my eye on vegas

Fresh! Fresh!! Fresh!!!

2011-09-12T19:50:00.000-07:00

Chocolate's okay, but I prefer
a really intense fruit taste.

You know when a peach is absolutely
perfect, it's sublime.

~ Kathy Mattea

I know. I know these are actually nectarines, but I couldn't get a good photo of peaches. No matter, I like them both, and I agree with Kathy Mattea. When peaches or nectarines or raspberries or strawberries or pears are absolutely perfect, they're sublime.

We have a number of farmers markets in town now, although they're small compared to the ones you'll find in agricultural states. I still like going to them, though, and every week I'll walk through at least one so that I can buy fresh vegetables or fruit. The quality of the produce I've bought at any of the markets has been great, and the taste wonderful.

While most of what I buy varies each time I go to a farmers market, I always buy tomatoes. My favorites are Heirlooms, particularly the Brandywine and Black Crims. Compared to the farmers market tomatoes, grocery tomatoes taste like cardboard. I'm sad that the Heirloom season is almost over. :-(

The good news is that most of the California farmers who come to the different LV markets have told me that they'll have different tomatoes in the coming seasons. Maybe I'll find a tomato I like almost as much.

Who Would Wear This? Part 1

2011-09-10T20:13:00.000-07:00

"It's always the badly dressed people

who are the most interesting. "

~ Jean Paul Gaultier

Ok. I'll come right out and ask the obvious: WHAT WAS SHE THINKING??? Really, what in the name of heaven would make someone drape yarn all over her belt and then, worse, WEAR IT?

I have to admit that we see all kinds of dress in this city. Go to any large city, any travel destination, and you're likely to see the good, the bad and the ugly (if you'll pardon the pun), and believe me, we see plenty here.

The Good
Good clothes need no explanation. They don't necessarily have to be expensive, but they do have to fit well, be clean and look good on the person wearing them.

The Bad
Again, I probably don't need to explain these, either. We see enough of these every day. Good grief. I am always tempted to tell certain people to pull up their pants because I really don't want to see their underwear (or cheeks).

I like denim, and I wear a lot of it in cold weather, but I'm not fond of that denim that look like the last time it was washed was about 20 years go. And, I most certainly don't like the denim that is sliced all over the place, especially right under the cheeks. I'm not a prude, but the backside is not the most attractive part of most people. The same goes for torn shirts. Sigh.

The Ugly
I just don't get some of the things people wear today. . . people of all ages, by the way. As I said, I can't figure out what this gal was thinking. I probably wouldn't have noticed her if she hadn't had those pieces of yarn hanging from her belt, but . . .

2011-09-07T17:12:00.000-07:00

The best way of travel...if you aren't in any hurry at all,

if you don't care where you are going,

if you don't like to use your legs,

if you don't want to be annoyed at all

by any choice of directions, is in a balloon.

In a balloon, you can decide only when to start,

and usually when to stop. The rest is left entirely to nature.

~ William Pene du Boi

Every once in a great while, I'll see one or two hot air balloons floating over our part of the Las Vegas Valley. The first few times I noticed them, they seemed to be advertising something, either a realtor or a bank or something. However, in the last year, I've seen balloons like the two I've included in today's post, and these balloons are for adventure rides. Pay the man a certain price (not cheap), and see Las Vegas from the blue sky.

In all honesty, I probably would enjoy a hot air balloon ride, although I'm sure fear would send my blood pressure higher than the balloon itself. [A pilot friend of mine. while unsuccessfully trying to talk me into taking flying lessons with him (fat chance), told me that my fear is rooted in my inability to give up control. Very true. Type-A personalities are like that.] But I digress. I'd probably enjoy a hot air balloon ride, but I'm not willing to shell out the money ($200 per person on the low end) for a 45-60 minute flight.

The morning we saw these two balloons fly over our subdivision, we were on our way to take Riley to the dog park. The balloons landed in a patch of desert across Flamingo Road, and we pulled over so we could watch them land and shoot a few photos. The pilots glided the balloons in, and spotters on the ground anchored them and assisted the passengers with disembarking.

Once everyone was out, the pilot turned the heat off, and the balloons started to deflate and turn on their sides. It was quite interesting to watch the crew disassemble the balloons while passengers enjoyed a snack provided by the company.

Note the size of the people in relation to the balloons. I read somewhere that hot air balloons can be 10-stories tall. If you look closely at the bottom photo (and the top one), you can get some idea of just how big the balloons are.

Labor Day

2011-09-05T09:07:00.000-07:00

Labor was the first price,

the original purchase-money

that was paid for all things.

It was not by gold or by silver,

but by labor, that all wealth of the

world was originally purchased.

~ Adam Smith

We take so much for granted these days. Most likely every generation has said that, and it's always true. But, we would not be where we are without the labors of our fathers and grandfathers, mothers and grandmothers. Not all the labor was done in fields or factories, but it was - and is - often hard labor none-the-less.

Happy Labor Day.

Fleur Food

2011-09-02T22:07:00.000-07:00

“In spite of food fads, fitness programs,

and health concerns, we must never lose

sight of a beautifully conceived meal.”

~ Julia Child

I'm sure this happens to everyone, and it starts with a conversation similar to this one:

"Where do you want to go for dinner?" one of us asks the other.

"I don't care," the other replies. "Where do you want to go? What are you in the mood for?"

"I don't know," says the other tossing the ball back. "Where haven't we been in awhile?"

"I don't know," replies the frustrated spouse. "Just pick a place and let's go." Out the door and in the car, we head to a restaurant or cafe we've been to countless times before. As I said, I'm sure it happens to everyone more times than not.

We moved back to Las Vegas just over two years ago, and we still head to the same restaurants over and over and over. Part of the reason is that we can't ever remember new places that we want to try when we're deciding where to go, but we're also not usually too experimental when it comes to food. However, before we left for Europe in June, Michael decided that we needed to try a new restaurant once every other week or so. He also decided that some of those new restaurants would be the restaurants owned by celebrity chefs. (I mentioned those in Wednesday's post.) I'm okay with that to a point. I'm pretty picky about food, and there are certain things I just refuse to eat no matter how beautifully conceived the meal is.

I checked some of the places Michael mentioned, and we decided to try Hubert Keller's Fleur a few weeks ago. We ordered the small plates and waited a bit anxiously until they delivered our sliders (above), lobster mac 'n cheese (on my plate below), marbled potatoes and skirt steak with chimichurri sauce (below). As we sipped pear martinis, Michael mentioned that he was a bit concerned that the food would be liberally sprinkled with "weird" spices.

The food arrived relatively quickly and, except for the glop of green chimichurri sauce on the steak, the food looked delicious. Michael's angus beef sliders were topped with lettuce, heirloom tomato and bacon, and they were wonderful. We also enjoyed the 10 french fries included with the tiny burgers. Cooked to perfection, the skirt steak was delicious once I took the chimichurri sauce off of it. I don't know if it was the color or the strong garlic taste in it, but I just didn't like the sauce. It amused me that my baked potato was a fingerling potato topped with creme fraiche.

I don't like fish, although I will eat most seafoods (crab, shrimp and lobster if I don't have to look at the whole thing). Michael wanted to try the lobster mac 'n cheese, so I figured it would be okay. . . and it was. There were chunks of lobster throughout, and the cheese was smooth and creamy. I would definitely order it again.

I can now cross Hubert Keller (who, by the way, came into the restaurant while we were there) off of my list of celebrity chefs whose restaurants I want to try. Heaven only knows which one we'll try next!

2011-08-31T20:53:00.000-07:00

“To be tempted and indulged by the city’s

most brilliant chefs. It’s the dream of every

one of us in love with food.”
~ Gael Greene

About 10 years ago, my mother told me she loved to watch Bobby Flay on the Food Network.

"Bobby Who?" I asked her and added, "And what's the Food Network." Sigh. I had no idea what I was in for as I asked her that.

Mom loved to cook and bake, and she was in heaven when she found Food Network. Her favorite chefs were Bobby Flay, Mario Batali and Yan (of Yan Can Cook!). She watched their shows religiously, and when she stayed with us, I did, too. I started to watch different Food Network shows. Some of my favorite shows are food-related - Top Chef; No Reservations; Iron Chef; Diners, Drive-ins & Dives; Chopped - and some of those shows have made the chefs who host them stars. Included in that crop of celebrity chefs is Bobby Flay.

