Trip to Las Vegas: Day 5

Waking up to Las Vegas that day, Mom and I decided to try and catch a few of the other places we had read up on - mostly exhibits.  As you probably can tell from the previous four posts about our trip, we aren't into drinking and gambling side of Las Vegas.  There is a lot more to see in Sin City, though it appears to be going back to its darker roots now that they don't have to rely upon family entertainment as much to make its money like it did in the 90's.

We took the bus down the strip to head to Circus Circus, located on the less pretty North Strip.  Circus Circus is pretty cheesy and crawling with kids (no surprise) and tends to not be as sharp looking as the other hotels and casinos which cater to either higher end or more adult clientele.  Opened in 1968, it was meant to be next to Ceasar's Palace so it would have a Roman circus theme, but clearly that didn't work out so its really just plain old circus in theme, going more for Ringling Bros more than Cirque du Soleil.  This is also where Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas took place (if you recall the film).  They have a play area with games and even have actual circus performers in the center so it can be a lot of fun, but to be honest, the place doesn't appeal to me very much.

The question you might ask yourself now is, "Why did you go there?" the answer is very simple.  Circus Circus has the Chuck Jones Experience!  Granted, they didn't have a lot of signs pointing the way to it and we ended up traveling through the entire hotel/casino to get to the place, but it IS there.  For those who don't know who Chuck Jones is, here is a Wikipedia link to refresh your memory: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chuck_Jones

The interior is built like you are entering a Warner Bros cartoon and first you are taken into a theater where you can sit on benches to watch a few of the highlights of Chuck Jones' career:

Bugs bunny in film at the Chuck Jones Experience at Circus Circus in Las Vegas

Quote from Chuck Jones in film at the Chuck Jones Experience at Circus Circus in Las Vegas

You then go into a recreation of his actual drawing studio which was very cool.  I did take a lot of pictures but I can't post them all here.  They requested all photos taken are done without flash so some might not light well.

Reproduction of Chuck Jones studio at the Chuck Jones Experience Circus Circus in Las Vegas

Reproduction of Chuck Jones studio at the Chuck Jones Experience Circus Circus in Las Vegas

Reproduction of Chuck Jones studio at the Chuck Jones Experience Circus Circus in Las Vegas

Surprisingly, there weren't so many drawing reference books as there were literary classics on the shelf.  The walls though were covered with cell drawings, comic strips, photographs and concept art from different stages of Chuck Jones' career.  I couldn't take photos of them all, but I took those that spoke to me or evoked a memory of one of his animated films.

That's Opera Doc picture by Chuck Jones at the Chuck Jones Experience at Circus Circus in Las Vegas

That's Opera Doc picture by Chuck Jones at the Chuck Jones Experience at Circus Circus in Las Vegas

The chubby horse in That's Opera Doc is one of my absolute favorite!

Mom stands unaware that she's about to step on an X and coyote has an anvil at the ready!

 There were some images with character notes like the write up for Little Bear used for the Three Bears animated shorts.  I hadn't realized the real study of character they did back then when creating these cartoons.

Write up for Junyer of the Three Bears

Rules for the Coyote-Road Runner series

Philosophy of the characters and how they are portrayed

Chuck Jones won 3 academy awards as director but was part of teams that created other award winning animated shorts.  He also studied art and drew no matter where he was traveling.  They had a few of his sketchbooks on display, as well as his art for other projects and personal paintings.

Chuck Jones sketchbook page at the Chuck Jones Experience at Circus Circus in Las Vegas

Chuck Jones personal drawing at the Chuck Jones Experience at Circus Circus in Las Vegas

Chuck Jones Adam and Eve painting at the Chuck Jones Experience at Circus Circus in Las Vegas

I was unaware of the broad stroke of Chuck Jones' work.  Obviously, I was familiar with his Warner Bros. cartoons, How the Grinch Stole Christmas and Rikki-Tikki-Tavi, but also, Gay-Puree, The White Seal, The Cricket in Times Square and The Jungle Book: Mowgli's Brothers... just to name a few.  Looking at his work, there is just so much energy in his lines and design and so much emotion in their eyes.  It is beautiful and inspiring and I wish I could post all the pictures, but even the pics I took would only cover a small sample of what was on display.

