IntrinsicTina

During my recent trip to Las Vegas, I had the opportunity to cross off a few items from my "bucket" list. Admittedly, some are tiny little things like eating a Deep-Fried Twinkie at "Mermaids" and finally having the chance to savor Cioppino at La Village in the Paris Hotel and Casino. I like mussels. No small wonder there as I love oysters, scallops, and most anything from the ocean I've eaten. More significantly I got to take a ride in a helicopter. It was a short ride (about 5 minutes) a gloriously smooth and fascinating lift over Lake Mead to float purposefully over the Hoover Dam. I got the front seat and despite my recently-acquired fear of heights (usually manifesting in high windy places out of doors) I did not flinch. I'm certain my eyes were wide with wonder and I felt an unusual calm and joy at the new sensation.

Old Las Vegas signs are given a new life in the Fremont area and mixes well with the new. We visited the Fremont area often for the gambling, for the sights, and for the entertainment.

Resorts can be a lovely thing. Sparkling pools, maintained and walkable pathways, a clean room with space to live and breathe. Ours was in the form of a timeshare owned by my sister and brother-in-law and was right smack at the southern end of the Las Vegas strip. (Just far enough away from the "action" to be relaxing yet close enough to grab hold of the action when the mood struck.)

We had the first day to ourselves at my sister's timeshare at the WorldMark Las Vegas when their flight was canceled. The wind kicked up and accompanied us on our side-trip to Jean and Pahrump in search of the Bonnie & Clyde Death Car. (My husband's folly) We would miss the car until another day but discovered many more at a rally in Goodman Springs. Quite by accident we found the oldest building in the State of Nevada and had a little adventure in a windstorm. We failed to find a desert tortoise though we entered a conservation area for the little buggers.

Gladly leaving downed trees and a 3-day power outage, we embark on our vacation to Vegas, Baby! Of course I brought along some Cascade 220 SuperWash to knit up a mens hat while on the airplane. Unfortunately, I didn't bother with a picture of my project-du-jour. Instead, here are some sights on that first night (or should I admit that it was the wee hours of the following morning?) (Pictured are New York, New York , Caesar's Palace , and the MGM Grand Hotel and Casino) My husband and I were amazed to find that this new Vegas-on-Steroids since our last visit 10 years ago.

The forecast was predicting a "snow-magedden". We got a little snow...followed by freezing rain...followed by a fast thaw causing flooding. This event occurred previous to my vacation. The heavy snows clung to tree branches breaking many. Ice storms coated the branches breaking trees. One of ours broke off in three sections, blocking our neighbors garage. The next night one hit our home. Luckily not causing any damage to it. Our fences did not fare as well. Each one will need repair. We were lucky.

This is what I've been up to for the past few months. Lots of baby knitting for impending new parents. This one is a blanket I hand knit for Rod's former co-worker who is having his second child. Of course, if there is an adorable first child, it is wise not to leave her empty-handed. I also knit a sweet little seed stitch hat for the wee one. The Skull and Crossbones and Heart Earflap Hat and Mittens are a hand-knit gift for my co-worker and supervisor at work. Her baby shower was today.