We're lucky to have a number of restaurants headed by these now-known chefs. Hubert Keller, Emeril, Mario Batali, Tom Colicchio, Rick Moonen, Jose Andres are just a few who've opened restaurants here. Flay, who opened the original Mesa Grill in NYC in 1991, opened a Mesa Grill in Las Vegas at Caesar's Palace (above) in 2004. I've been wanting to go to Mesa Grill for since we moved back here because I like Bobby Flay and I love southwestern cuisine. Take a look at some of their offerings:

GRILLED ASPARAGUS SALAD
Wild Mushrooms, Blue Cheese Toasted Pecans

+ Red Chile Mustard Vinaigrette

BLUE CORN PANCAKE
Barbecued Duck + Habanero Chile -

Star Anise Sauce

NEW MEXICAN SPICED PORK

TENDERLOIN SANDWICH

Grilled Red Onion, Arugula

Ancho Chile Mayonnaise

+ Southwestern Fries

GRILLED SWORDFISH CLUB

Bacon, Avocado, Tomato, Arugula
Chipotle Aioli + Southwestern Fries

NEW MEXICAN SPICE RUBBED

PORK TENDERLOIN

Bourbon - Ancho Chile Sauce

Sweet Potato Tamale + Crushed Pecan Butter

Who can resist that?

Desert Living

2011-08-29T12:57:00.000-07:00

"I have this personal affinity for the desert.

I am fascinated by the desert. I love it."

~ Erika Slezak

I saw Las Vegas for the first time on 5 July, 1987. I was on a midday flight from Ohio, and as the plane cleared the mountains east of the city, I noticed that desert in that area was ablaze. Sparks from fireworks held at the Silver Bowl the night before ignited the dry plants, and orange flames crept along the dirt leaving nothing buy charred, black sticks in their wake. I was, to put it mildly, in shock.

Having grown up in the midwest, I was used to green . . . green grass. . . green plants. . . green leaves. . . green, green, green. The stark brown, beige and grey earth and rocks assaulted my eyes. My father-in-law, a retired Army colonel who had lived all over the world in all colors of places, told me to give it a few weeks. "You'll eventually see that brown is beautiful," he said. He was right.

The longer I've lived here - both in our first residence (1987-1995) and in this current one (since 2009), I've learned to love the desert in all its earthtoned beauty. Each season brings its own colors to the parched earth - purple, yellow, white and pink flowers in spring and summer; bright red, yellow, orange and green flowers in summer; red, gold, and orange foliage in fall; and green stalks in winter. I'm always amazed that anything grows in this parched land, but I especially marvel at the flowers (Weeds though they are.) that appear in the middle of a pile of rock.

Even more amazing to me are the quality and color of light here. Until I moved to the desert, I never noticed how the sun moves during the year, rising from the southeast in the winter and the northeast in the summer. The light in the morning fires up the red rock in the desert and mountains west of the valley, while the sky explodes in varying colors with the evening sunset.

If I missed anything about Las Vegas in our 14 years in Nashville, it was raw beauty of the desert. Ashton, my late father-in-law, was right. There is a lot of beauty in all this brown. I do love it.

Change is in the Air . . . .

2011-08-25T13:10:00.000-07:00

"Change means that what was
before wasn't perfect.

People want things to be better."

~ Esther Dyson

If you've followed this blog, you probably noticed that I haven't posted anything in months. I apologize, but my reasoning has a lot to do with the quote I chose to use today in re-introducing this particular blog.

My Eye on Vegas started out over a year ago as a daily photoblog. I had done one for over three years when we lived in Nashville, and after moving back to Las Vegas, I thought that I would enjoy doing one about the town I love so much. What I didn't take into consideration was the stress of finding something to shoot every day while re-acclimating to life here, writing my thesis, and dealing with so many other little things. I didn't have time to go out and shoot enough photos to use in the blog, and most certainly didn't have the time - or energy - to write as much as I like about the photos. This blog was not what I wanted it to be, and I tired of just posting a photo so that I'd have something on it.

After thinking about it for months (Yes, I know I think way too much.), I've decided to change focus a little bit to show how I really see this town that I love. Not everything I show will be the good stuff because, quite frankly, every city has a bit of both good and bad. I'll photograph, write - and post - about the people, places and things that make Las Vegas what it is.

I plan to post three-to-four times per week - Monday, Wednesday, Friday and perhaps a weekend day, and I want to cover a number of different themes including - but not limited to - the Strip (of course), architecture, culture (Yes, we do have some.), restaurants & food, shopping, people, fashion, coffee, special events, and more.

Thanks for sticking around. I hope the ride will be worth it in the end. ;-)

Until Monday . . . .

(PS The photo today is of a pear martini that we had at Hubert Keller's Fleur in Mandalay Bay. )

Cactus Flowers

2011-04-26T09:05:00.000-07:00

A lot of people think the desert is pretty "dead," but they don't realize that desert plants actually bloom in the spring. The desert floor blazes with bright orange, yellow, purple, white and pink flowers on all sorts of plants.

It always makes me wonder how anything so strange-looking, prickly and fierce can produce such delicate and beautiful flowers.

Ethel M's Cactus Garden

2011-04-25T06:31:00.000-07:00

Happy Easter

2011-04-24T11:58:00.000-07:00

Easter is the demonstration by God that

life is essentially spiritual and timeless.

~ Charles M. Crowe

Happy Easter.

Felices Pascuas.

Buona Pasqua.

bona Pasqua.

glad Påsk.

frohe Ostern.

Καλό Πάσχα.

Pasg Hapus.

Veselé Velikonoce.

Bunnies Invade The Cactus Garden

2011-04-22T07:38:00.000-07:00

In addition to offering visitors a tour of their factory, Ethel M Chocolates also has a desert and cactus garden for visitors to enjoy. We took relatives to the factory a few weeks ago, and while the candy factory tour is a little light in substance, the cactus garden offered quite a bit more. Over the next few days, I'll show you some of the desert plants the grace the area.

We weren't the only ones enjoying the free tour that day. A family of bunnies were dancing around the entrance, no doubt energized by the free chocolate they got as the exited the candy factory tour. ;-)

Trash=Art . . .What Is It?

2011-04-20T08:51:00.000-07:00

Over the past few posts, I've shown you a few of Steven Spann's work in which he used trash to make art. Today I show you another piece and ask you if you can tell what he used to make this particular pink masterpiece.

I'll reveal tomorrow.

Trash=Art Supplies

2011-04-17T07:12:00.000-07:00

Trash=Art

2011-04-16T07:03:00.000-07:00

The other day, I showed you a close-up of Steven Spann's work with Sterno can lids, part of his work as Artist in Residence at The Cosmopolitan of Las Vegas. This is a close-up of another piece which consists of things he picked up after a concert at the resort back in early March. Some of the items included in this piece were things people threw on stage (the shoe you see), trash people dropped on the floor (food wrappers, ticket stubs, etc), and things people left behind (the torn hoodie you see which he found bunched up next to [but not *in*] a pile of regurgitated food).

If you're interested in reading more about Spann's time at The Cosmo, click here. The story begins on page 28.

WWII Revealed

2011-04-14T07:27:00.000-07:00

Yesterday I showed you a portion of the artwork of artist Steven Spann. Spann was recently the Cosmopolitan's Artist in Residence and worked on his Trash=Art exhibit. The resort’s employees – and guests – brought him trash to include in his artwork. The food and beverage department brought him a large foam-core poster and Sterno can lids. He painted the Sterno lids and attached them to the back of the posterboard.

If you're interested in seeing more of Spann's work, click here.

Wednesday What Is It?

2011-04-13T10:42:00.000-07:00

Not too long ago I interviewed a local artist for an article I'm writing for BLVDS magazine (out this week!). This is part of one of his pieces, and I thought I'd post it and see if anyone can guess what it is. I'm purposely not telling you his name so that you don't go to his site to figure this out.

Tomorrow, I'll post a photo of the entire piece and tell you a little more about it.

Happy guessing!

Put the Camera On The Floor

2011-04-10T06:46:00.000-07:00

If you put your camera on the floor and shoot straight up, sometimes you get an interesting photo. Of course, the ceiling does have to have more than a flat surface to it. ;-)

Next time you go to the buffet at Red Rock, look up. You may see this part of the ceiling.

AUGH!!

2011-04-07T13:34:00.000-07:00

If you know me or have read this blog or my former-Nashville blog, you know that one thing that drives me crazy is to see "professional" signs with spelling or grammatical errors on them. I usually point the error out to a manager or someone in charge only to have that person give me A) some excuse for the mistake or, B) tell me that it makes no difference since people really don't notice. (Insert a huge sigh here.)

I went to an area library a few weeks ago and noticed the sign above marking one of the nonfiction aisles. (Sorry for the shaky image. I had to hold the camera above my head to get close enough.) I found the librarian in charge of the area and told her that grammar was misspelled. She first asked me if I was sure as she hadn't noticed. When I assured her I was not mistaken, she told me that she would speak with the woman whose job it is to make the signs. "By the way," she added, "English is her second language."

Again, if you know me at all, you know that I am not confrontational, although in this case I know I blinked my eyes and shook my head a little in disbelief. What I wanted to say. . . .wanted to scream, was, "What the h*ll difference does that make? This is a library, for crying out loud. It is a bastion of education and literacy. People see things here and assume the are correct. Change the sign. Change the sign. Change the sign."