Quote by Chuck Jones on display at the Chuck Jones Experience at Circus Circus in Las Vegas

Quote by Chuck Jones on display at the Chuck Jones Experience at Circus Circus in Las Vegas

When we were through the whole exhibit, we spoke to the sales people in the gift shop, telling them it was a shame that Circus Circus wasn't doing more to promote the place - both the exhibit and Chuck Jones deserves more!  They agreed but assured us that more was coming and they were expanding and there would be signage installed to better direct people.  Apparently there is another exhibit of Chuck Jones in California too.

Afterward we stopped into the Forum Shoppes at Ceasar's Palace to see if there were any places that we remembered (there weren't).  Mom and I happened by a gallery where they had original Erte' pieces (sculptures and art) on display so we went in to check them out.  They were really beautiful and so elegant.  I wish I could have taken some photos of them! 

From there, we headed over to the Bellagio to see the botanical garden, The Art of Richard MacDonald exhibit, the Monet exhibit, as well as a glimpse of the lobby where the ceiling is adorned with a sculpture by Dale Chihuly of 2000 hand-blown flowers in a myriad of colors.

Lobby of the Bellagio Hotel and Casino

Most are familiar with the Bellagio from the 2001 Ocean's Eleven film and it is a rather beautiful structure with its huge artificial lake where the dancing waters are located.  The legendary Dunes originally resided there before Steve Wynn replaced it with the Tuscan inspired Bellagio.

The Monet exhibit titled, Claude Monet: Impressions of Light was really lovely, showing more of some of his early pieces as well as the work of his contemporaries.  Obviously, I couldn't take pictures, but trust me, there was some lovely paintings.  I even found a new artist I have to find out more about, Eugene Louis Boudin (His "Fashionable Figures on the Beach" is a new favorite).  The quiet was beautiful except when a woman came walking through with an ipod.  A guard asked her to turn it off, to which she very loudly replied, "I'm listening to music while I look!"  He nodded and said she was still not allowed to do that and then she went to her Mom and said she was leaving - that she saw it all, it was nice, but she'd wait for her outside.  The entire exhibit was put together by the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston which is home for the artwork and I am grateful to them for having it shown there in Vegas where I had the opportunity to see it.

We then walked through the casino to find the exhibit of The Art of Richard MacDonald, a sculptor inspired by Cirque du Soleil (who sponsored the show as well).  I was unable to take photos inside the gallery, but I could on the outside.

The figures were magnificent and if I could have afforded to purchase the smaller statues (they were only a few thousand - which considering the work was really a steal), I definitely would have because as an investment, they were worth it!  There was such strength and grace in his forms and they were simply amazing to look at.  One of the best things was most of the statues were set on rotating platforms so you could turn them and see all the way around them, not just from the front.

From there we went over to the huge on-site greenhouse near the lobby to see the seasonal display.  It changes as the months go so its never the same one twice.  Obviously, it being Fall, the gardens were done up for Autumn with lots of pumpkins and falling leaves.

Mom and I in front of the 'waterfall' tree.  You can't tell but water is coming from the top and flowing from flowers.

Mom standing in front of the speaking tree.  Every so often he'd say something.

Falling glass leaves.

Watermill inside the greenhouse.

The greenhouse smelled wonderful with all the flowers and it was a bit busy with other tourists, but there was something very relaxing about it too.  They even had a floral painting based on the painting "Grainstack" by Claude Monet:

By now, both of us were ready to head some place for dinner.  We'd been pretty good about keeping the splurging to a minimum when it came to meals but decided tonight we'd go somewhere fancy - at the very least, I wanted to eat at a restaurant that was opened by a well-known chef.  Not wanting to go too far (because we were tired) we went across the street to The Palazzo which is sort of a run-off of the Venetian.  There we went to Emeril Lagasse's restaurant, Table 10.  It was not as fancy as some of the other places, but it was very lovely.  The food was delicious, which comes as no surprise, I'm sure.  Mom ordered a side of mushrooms which came in a small pot, but were absolutely the BEST mushrooms I have ever had.  We couldn't finish them, so we offered them to the gentlemen sitting next to us after overhearing them debating on whether they would get them or not.  We had waited till after they ordered so we didn't cause a problem.  They were grateful and we laughed later, realizing we had just 'made a Vegas story' for them.  After the lovely day and wonderful dinner, we were ready to head back to the hotel for some well deserved sleep!

I think this had been one of our best days and truly a great time overall.  Technically it was also our last night in Las Vegas because we were leaving the following day, but it was a great way to fill that time.

Next post will be about our last 'day' in Las Vegas before finally heading home.

