Happy Friday!

Here is a flower to brighten your day.  It's watercolor on 140 lb Arches and I used some of my quinacridone colors because I'm in love with them:)

Barbara Cook!

Yesterday, Jim and I toured The Smith Center, our new center for the performing arts in Las Vegas.  It's an amazing place!  While we were in the theater, it was all I could do to keep myself from running up on the stage and belting out a show tune.  I held myself back by thinking that I didn't want to get kicked out on my first trip there, I didn't want to embarrass Jim and I wanted to be able to return today to see Barbara Cook.  The theater seats 2,500 people and no seat is farther than 185 feet from the stage (according to our guide).  They've thought of everything to make the acoustics perfect and to make the audience comfortable.  The seats are plush.  They even thought about the air conditioning.  It doesn't blow down on you - there are flat circular vents under the seats.  The building is Art Deco with some lovely sculpture and lots of marble, limestone and wood flooring and walls.  Even if you don't attend a concert there, take a tour of the building.  (Once you tour it, you'll be determined to see a show there.)  It's the home of the Las Vegas Philharmonic and the Nevada Ballet Theatre. 

Okay, now for Barbara Cook - we fell in love with her.  First of all, she has a beautiful voice.  She is also absolutely charming and very funny.  She was appearing in the Cabaret which seats about 300 people.  It looked like every seat in the house was a good one.  We got there early.  While we were waiting, a sound man came over and talked to us.  He said that he has been at the center since before they opened and that Barbara Cook is the sweetest person that he has met.  He said we could ask anyone who worked there and they would say the same thing.  Now you know that if the people behind the scenes say that, it must be true.  Jim and I are so lucky!  Living in Las Vegas presents us with so many wonderful opportunities.  Barbara Cook performed 3 evening shows and one matinee here.  She's off to San Francisco tomorrow.  If you hear that she is appearing anywhere near you, go see her.  You'll fall in love, too.  By the way, she's 84 years old.  She's fabulous.

Top of the World Photos

Here we are - Jim, Mom and I.

Jim and His BFF at Top of the World

To celebrate Mother's Day a little early, Jim and I took my mom (his BFF) to Top of the World for lunch.  If you visit Las Vegas, I recommend it to you.  It was our first time there and we loved it.  It's 1, 100 feet up.  The view of Las Vegas is spectacular and the restaurant moves so that after one hour and twenty minutes, you have gotten a 360 degree view of our beautiful city.  The food was delicious and the dessert was, in Vegas tradition, sinfully good!  Our waitress and busperson were very nice.  I will post photos when I can talk Jim into downloading them off his camera.  (He's taking a nap right now.)  If you do check it out, be sure to tell them when you arrive that you are going to the restaurant, otherwise, they charge $16.00 per person to ride up.  The price of the food is about the same as other really nice restaurants.  We wouldn't be able to go there every day, but we will go again.  Maybe next time we'll go at sunset.

There is some entertainment, too.  While you eat, you may see some crazy - er - I mean brave people jumping off of the side of the building.  They have jumps and some rides, but I don't think I would ever try any of that.

Happy Mother's Day to everybody!

Crosby, Stills and Nash

Can they still sing?  Can they still play?  Can they still write songs?  Yes.  Jim and I went to the Crosby, Stills and Nash concert last night at The Joint at the Hard Rock Hotel here in Las Vegas.  (I can tell I'm tired because I already made 4 typos.)  They sound fabulous.  Graham Nash said they're 70 years old.  According to my calculations, this means that if you include the time before they got together, they've been singing and playing for at least 50 years.  They performed for over two and a half hours, sang many of their hits and sang some of their new songs.  During the second set, we really got a chance to appreciate the beautiful harmony and how well those voices have held up.  Plus at the end of the set, they really rocked (as promised by Graham Nash).  Stephen Stills is a monster on the guitar!

We had great seats about 10 or 12 rows back in the center of the room.  The audience was made up mainly of 40 to 70-year-olds:)  A man and woman came in with two boys in their late teens or early twenties and sat down two rows in front of us.  Before the concert started, the man stood up and announced to the audience that his sons were there only because he had bought them tickets and made them go:)  I think the boys ended up having as good a time as the rest of us.

This was a big night for us.  We're usually in bed by 9:00 and up by 4:20.  The concert started at 8:00 and ended at 11:00.  Then we had to drive 30 minutes to the other side of town because we're dogsitting.  We got home around 12:30.  We got up at the usual time so we could run over to let our furry grandchildren out.  I think I'm ready for a nap and it's only 8:12 a.m.!

I hope all is well with everybody.  I've been following your blogs and enjoying the art even though I haven't been posting.  I'm back now and plan to do some painting and posting...but now, I'm going back to bed.  Please forgive any typos I may have missed.

Happy New Year!

Happy New Year to all of my blogging buddies!  2011 was wonderful.  I'm looking forward to starting 2012.

Tonight we're spending a quiet evening welcoming in the new year. 
I wish you all the best in the new year!

She'll Be Here on Tuesday!

Mom will be here on Tuesday.  Guess what I'm doing!  Yes, that's right - cleaning the house.  I also baked oatmeal cranberry cookies and chocolate chip cookies today.  Yummy.  I've been taking a break and browsing blogs.  I've seen some absolutely gorgeous paintings.  You guys rock!