Polar Opposites ~ Freemont Street & Habitat Build

April 9 ~ 13

Freemont Street is where Vegas really began.  Home to some of  the original casinos like the Golden Nugget, the area is now an attraction unto itself with its Viva Visa canopy and light show(vegasexperience.com). It is very cool and well worth the trip north of the Strip.  The screen arches 90 feet above the street, stretches 1500 feet and contains 12.5 milliion LED lights.  It is very psychedelic!

The 8pm show featured the long version of American Pie and was fabulous.

Shows run hourly....we caught the 9 o'clock Doors tribute.  Didn't think it was as good.

Should have stuck around for the 10 pm show featuring Queen...but Rick was fading.  Had dinner before the shows at the Grotto in the Golden Nugget (goldennugget.com)...don't bother.  Did win a tiny bit at their slots....keep trying to bring our total losing number down!

Habitat For Humanity Build

The reason we're hanging out in Vegas for so long is the Habitat for Humanity Build at the National Association of Broadcasters convention.  A home is being built in the parking lot of the Convention Center with the help of convention attendees.  Rick is a Team Leader which means he will take a bunch of volunteers and help them through framing out this three bedroom home.  Over three days, with four shifts a day, the house will be built and at the end of the week, dismantled in large pieces to be put together again on a lot to be occupied by a working Las Vegas family. 

Rick spent hours pouring over the plans, helping with changes and modeling computer drawings so volunteers could get the idea of what they would ultimately accomplish.  It started with a bare parking lot.

Volunteers came, most with no experience in this sort of thing, and were taught by the Team Leaders how to measure, hammer, lift and tote....and a house began to take shape.

Volunteers sign the walls as they complete their shifts and leave a message for all conventioneers to see.

I was signed up to help as an "organizer"...didn't work out too well....too many volunteers and not enough to do...was just in the way.  Went to the NAB show for awhile...then wandered over to the next door Hilton Casino.  Came away with another $75.74 in winnings.....our total losses aren't looking too bad now!

Red Rock Canyon

April 6 ~ 7

Discovering  Red Rock Canyon (redrockcanyonlv.org) was a welcome relief.  We had never heard of it before, but we're glad we found this little jewel in the Mojave Desert.  It is a National Conservation Area run by the Bureau of Land Management and if you're a hiker or rock climber, this would be paradise. We, on the other hand, just took the 13 mile scenic drive with short walks at multiple stops along the way.

The centerpiece of the park is called Calico Hills.

The hills were originally sand dunes that were calcified as minerals leached into the core.  The  iron elements "rusted" the rock.

This was the extent of our rock climbing!

Others were more daring!

Other formations created a cone effect.

The foliage in the park was almost non-existent.  Was hoping to catch some wild flowers, but everything was very scraggly.  But as we were exiting, we came across some really neat things.

Wild burros literally stopped traffic.  It wasn't exactly like a "buffalo jam" but it was cool.  And they do make that abrassive braying sound you here in old cowboy movies.

Joshua trees were flourishing and we finally got to see them in bloom.  They start out looking like an artichoke.

Then blossom into a waxy hyacinth-like flower.

Habitat for Humanity

The press conference to introduce Habitat's first LEED house in Nevada went off very well.  Local dignitaries and media in attendance.  Rick had worked on the finishing touches to the house and gave explanations of the solar heating system to people who toured the house.  I manned the sign-in table and kept the doughnuts stocked.

Rick is a team leader on a Habitat build that will take place at the National Association of Broadcaster's convention that starts on Sunday.  I'll help wherever they need me.

Finally got around to using a mole spice mix I bought in Tucson.  Last night made a Chicken Mole that was fantastic...topped with spiced  pumpkin seeds, over rice with "fajita seasoned" squash.  Really good.

Still Cooling Our Heels in Vegas On Our Six Month "Anniversary"

Marc 31 ~ April 5

Six months on the road...really hard to believe!  Today I'd like to turn around and go home!  I'm not bored with the traveling...I'm bored with the sitting here in Vegas.  The weather has not been good (today 57 degrees with 20 mph winds and rain...consant high winds here have precluded golf....nothing much of interest to do here...visits to the Strip have gotten old.

The reason we are here for another 10 days is that Rick has gotten very involved in a Habitat for Humanity project.  It's terrific for him and he has a great deal to offer them.  I really wanted to jump in and help on some of the PR things they are doing, but I just seem to be in the way, so I'm twiddlin' my thumbs and spending a lot of time in the gym.

A real nice surprise was a visit from Rick's brother, Jim, and his son, Jason.  Jason works for Southwest Airlines so one day they decided to hop a flight and see the lights!  Had a terrific time.  Lunched at Mario Batalio's Enoteca San Marco (venetian.com) in the Venetian. 

Must say I was a tad disappointed.  My Penne alla Norma, with tomato, eggplant and ricotta, was totally lacking in eggplant....the reason I ordered this dish.  Though Jim's Gemelli with sausage and brocolli rabe was good as was Rick's sausage and peppers pizza.  All in all, moderately interesting food and inflated prices. Was really too bad that extraordinary high winds cancelled the Bellagio fountain and the Treasure Island pirate ship shows we wanted to show them.

Spending Easter Sunday in Vegas was a bit odd.  Went to Mass at a church on the Strip...created an odd visual juxtaposition.

Then a Gospel Brunch at the House of Blues in the Mandalay Bay Hotel (mandalaybay.com).  Was really excited about going...have heard such good things about other locations.   However, here the food was mediocre and the 12-piece band just didn't have that certain something that brings an audience to their feet without them asking you to....over and over and over again. 

Didn't feel as bad about it as I could have considering I found a "BOGO" coupon.  Half price made it more tolerable. 

Tomorrow is the Habitat for Humanity press conference showcasing their first "LEED" (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) house.  Should be interesting.  Hoping I can jump in and help them in some way.