Rest Room A Go-Go

2011-04-06T07:15:00.000-07:00

My friend, Frank, pointed out Hash House A Go-Go's restroom doors to me when we were there last, and I had to shoot a photo of them. I find them unique in the fact that they have frosted glass doors at the entrance, and they proclaim, "Women Only" or "Men Only" instead of the "Ladies" or "Men" or stick-figured drawings that we usually see on rest rooms. I also guess that the "Wash Room" designation makes them unique.

I have to admit that one other thing threw me about the frosted glass: Does it make anyone else think of an old-time lawyer or accountant's office?

Sunset Over Red Rock

2011-04-05T08:24:00.000-07:00

Give me the splendid,

silent sun at sunset.

~ Walt Whitman

A couple of weeks ago we were driving home at sunset. Of course, I didn't have the good camera with me, but I was able to capture the beauty with my point-and-shoot.

As much as I love sunsets, I don't think that there is too much I can say that would add to this shot, so I'll leave it at that.

Chicken Breast a Go-Go

2011-04-04T16:47:00.000-07:00

Yesterday I showed you that delicious-looking duck breast from Hash House a Go-Go, and today I present the chicken breast. Included with my meal were green beans and carrots as well as asparagus, mashed potatoes and polenta - the triangular-shaped thing under the breast and all that mushroom gravy. If you look at the bottom middle of the photo, you can see the maple-glazed spaghetti strands (uncooked). For some reason, they forgot to put the rosemary sprig on my meal. I should have complained. ;-)

Duck Breast A Go Go

2011-04-03T18:18:00.000-07:00

If you live in Las Vegas (or San Diego), you've probably heard of or been to Hash House A Go-Go, a restaurant that prides itself on serving "twisted farm food." Serving breakfast, lunch, brunch and dinner, Hash House offers huge (and I do mean HUGE) portions of good food. Presentation is fun and colorful, as you can see above.

We went recently with friends, and each of us enjoyed a different dinner. Fresh green beans and carrots flank the duck breast shown above, while mashed potatoes are beneath it. Cashews, corn bread, a few maple-coated spaghetti strings and sprigs of rosemary complete the dish.

Tomorrow, I'll show you my chicken.

Bellagio in Spring, IV

2011-04-01T08:35:00.000-07:00

“Bring poppies for a weary mind

That saddens in a senseless din.”

~ William Winter

I love poppies. When we lived in Nashville, one of my good friends planted them around her mailbox, and each spring, they lit up her yard. A few years ago, a developer cleaned out a wooded area so that he could put in a plaza, and once the trees were gone, we could see waves of wild poppies. I picked some and tried to keep them in vases, but they lasted only a few hours.

To satisfy my poppy love, I go down to Bellagio at least once in the spring as these delicate blooms blanket the conservatory. There are a number of colors different from the deep red of the TN poppies - varied shades of red, pink, orange. Molto bello, no?

Bellagio in Spring, III

2011-03-30T21:10:00.000-07:00

A walk in the park . . . . In the middle of the conservatory at Bellagio, you'll find a nice little walkway through the park-like atmosphere. It's hard to remember where you are when you amble down the red-brick road.

More Bellagio in Spring

2011-03-29T15:31:00.000-07:00

I love merry-go-rounds. Even when I was younger, I was more apt to ride it than one of the "thrill" rides. I guess that came from my love of horses and fear of trains rushing down steep hills.

At any rate, this carousel is part of the display at Bellagio this spring. Colorful balloons flank and fly above it while spring flowers blanket the ground around it. The carousel does work, as does the ferris wheel. Unfortunately, though, people are not permitted to ride it. :-(

Bellagio in Spring . . .

2011-03-27T06:59:00.000-07:00

Spring has sprung!

The Bellagio has changed out the conservatory, and in addition to spring flowers like poppies, tulips and hydrangea, fun objects adorn the huge space. Included are a ferris wheel, merry-go-round, walkway, balloons and butterflies.

Our Community Center at Night

2011-03-23T07:56:00.000-07:00

Our community - or subdivision - in Las Vegas is beautiful. In addition to homes, we have a community center, a fitness center, and a clubhouse and restaurant for the public golf course.

While I was out shooting the super moon the other night, I turned to see how ethereal the community center appears at night. The community center houses the community offices, a library, ballroom, card rooms, pool and game rooms, art and ceramics rooms, music and sewing rooms, a computer lab and computer classroom, a rotunda and more. The building overlooks the golf course's first tee and lake.

Isn't it pretty?

Another View of The Super Moon

2011-03-21T07:57:00.000-07:00

Don't tell me the moon is shining;

show me the glint of light on broken glass.

~ Anton Chekhov

I thought I would post another Super Moon photo today because of what happened when I took the photo. Nope. . .It's not a double exposure or Photoshopped image. What happened??

This is the first photo I took of the moon Saturday evening, and when I put my camera on the tripod, I angled the camera upwards, and the moon reflected in one of the pieces of glass inside the camera. I noticed it while focusing and could have corrected it, but I wanted to see what the image would look like. Voila!

I think it's quite interesting that the definition of the lunar mountains shows up in the reflection. The moon was so bright that it is just bright white. I should have underexposed a bit, but hindsight is always foresight. ;-)

Super Moon Over Vegas

2011-03-20T07:51:00.000-07:00

Last night, was the night of the "Super Moon," a rare phenomenon in which the moon is closer to the earth. The last time it occurred was 18 or 19 years ago (depending on which meteorologist you believe).

I took this photo from our community . If you look at the image closely, you can see the south portion of the Strip along the horizon line on the right. On the left side, you can see a white light shooting straight up. That is the light from the top of the Luxor. Note, also, how bright the sky is along the horizon line. That is, of course, caused by the lights from the hotels, casinos, and businesses along the Strip.

Laugh. . .

2011-03-18T08:01:00.000-07:00

"I've always thought that

a big laugh is a really

a loud noise from the soul saying,

"Ain't that the truth."

~ Quincy Jones

Ain't that really the truth? :-)

Designs on the Wall

2011-03-14T08:38:00.000-07:00

I've mentioned this before, but whenever I go somewhere, I look at the patterns the architecture, carpet, tile, decorating, paint, etc. form. I like looking at portions of the bigger picture to see what "little" things emerge.

The photo above is of a portion of the wall leading in to the buffet at the Palms. The bright orange and dark black draw one's eye to the buffet from any area on the casino floor. I rather like its rough, free-style, amoeba-like design, although I have to admit it's nothing I'd have even on a painting in my house. Seeing it out is one thing, but living with it every day is another. ;-)

Sunday = Signs

2011-03-13T08:48:00.000-07:00

The Palms Hotel and Casino, owned by the Maloofs, hosts the world's only Playboy club. Located on the 52nd floor of the Palms' Fantasy Tower, has gaming and nightlife. The floor-to-ceiling windows offer a spectacular view of the Strip and Las Vegas Valley. It's open daily from 9 pm, and patrons can
play blackjack or roulette at games with Bunny dealers.

On the floor below the club is Nove, an upscale Italian restaurant. On the 53rd is the nightclub Moon. Based on the top floor of the Fantasy Tower, Moon has a retractable roof that offers patrons quite the experience.

I've never been in either the PBC or Moon, but I've been in a restaurant at the top of one of the other towers, and the views from there are phenomenal. The view gives you a completely different look at the city.

Tapas, Part III - Not Your Mama's Mac 'N Cheese

2011-03-11T08:28:00.000-08:00

My husband loves macaroni and cheese. I can take it or leave it as I prefer to have tomato sauce on my pasta. However, Michael likes it, so when we had the opportunity to try this version as a tapa, we decided to go ahead and order it.

The pasta swam with a white, alfredo-like sauce and was covered with more white cheese. It was very mild and, in my opinion, bland. Personally, it was the one thing that we tried that I didn't like. Oh, well. Not everything is a winner, is it?

Tapas, Part II - Empanadas

2011-03-10T08:30:00.000-08:00

Many people believe that empanadas are a Mexican food, and while Mexican cuisine does include empanadas, the delightful little "pies" have origins in Spain.

Empanar, the verb that means "to wrap or coat in bread" gives these tasty treats their name. While the dough is simple - flour, water and lard - the fillings can be simple or complex. They can contain meats, seafood, vegetables or fruits before being fried or baked. Empanadas are very popular in Europe and Latin America, and the town of Famailla, Argentina even holds an Empanada Festival annually.

We had a pork empanada (bottom) and chicken empanada at Barcelona Tapas. You can see the corn and black beans in the stuffing mixture. If I remember correctly, the dipping sauce was a mixture of red pepper and tomatoes.

Tapas, Part I

2011-03-09T21:55:00.000-08:00

Tapas – noun; (especially in Spain)

snacks or appetizers,

typically served with wine or beer

True Story: A couple of years ago, I was in Dallas for a conference and friends asked if I wanted to go to dinner with them. As we headed to the car, one of them said, "Is it okay with you if we go to a taplas bar?" Not wanting to let the shock I felt come through my voice, all I replied was, "Sure." Thankfully, that was all that I said because it took me a few seconds to realize she'd mispronounced the word and we were heading to a tapas bar.

