Take it Easy, Take it Easy

I didn’t do much today. The thumbs are still hurting from my shots, so all I did was some light housework and take a nap. (sleep is good for healing) We did our normal visit to Target. We bought a bunch of dark chocolate that was reduced in price. We like to have a small piece of dark chocolate each evening so we stock up when the price is right.

For lunch I thought we would take something out of the freezer. So, silly me, I asked Penny what I should take out for lunch. The answer, “your wife”. I should have seen that coming.

We went to Harbordocks and both had a wonderful lunch – total cost $16.86. We also got special treatment. We arrived right at 11AM. Instead of the hostess seating us we got seated by the bartender. She was in a great mood and we discussed the specials they had on their white-board. One item was shrimp Louie (Louisianna) on rice but she explained that the cook gave her some last night served over their cheese grits and it was fantastic. She then said I’ll go get you some so you can taste it—and she did. She brought us a small bowl of it. It was great so that’s what I had for lunch. I doubt I’ll ever get a dish like that anywhere else. Penny got the roast pork, collards, mac&cheese and cucumber salad. She had a tough time choosing that. There were 3 items on the board –any of which she would be happy with. She actually was excited about eating. I mentioned that to her because daughter Christy can get the same way about a meal. Penny explained that it is because she is also a cook.

Back home again I put my thumbs on ice and took a nice siesta.

This was not a very productive day. I didn’t anticipate that my thumbs would initially hurt more after the shots. It is a valid excuse to take it easy. I do want the thumbs to get better.

A Double Shot

I said, “Doctor, ain’t there nothing I could take?”

I went to the doctor today and pleaded my case for a cortisone shot in each of my thumbs. (Now that I know what it feels like to get a shot in an already inflamed joint—I shouldn’t have been so anxious.) My theory goes like this. I have now had 3 areas of prolonged pain and inflammation that needed aggressive treatment, that is a shot of cortisone or a regimen of Prednisone or both, to finally heal. Both of my shoulders and my back have all finally stopped hurting. My back (actually my butt) hurt for more than 5 years before I got strong enough treatment to settle the inflammation. I’m hesitantly optimistic that the back is better.

My thumbs have been hurting since my double big-project activity a year ago after my shoulder surgery. I put in the sprinkler system and lawn and I made Sophie’s furniture. I overworked my hands and they’ve hurt ever since to some degree. The doctor says it’s arthritis and It may or may not settle down. I’m hoping it will respond like the other areas have. We will know in a few weeks.

It’s a good thing I have a high tolerance for pain because the pressure of the injections really lit up the old pain sensors.

I now have to limit the use of my thumbs for a few days to give things a chance to settle. I’m wearing my thumb guards again.

Before I went to the doctor’s this morning I finished sanding the 2 picture frames I made yesterday. We also got the glass cut for them today and it fits nicely into the frames. I did this anticipating the thumb limitation. I can finish the frames now (literally) without stressing the thumbs.

My new strategy of making the raccoon work to get caught may work. I leave the door to the trap partially open propped up with a stick. To get in he has to lift the sliding door a little, causing the stick to drop out. If he then continues inside letting the door slide closed it will latch. I figure he can do this because he managed to get out of the trap by lifting the door. He did try last night but dropped the door before he got in and it latched locking him out. He then clawed at the door trying to get in.
I did get a good nights sleep last night not worrying about catching kitties.

Framed

Both Penny and I spent time today working on projects for others. I’m making the frames for Sophie’s 2 stock certificates and Penny is making a quilt for Karen’s friends.

This is my first project in the shop since I straightened it out and it makes a world of difference. It took me half a day to cut and put together 2 basic picture frames. It all went together nicely. Now I have to get glass for them, sand and finish them and attach hanging hardware.

This is the first day in a while I didn’t play with the raccoon trap. I decided it is working fine. I lose too much sleep worrying about catching cats so I’ll spring it when I go to bed tonight and get a good nights rest. I woke up at 2 this morning and checked the trap. It was empty. Then when going back to sleep I heard it close and that is when I found the 2 cats in it. All 4 kittens showed up then and I ended up putting out some food for them. It was an hour before I got back to sleep.