Trip to Las Vegas: Day 4

Day 4 was an odd day.  Upon arriving at the Luxor on day one, we were sort of accosted by these people who presented a great deal on some show tickets.  All we had to do was sit through this presentation on a time-share in Las Vegas and we could get The Beatles: LOVE by Cirque du Soleil show tickets for half price.  Both of us had wanted to see that show for years since it opened, but hadn't been back to Las Vegas to have the opportunity to do so.  We agreed to go to the time-share thing - knowing we had no intention of buying anything!  And it was only going to take about 2 - 3 hours at the most anyway.

So, we got up early, found where we were supposed to meet this group and were shuttled to the time-share location with a bunch of other people who had done the same or similar deals.  The place was very nice and they gave us breakfast before we met the man who was going to give us our tour of the resort.  To be honest, I can't remember the guy's name, but I was surprised, because I thought this would be more of... a group presentation, not a one on one tour.  So... he sets it all up, asking us our travel habits, what we wanted to do, what we like to do, etc...  This is a long drawn out conversation before we even get the tour.  When we ask the price and cost of things, he insists he'll tell us after the physical tour.  He walks us through the amazingly lovely and lavish resort where two bedroom spaces are actually two suites attached like Siamese twins with full kitchens (including dishwasher and microwaves), washers and driers, and spa sized tubs in the bathroom, telling us about how if we go anywhere in the world, we can stay in a place like this for a very psychotically low price.

It is all verrrry tempting and I know Mom and I were both twirling this idea in our head of how great it would be because the whole family could use this!  It all sounded so amazing and magical!  Mom could own it and leave the whole thing to us and we could gain the benefit of the inexpensive travel and resorts around the world and it would be great!

Eventually, we head back to the room to eat some lunch - which they provided - and talk.  Our host left us to eat and think...  Which might have been a mistake.  As we sat there, the magic wore off and reality sank in.  We wouldn't travel that much.  This was all really not for us.  It was money (no matter what the cost would be - he still hadn't told us) we couldn't afford to spend... etc...

Our buddy comes back and lays out the plan on the time-share, the resort and all the rest.  He shows us the price and of course, it was an outrageous amount.  Seeing this, Mom and I easily decline the whole thing.  In reality, we were ready to go an hour ago as we had now been there for FOUR hours.  This is when our host brings in his manager to 'give us a better deal'.  He lays out something else which is much less expensive, tempting us and after some initial refusals sort of begins politely insulting us.  This sealed it for me at least with a big old, "No thank you."  The manager abruptly rises, shakes our hands and barely looks at us as he leaves.  We thank our host for his time and he walks us down to another room where we are supposed to receive our 'prize'.

In this room.. ANOTHER guy starts making us deals on the time-share, bringing the cost down to some insane low price because these are time-shares others are selling.  We again decline - more so because we are irritated and just want to go, having spent the whole morning there.  He takes us to another room where we sit with a few others.  All of us had apparently refused the great offers and were waiting for ANOTHER person to come and get us.  Thankfully, though we joked that at this point they'll offer to pay us money to take the time-share, they do only come to get us so they can give us our prize.  Once we get our vouchers for our tickets, we were taken to a shuttle to return us to our hotel.

On the bus, a couple was sitting across from us, clearly annoyed.  We joked a bit about the whole thing but they were very angry because apparently, their host had insulted them when they refused the offer.  I was glad our host had been a rather nice guy the whole time - he was a very good salesman, I will say that.  Realizing that we had a short time to turn in our ticket vouchers, we were glad to get to the hotel.  The morning and any plans for the day were pretty well shot and I can admit to being annoyed about it.  Granted, it was our decision to do the time-share tour and all that came with it - you just have to know what you are getting yourself into.

We headed over to Mandalay Bay to get our tickets.  While there, we went to where they used to have check-in to see the giant fish tank.  I guess they moved check-in from there so that people could better see the tank and take pictures.  I'm sure its hard to do hotel registration check-in and check-outs when half the people at the counter are trying to look at the fish and take pictures of loved ones - I'm sure the camera flashes alone were highly annoying.

Me at the wall fish tank at Mandalay Bay

Mom at the wall fish tank at Mandalay Bay

After that, we wound our way through the tropically themed lobby area to try and find where the show would be so we could get our tickets.  It was a little hard to find, but we did manage to get to the ticket counter and get our seats - not the best seats from the picture of the theater layout, but hose were block of seats the time-share people had.  I debated taking some time to check out the gift shop, but we were tired and I opted to wait to go in after the show that night.