We like going to tapas bars/restaurants. Basically, they offer small plates of food. You order a number of small plates that everyone at the table shares. For Valentine's Day, we went to one of our favorites, Barcelona Tapas, which is located in the Southern Highlands neighborhood of Las Vegas.

One of our favorite tapas is fried goat cheese (above). As you can see, the goat cheese is breaded and fried. At Barcelona, they drizzle it with a balsamic reduction. Yum.

National Grammar Day

2011-03-05T09:09:00.000-08:00

Yesterday was National Grammar Day, and in honor, I thought I would post this sign that has a grammatical error on it.

It drives me crazy to go into businesses and see mistakes like this on official store signage. I always point it out, but the store managers usually don't even know or understand what the problem is. Sigh.

These are a few of the grammatical errors that drive me crazy. Do you have any?

. . . Misusing "who" and "whom" (Actually, most people don't use "whom" when they should.)
. . . Saying/writing "Between you and I." It should be "Between you and me" as between is a preoposition. . . . Using "Me/him/her" as a subject (ex - Me and him are going. A...UGH)
. . . Misusing "less" and "fewer"
. . . Using the apostrophe to pluralize nouns

Limit . . .

2011-03-04T08:20:00.000-08:00

I saw this sign in a store recently and just have to post it because I want to comment on it.

I wonder how many people actually adhere to the "6 items" limit as posted. As many of you know, I owned a store for 9 years, and I had one sign by the classroom door that read, "Employees Only, Please." The storage room and classroom - unless a class was going on - were off-limits for a number of reasons, theft and liability being the big ones.

You cannot believe the people who would walk back there anyway. "I just wanted to see what you had back here." "I wondered what was back here." "Oh, I didn't think you'd mind." What? What part of "Employess Only" don't you understand???

My favorite story involves a mother and her 11/12-year old son. The woman, an elementary school teacher, was browsing while the kid wandered all over the place. She chatted with me and the gal who was going to teach a class at the store later that day. My store teacher had put her purse and class supplies in the classroom. While we were talking and the mom was shopping, the child moved the accordion-style room divider that held the above=referenced sign and walked into the classroom.

I calmly said, "Oh, honey. There's nothing back there for you. Please stay up here with us."

Mom turned on me quickly and gave me a look that would kill. Now, remember, we'd been having a great little chat with Mom until I asked Sonny-boy to stay up front with us.

"Come on," she literally yelled. "We're getting out of the f*#@^%> store. G*$ d@^# people obviously don't want us in here." Both the store teacher and I were stunned, and the two other customers in there at the time just stood there and stared. Mom continued as she slammed out of the front door. "I'LL NEVER COME IN THIS MOTHER-F#@&*^< PLACE AGAIN."

I was too stunned to say anything, but one of the customers retorted, "Don't let the door hit you in the @ss on the way out." Another one said, "Don't you wish you had a child in her class?"

I know I didn't. ;-)

If The Shoe Fits . . .

2011-03-03T08:51:00.000-08:00

I like Cinderella, I really do.
She has a good work ethic.

I appreciate a good, hard-working gal.

And she likes shoes. The fairy tale is all about

the shoe at the end, and I'm a big shoe girl.

~ Amy Adams

I'm not a big shoe girl. To tell the truth, I hate buying shoes because I look at some of them, and they make my feet hurt. I want comfort . . . always have . . . and shoes that have spike heels, pointy toes and skinny straps are not comfortable. I've worn them and clomped along in them.

When I broke my foot in the mid-90s, the orthopedic surgeon told me to give up the heels and wear walking shoes unless I needed dressy flats. I've gone through a few different phases of shoes since then, too. For a time, I wore mostly Reebok walkers (The same doc recommended them.). A few years ago, I found Crocs and wore MaryJane Crocs all the time. My feet didn't hurt! Alleluia!!

Last year, I broke my foot again, and the doctor suggested that I look at the shape-up or toners. I bought a pair. Getting used to the clunky shoe took a few days. The rocker soles are great, though, and they take the pressure is off feet. I was sold and bought the sandals and MaryJanes with that same sole. Do they really shape and tone? Who knows? More importantly, who cares?

March Theme Day: Favorite Place In Our City

2011-03-01T06:09:00.000-08:00

Today is Theme Day in the City Daily Photo Family, and I can think of no place I like more in Las Vegas than the development in which we live. (None of those houses you see is mine, by the way. We don't have a golf course view.)

The community is planted on the southwestern side of the Las Vegas Valley, and we have a great view of the mountains to the west and the Strip skyline to the east. The mountain view is spectacular at sunrise and sunset, and the Strip view is phenomenal at night. We're close to everything but far enough away that we don't feel overwhelmed with "big city" hustle and bustle. Need groceries? There are two a few blocks from our house. Want to go to the mall? Which one? They're all easily accessible. In the mood for Mexican food? Pizza? Chinese? Burgers? Subs? Frozen Yogurt? Two minutes in the car. Need to pick someone up at the airport? 15 minutes away via the 215.

I guess the best part of all of this is that I love my house. It's a good thing, too, because we don't intend to move!

Be sure to check out FAVORITE PLACES in other parts of the world. Click here to see other participants.

Another Look At The Same Thing . . . .

2011-02-24T18:40:00.000-08:00

Yesterday I posted a photo similar to this one and asked if anyone could tell what it was. I got a number of emails where people guessed - incorrectly - at what the photo is. So, here's another view of the same thing but from a different angle. As I mentioned yesterday, I didn't do anything to enhance or change the photos.

What I actually did was take photos through our glass block windows. I had the focus set on macro. The blue is the morning sky, and the beige in the photo is our neighbor's house. If you look at yesterday's photo, you can make out the windows. And, yes, that is screening over the window. While glass block windows don't need screens since you can't open them, we have solar screens over our glass block window since the solar screens help with the sun's UV rays and heat.

Wednesday What Is It?

2011-02-23T19:42:00.000-08:00

I apologize for not posting again for a few days. Time/Life has gotten in the way more than I want.

At any rate, today I thought I would post a Wednesday What Is It? If you haven't played with me before, allow me to explain. I've posted the photo of something that you might or might not recognize. I have done nothing to the photo. It appears above as I took it. Can you guess what it is?

I'll reveal tomorrow.

The Long Wait

2011-02-14T08:13:00.000-08:00

Before anything, let me wish everyone a Happy Valentine's Day. Hopefully the day will be a good one for everyone.

When we returned home from Washington DC last week we waited for our ride in an area across from the main terminal at McCarran International. I noticed the lllloooonnnngggg line of taxis waiting to pick up fares. If you note the bridge that flies off to the right, all of those white lights are taxis. If you enlarge the photo you can see part of the Strip in the background. The light from Luxor is most prominent.

Winter Afternoon on the Course

2011-02-13T07:50:00.000-08:00

In most places in the US, golf courses are not seeing too much activity these days. In Las Vegas, the courses are pretty busy on weekends because the weather has been very nice. Highs today should be in the low 70s today, so I imagine the links will be packed today.

I took this photo one afternoon a few weeks ago. There were a few golfers playing the hole, although you can't really see them as they were in around the sand trap. We're planning to go back out soon, although I think we need to try the driving range first. Something tells me that a few months of no golf can affect one's swing. ;-)

You Want HOW Much?

2011-02-12T08:00:00.000-08:00

First, excuse this photo as I took it with my cell phone from a moving car.

While I was in Washington DC last week for a conference, a friend picked us up and took us to a great little restaurant a few miles from our hotel. On the way, I noticed the price of gas at this station. Yikes!
I complained about paying $2.95 in Las Vegas Thursday. . . 10 cents less than the advertised price since I went to Smith's and had enough "fuel points" to take the price down a bit.

What is the price of gas in your area?

A Little Bird Told Me

2011-02-11T08:36:00.000-08:00

A few weeks ago, I was sitting at Gate B12 at McCarran International Airport when I heard tweeting. I looked around and finally saw a little bird sitting on the gate sign. He flew around a few times but always ended up back on his perch.

Maybe he was hoping to catch our flight to Florida.

Size Up Your Eyes

2011-02-10T08:46:00.000-08:00

I was in a little boutique recently and saw these wonderful eye shadow compacts. While I really enjoy having a variety of colors available, I find that the compacts that offer as many colors as this one does, I usually end up using a few of the colors and throwing out the rest. If I were to use the reds or yellows, my eyes would look like giant lemons or something similar. For any of you who went to high school with me, you may remember our assistant principal who was always making derogatory comments about blue and green eye shadows saying girls who used them looked like they were either growing penicillin (green) on their eyelids, or that they'd used blue cheese.

Gee. Thanks, Mr. Campbell.

Not My Grandmother's Gnocchi

2011-02-09T07:45:00.000-08:00

If you know me or have read this blog, you probably know that my grandparents were Italian and came to this country in 1905-06. My grandmother was a wonderful cook and made her own breads and pastas. I have wonderful memories of "helping" Grams and my mother make pasta when I was a child. I still make pasta and ravioli. Nothing, nothing beats fresh pasta.