Tomorrow I go to the doctor to see if anything can be done for the pain in my hands.

We also finalized and ordered our 94-page Las Vegas photo book. I’ve got the photos we used out on winkflash. I’ll have to mail you guys an invite to view them.

Strike Two

Last night I caught 2 cats—Velcro and Meredith—in the raccoon trap. The trap worked as advertised and I heard it spring so the cats were not in there long. I still have to find a bait the raccoon likes and the cats don’t

The cats are not hanging around all day like they used to. Max the mean cat from next door is out once again. Why can’t I catch him in the trap?

Strike One

I actually caught Raccoon #2 last night—but he got out of the cage. He got out because of my trap being made to not hurt a kitty if it gets hit by the sliding door closing. Instead of the door wedging tightly, as it did for raccoon #1, the padding I put on the edge of the door left it easy to slide. So raccoon #2 ate all the food in the cage then lifted the sliding door and walked away.

Today I bought a gate latch that will lock the door tightly when it closes. If Rocky II is hungry enough to enter the cage again it should hold him. To protect the kitties I padded the edges of the door and the bottom of the cage. If the cats go in and one is under the door when it falls it will get bruised but not seriously hurt. I’ve fenced off the cage to discourage the cats from going in it. The Raccoon has only one-way in and out to the cage—I know he knows the way, he found it in the wee hours this morning.

Here’s Rocky #1 in the cage with all the clothes and things he dragged inside.

Here is the current cage set up.

I spent most of today building a 94-page photo book of our Las Vegas vacation on winkflash.com (in between I did loads of laundry). They have a one-price special going on . Any 8x10 book is only 19.95 up to 100 pages. Penny and I sat down and reviewed the pictures in the book. We had a good time remembering the trip—even though it was only a couple weeks ago.

The garden is beginning to produce green fruit. I counted a dozen tomatoes on the way, a couple squash and half-a-dozen clusters of grape tomatoes. Harvest is still a ways off but the garden is lush and green. I didn’t find any new wilt on the tomatoes. I’m keeping my fingers crossed for a harvest this year. Here are some pictures.

The Garden Today

Little Maters

Tiny Squash

Bush Tomatoes

Time to Build a Better Raccoon Trap?

Now that I’ve refined my trap design with a sure-fire release, raccoon #2 is too wary to go inside. Last night he succeeded in springing the trap from the outside. Earlier I also watched him once again ignore the trap, eat all the external cat food and leave.

Since I’ve seen him out there each night maybe I have to rig something I can trigger when he is in the right spot. I’m spending way too much time on this.
I’ve lost another tomato plant to wilt. Both that have gone were of the Better Boy variety. I’m hoping the other types are wilt resistant. If not I’ll lose all the tomatoes—and they are growing so nicely!

You've Really Got a Hold on Me

I thought I had beaten this cold a week ago. I was wrong. It’s still with me dragging me down each day. I don’t have a scratch throat. I do have stuffy sinuses and periodic coughing jags. The worst part is how tired I’ve felt each day.

I had to quit mowing the lawn yesterday because My heart was racing and my stomache was upset. I was sweating and well hydrated so it wasn’t heat exhaustion. I can only do a certain amount each day before I have to rest.

I had planned to do some regular walking this week but didn’t have the energy.

On other topics, last night I watched a raccoon walk past my trap, paying it no attention, then go eat all the cat food that was dispensed from the feeder. He again walked past the trap on the way out. Not satisfied by taunting me once he came back and checked that he got all the cat food and once again left without even looking at the trap.

KITTY UPDATE—All 5 kitties have been here all week. They even hang around in the yard and under the shed all day. I suppose they are comfortable with the food supply here now. They also now expect attention first thing in the AM and at feeding time in the PM. All but Marmalade now periodically like to stand on my crossed legs when I sit out there and rub my nose with theirs. With the raccoon coming now each evening the cats have no food available all night. The raccoon will clean up every scrap that is available and then try to get at the feeder’s storage bin. The cats hungerly devour the food in the morning as the cat feeder dispenses it.

Rocky II

Last night raccoon #2 showed up to eat the cat food. Here we go again. I know I’ve seen 3 of them out there at once so maybe that is how many I have to catch.

