for bringing Arabian horse breeding to Las Vegas.

And all we thought he did was start downtown Las Vegas casinos and hotels.

Now that I think about it his first casino was the Horseshoe. Interesting.

 

This was another of those very unique days that we seem to luck into quite often. We thoroughly enjoyed the horse show and everything associated with it. We stopped at Dickey's Barbecue on the way home. They draw rave reviews. Trust me, every review is warranted. We have had some good bbq, some excellent bbq, and then we have had Dickey's. It was out of this world, perfectly smoked and seasoned to perfection. It was melt in your mouth tender. We are happy we didn't miss this treat.

We had another perfect day and we are so blessed to be able to enjoy days like this.

 

Big E and more-April 10, 2014

We would not let the heat slow us down today, so we headed back to the Linq/High Roller, to a gift shop on the promenade. We saw something for Hannah when we were there before and chose not to buy it. So, we went back today and bought it as her birthday present. We have figured out ways to walk from one building to another without getting out on the streets. On our way through the Flamingo we noticed that there were more birds in their Habitat.

Pelicans are such nasty and mean birds. We could not stand them

when we lived on the coast, so why on earth would I take a picture

of these birds today? I haven't a clue.

 

Out the door of the Flamingo, through the Quad and into Harrah's. We went to the Piano Bar to listen to Big E, the Elvis impersonator whose real name is Pete Vallee. This man is pounds beyond morbidly obese but he can still sing beautifully. One would think he would want to get in better shape, but it is his choice. Once he starts singing it is almost impossible to realize how big he is. He is the most like Elvis of any impersonator I have ever heard except that guy from England whose name I cannot remember. This is one of the most fun things one can experience in Las Vegas and it's free.

 

I took a dozen pictures with both my iPhone and my camera. I shot 3 short videos. None of them worked very well at all. I am left to wonder if they put some type of scrambling device in that room to mess with our electronic devices. They do have a professional photographer in the room who will take your picture with Big E. I must assume it would cost $$$. So, the best I can come up with is this one:

Yes, he's that big. My guess is at least 500 pounds.

 

There was one song he sang that I have never heard the back story to until today. The song that made Whitney Houston famous, "I Will Always Love You" was not supposed to be Whitney's song. Dolly Parton wrote it for Elvis. They had set a date in November, 1977 to record it. As you know Elvis died in August, 1977. I cannot imagine what a shock that was to Dolly. So, she and Whitney came to terms and the rest is history. As big a hit as that was for Whitney, can you imagine what Elvis would have done with it? Oh my. Big E sang it and it was just mesmerizing. I will never forget it. That and "I Can't Help Falling in Love With You" made it a perfect day for me.

 

Out that door, in front of Caesar's and to the Mirage. I love the scenery at the Mirage. Both inside and out.

 

Outside

Inside

 

This was a really fun day. We are so happy we were able to sit and listen to Big E and the wonderful songs he sang. We enjoyed all the walking. And we got some good Vitamin D from all the time in the sun. We also made it home before traffic got too bad. It was a perfect day.

 

 

 

Hot-April 9, 2014

Before I complain about the heat, I have an update on Kenna Rose. She was up today and walking assisted slightly. And she was smiling her beautiful smile. No complaints. The doctor said when she walks to the end of the hall unassisted she can go home. I'm here to tell you that prayers do indeed get answered! We are all so thankful for everything.

Now, it was so hot today we did not feel human. We have not been in this kind of heat in quite a while so we have to get adjusted. It will probably take the rest of the week to understand that summer is officially here.

We only had enough energy to walk a little and we are used to walking a lot. Maybe tomorrow we will get our energy back and we can walk a bunch or at least stand out in the sun without gasping for air!