The show itself was amazing.  The music of the Beatles was, of course, amazing, but the visuals were really breath-taking.  This particular theater is in the round, with the stage in the center and there were two huge screens on the walls.  Originally, both of us were disappointed at how high up we were in the theater seats - nosebleed level - but in the end, it worked out because we were able to see everything!  It was a great view of all the little business going on, as well as the more grandiose visions.  And trust me, those visions were really beautiful.  I was more emotionally moved than I thought I would be by some of the performances.

The Beatles music is legendary for a reason.  The harmonies and words strike chords in people all around the world, young and old.  The German guys behind us (who annoyingly kept kicking the back of my chair in excitement of the show) were singing along in English, as were the Japanese girls a row across.  We all were singing "Hey Jude" in the end.  Unlike any other Cirque show (and they are all amazing) this one really joined the audience together.  But that is the magic of theater and the particular magic of The Beatles. 

Upon leaving, we did go into the gift shop and I picked up a show program (a tradition of mine for all the Cirque du Soleil shows) and then pushed through the crowded shop to head back to the Luxor.  The morning nonsense had been forgotten and both of us were feeling really good and positive.  I do recommend that any time you have a chance to see any of the Cirque du Soleil shows, you do so.  They are visually stunning, the acts are breathtaking and its just a lot of fun.

Trip to Las Vegas: Day 3

This one might be shorter than the previous two because most of our morning in Las Vegas on the third day was spent driving around off The Strip.  We took a shuttle to the airport, then a bus service to a huge car rental place next door.  The set up had all the car rental business with storefronts and a large parking garage where their cars were stored and waiting for their renters.  Because we didn’t use one of the big guys, we got to move through everything pretty fast (and yes, there were slot machines in the building).  We picked up our little compact car and set out to see some of what the rest of Las Vegas had.  While cloudy and overcast with some sprinklings of rain here and there, we didn’t get any downpours or storms like the previous days.

The Las Vegas that exists off the strip is fairly similar to the suburban areas you might find anywhere, with lots of neighborhoods and TONS of shopping plazas.  Most of the neighborhoods are enveloped by walls that were originally set up to block the wind (desert = no trees to block wind) coming from the mountains.  The walls still serve that purpose, but also act as a way to sort of delineate each neighborhood area.  The set up of outer areas is almost a grid-like pattern.  Driving down the roads one way, you are pretty much in the housing areas.  Drive the crossroads and you are quickly taken to where the shopping centers and stores are. 

When we had gotten up in the elevation – enough that my ears started popping - I got out to take a picture.  You can see that Las Vegas, as built up as it is, remains a city sitting in the desert.

I felt like the distant sky and mountains resembled a backdrop painting.

After returning the car, Mom and I decided to do something we had put on our list of activities before leaving Kansas.  The one we chose was to see the exhibit “DaVinci The Genius: An Inspirational Exhibition”.  Due to the popularity of the show, it had an extended stay at the Venetian hotel, which I was grateful for because I certainly would have been horribly sorry to miss it.

The purpose of the show was to bring to life the genius of Leonardo as an inventor, artist, scientist, anatomist, engineer, architect, sculptor and philosopher.  They used his codices to create life-size machines, including his concepts for a car, a glider, a tank and even a SCUBA suit to name a few.  Some of the machines were interactive so you could get a sense of how they were meant to work.  They had on display copies of his codices to view, along with replicas of his sketchbooks and journals.  To be honest, the larger flying machines didn’t look like they would really work, but the ones that were for everyday use, like the pulley systems were amazing to me because I hadn’t known the extent of his innovations and contributions to modern living.  Seeing all of it, I realized that we were blessed to have a man like that exist who not only dreamed of so much, but actually created it and brought it into the world.

Another part of the exhibit focused on his painting of the Mona Lisa.  Of course, the original Mona Lisa painting was not there, but they showed photographs of it taken by Pascal Cotte, who was given rare and special permission to view the painting out of its protective case and frame so he could use his camera to do a multispectral digitization of the painting.  Multispectrally scanning the painting in thirteen channels allowed for the reveal of many secrets hidden under layers of years of dirt, paint and simply the passage of time.  To learn more, see an article on the process and some of the images it produced here. 