Tonight I reset the trap. It was difficult enough catching one!




Raccoons are small, very adaptable mammals from North and South America and a few tropical islands. They live in a variety of habitats, including marshes, forests, praries, cities, and suburbs. These nocturnal (most active at night) animals have a life span of about 6 years in the wild.

Worst Fears Realized

A while back I expressed concern for my brother Lou as he goes around the nation doing God’s work. He is traveling with all his possessions in 3 suitcases.

Yesterday I got a call from him. Greyhound lost his luggage. All he had was his carry-on backpack, which contained mostly papers. He did have his laptop in the backpack but not the charger. He explained that he wasn’t going to use the computer so he left the charger in the suitcase that was now gone. Lou was confused and didn’t know what to do. With Greyhound, if they didn’t check his bags he has little recourse.

I feel badly for Lou but he just didn’t listen to advise we gave him. On his trip to Oregon he packed everything including the laptop in the suitcase. The bus he was on broke down and he was concerned at the time about losing his luggage. He didn’t carry the laptop with him because it was heavy. I explained that he could lose anything he didn’t have in his possession and he should put up with the discomfort. That much he heard but he didn’t think. The laptop should include the charger, it is useless without it and expensive to replace. Lou didn’t think this through. He heard carry the laptop and that’s what he did. That’s the way he thinks. He also has a GPS unit. I don’t know where that was and was hesitant to ask. It also has a charger. I suspect he lost at least the charger.

Lou is now stuck with no suitcase, clothing, and personal items and can’t use his computer for his work until he replaces the charger cord. After seeing how little he knows about shopping and how to get things done in the world I don’t know how well he will handle this. I woke up at 3:30 again this morning worrying about him. I hope God provides him with someone in Williamsburg to guide his actions.

Las Vegas Day 6, Monday

This was the last day we spent in Vegas. We already accomplished everything we came to do and then some. Today was gravy. One main attraction we hadn’t seen was the Stratosphere Tower. It stands at 1,149-ft high, has indoor and outdoor observation decks and 3 rides at the top. We didn't do the rides.

We spent about an hour there and enjoyed the view then did a little shopping in the shops at the base.

Joe picked out the last place we would see, the Ethel M. Chocolate Factory and Cactus Garden.

We had some trouble finding it but once there it turned out to be a gem. The factory makes gourmet chocolates. Nothing was being made while we were there; they had just completed renovation of the manufacturing area.

Adjacent to the factory is the cactus garden. It is a 2.5-acre collection of more than 350 species of desert plants primarily from the southwest. It was a photographers dream (If you like pictures of landscaping.)

We wandered and took pictures and bought some chocolate, too.

After that it was lunch at Olive Garden and back to the hotel to catch the hotel’s “Viva Las Vegas” show. It had dancing girls in scanty costumes, magicians and comedians. It was a small-time show for LV but well-done and very entertaining. Especially when one of the dancers put her arm around me and said “Hi There!”

That’s it, our 6-day trip to Las Vegas was ending. Now it was time to pack up and get ready to go to the airport early on Tuesday morning.

Las Vegas Day 5, Sunday

Sunday began with church at St Joan of Arc’s, a small church located about 3 blocks from the hotel. It was a nice little church but I couldn’t help but notice that as with everything else in Las Vegas the votive candles weren’t real candles—they were electric lights. Somehow electric votives just don’t seem to satisfy the purpose of the candles.

Today we would go back to the strip and see what we missed on the last 2 visits. We started at Treasure Island the sister property of the Mirage. When we arrived inside we were at the box office area for the Cirque show Mystere. Kathy said she’d like to see that so we got in line, checked on tickets and bought some for the evening performance. Treasure Island wasn’t very remarkable inside. The outside has a lagoon an elevated wooden gangplank and along the “shore” is a re-created pirate’s village with building facades along the rocky cliffs. The 2 pirate ships out there were impressive.


From TI we walked to Wynn. On the way is a large covered mall—the cover looking like an alien spacecraft hovering 100 feet above.

The Wynn is different from all the others. In front of the hotel is a 140 ft tall “mountain” complete with waterfalls and lush landscaping.