Grams passed away when I was in high school, and Mom passed away five years ago. While I've made pasta, I hadn't made gnocchi since Mom died. In reality, I probably didn't make them even when helping Mom and Grams. Basically made of flour, eggs and potatoes, they're relatively easy to make, but they're also easy to screw up. Add too much flour and/or work the dough too much and they become, as Mom used to say, "BULLETS."

After our trip to Italy last fall, I decided I wanted to try to make them myself. I wanted, however, a lighter version, so I tried making them with ricotta instead of potatoes (Recipe follows.). While they tasted great (if I do say so myself!) and weren't bullets, their sizes varied quite a bit. Practice makes perfect, I guess.

Two things I want to mention about my grandmother's gnocchi:
* Gram didn't call the potato-flour pasta pillows gnocchi. Instead, she called them cavatelli. There is a slight difference in how the pillows are shaped, but the recipes are very similar.

*The women from Gram's village (Pettorano sul Gizio) who make cavatelli/gnocchi are known for making very small pieces of pasta. Most gnochhi/cavatelli that we see in stores and restaurants are about an inch or so in size. Gram's were about half that size.

The recipe:

1 cup ricotta cheese
2 eggs
1/2 cup freshly grated Romano cheese
Dash salt and pepper
1 cup all-purpose flour, or more as needed

Mix the Romano cheese and flour in a bowl and make a well. Stir the ricotta and eggs together and gradually mix them into the flour. The dough should be soft but not sticky, so add more flour if necessary. Turn out on floured surface and knead until smooth. Do not over-knead. Cover with bowl and let rest 20-30 minutes.

Cut about 1/4 of the dough from the ball and roll into a rope about 1/4-1/2-inch in diameter, and cut in 1/2-inch pieces. Place on floured cookie sheets and refrigerate until ready to cook. If not cooking them immediately, freeze on the cookie sheets and then place in plastic bags and freeze.

I Want These Cards!

2011-01-31T10:14:00.001-08:00

I have had trouble posting to the blog from my iPad, so I decided to try a new app to see if it would work.

Those of you who know me know I'm quite a fanatic about my dogs, and when I saw this set of notecards in a store window, I had to take the photo. I doubt that the dogs on the cards are Welsh Terriers, but they are close enough that I can pretend that they are.

Morning Coffee

2011-01-28T06:48:00.000-08:00

Please excuse the quality of this photo. I took it with my cell phone while I was sitting in Starbucks this morning. I'm working on a presentation for a conference I'm attending next week in Washington, and I like the atmosphere in Starbucks. Of course, I also really like just having the opportunity to people watch. :-)

They still have pay phones?

2011-01-27T06:52:00.000-08:00

I hate this photo, but I took it and post it as I have a question: When was the last time you saw a pay phone?

The popularity of cell phones has been the demise of public pay phones. Until our trip to Europe in the fall, I hadn't seen pay phones in ages. In 2007, AT&T announced that it was getting rid of its pay phone businesses as they had become less lucrative as more people buy and use mobile phones. Believe it or not, in 1997, there were over 2.6 million pay phones in the United States. Ten years later, in 2007, the number had dropped to just about 1 million.

This bank of phones (if one can call two pay phones and a house phone a "bank of phones") is hidden in the corner of Red Rock Casino and Hotel.

Fro-Yo Yo-Yo

2011-01-26T07:00:00.000-08:00

For some reason, there seems to be a zillion frozen yogurt places in Las Vegas. Okay. Maybe I'm exaggerating a bit, but there certainly are a lot. Within a 2-mile radius of our home in the southwest part of the valley, I counted six, and another is going to open soon.

For those of you who are not familiar with fro-yo places, most sell yogurt and toppings by the ounce. Almost all of them offer about 10 flavors of frozen yogurt (some sugar- and fat-free) and a plethora of toppings. Many of the flavors are ones you would expect - chocolate, vanilla, mint, coffee, strawberry, raspberry - but there are some that are quite different - pumpkin, acai-pomegrante, maqui. Maqui? It's a berry touted as one of the "super-fruits." Toppings include everything from hot fudge, marshmallow creme, caramel, and fresh fruits to red beans, Cap'n Crunch, lychee, cheesecake bits, espresso beans, and others I can't remember. While the toppings usually stay the same, the yogurt flavors change daily or weekly depending on the franchise.

Yogurtland (above) seems to be busy all of the time. While it's located next to a popular restaurant, it seems to draw most of its business from people who just drop in there and not in Sammy's.

PS . . The sugar-free raspberry is great!

Super Bowl Bound

2011-01-24T08:23:00.000-08:00

The casino sports books were packed yesterday as fans gathered around the big screens to watch the games and cheer their favorites on. At Red Rock, each of the three big screens broadcast the Steelers-Jets game as did the smaller screens on and above the sports book desks and bars.

The photo above doesn't really show how many people gathered in Red Rocks sports book, and while the one below gives you a better view of the fans, it's still not a good indicator of the hundreds of people who stood around watching the game.

Go, Steelers! Go, Packers!

Chains . . .

2011-01-23T07:36:00.000-08:00

"Chains! My baby's got me locked up in chains

And they ain't the kind that you can see

Whoa, these chains of love got a hold on me . . ."

~ Carole King & Gerry Goffin

All right. I know that you're probably wondering why I photographed these chains. I have no real idea. I can't give you a back story, nor can I write a witty anecdote about them. I walked by a gate, saw the chains in the sunlight, thought of the song and took the photo.

Yes, I know that the chains mentioned in the song have nothing to do with real chains. I do like, however, when something concrete awakens the image of an unrelated item.

Winter Golf

2011-01-21T08:15:00.000-08:00

The weather has been beautiful in Las Vegas lately. Earlier this week, highs reached the mid 70s, although today looks to stay in the 60s. However, the air is clean, the skies are blue, and the winds, when they do blow, are rather gentle.

All that mean that the golfers are out and enjoying the links. I've been by a few driving and putting ranges that were packed with men and women working out the kinks in their game, and the courses seem to be quite busy with golfers.

I've not been on the links since last May as the broken foot put a little chink in my plans to enjoy playing all summer. Sooner or later I'll get back out there.

Multi-million Dollar View

2011-01-20T07:07:00.000-08:00

"Everything beautiful has its moment

& then passes away."

~ Luis Cernuda

Last week, my husband and I went to Southern California to help a friend who owns a design business. He's had some health problems and needed assistance in taking down interior holiday decorations. We had a lot of fun helping Jim and seeing the views that some of the houses had, including the one above. In the distance (on the right), you can see the shadow of Catalina Island which is, by the way, about 25 miles from the mainland.

As we drove back to Las Vegas, I started to think about the houses and the view and thought I would pose this question: If you had the money to build/buy a house anywhere in the world, where would you choose to live?

Who Would Wear This?

2011-01-19T08:10:00.000-08:00

While walking through the Cosmopolitan recently, I noticed this dress in one of the store windows. I have to admit that the color caught my eye first, although the dress itself was more interesting.

Who would wear that thing? It's not so much that it's short (and I do mean short), but that it looks like a short, sleeveless, shapeless red toga. I also imagine that the thing costs a fortune. I didn't look at the price.

I'll save my money for better uses (like a trip to Italy).

It Must Be Italian!

2011-01-18T07:00:00.000-08:00

"Mr. Parker: Uh, 'frah-gee-lay.' It must be Italian!
Mrs. Parker: Oh, I think that says 'fragile,' honey."
~ From A Christmas Story

One of my favorite movies is "A Christmas Story." I thank my good friend, Sally, for introducing me to it about 15 years ago as I somehow missed it when it debuted in the 80s. (My husband, on the other hand, has never forgiven her for this! ;-) )

If you've seen the movie, you know that Mr. Parker wins a MAJOR AWARD which turns out to be a lamp like the one in today's photo. When the box containing the award arrives, "FRAGILE" is stamped all over it, and Mr. Parker utters those famous words.

Imagine my surprise when I saw this lamp in a Lucille's BBQ recently. A friend who was with us had never seen the movie, so I had to explain its background. He's going to watch the movie, and I'm sure he'll be grateful to me for introducing him to it. Of course, his significant other may not be as grateful. ;-)

What a Difference a Week Makes!

2011-01-17T11:53:00.000-08:00

As our temperatures start to warm up, my puppy likes to sit outside again. Yesterday, I caught him sitting under the tree in our backyard. I tried to catch him with his nose up in the air, but I think he heard me and looked to see what I was doing.

This is the tree that I showed in a photo a few weeks ago when it was covered with snow during our quick, Monday snowfall.

Ole, Mole!

2011-01-16T15:50:00.000-08:00

I like mole (Pronounced mo-lay) . . . if it's made properly. I've had very good mole (usually mole poblano or rojo), and I've had very bad mole (huatzmole, a green sauce served with goat). I've also had chicken covered with a mole that tasted more like hot fudge sauce. The mole was good, but it would have been better served on ice cream.