It really was an eye-opener.  But the biggest surprise was the image on display of the Mona Lisa in its original and intended colors!  It was SO amazingly vibrant.  Gone were the ochres, greens and browns to be replaced by bright blues, blushed cheeks and reddish hair.  On top of that were the details I had never noticed, like the lace of her gown, the veil resting upon her head and the fact she was sitting in a chair!  It was a whole other painting!  It was seriously such a special treat to have a chance at appreciating this amazing masterpiece in its intended and original form.

Taken from: http://www.artsjournal.com/culturegrrl/2007/10/mona_lisa_revealed.html

I know that DaVinci kept the painting with him, having never been satisfied with it I suppose, but after so many years of seeing the Mona Lisa as I had known her, it was wonderful to see her in this new light – closer to what Leonardo wanted.

Mom at the DaVinci The Genius Exhibit at the Venetian Hotel and Casino

There was a lot more to see and be amazed at and Mom and I left feeling rather humbled, stunned and grateful for the chance to see such a breath and scope of his work.

Still excited and talking about the exhibition, we decided to walk around the Venetian for a while more.

The Venetian was built by Sheldon Adelson, a figure of controversy in Las Vegas for some of his business dealings.  Where the hotel now stands, once stood The Sands casino, known as the hangout of the Rat Pack, where Frank Sinatra, Dean Martin, Sammy Davis Jr. and the rest of the gang hung out with movie stars and politicians.  When The Sands was imploded in 1996, some of Las Vegas’ history was destroyed with it.

Inspired by Italy’s most romantic city, The Venetian has replicas of landmarks of Venice spread throughout its sprawling real estate.  There are even canals cutting through it where you can have a ride on a gondola and be serenaded by men and women gondaleers. 

The Venetian, like some of the other newer hotels, have displays celebrating nature and its forms in the changing seasons.  Here, they had the falling leaves in golden colors made of glass allowing them to almost glow in the light as they hung suspended from the ceiling near the indoor waterfall feature.  In the cavernous area, all you could hear was the sound of the waterfall, which was nicer than the dinging of bells from the casino slot machines.

The hotel is rather beautiful with a lot of high-end stores that are fun to window shop and there is a lot of splendor sprinkled all over, but it can be a bit over the top.

Ceiling painting at the Canal Shoppes in the Venetian Hotel and Casino

By the time we headed back to the Luxor we were, once again, pretty tired from the day and ready for bed.  I was very happy – the DaVinci Exhibit igniting some wonder in  my mind.

Any of you have that sort of experience?  I would love to hear about it.

Trip to Las Vegas: Day 2 Which is Really Los Angeles Day 1

We left off after a long, sometimes disappointing day in Las Vegas.  As I had said, it was very changed from what I remembered years ago and not all of it good.  Including my sadness that our beloved Monte Carlo had sold off a corner of its property to build this:

It seemed many of the older casinos did the same thing... Since they are restricted on the land they can build on, they only have so much space, so they are using everything, up to the edge of the street - filling it with shops or bars to pull in the customers.  Again, some of the class (I KNOW its Vegas but still) is getting shuffled away.

Anyway, our second day in Las Vegas was not spent there.  We had arranged to fly out to Los Angeles on a short 45 minute flight to check out Gnomon School of Visual Effects.  As some of you may know, I am looking to get into game design as a career and I'm checking out a few options of where to go.  Gnomon is one of them.  The rain was still dribbling from the sky but there were no problems heading over to L.A. - though they didn't serve drinks or anything because the pilot was concerned about some turbulence.  Originally, we were going to meet my cousin Sue (that's right, she's an amazing gorgeous actress) at the airport but she got a commercial booked for that morning and wasn't able to pick us up.  No worries on our part!  We were more than thrilled for her!  The taxi ride to Hollywood was pleasant and easy - especially as we didn't have any luggage with us - you'd be amazed how nice it is and sometimes a little strange when you fly somewhere and have no bags with you!

We were early to Gnomon, which was a little hard to spot since it is in a television studio and you had to go around a corner to see the signs for it.  There was a security office with a sign outside that said to 'check in' there before entering.  Being the good rules-follower I am, I did so and they just nodded and waved me around the corner without having me sign anything.

Gnomon School of Visual Effects

Gnomon School of Visual Effects

I went into their office and would have taken photos but that felt like it would be awkward and a little too much like a tourist.  I did find this one on line though:

Found here: http://www.yelp.com/biz_photos/ZTIylJezLDjJSInMF2icaQ?select=t-OdhrazM730CwAUNYLzYg#t-OdhrazM730CwAUNYLzYg

It was very cool, dark and imposing with a definite gothic and industrial feel.  That decor traveled throughout the school's building and offices on the tour I went on of the facility.  It was rather sprawling through the television studio and they did have a connection to the Pixologic offices (the folks that make ZBrush) right there.  The classes are small and intimate with a great set up, as well as shows done by graduates and industry people.

