Charley the dog is very, very glad we're back from the days in Vegas -- he follows me around, and makes desperate attempts to sneak into the car, if we go anywhere. The neighbors spoiled him rotten -- they actually hauled out one of Daughter #2's beanbag chairs (one that got wet during the basement caper) for him to sleep on. So now he snoozes on a leopard print pouf, up high so he can see more of what's going on. I swear he's even a little bit fatter. (These are good neighbors.)
I finished taking the USPAP appraiser's exam! God willing, I passed it...but I won't know for at least a week yet. It is so nice not to be studying about appraisal reviews, summaries and restricted use. Now on to the other things I'm supposed to be working on...
Las Vegas really was a welcome break. I don't think we acted like their typical visitor, though -- we didn't gamble. Not a cent. We generally only ate one meal a day...and that was at a buffet. (Try Main Street Station -- $8.99 for breakfast or lunch, and that includes whatever you're drinking. They'll validate your parking, too.)
We went to one show -- just one. Cirque du Soleil was great...except the only show we could get tickets for was their 'sexy' one, Zumanity. Other than a huge series of inane jokes about sex, most of the time the sexy part was that the women went topless. The effect was less than mesmerizing: I kept thinking, 'how come the guys aren't stripping down as much?' And quite frankly, the women just looked cold. They would have been sexier if they'd kept their clothes on...
The gymnastics were great. Lighting and music - fabulous. And at interesting intervals, some pipes from the ceiling spouted out 'rose petals' onto the audience. Parts of the show were truly great -- but more of it was just waiting for the sex jokes to die down. And sadly, those jokes sounded like they came from a junior high school boys locker room. Come on, Cirque...where's the classiness you're so famous for?
We also took a long day to head for Hoover Dam (about 30 min. drive away) and the Grand Canyon (4 hours). The Brick is an engineer by training, and was fascinated by the Dam tour. (Frankly, I enjoyed it, too.) You get a very-close-up look at the system's tunnels, turbines, and of course, that huge, famous wall that was constructed by pouring load after load of concrete back in the 1930s. Hoover Dam is really quite old in the parlence of construction, yet it still is producing an incredible amount of energy. It has already paid back all the costs of construction, and is now supporting itself, just by the energy it can produce from flooding the turbines with water from Lake Mead.
You can also have an incredible amount of fun talking about all the Dam things you can do there, from visiting the Dam store and spending time in the Dam exhibits. (Oh, and sending Dam postcards to your family!) Not to mention our Dam guide's accent and voice had an unnerving resemblance to the Church Lady...
We had so much fun there that we got started late to the Grand Canyon. And got there just as it was getting dark. (Hey, I can tell you what the ranger station and the pine grove around it looks like in the dark!) Note to selves: Arizona is on Pacific time -- and you not only lose an hour going there, you lose an hour of daylight. Quit fooling around with all those Dam subjects next time, and leave earlier.
It wasn't a total loss. One of the reasons for making the trip was to check on a good friend who was working nearby in Williams. (He's been sick. We were worried.) We had supper with him before driving back to Vegas; thankfully, he's doing much better.
It was a long day...and we had to be at the airport at 6 a.m. the next morning, to catch our plane home. But it -- and the whole trip -- were worth it. I'm looking forward to the next thirty years with the Brick - he's a wonderful guy.
Happy Anniversary, Honey!
I finished taking the USPAP appraiser's exam! God willing, I passed it...but I won't know for at least a week yet. It is so nice not to be studying about appraisal reviews, summaries and restricted use. Now on to the other things I'm supposed to be working on...
Las Vegas really was a welcome break. I don't think we acted like their typical visitor, though -- we didn't gamble. Not a cent. We generally only ate one meal a day...and that was at a buffet. (Try Main Street Station -- $8.99 for breakfast or lunch, and that includes whatever you're drinking. They'll validate your parking, too.)
We went to one show -- just one. Cirque du Soleil was great...except the only show we could get tickets for was their 'sexy' one, Zumanity. Other than a huge series of inane jokes about sex, most of the time the sexy part was that the women went topless. The effect was less than mesmerizing: I kept thinking, 'how come the guys aren't stripping down as much?' And quite frankly, the women just looked cold. They would have been sexier if they'd kept their clothes on...
The gymnastics were great. Lighting and music - fabulous. And at interesting intervals, some pipes from the ceiling spouted out 'rose petals' onto the audience. Parts of the show were truly great -- but more of it was just waiting for the sex jokes to die down. And sadly, those jokes sounded like they came from a junior high school boys locker room. Come on, Cirque...where's the classiness you're so famous for?
We also took a long day to head for Hoover Dam (about 30 min. drive away) and the Grand Canyon (4 hours). The Brick is an engineer by training, and was fascinated by the Dam tour. (Frankly, I enjoyed it, too.) You get a very-close-up look at the system's tunnels, turbines, and of course, that huge, famous wall that was constructed by pouring load after load of concrete back in the 1930s. Hoover Dam is really quite old in the parlence of construction, yet it still is producing an incredible amount of energy. It has already paid back all the costs of construction, and is now supporting itself, just by the energy it can produce from flooding the turbines with water from Lake Mead.
You can also have an incredible amount of fun talking about all the Dam things you can do there, from visiting the Dam store and spending time in the Dam exhibits. (Oh, and sending Dam postcards to your family!) Not to mention our Dam guide's accent and voice had an unnerving resemblance to the Church Lady...
We had so much fun there that we got started late to the Grand Canyon. And got there just as it was getting dark. (Hey, I can tell you what the ranger station and the pine grove around it looks like in the dark!) Note to selves: Arizona is on Pacific time -- and you not only lose an hour going there, you lose an hour of daylight. Quit fooling around with all those Dam subjects next time, and leave earlier.
It wasn't a total loss. One of the reasons for making the trip was to check on a good friend who was working nearby in Williams. (He's been sick. We were worried.) We had supper with him before driving back to Vegas; thankfully, he's doing much better.
It was a long day...and we had to be at the airport at 6 a.m. the next morning, to catch our plane home. But it -- and the whole trip -- were worth it. I'm looking forward to the next thirty years with the Brick - he's a wonderful guy.
Happy Anniversary, Honey!
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