You may be confused if, like most people, you think that there is just one mole. Actually, there are a number of different kinds of mole - red, green, yellow, black, pink, poblano, chichilio, colorado, and varieties from different Mexican states, particularly Oaxaca, Puebla and Tlaxcala. While chiles are the main ingredient in moles, different versions have from 20 to more than 30 other ingredients including pumpkin seeds, pine nuts, raisins, cumin, sesame seeds, cloves, anise, cinnamon, grapes, garlic, onion, tomatoes, tomatillos, plantains and cocoa. The cocoa is just one of the ingredients and neither dominates the flavor of nor sweetens the sauce. Its primary purpose is to counteract the heat of the chiles.

The mole in today's photo is mole poblano (over chicken enchiladas). The little white dots on top of the enchiladas are sesame seeds.

Lighting the Night

2011-01-14T07:19:00.000-08:00

Sunday, January 16

I should have posted the origin of these lights the other day. I took this photo outside of Terra Rosa, the Italian restaurant in Red Rock Casino.

Patterns, III

2011-01-10T21:30:00.000-08:00

How often do you look down when you're walking somewhere? I found this colorful mosaic as part of the floor outside of the conservatory at Bellagio. I do like the pattern and the colors quite a bit.

When I look at things like this, a few questions pop into my head: Who designed the pattern? How long did it take to install it? Did they put the patterned flooring down first, or did they lay the larger, solid tiles first? Do the smaller tiles loosen and pop out more easily?

Silent Sunday

2011-01-09T07:30:00.000-08:00

OLLI

2011-01-08T17:06:00.000-08:00

UNLV is home to one of the Osher Lifelong Learning Institutes (OLLI), part of the Bernard Osher Foundation. Instituted in 2004 at the University of Southern Maine, OLLI offers a variety of educational programs for retired and semi-retired learners. There are OLLI centers all over the country, including the ones at UNLV and UNR (Reno) in Nevada.

UNLV held an open house for OLLI members today, and more than 150 people showed up for the presentation on program offerings. For the $65 tuition, members may sign up for up to 11 courses. The "classes" run between two and four hours weekly and cover a variety of subjects including Spanish, French, creative writing, current events, Russian History, art, drawing, finance, book club, etc. There are five campuses in the Las Vegas area - UNLV Paradise campus, Las Ventanas, Green Valley, Sun City Summerlin and Humana West.

I'm amazed at the number of OLLI campuses all over the country. If you have the time and are interested, you might check out OLLI in your city.

Patterns, II

2011-01-07T07:37:00.000-08:00

Whenever I take photos of something a little unusual, people give me strange looks. I can imagine that they're wondering why I would take a photo of a rug, wall, concrete or, as in this case, checkout counter.

My husband and I walked out of a restaurant in Mirage, and I noticed the check stand in the gift shop across the way. I ran over and shot this photo while a few people looked at me as though I were little crazy. I suppose they thought I should be shooting the Strip lights instead.

I enjoy shooting the Strip lights as much as I enjoy shooting nature, people, buildings . . . the "normal" stuff. There is, however, beauty in the little things.

Patterns, I

2011-01-06T08:54:00.000-08:00

I love to look at everyday items - ceilings, tables, chairs, walls, signs, carpets, etc. I tend to look beyond the individual item in search of something else. I love patterns, colors, designs, etc. There is so much beauty in the things, and we tend to miss it because while we look at it, we don't see it.

Today's photo is from Bellagio. If I remember correctly, it's part of a ceiling light in one of the hallways.

One Last Snow Photo

2011-01-05T08:20:00.000-08:00

I promise that this is the last snow photo I'll post. I did, however, want to show how lonely our community pool is when frosted with the white stuff.

In the spirit of honesty, I should point out that our outdoor pool closed for the season in October and won't reopen until April. As I mentioned yesterday, it does get cold here, and we are definitely *not* polar bears!

Snow Isn't All That Unusual In Las Vegas

2011-01-04T08:45:00.000-08:00

When people learn we live in Las Vegas, they usually bring up two things - casinos and weather. When we first moved here in 1987, I was amazed at the number of people who thought the only industry we had here was the casino industry and that everyone lived in one. (Yes, our room is in Bally's above Jubilee. It's hard to sleep when the orchestra is playing.)

People also assume that because Las Vegas is in a desert, our weather is always sunny, dry and hot. Wrong.

Temperatures do drop into the 30s and 40s during late December/early January. We actually get rain (around 4 inches annually) and snow, although the snow is not an annual event, and it usually melts pretty quickly. Yesterday, we had about three-to-four inches in our backyard when the snow stopped falling around 9 am. By noon, it was all gone. That kind of snow I can live with.

Today, the clouds are gone, and the skies are blue. Sun is shining, and life is back to normal in Las Vegas.

Snow in Las Vegas? II

2011-01-03T08:33:00.000-08:00

About 90 minutes ago, my husband got up to take the dogs out. Still half-asleep, I heard him say something.

"Excuse me?" I mumbled.
"It's snowing," he repeated.

To make a long story short, a storm came through the Sierra Nevada range, and the higher elevations (like Summerlin, where we live) are getting snow. The westside of town probably has about three inches on the plants right now. The resort corrider - The Strip - is getting rain. The Strip elevation is not as high, so by the time the system hits that area, the temperature is not as low so what falls is more of an icy rain.

Why Do You Have Cabbage in Your Flowerbed?

2011-01-02T13:23:00.000-08:00

Actually, this wonderful plant is not really cabbage. It's kale, a member of the cabbage family, and ornamental kale (or flowering kale) is a popular border plant or touch of color in flowerbeds. The plants are biennials, meaning they will produce flowers one year and leaves the next. We find them in flowerbeds in the Las Vegas area because, unless the temperature drops below 15 degrees F, they usually produce white flowers.

What, you might ask, is the difference between cabbage and kale? Cabbage plants produce heads while kale plants produce leaves that form a sort of rosette.

You might also wonder if ornamental kale is edible. The leaves most certainly are edible, and you've probably seen them as garnishes on your plate in different restaurants.

HAPPY 2011 - "Best" Photo of 2010 Theme Day

2011-01-01T10:44:00.000-08:00

Cheers to a new year and

another chance for us to get it right.

~ Oprah Winfrey

Happy New Year from all of us (Well, from me!) at My Eye On Vegas. I hope you find health and peace, blessings and good times every day of 2011.

The first day of every month is Theme Day with the City Daily Photo bloggers. (Those who wish to participate post a photo relating to the given theme. I like to participate when I remember, although I've forgotten more times than not since moving the blog from Nashville to Las Vegas.) The January 1 theme is always the blogger's "best" photo of the previous year.

"Best" is, of course, subject to one's interpretation. The photo itself may not be the absolute best in quality, as it were, but it might be more of a favorite. It is, of course, completely up to each blogger.

I decided to post the above photo which shows the things I love about where I live. Everyone knows the Las Vegas of casinos and hotels, lights and glitz. What they don't usually "see" is the natural beauty of the region. The Las Vegas Strip occupies but a fraction of the footprint of this city. We're surrounded by mountains, desert, blue skies and natural beauty.

Be sure to check out BEST PHOTOS of 2010 in other parts of the world. Click here to see other participants.

Fireworks on the Strip

2010-12-31T17:29:00.000-08:00

Tonight the Las Vegas Strip will be crowded with thousands of people celebrating the end of 2010 and the beginning of 2011. *I* will not be one of them.

I'm not wild about crowds, especially ones as big as what is expected tonight. YUCK. Instead, we're going to a friend's house for a few hours and then heading to the airport to pick up another friend who is returning from a holiday in Iowa. If I decide to watch the fireworks shot from the Strip hotels, I'll probably do it from the corner of Flamingo and Town Center. I'll be about 8 miles away, have an unobstructed view, and be out of all the madness.

Happy New Year!

Bellagio's Beary Fun Display

2010-12-30T08:55:00.000-08:00

Back to adorning the Bellagio Conservatory's winter display are the huge polar bears. The one big difference that I noticed is that the bears' scarves are more burgundy this year than bright red like last year. No matter. These guys are still cute.

If you look closely at the photo below, you'll notice that the bear is made mostly of white and cream carnations. The bodies are comprised of whole white flowers white creamy petals enhance the snouts. Of course, the Bellagio crew is always watching to replace any flowers that start to wilt, so the bears' "suits" always look fresh.

My Current Favorite Game

2010-12-28T11:29:00.000-08:00

A couple of weeks ago, I mentioned that I really don't gamble too much, playing usually only penny slots or penny video poker. I was going to show you this game one day, but for some reason, the photo wouldn't load. Sigh.

Instead of playing Texas Tea, which I liked for years because I had been relatively successful playing it**, I now usually play Invaders from the Planet Moolah. As I previously said, I choose most games because they make me laugh in one way or another, and they keep me entertained for more than 45 seconds (In other words, I don't lose all of my money before one minute has passed.).

