Happy Thanksgiving!

Early this morning Jim and I went to the Bellagio to see their Thanksgiving garden.  If you visit Las Vegas, be sure to go to the Bellagio.  This is the first time we visited the Thanksgiving garden.  We have seen the other 4 displays that they have.  All of them are spectacular and they are free!  I think the Bellagio is a very elegant hotel.  Jim took these photos.  I was all prepared, camera in purse, but the battery was dead...  Jim to the rescue!  After taking the photos, we had breakfast in the coffee shop overlooking the garden.  A beautiful way to start our Thanksgiving celebration!  I have so much to be thankful for - that includes the cat, Cary Grant, who is standing in front of my computer screen as I type.  Mr. Cary Grant is saying, "I'm beautiful.  Pay attention to me!"  I hope you all have a wonderful day!  (Please click on the photos to make them bigger.  I think that really shows the wonder of this garden.  Some of the pumpkins are 300 to 600 pounds!  They were grown especially for this display.)

 

Anthony Zerbe - It's All Done With Mirrors

Jim and I saw Anthony Zerbe at the Old Fifth Street School last Friday night.  He's on tour in a one man show of the poetry of E. E. Cummings.  If he is appearing in your area, go see him.  He's fabulous, amazing, talented, smart, funny, a great actor, can do accents, has a wonderful voice and he seems to be a darned nice guy.  After the show, he stayed and answered questions from the audience.  We had such a wonderful time.  Years ago, we saw Anthony Zerbe and Roscoe Lee Browne here at one of our arts centers.  That was amazing, too!  I hope he returns to Las Vegas soon.

The Old Fifth Street School was restored and it's a lovely place.  Jim took a few photos before we went inside.  Even though it was dark, I talked him into taking a picture of the sign because I think it's so pretty.  This is a magical place.  It was a magical night.

 

Two of the Cutest Men Ever!

Here are my dad and his newest great grandson.  Are they cute, or what?

 

Red Rock Canyon Hike

Here is a photo Jim took of Red Rock Canyon while we were eating lunch at The Top of the World at the Stratosphere.  The rest of the photos were taken when were went hiking in Red Rock last Saturday.

 

 

You say it's your birthday! It's my birthday, too, yeah!

Let the birthday celebration continue!  A lovely surprise party last night!  (Who knew Jim could keep a secret?)  A special meal at Top of the World today!  Tomorrow, we're going hiking in Red Rock Canyon!  I'm a very happy birthday girl:)  I hope your weekend is fabulous.  I will paint again, so please don't give up on me.  I've been a distracted artist, but a very good birthday girl!  

I Belong in the Desert

I love to visit different places.  I always come home to the wild, wild West.  I like to be able to see forever. 

 

Where Were We?

Jim and I have listened to all kinds of music all our lives.  My dad used to sing in a country band - electrician by day, country singer and guitar player by night.  I grew up on the music of Johnny Cash, Merle Haggard, the Statler Brothers, Waylon and Willie and other country greats.  My mom was in love with Elvis Presley and rock, so I listened to Elvis, Cream, the Beatles, the Rolling Stones and Led Zeppelin.  I also developed a love of show tunes, some classical music and jazz.  Jim grew up on folk,  rock and old standards, courtesy of his older brother and sister and his parents.  We know a lot of music.  At least we thought we did.

A couple of months ago, Jim fell in love with ABBA.  We both wondered where the heck he had been in the seventies.  Everyone else in our generation, everyone in our children's generation, everyone in our parent's generation, everyone in our grandchildren's generation...Heck!  Everyone knows ABBA's music!  I was a real smarty-pants about it until we watched The Colbert Report Thursday night.

Stephen Colbert's guest was John Prine.  Where had I been?  Jim was no better.  Neither of us knew his music, but it is great.  We got on YouTube.  We found him singing his songs with Emmylou Harris, Johnny Cash, Vince Gil.  Have you heard of him?  His lyrics are a slice of life - funny, happy, tragic.  His tunes are lovely.

No art from me today.  I've got lesson plans to do and then I must watch my Green Bay Packers. (Every time I write Green Bay Packers, I make a typo and it comes out Green Baby Packers.  I wonder if there's any significance to that:)) Have a beautiful Sunday.  It's sprinkling rain here today.  It's warm, but not hot.  A perfect day.

P. S.  I'd like to share one more discovery that we made this week.  The song was written by Paul McCartney and it is performed by Glen Campbell.  Neither of us had ever heard it before.  It's beautiful enough to make you cry.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cU5Kb3MnCqs