Now for a confession. I was wrong. Oh my, I was wrong! How that hurts! I made the stupid mistake of listening to television news readers. Some people call them news anchors. They are merely readers. And I listened to the ones here in LV who firmly stated the High Roller/Linq was not a Ferris wheel but instead it was an observation wheel. So, in the middle of the night it dawned on me to research the difference. There is technically none. Right now, the High Roller/Linq observation wheel is the tallest Ferris wheel in the world. Speed of rotation makes the definition slightly different. The Linq is very slow, taking 30 minutes for one rotation. Ferris wheels like you see at a state fair go much faster and generally are composed of a chair in between two wheels. Whatever. I read until I was tired of reading. And then I was annoyed that I believed what they said here. I stand corrected. Both the news readers in Las Vegas and in Denver were correct. I hate it when that happens! You can bet I won't lose any more sleep over this issue. But I would ride the Linq again!

Not as much fun-April 8, 2014

Today was not nearly as much fun as yesterday. I completed and filed our income tax (so happy not to have to file state income tax anymore). I packed away winter clothes and unpacked summer clothes. And to top off the afternoon I washed two loads of clothes. I dare you to tell me you had as much fun as I did! But, it is done. And we can plan a fun day tomorrow. Summer has definitely arrived here. Wow.

We made it to the top!-April 7, 2014

Before I share today's fun, I want to share with you my appreciation for the prayers offered on Kenna Rose's behalf. My last report was late this afternoon that she was in cardiac ICU and only her parents were allowed in to see her. We continue to think positively that she will recover and be better and stronger than she ever has been. Thank you again for praying for her.

 

 

This was today's adventure:

The Linq, also called the High Roller, is the world's largest

observation tower. It is clearly not a ferris wheel though we heard someone

in Denver called it that. It is a mere 550 feet high. (55 stories).

 

There are 28 cabins. Each cabin holds up to 40 people. Each empty cabin weighs

  44,000 pounds. You board while the wheel is moving. It does not come to a

complete stop. Getting on is a whole lot easier than getting off. Just weird that it

does not stop. I did not care for getting one cabin from the top and the entire

 ride being stopped. I had to concentrate really hard to not realize how high we were.

 

This is one of the support "thingies". I'm not an engineer so I don't know the

technical term. Look at the base compared to the vehicles beside it.

 

It goes without saying the view is unbelievable.

That's UNLV's sports arena. It's called the Thomas and Mack.

The Hard Rock needs no explanation.

 

Flamingo, Bally's, Paris, Aria, Cosmopolitan, Bellagio and

many, many more great buildings on the south end of the Strip.

 

Harrah's the Venetian, TI, Palazzo, Trump Tower on the north end

of the Strip.

 

The golf course at Wynn Resorts along with LVH hotel and the

Convention Center. Look closely in the distance. We both think

those are the runways at Nellis AFB.

 

The Rio. Day or night, this is one extraordinarily beautiful building.

 

McCarron Airport

 

This is underneath the Ling. I wondered if the big net was to

catch people when they jumped. Jerry said it was to catch trash.

 

And one last picture.

This dainty little flamingo is at the back door of its

namesake casino. It had to be at least 30 feet tall.

Cute as a button.

 

It goes without saying that this day was like no other. If you are ever here, the Linq is a must see and do. Words and pictures don't say it all. We really had a great time.



 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 



Things-April 5, 2014

We have had a busy two days. It's time to update you on what we are going to do. First of all, we are going to stay here for another month. We know that summer will move in here this next week but winter still has a hold on Colorado. Given that choice, we choose warmer weather. However, there is a point on the thermometer where we must leave here no matter what.

I found out something interesting about our Canadian snowbird friends. As we all know they have universal healthcare. All retired Canadians get free healthcare. It is subsidized by big businesses who pay 3% of their profits into the healthcare system. A Canadian who wants to leave that country must ask for written permission to do so. It is always given but there is a set date when they must return or lose their healthcare altogether. A snowbird here told me all about it day before yesterday. He said he and his wife must be back at their home in rural Canada by April 15th or they have no insurance coverage. It also means that the government will take care of their bills for healthcare even if they are in the United States while they are out of country. It is called travel insurance. Nearly half of the RVs in this park have Canadian plates on them. Now we know why.