Moolah has cows that fly around in space saucers, and when the wild cards (cows) show, they "Moo" at you. The length and sound of the "Moo" varies depending on how much you win. Five credits gets a quick and relatively monotonic "Moo," while 20 credits earns a happier and lengthier "Moo." Win more than 100 credits, and the "Moo" is ecstatic.

The curious thing about this machine (and almost all other slots in Las Vegas) is that it looks like you have three lines to play. Actually, there are up to 25 lines, and you can play one, five, 10, 20 or 25 lines at a time. Spin the wheels, and when you match symbols, the credits mount. Then the symbols drop and are replaced by other symbols which can earn you more credits. If you win more credits on that drop, those symbols drop and possibly earn you more credits. If, on one spin, you earn credits on each of four drops, you go into a bonus round. A deep voice announces, "INVADERS FROM THE PLANET MOOLAH!!!!!" and the wheels turn on their own possibly earning you more credits.

Last night, I put $5 into the machine (That's a lot for me.), and at one point, I had $21 worth of credits. The machine was HOT! HOT!! HOT!!!

And then it got COLD! COLD!! COLD!!!

I ended up with nothing but regret that I had been a little too greedy. :-P

He's At It Again!

2010-12-27T09:23:00.000-08:00

Did you know the original Beatles had 5 members? I heard that John, Paul, George and Ringo let a slightly older guy play with them at times, but because he was so much shorter and had so much less hair, they abandoned him. ;-)

Of course, I'm kidding. The Beatles cut-outs at a certain computer store once again proved too big a temptation for a certain Las Vegan. Of course, I had to record his latest foray.

A Merry Day for Little Riley

2010-12-26T18:58:00.000-08:00

Our puppy, Riley, is quite taken with getting presents. Anytime he sees a bag, he thinks there's something in it for him. Yesterday, he was right.

Merry! Merry!

2010-12-25T09:20:00.000-08:00

Let us keep Christmas beautiful

Without a thought of greed,

That it might live forevermore

To fill our every need.

That it shall not be just a day,

But last a lifetime through,

The miracle of Christmastime

That brings God close to you.

~ Ann Shultz

In this season of over-indulging, let us keep in mind the real reason for our celebration. Many, many good wishes and hopes for a wonderful day for everyone!

Believe

2010-12-24T15:40:00.000-08:00

Santa Stop Here

2010-12-23T16:25:00.000-08:00

Here Comes Santa Claus . . .

2010-12-22T14:24:00.000-08:00

The good thing about having windows that look out on the Strip from a casino floor is that visitors get to watch all the action on the sidewalk. I would have missed Ol' Santa had I not been watching from the windows at the Cosmopolitan last week.

I watched him come down a staircase on the south side of the hotel and walk north. A few people stopped him along the way to take photos with him, and he handed each of them something otu of his sack.

I'm not sure if he walks the Strip daily, although I'm guessing that he hasn't done it in the last four days . . . unless he was wearing a wash-and-dry Santa suit.

If You Get Lost . . .

2010-12-21T16:20:00.000-08:00

If you get lost in The Cosmopolitan, or if you are trying to find a restaurant or shop or bar and aren't quite sure where to head, you can go to one of the interactive screens in the building and search!

On the other hand, if you can't find the interactive screens, you can always stop at one of the many concierge stations and ask. While we were walking through the Cosmopolitan last week, I saw at least three (although I think it was four) concierge stations on the four floors we walked.

By the way, if you've ever walked through a Las Vegas casino, you might have noticed that it is very easy to get lost because their floor layouts are designed to make visitors wander. Why? For the same reason that most casinos have no windows or clocks . . . to make gamblers stay in the casino longer and spend more money. Smart, huh?

What a Jewel!

2010-12-20T09:42:00.000-08:00

Have you ever stood inside of a chandelier? Impossible, you say? Not in Las Vegas!

The centerpiece of The Cosmopolitan is the huge crystal chandelier that drops from the ceiling above the casino. And, located inside of the chandelier is a three-story bar called, appropriately, Chandelier.

The actual chandelier dominates the view from the casino floor. More than two million - 2,000,000 - crystals make up the jeweled fixture . . . art . . . centerpiece . . . ???

In the top photo, you can see the bar in the midst of the jeweled strands. I took the second photo (below) from a balcony overlooking the casino floor. You can see crystals of different sizes on the chandelier.

Windows On Las Vegas . . .

2010-12-19T16:19:00.000-08:00

The

The first thing that struck me when I walked into The Cosmopolitan was the fact that there are floor-to-ceiling windows facing the Las Vegas Strip. Why, you might ask, would that matter?

There are two items that you probably will not find in Las Vegas casinos - windows and clocks. The reasoning behind this is that if people are unaware of the time or the time of day, they will continue gambling. Even though a person gets more tired as the day winds down, the constant exposure to light causes them to stay awake longer. Weird, huh? It's true, though. I've been in casinos at all times of day and night, and they always look the same inside, and there are always people playing machines or games.

About the two photos in today's blog . . . I took the top photo after entering The Cosmopolitan's north door on the Strip (under the sign I posted yesterday). That particular window affords a beautiful view of the Strip looking northward. While the daytime view of Bellagio and Paris are nice, I'm betting the night views are spectacular.

The photo below shows windows looking east to Planet Hollywood and the Miracle Mile Shops. Again, I think the night view is going to be a lot nicer than the daytime view.

The Newest Player

2010-12-18T17:07:00.000-08:00

Cosmopolitan

-n-

someone who has lived and traveled in many areas

and countries and is free of national prejudices

-adj-

sophisticated and/or urbane

Wednesday, the newest hotel/casino in Las Vegas opened on the Strip.

Located between Bellagio and City Center, The Cosmopolitan is over 40 stories of sophistication and beauty. Suites with terraces, rooms with a view, restaurants headed by chefs new to the city, conceptual art, different stores, fun games and design all make The Cosmopolitan a great place to visit. Over the next few days, I'll show you different areas of this new place.

The top photo is of the east tower. I shot it from the pool area which is about 4 stories above the Strip. The sign in the photo below sits about the north entrance. You can see the Eiffel Tower from the Paris reflected in Cosmo's window on the bottom left.

Getting Ready, the Results . . .

2010-12-17T07:52:00.000-08:00

Yesterday I showed you the Bellagio staff getting the conservatory ready for Christmas, and today I thought I'd show you what they were hanging from the ceiling that evening. In addition to the snowflakes, there were also a number of huge ornaments.

Getting Ready for Christmas

2010-12-16T09:01:00.000-08:00

In early November, I posted a number of photos of the autumn display at Bellagio. (You can see the first one here if you missed them.) I mentioned that it takes the staff quite some time to design the seasonal displays and eventually change them out.

While we were walking through Bellagio on the Sunday after Thanksgiving, the crew was in the process of putting in the Christmas display. Red, white and ice blue replaced the orange, cranberry and gold colors of autumn. Huge ornaments replaced huge pumpkins, and sassy penguins, reindeer and Santa stepped in where the tree people once dominated. In this photo, I caught a worker ascending to the ceiling to replace the hanging leaves with snowflakes.

( Side note: While this particular point might not be important to anyone but me, I want to point out that Bellagio was changing the display after Thanksgiving. I rather like the fact that they let autumn shine through that holiday because, quite frankly, Thanksgiving *is* a fall holiday and is *not* Christmas. I hate rushing the seasons, and it drives me crazy to walk through stores in mid-October and hear Christmas music.)

The Reason . . .

2010-12-15T08:45:00.000-08:00

In 1223, St. Francis of Assisi put together a live reenactment of the Nativity. Dedicated to teaching the poorest, illiterate peasants, St. Francis felt that the live re-creation of Christ's birth would help the congregation understand. In addition to humans, he included animals in the pageant so people would realize that the real setting included animals.

I took this photo at the Magic Forest last week and was happy to see that the nativity was included. Unfortunately, while it is a large exhibit, the scene was lost among the more secular displays.

Santa Claus Is Coming To Town

2010-12-14T07:47:00.000-08:00

When the snow starts falling in Town Square, Santa and Mrs. Claus take a few minutes rest from listening to children's gift requests to step outside of their warm cottage and greet the throngs frolicking in the falling (fake) snow. Even children who had, minutes before, been sitting on Santa's lap were excited to see the pair.

On the evening we were there, it was quite warm as the snow fell, and I couldn't help but wonder how hot and uncomfortable they were in their velvet outfits. The weather didn't seem to affect them, but they were outside only a few minutes. I have to wonder if their cottage is temperature-controlled according to outside weather.

(Please note: In the interest of fairness, I roughly Photoshopped a guy's hat partially out of the photo.)

Waiting For Santa

2010-12-13T08:00:00.000-08:00

Before it started snowing in Town Square the other evening, we sat and watched as dozens of children and their parents patiently waited in line for the chance to meet Santa and Mrs. Claus. The Claus house, inspired by Norman Rockwell, includes Rockwell in his studio painting the Clauses and posters of Rockwell's famous Life Magazine covers.

