Back In Snohomish

To clear your palate a bit after all that excitement in Las Vegas, I thought I bring you some of the still lifes I found in downtown Snohomish. A moment of calm in this busy life.

Paris

Of course, everything in Las Vegas is not pretty. Walking from Caesar's Palace to Paris, I passed this unfortunate fellow having a nap.

Caesar's Palace

While I found the Venetian to be a nicer place to wander and explore, Caesar's Palace is mighty impressive. The roman style statues and architecture that is suggestive of the period in scale and details set under large sections with a ceiling of faux blue sky is a sight not to be missed.

Out along Las Vegas Boulevard, we find the front of the Bellagio and its famous fountain. I happened to be there during one of the shows.

Red Rock Canyon

By far the highlight of our trip of Las Vegas was our visit to Red Rock Canyon. Getting out of the city and seeing some of the desert was great.

Fremont

After our evening of dinner theater, we decided it was too early to call it a night, so we headed down to Fremont to see the older part of the strip. this is also the crazy part.

Tournament of Kings

We booked ourselves seats at a dinner theater at the Excalibur called the Tournament of Kings. We were seated around a sizeable arena, served dinner and treated to a fairly elaborate show involving sword fights, horses, magicians, and a bad guy with a flamethrower.

The Venetian

If the entrance of the Bellagio was over the top, the Venetian is over the moon. This fellow was playing his guitar at the entrance and welcoming everyone (too bad WalMart doesn't have greeters like this!) and we stop to ask for directions.

The Bellagio

The entrance of the Bellagio Hotel and Casino is dominated by this colorful glass Object d'art by Dale Chihuly up on the ceiling.

Seven Magic Mountains

South of Vegas on I-5 we find a location called Seven Magic Mountains. I'm pretty sure that it is referring to the mountains located around us, not the party colored stacks of rocks we found there. This is some sort of art dedicated to the place, but I failed to understand the connection. Perhaps the 40 mph gusts of cold wind interfered with my brain function.

The Luxor

If you keep walking long enough through Mandalay Bay, you will eventually find yourself in the Luxor. This place is built to resemble a pyramid from the outside and contains lots of faux Egyptian decorations inside. Above is a shot looking up toward the peak of the pyramid. The long horizontal "bars" on either side are the hallways for accessing the rooms in the hotel that is formed by the sides of the pyramid.

Mandalay Bay

When we arrived at Mandalay Bay and emerged from the cavernous parking garage, we were greeted with a headless statue. Given that the restaurant next to is called Red Square, I'm guessing it is supposed to Lenin.

The Orleans in Las Vegas

So, we recently spent a long weekend with our extended family and friends in Las Vegas, NV. This was our first time here so we spent a lot of time wandering the casinos to get a feel for the place. Over the next 10 or 12 days, I'll be posting images of our excursions.

Zoo Part VII

The Hippopotamuses were busy getting in and out of the water. Most likely out of boredom.

Zoo Part VI

Again, I don't know who all these birds are, but I can at least get you into the right neighborhood. this one above is some sort of crane.

Halloween in Snohomish

To no one's surprise, Halloween comes to Snohomish just like the rest of the country. Well, perhaps not in just the same way, but it gets here. Halloween here is a bit different. The businesses go all in and give out candy and for two hours there are hordes of people wandering the streets in their finest costumes, herding children and gather sweets.

The Cemetery in Old San Juan

Elizabeth got some photos of the old cemetery in San Juan I thought I'd share with you. Above is the entrance. As you can see it is right on the shore with the Atlantic Ocean in the background.