Please allow me to ask again that you pray for little Kenna Rose as she faces heart surgery on Monday. We all have faith she will come through with flying colors but it never hurts to have as many people as possible praying for her. Thank you for those prayers.

We ate a very late lunch today at Buffalo Wild Wings. It was our first time to eat at one of those. We are sorry we waited this long to try them. The food was excellent and the service was phenomenal. The place was so busy people were practically hanging from the rafters. We will definitely look forward to eating at another Wild Wings again in the future.

I think that's about it for today.

I wish you a beautiful Sunday filled with peace and happiness.

Gordon's Pub-April 3, 2014

We decided today was the day to try Gordon Ramsay's Pub and Grill inside Caesar's Palace. This is classified as one of his rustic restaurants. The only reason it is rustic, in my opinion, is that the napkins are burlap. Granted they are a very high quality burlap, but burlap nonetheless. Everything else is top notch including the food. It was great fun.

 

 

Then we decided to go outside and walk around a bit.

 

 

There are flowers and fountains everywhere. This city is struggling with a lack of water,

but that doesn't stop water from flowing everywhere. I cannot

speak for Caesar's Palace but I know Bellagio recycles shower water from the

hotel rooms to use in their dancing fountains. Perhaps this is shower water, too.

 

These are 5 of the dozen or so buildings on the Caesar's Palace complex.

It is so gigantic we have never successfully walked all the way around it.

This side of it is at least 8 normal city blocks long. And it appears to be

a complete square of property. It is absolutely gorgeous on the inside, too.

 

We walked across to the Flamingo and while roaming through it, we discovered they have a Habitat in the back of the property. Neither of us knew it was there.

 

While looking at these flamingos I was thinking how they belonged

in Florida. And then it hit me that they are the namesake of the hotel. Duh.

 

Very serene. I'm left to wonder if this is recycled water also.

 

Friends enjoying the nice weather.

 

 

We walked more today than we have possibly ever walked at one time in Las Vegas and we are completely exhausted. We will not complain because we know the walking is very good for both of us. We're searching now to see where Big Elvis is performing. We'd like to see him if possible. The upcoming weekend is going to be extremely busy in town. All of the Sportsbooks will be packed for basketball. And the Country Music Awards are in town for Sunday night. We might not try to get in the middle of that mess of people though we have threatened to sit in the MGM Grand lobby and watch the stars check in. Who knows what we will do? We don't plan that far ahead.  

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Brrr-April 2, 2014

Bear with me. It was a nasty day, weather wise, to try to take a picture.

I found it hard to hold the camera still in the wind. You will have to look closely at this

one. It goes without saying you recognize the Stratosphere, which is called "the Strat" by the

locals. Slightly to the right and at about midway in the frame there is a nice mountain

there called Mt Charleston. What you see here is snow falling on Mt Charleston. The odd thing about the way Las Vegas sits in a bowl is that we could see it snowing on Mt Charleston and when we turned around the sun is shining on another mountain range. I can tell you that it is really cold. The wind is blowing like crazy and it cannot be above 40 degrees outside. Tonight is going to be a step back into winter. Then starting this weekend it will be a direct march into the heat of summer. We had to get out today but didn't stay out long because it was so cold.

At least the weather is not boring here!

Tough day-April 1 2014

This is no April Fool's Day joke. We found out this morning that my niece's 6 year old daughter is going to have to have open heart surgery next Monday. We were absolutely stunned. Now that we are getting over the shock, we are asking for as many prayers as you have time to offer. Her name is Kenna Rose and she is a precious little Southern belle. If you have only a minute or two, early next Monday morning would you please pray for God to guide the surgeon's hands and that she will heal quickly and completely. Thank you for that.

We were already struggling with the day before we got the news. The wind wore us out last night. And it continued to howl today. Then late this afternoon it changed directions and it is very cold. It will warm up tomorrow but the wind will continue. It is starting to bother us a bit, but we will grumble our way through it.

As the song says, the sun'll come out tomorrow.............