Children can have their photos taken with Santa and Mrs. Claus daily from 10 am - 9 pm (Sundays from 11-7). Santa and Mrs. Claus love pets, too, and they invite dogs and cats to their house on Wednesdays for Claus & Paws photos.

Snow in Las Vegas?

2010-12-12T17:00:00.000-08:00

Last evening, we went to dinner at Town Square and walked around to window shop and enjoy the holiday activities in Town Square Park. At 7:00, it started to snow in the park! I couldn't believe it because termperatures were in the high 60s yesterday. ;-)

I didn't Photoshop snow into this photo, nor did I layer one photo on top of the other. The snow that you see was really falling in Town Square Park. As you have probably figured out, though, it was manufactured snow. Every evening at 7:00, Town Square brings snowy holiday cheer to Las Vegas in a snow show that lasts about 10 minutes. Holiday music accompanies the falling snow, and Santa and Mrs. Claus step out of their house to greet the throngs. Children played and danced as their parents shot photos and just enjoyed the atmosphere.

Snow will fall every evening at 7 - with an additional show at 8 on weekends - until News Year Eve.

Snowflake Saturday

2010-12-11T14:35:00.000-08:00

".. We are not living in eternity.

We have only this moment,

sparkling like a star in our hand

and melting like a snowflake."
~ Francis Bacon

A lot of my friends who live in other parts of the country ask me why I like living in Las Vegas so much. One of the big reasons is because, quite frankly, I love the weather and don't often get to see snowflakes unless they're like the one in today's photo - part of a wrought-iron and glass luminaria.

Currently, it's sunny and about 65 degrees here. While that's unusual, our average temperature this time of year is around 57 degrees. Last year, it was a lot colder, and I did see a hint of snow. Right now, the only snow - real snow, that is - that I see is either on Mt. Charleston or on the news. That suits me fine.

Kicking Boots

2010-12-10T08:11:00.000-08:00

December brings National Finals Rodeo to Las Vegas, and with the rodeo comes Cowboy Christmas, a huge - and I do mean HUGE - gift show featuring western wear, boots, spurs, chaps, saddles, furniture (western), jewelry, pottery, and more. There are over 400 vendors who fill more than 300,000 square feet of space. The show has grown so much that a few years ago it moved from Cashman Field to the Las Vegas Convention Center.

We went to Cowboy Christmas the other day because I enjoy seeing all of the items vendors have to offer. I saw a belt I really liked, but I didn't feel like paying $150 for it. :-) I also really liked these boots although I refused to look at the price since I wasn't going to buy them. One thing I noticed while I was shopping was that there were several vendors who offered custom-made boots, and we watched a few measuring cowboys for footwear.

If you want to read more about the rodeo, which ends tomorrow, you can find more information here.

Run! Run, Baby! Run! Run!

2010-12-08T07:27:00.000-08:00

I've been trying to figure out exactly what to say about this photo, but I'm going to let it go and just discuss the weather. (It's safer, you know.)

When I took this photo, it was still before 9 am PST, and the sun was just starting to lift over the towers of the Strip casinos. If you saw my photos from the previous days, you could tell how much of the Strip was still shaded because of the time of day. Because of the time of day and the shade, it was still pretty chilly. The temperature was in the mid-40s, and most runners/walkers were dressed for that weather. As runners warmed up from the physical exercise, they dropped jackets, sweatshirts, vests, etc. along the route or handed them off to friends or family who were watching.

And, I guess there were some runners who started the race knowing they would eventually get too hot from running and just started out with minimal clothing. . . Well, at least one guy did. . . . .

With This Ring, I Thee Wed . . . and Run

2010-12-07T08:26:00.000-08:00

In addition the numerous Elvi, quite a few brides and grooms participated in the Las Vegas Rock 'N Roll Marathon. There was even one guy who was both an Elvis and a groom (above).

To accommodate those who wanted to get married during their run/walk, organizers set up a run-through wedding chapel where participants could get married or renew their vows during a quick stop in front of the Venetian . . . and the witnesses are already there!

Viva, Las Vegas, Baby!

2010-12-06T16:01:00.000-08:00

Among the thousands of participants in yesterday's Rock 'N Roll Las Vegas Marathon were a number of Elvi (Yes, I did write Elvi as a plural for Elvis.). Although he's been dead for nigh-on 33 years, Elvis is still popular in this city, and Elvis impersonators of every ethnic background, gender (Yes, there are women Elvi!), size and shape do abound here.

Perhaps the best known - other than Trent Carlini who appears as Elvis at the Hilton where the original one performed while in LV - are the Flying Elvi who were made famous by the movie Honeymoon in Vegas. The 10-member troop parachutes from planes amid pyrotechnics, performing acrobatic maneuvers mid-air, and leaving smoke trails on their way to the ground. Getting married by Elvis (A number of wedding chapels offer his services.) while in Las Vegas? You can have the Elvi perform (In other words, jump!) first and then be groomsmen and witnesses during the ceremony performed by their land-based lookalike.

But, I am going off-base here. Many Elvi walked the marathon yesterday (probably trying to walk off a few too many peanut butter, marshmallow and banana sandwiches). I noticed that they all gave up their spiffy white shoes in favor of sneakers. The Elvis in the bottom photo assure my husband he was the "REAL" Elvis.

Yea. Right.

Run, Baby, Run!

2010-12-05T17:09:00.000-08:00

This morning, more than 30,000 runners -and walkers - took over the Las Vegas Strip to take part in the Rock 'N Roll Las Vegas Marathon and 1/2 Marathon. Sponsored by Zappo's, the marathon benefits The Crohn’s & Colitis Foundation of America as it did last year.

Participants were divided into more than 30 corrals with the elite runners leaving first around 7 am. Those doing the 1/2 marathon ran about 6.5 miles north from Mandalay Bay to the Fremont Street area before doing a u-turn and returning to the finish line at MB. Those running the full marathon continued past Mandalay Bay and went off on side streets to complete the full 26 miles. Along the route, rock bands played to entertain the spectators - and runners.

I took this photo a little after 8:15 am from the pedestrian bridge that links Wynn Las Vegas with Fashion Show Mall. We're probably 3-3.5 miles from the starting point, and we're looking south toward the starting line. If you look at the southbound lanes, you'll see some of the runners already heading south. Yikes!

Over the next few days, I'll show you a few more shots from the race and highlight some of the participants.

Gilley's Las Vegas

2010-12-04T08:34:00.000-08:00

Remember Debra Winger riding the mechanical bull during Urban Cowboy? She was at Gilley's, the famous honky-tonk started by country singer Mickey Gilley in Pasadena, Texas. Extremely popular, Gilley's kept growing - to 48,000 square feet - before it closed in the 80s and a fire ravaged the building in the 90s. In 2003, Gilley's re-opened in Dallas, and the famous El Toro (Winger's mechanical bull) is firmly entrenched there.

Not going to Dallas anytime soon? You can still try your hand at mechanical bull rides and two-stepping at Gilley's Las Vegas. Located in the Treasure Island, Gilley's offers Texas food (BBQ, fried chicken, huge burgers), live music, bull rides, karaoke, line dancing and special events. During NFR (National Finals Rodeo), rodeo stars attend meet-n-greets.

The night we walked by Gilley's, no one was attempting to ride the mechanical bull while we were in the area. I don't quite blame them. :-)

Wiley Coyote

2010-12-03T10:13:00.000-08:00

"Coyotes . . .keep to the edge of vision and beyond,

loping in and out of cover . . ."

~ Unknown

Yesterday afternoon, I was walking home from our community center. As I approached the entrance near our street, this young coyote zipped through the gates and ran toward me. He stared at me, slowed down for a second or two, and then trotted across the street and down the golf course path. I used my cell phone to snap this photo of him as he headed for the 5th hole looking, no doubt, for bunnies.

I "LOVE" It

2010-12-02T10:17:00.000-08:00

If you hit the jackpot with these slots, you could probably win this car!

I do wonder if the "Love" wrap comes with the car. ;-)

Love, by the way, is a Cirque du Soleil show.

Sex And THE City

2010-12-01T21:33:00.000-08:00

For some reason, I've been unable to post photos to this blog for two days. The photo I wanted to post, one that shows my current favorite slot (the one that makes me laugh a lot), refuses to post. Therefore, I've posted one of the Sex and the City slot machines.

"Sex and the City?" you might ask. "A television show?"

Yes, my friends. The world of slots has changed over the years. Now more like video games, they keep evolving, and as they change, designers look all over for inspiration. With the SATC slots, you get to match Carries, Sams, Mirandas, Mr. Bigs, Charlottes and more and progress to fun bonus rounds. There are, I believe, 30 paylines.

Nope. . .I haven't played SATC slots. I never watched the show, so I'm not that interested in the slot machine. I have, however, watched other shows that have inspired other slot machines. If I've figured out the upload problem, I'll be showing you those soon.