A Weekend in Vegas

I had not been to Las Vegas in about fifteen years.  Several family members met there recently to help celebrate a birthday.  We stayed downtown at the Golden Nugget and had a great time.  Did I win a lot of money?  Of course not!

The downtown area has an overhead cover that runs along Freemont Street with a zip line running down the middle.  At night there are laser light shows to entertain the crowds. 

Here is a video of the covered area and the zipline during the day:

And, here it is at night with the laser show and zip-liners:

Meteor Crater Arizona

This past fall we visited Meteor Crater in Arizona.  We usually see the signs while we are zipping along Interstate 40, but this year we decided to stop.  It is only a few miles off the Interstate, and is well worth the time.  It is done as professional as any Federal park.  One plus is that you can take a one hour hike along the rim with a guide - so much fun.

Meteor Crater

Our guide - Eduardo

Now here is a small world moment on the edge of a meteor crater in the middle of nowhere!  Eduardo asked all of us where we were visiting from.  And when my husband answered Kentucky, Eduardo said he attended high school in Kentucky.  I asked him which high school, and it was the same school my husband and his brothers attended.  Eduardo was a fantastic tour guide, and I'm not just saying that because of the Kentucky connection.

Eduardo

 This plant has a very pleasant aroma, and Eduardo told us it was nicknamed 'Cowboy's Cologne'  He let us each pick a sample from a plant, and I tucked mine in my wallet.  Recently I found it still tucked inside my wallet, and it still smells wonderful.  Remember, this was not a Federal park so picking was okay.

Purple Sage - Cowboy's Cologne

A Quick Hello

I know I haven't posted in a long time.  I've been having problems with Blogger in that I cannot upload photos or videos, and I've been wanting to share some of them with you.  Hope all is fixed soon so that I can get back into the blogging groove.  In the meantime, I have been enjoying reading the interesting blogs I have on my sidebar.

Beautiful Lace

Isn't this piece of lace quite beautiful? 

Look at it again more closely. Do you see it?

The lace is really part of the painting below.

The lace is from a close up photo I took of his left knee.

I have always been facinated with the detail of fabrics and lace shown in paintings.  This painting is at The Getty in Los Angeles,  and I use it here as an example to show the detail the artist achieved while painting the lace.  There are so many beautiful paintings, but I wanted to show detail from a painting whose subject would ordinarily just receive a passing glance from me.

Frank Lloyd Wright's Taliesin West

I know I have been absent from my blog for quite a while.  I thought I'd share some photos with you from a recent trip to Scottsdale, AZ to visit Frank Lloyd Wright's Taliesin West.  If you ever get a chance to visit, it is quite wonderful.  The tour lasted 90 minutes, and our tour guide was very knowledgeable.  Photos weren't allowed inside, but we were allowed to sit in some of the furniture while she talked about the Wrights, Taliesin West, and the architecture school.



The trademark



The Taliesin name on a wall. The walls were made of concrete and stones from the surrounding desert.





The petroglyph symbol became the trademark







Our Tour Guide



Merry Christmas from The Mission Inn

My sister, Pamela, and I went for an outing at The Mission Inn in Riverside, CA.  It is a wonderful old hotel that is beautifully decorated each year.  I tried to take a couple of pictures at night when the lights were on, but they didn't do it justice.  There is a pedestrian mall on the block with various shops and restaurants.  There is also an ice skating rink on the mall.  It was so much fun and very festive!

 

Old Town Tucumcari, New Mexico

We drove a stretch of old Route 66 in Tucumcari, New Mexico.  There are numerous forgotten businesses, but some of them are being rejuvenated.

The Blue Swallow Motel is an example of a little gem on 66.  The note on the door told everyone that the owners were on vacation.  I would have liked to go into the lobby area as it is also a gift shop, and it looked so neat and organized.  Maybe next time through we'll see what they have.

The rooms were built with a one car garage - a real motor lodge.

Only a sign left at the Lasso Motel

The Palomino looks well kept for an old motel

The Ranch House Cafe sign and truck were interesting.

Wouldn't you like to see these gas prices again!

A cute Tucumcari shop.

Gary and Misty at Timeless Treasures.  Misty greeted us with her Frisbee as we pulled in to park - and of course we had to play with her a while.  Gary was friendly and filled us in on what is happening with the Tucumcari revitalization.  He also pointed out a couple of spots for us to see before we left town.

This barbecue place was cooking, but we were a day too early to eat. Next time through we are going to eat here because it was so cute and smelled so good too.

Inventive planter outside

The outside of the barbecue building was built with an eclectic variety of objects.

Next door is the Tucumcari Ranch Supply



Giant Cross - Groom Texas

We have seen this giant cross from a distance along I40 in Texas, but had never stopped to see it.  This year as we approached the site, we decided to go see what it was all about.  Quite the place to see.  If you have the chance to get off I40 to take a look you'll be impressed - the cross is 190 feet tall!

That is the Last Supper in the foreground, and lifesize Stations of the Cross around the base of the cross.

                                               Station - Veronica wiping the face of Jesus

               The Last Supper and the Crucifixion in the background with the angel at the tomb at the left.

A Blast From the Past - 1957

I received some old photos from a relative recently, and this was among them.  It is a photo I had never seen, so I was happy to receive it.

This photo, taken in 1957, is of my mother, my sister and me.  We were visiting relatives on their farm in Minnesota.  My sister and I were wearing 'farm play clothes'.

Do you enjoy looking into the past as much as I do?

Picker Sisters I -10 Home Store - Gone

My sisters and I enjoyed the Picker Sisters series, and really like some of the creative furniture and accessories they made from the rusted junk.  My sister, who lives in LA, went to take a look at the I - 10 Home store on Melrose, but it is closed with a for lease sign on the windows.  Too bad!  We were looking forward to seeing the creations from the show.