Found here: http://www.destructoid.com/an-education-in-gaming-gnomon-school-of-visual-effects-165247.phtml

I was very impressed with what I saw and was glad to know that even the instructors still got lost going around the campus, because it was not all just in one building.  And for those that might wonder, they also had this:

Found here: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Gnomon_school_arcade.jpg

Because you can't move forward if you don't remember the past!

I met with Brian, my advisor at Gnomon (his office is actually the door on the right in the lobby picture above).  We sat and talked for a long while as we worked out what I was interested in and what Gnomon could provide and offer me.  The program sounds great and I'm still trying to figure it out.  Considering my desire is more concept and design than 3D programming, there were options available for me.  It certainly left me with a lot to think about.

Afterward, Mom and I sat on a bench talking about the school and what I spoke to Brian about.  It was a little overwhelming and the sky above remained gray and foreboding.  Sue picked us up and told us that she had just gotten through a horrific storm of thunder, lighting, rain and hail!  It hadn't hit us, which I was thankful for... We headed over to a little hole-in-the-wall that Sue knew of and we spoke about her shoot and life in general.  It was really great to see her as I haven't gotten to in years!  Considering that we grew up very close, its sad we don't get to see each other more often.  On top of her acting, Sue is doing a very successful H2Yoga program which is growing all the time... So it was awesome to hear about all the great things going on with her.

Mom, Sue and I

When we were done eating some really great food, we had time before we had to head back to the airport.  We were rather undecided about where to go as Sue recommended a few places, but she finally decided to surprise us.  My sneaky cousin said nothing about where we were going till she pointed to something and said, "What do you see?" I leaned over to look and said, "A frog with a hat...?"  It was then that we realized where we were...

The Jim Henson Company

I think I squealed with excitement to see we were at the Jim Henson Company lot!  It was so very awesome and a great surprise to be there!  Originally, it was the studios that belonged to Charlie Chaplin which is why Kermit is with the bowler cap and bamboo cane.  We parked in a lot not too far off and walked back to look and take pictures.  The place wasn't open to visitors (not surprising at the hour) but it was still amazing to look inside.

The Green Man himself!

I can't say what a real thrill it was to be there and see it.  It was rather emotional really.  Beneath Kermit was a door with a painting of Charlie, showing how the Henson Company was really honoring its past.

Charlie Chaplin greeting you at the door.

 

A faded signature of Charlie Chaplin at the foot of the door in the cement.

It was a real treat and I am so very thankful to Sue for bringing Mom and I there to enjoy the moment and of course, to share it with us.  It was truly an amazing moment.

When it started to get too dark to really enjoy it, we headed off towards the airport, but decided to have a cup of coffee to chat a bit more.  We hit a little diner and enjoyed sweet potato pie and sweet potato fries and more great conversation.  The time went and Sue drove Mom and I to the airport to fly back to Las Vegas... the time ending too soon of course, as it always does.  After hugs and kisses, we checked in and waited for the flight.  There was a bit of confusion and our plane was given to a previous flight of passengers, so we had to wait for another plane.  That one eventually showed up so we boarded and waited to take off...

That didn't happen.

Apparently, the storm Sue had spoken of had hit Las Vegas and no planes were allowed in or out.  The flight ahead of ours was actually sitting and going no where like us.  They let us off to go off the airplane to wander about, but Mom and I decided to stay on and sleep and/or read till we were ready to take off.  Thankfully we had eaten already so we were fine.  What makes me laugh is that EVERYONE you talk to from Las Vegas or Los Angeles for that matter insists that "We NEVER get weather like that!" to which I reply, "You only have to have it the one time... And you did... When we were there." It was a few hours sitting at the terminal, but then, finally after the lightning and hail had passed, we were off and able to get back to Las Vegas and the hotel... I can honestly say, we were both pretty exhausted and went to bed straight away!

I'll continue our little Vegas adventure again in the next blog...  Till then, anyone want to share any little stories of that "This never happens here" moments?

Please remember to check out my Stormwolf Studios shop at etsy to see my jewelry and maybe even purchase something!  The holidays are coming and some of these might be perfect for you or your friends and loved ones!