The idea at the Wynn is to provide tranquility and sophistication and they succeed. Instead of walking into a casino, in the Wynn you are greeted with calm light, trees, water and flowers.

The bar at the lower level has a ceiling decorated with umbrella-like chandeliers. The outside deck looks over a large lighted pool set off by another waterfall, this one being rectangular.

After the Wynn we drove back down the strip to the MGM Grand. Everything here was huge. Our purpose here was to see the massive bronze lion out front and the real lion they had for viewing in their lion habitat.

The bronze lion poses at the entrance weighing in at a mere 100,000 lbs. No college kid pranksters are going to haul this away in the middle of the night. We had a nondescript lunch at a food court and then headed for the lion habitat.

When we passed the habitat earlier it was empty. Now, however it had a big male in it. Some of the lions they have here are direct decedents of the original MGM lion. This one wasn’t. We talked with a very nice attendant who filled us in on interesting MGM lion facts.

We then headed over to TI to see Mystere. We had a little time before the show so Penny and Kathy got in a little gambling. Penny spent a whole dollar!

Mystere was the first of the Cirque shows produced. I think the guy at the box office said it was 15 years old. Everything takes place in the single “ring” but as you know the comparison to a regular circus ends there. The music, lighting effects, acrobats clowns, jugglers, trapeze artists, dancers and musicians are in a class by themselves. Even though this was our 3rd cirque show in 4 days it was not too much cirque. I was sad to see the big finale’. It meant no more cirque for a while.

I Got Him!

Just as I was resigned to the fact that I would be feeding 5 cats AND a raccoon I wake up at 3:30 and check the trap and it is full of kids clothes—and the raccoon.

I have to explain the clothes. Beside the cage and on top of the smoker was a plastic garbage bag full of old kids clothes from when they were in the 2T size. I had pulled it out to see if any of it was worth keeping. What I discovered is that when a raccoon is trapped it will reach out and grab and pull on EVERYTHING it can reach. I do mean everything. The smoker was knocked over; the entire bagful of clothes was pulled into the cage piece by piece; 2 extension cords were inside the cage and chewed beyond usability and sticks and branches and anything else in reach was now inside the cage.

When I checked the cage at 3:30 I thought he had escaped after filling the cage with clothes because I couldn’t see him in there. In the dim light I finally spotted his tail. I went outside to the cage, drawing the company of Bianca, and looked in. The raccoon was not moving. He looked dead. I didn’t poke him but I made enough noise that he should have moved. I went back to bed and couldn’t sleep, disturbed and puzzled as to how the thing ended up dead. Was one of the cords plugged in? No. Besides it was a ground fault circuit that would kick off before it did that much harm. Did he break his neck somehow? Should I tell Penny? Should I even include this in a blog?

I slept fitfully until 6:30, got up and went to see what I could do with the body. In the cage was a scared and very-much-alive raccoon resting on a thick bed of kids clothing. My guess is that he exhausted himself last night trying to escape and when I saw him at 3:30 he was deep in an exhausted sleep. Now the job was to transport him.

I put the cage on my dolly and rolled him to the car. I had to be careful not to get anything in his reach or he would grab it. I covered the cage with a sheet to keep him from seeing stuff and he, of course, tried to pull the sheet inside. I tied the cage to the dolly and loaded the cage and dolly combination into the CRV. I’m glad I wore heavy leather gloves when I did this because the critter grabbed my finger as I tried to lift the cage. He saw the sheet push in through the bar of the cage from my finger and grabbed it. The little guy has a powerful grip. No harm done, the gloves worked, but I was surprised.

I brought him out to an unpopulated area and let him go by a small lake. He jumped out of the CRV and ran over to the base of a nearby tree. He looked back at me, decided I was not going to chase him and decided he didn’t need to climb the tree. Then he slowly walked off into the woods.

I’m taking it easy today because my cold is trying to come back; I’m tired from my lack of good sleep and my back is hurting from bending over and setting up the trap yesterday. So today will be computer and paperwork.

Las Vegas Day 4, Saturday

Joe and Kathy took this day off to rest and do computer stuff. If we were around at lunch time we might link up. This was our day to go see O in the evening. Penny and I had cereal in our room for breakfast and then headed out to Red Rock Canyon which is just outside LV to the west.

The area is a national conservation area and is a 13 mile loop drive through a picturesque canyon. Penny and I took lots of pictures and actually took a moderate .8 mile hike up to see a waterfall and some Indian pictographs. The “waterfall” was just a drizzle falling about 30 feet out of a cave. The flow was not enough to sustain any sort of stream flow. The water drained away for about 20 feet before drying up in the hot dessert air.

We did find the pictographs – they were well worn by the elements but I did get a picture of one.

After the canyon I fired up the GPS to try and find a Mexican restaurant. We picked out what looked like a decent one from the name and were led to a side street in a new housing development – no restaurant. So we tried another. Same result. We gave up on the GPS. We stopped at Target to get some batteries and water. I asked an employee if there were any Mexican restaurants around. She said no, rolled her eyes wistfully and explained that you can’t get decent Mexican or Pizza in this town. So we gave up and had lunch at the Applebee’s that was in the parking lot with Target. Penny did get fajitas which she enjoyed.

We then went in search of a grocery store and couldn’t find one. So I used the GPS again to go to Albertson’s. We turned in the lot and it was a Super Wal-Mart. It had groceries so we picked up some lunchmeat and bread, chips and apples. That would be dinner before we went to see O.

O was amazing. This was aquatic theater where a cast of 81 performs in, on and above a 1.5 million gallon tank of water. It combines circus, art, drama, choreography, aerial acrobats and synchronized swimming. For 90 minutes we were thoroughly entertained.
The show was at the Bellagio—the place with the fountain—so after the show we went out and watched 4 water shows. Very nice!

The Theater Ceiling

Low Maintenance?

My low maintenance garden kept me busy most of the morning today. My wonderful drip irrigation system wasn’t supplying sufficient water to keep the plant reservoirs filled. The plants got BIG and they now use lots of water each day. So I made a simple distribution system by drilling 22 holes in PVC pipe and running small full-flow tubes to each plant. Now the reservoirs get filled to overflowing in just 3 minutes.

Another task that has taken time on and off this week is trying to catch our pesky raccoon. I’m trying to catch a raccoon and not any cats. The raccoon’s favorite food is the dry cat food but if I use that as bait I will attract the kitties. I’m trying fruit, peanut butter and bread, cheese and some cat food. So far the coon has reached into the trap and grabbed food but has not entered it. I don’t think I’m going to get him.

Las Vegas Day 3, Friday

We had no shows to see on Friday and had done a decent job of seeing the Strip already in 2 days. So this day was chosen for a field trip. We headed for the West Rim of the Grand Canyon. This part of the Grand Canyon is on an Indian reservation and is a 2 ½ hour drive from our hotel.

I used the GPS to route us out of Las Vegas and it showed us a good way to go through the city. It doesn’t take too long to leave the city and find yourself in mountains and desert. The route took us over the Hoover Dam and provided some wonderful views of Lake Mead. The water level in the lake is way down and a wide white band showing the depth the water had been ringed the lake. After passing over the dam and through the mountain pass the road goes straight as an arrow for a long way carrying us deeper into the desert.

We made a rest stop in the first real town we came to. The people in the grocery store we entered looking for a bathroom were very friendly—but they had no potty. We had to go to the gas station across the street. The place had 1 old pump and served also as a gift/snack shop. Just inside the front door was a huge stuffed rattlesnake poised in the striking position and encased in glass. Penny couldn’t come in because of that. I used the bathroom and felt that I should buy something there since I used their facilities. I picked up a couple of Klondike ice cream bars. When I went to pay, the kid at the cash register said “bathroom ice cream?” I said,” Yes.”

The real fun began when we turned off the paved road to take the final 14 miles of our journey on a winding dry dusty unpaved road. Joe compared my driving to a Baja-Run training drive. We stopped on the road and wandered into the Joshua Tree forest to take pictures of blossoming cactuses.

None of us knew what to expect when we arrived at the canyon. I got upset with the arrangement we found. It works like this—At the end of the road is an airport and a little booth telling you the parking fee is $20. The road beyond this point is private. The atmosphere at the airport reminded me of a Spielberg movie set. On one side were 3 or 4 helicopter pads. Copters were landing and taking off and passengers and pilots scurried around. On the other side was the airport runway with a constant flow of small planes landing and leaving.

When we finally figured out how things worked it was obvious that if we wanted to see the canyon we needed to purchase a bus ticket (only $39.99 each) and ride out to the overlook locations. If we wanted to walk out on the skywalk at the first stop that would be another $39.99 each, please. The only way to see anything else after paying for the privilege of parking at the airport was to spend more money. They did have water fountains if you were thirsty but, son of a gun, they were out of order. There was water available for purchase, of course.

In defense of the Indians they are trying to build a new tourist destination in a hard to reach location. It takes a lot of money to do it. All the tribe member/employees were very nice. Some of them had an hour drive just to get to work at their menial tourist shop jobs..

The canyon itself was worth seeing. The first location we saw was sacred ground to the tribe. The canyon walls had formed the shape of an eagle and that was the prominent feature at this location. This is where the new “Glass” sky bridge is. The drop off here is 4,000 feet! We didn’t pay the fee and go out on that. We also couldn’t get right to the edge of the canyon for most of this location because a 3o-ft deep piece of cliff face was cracking off and there was danger of it falling into the canyon 4000 feet below. They were building a stone and rope fence to keep people away from the edge while we were there. We might have been there the last day that you could walk up to the edge of any part of the canyon in that spot.

The next stop was Guano Point and it made the journey worthwhile. The point sticks out into the canyon and has wonderful vista views on all sides. There also were no restrictions on the paths keeping people away from the edges. That surprised me because some of the ledges were even too scary for me to venture out on. I wouldn’t be surprised to hear that they lose someone over the edge someday.

I did more Baja training on the way back. We had breakfast for dinner on the way back to LV at a Denny’s. Kathy and Joe were going to rest on Saturday and Penny and I thought we would do some exploring. I’ll cover that in my next installment.

Blackberry Adventure

Penny had a haircut appointment this morning and my cold has relented. It was a beautiful morning. I decided to go on this year’s first blackberry quest. I loaded up the kayak and headed up the bayou.

One should always wear a long sleeve shirt and have gloves to protect the hands from thorns when one goes blackberry picking—next time I will remember this.

The stream feeding the bayou was quiet and beautiful as I worked my way up to where the blackberries were. I found only small patches with ripe berries. Maneuvering the kayak close enough to pick the ripe berries, avoiding the thorns, branches and fighting the current of the stream turned out to be an interesting challenge. I ended up entangled a couple of times but avoided any serious scratches. I only got punctured once on my palm. Sometimes the berries were literally hanging into the boat. Sometimes the best berries were just out of reach--I had to let them go.

Coincidentally one time when I was wrapped in vines and thorns I spied a mosquito that had just caught itself in a spider web and was trying its best to get free as the spider made its approach. I sort of knew how it felt. I looked around to make sure there was no big spider stalking me. I finished picking in that spot and carefully freed myself. As I did I saw the mosquito make one last effort and manage to break free and fly off.


I was visited by a fuzzy caterpillar that dropped onto the kayak and got bobbed at by a couple of lizards as I made my rounds. There was a lone osprey perched on the tree where the nest was last year. I saw a couple of pairs of osprey flying around.



Since the picking was lean I spent about 2 hours out there. I called Penny to let her know I was OK and would be late. She was going to make Pasta Cruda for lunch and I didn’t want her to start it too soon. I ended up with only about a pint of berries today. After the Cruda lunch Penny made blackberry topping and baked some biscuits. Instead of apple snack we had blackberries on biscuits. It was a good eating day—fresh basil from the garden—fresh blackberries from Mother Nature.

There are lots of berries yet to ripen out there. I don’t know how long it takes for them to get ripe but another berry run is definitely in the future.

Las Vegas—Day 2, Thursday

Thursday evening was booked with the Cirque show “Love” so we planned a smaller day for ourselves than we did on Wednesday.

We would visit the northern part of the Strip today starting with the Mirage. Here is a description from the Web, “The Mirage Hotel is a magnificent establishment with 2,763 exquisitely furnished and decorated guest rooms. It typifies what Las Vegas is all about. Guests enter via a lush tropical rainforest and there is a large aquarium full of beautiful fish in the Reception. The hotel has an air of sophistication and luxury.”

We spent most of our time here taking pictures of the aquarium and the flowers in the seasonal garden. It was nicely done and a pleasant change from the heat outside and the noise of the casino. We did go back and check the location of the Love Theater—plotting out our rout for the evening. On the way to the theater is the Revolution Lounge. Its hallway wall consists of large black letters filled with red light spelling “REVOLUTION” (reference to the Beatles’ song). We took turns sitting inside the “O” and taking pictures.

Following the Mirage we walked down the Strip to Caesar’s Palace. The glory that was Rome is on display in this casino/hotel. Caesars takes up a large amount of real estate on The Strip - it is HUGE. There are nearly 100 shops in an ancient Roman marketplace setting. We unexpectedly found a wonderful aquarium at the end of a branch of the marketplace. Many pictures were taken of the fish, the marketplace and the statues.




We then wandered through the casino in search of the replica of Michelangelo's David. We found The David in a neat little shopping area. We all took pictures of The David making sure we got a good shot of his butt.

Outside once again we went picture crazy over the beautiful angel statues and fountains. In front of Caesar’s is a 20-foot statue of Julius himself—hailing a cab. Las Vegas gave us a beautiful day for taking pictures. After wandering around the grounds we crossed the street in search of lunch on our way to Venice. We looked at a couple of places and decided to try the Outback Steakhouse there on the strip. That turned out to be a great decision. The restaurant was cool and quiet. Our server liked her job and had a good time waiting on our table. The food was good and reasonably priced.

After lunch we ventured back out into the hot dry Vegas air and completed our journey to the Venetian. The Venetian transports guests to the Italian city of Venice. Approaching the hotel you see graceful arched bridges, flowing canals and vibrant piazzas, the famous Campanile Tower, gondolas and gondoliers welcoming you. We entered through the shopping area and never got to the lobby of the Venetian. So we missed the gold and marble fountain and Italian marble floors and pillars and gallery of Italian art that are there. The shops that we did see are on cobblestone walkways that line the banks of the indoor canal which, like the outdoor canal, are full of gondola’s with singing gondoliers (male and female). We came across some performers dressed in 18th century (?) garb. Later they put on a lively show in St Mark’s Square with singing, dancing and juggling. We sat next to the band, which was also in costume, and Kathy had to be careful not to get a flute stuck in her head. The man on the flute moved a lot and was not careful where he swung his instrument.

It was then back to the car to return to our hotel and rest up before returning to the Mirage to see Love.

I had told everyone that the show was at 8 o’clock and we set up our schedule to meet and head back into town. Fortunately for me I checked the tickets before relaxing and found the start time to be 7:30. I revised the schedule. To save money and keep our schedule uncomplicated we all had peanut butter and jelly sandwiches in the room before going to see Love.

Love was awesome. It is performed in a custom-built theater with 360 degree seating. I didn’t know what to expect and the show started off a little slow with dancing and acting out to songs but very little of the world class Cirque du Soleil artistry we saw in La Nouba. Love turned out to be an interpretation of the Beatles lyrics in a series of scenes involving aerial acts, extreme sports and urban dance. The sound system was perfect. The show’s original score was created by using the master tapes at Abbey Road Studios. The show captured the surrealistic nature of the Beatles songs and provided what could only be described as the equivalent to a drug-induced trip with fantastic light effects, costumes and performances. My favorite scene was done to “Octopus’s Garden”. The theater was lighted to give the appearance of being under water and performers, suspended high in the air were “floated” around in costumes that looked like big jellyfish. However they did it, between the lighting and costume design, it looked very much like real big jellyfish floating around.

I think the creativity and genius that goes into these shows is fantastic. Add to that the best-in-the-world performers and it becomes an experience that you won’t forget—and that you don’t want to end. I did note that the several Volkswagen beetles used in the show were accurately right-hand drive English versions of the car. A small touch that demonstrates the care that goes into planning these shows. We left the show pleased with the performance and chatting about how they did all the effects.