Red Rock (Yeah Yeah) Canyon

[dawn_felagund]

Monday, April 1, the day after the Grand Canyon trip, was pretty low-key. Luxor had just opened a Titanic exhibit that Bobby and I went to see in the afternoon. Okay, okay, go ahead and laugh: Titanic was possibly my first fandom, unless one counts playing Hey Dude with my sister when we were kids. The Titanic movie came out when I was sixteen, and

Comments

[phyncke]

I just went to Vegas and had a different experience. We were not hassled at all by any of the staff at the hotels we went to - we went to a bunch - Caesar's, Bellagio, Venetian, NY NY. It was totally fine. I think I would not generalize - it might have been specific to the hotel you were in. I loved Vegas and plan on going back. Just wanted to comment on that. I did not have that experience at all and present counterpoint.

[dawn_felagund]

I don't think I generalized. I think I was actually quite specific that it was only some places:

We discovered, as we journeyed in and out of the various hotel-casinos, that some of them have legions of employees devoted to trying to convince you to go to "free" shows and meals ...
Most of the places we went were wonderful. Luxor was the worst; it was about a three-minute walk to the Titanic exhibit, and we were accosted three times. We had the same experience but not as pushy in Venetian and Paris. We eventually just ignored any staff who tried to speak to us; that felt rude, which I don't like, but I also don't appreciate someone stepping in my path every few minutes and gushing, "Are you going to be here tonight?" and refusing to let me walk on. Everywhere else that I can recall (we were in all you listed except Bellagio), people might offer a coupon for something going on in the casino but weren't pushy

[myaru]

Oh wow, Hey Dude! Haven't thought about that in ages, but I remember loving it when I was younger. I wonder how I'd feel watching it now.

This is like a trip down memory lane for me. My family used to go to Vegas every summer, so I know all of these places pretty well - or what they were, at any rate, fifteen years ago. :/ Luxor was always my favorite, but maybe I didn't get pushed around as much because I was obviously underage and they were more interested in shooing me over to the "safe" parts of the casino.

The shows always seemed much more interesting than gambling, but then again: fifteen-year-old point of view, right? Though if my luck rolling dice for D&D is any indication, my luck is about as good as yours.

[dawn_felagund]

Apparently Hey Dude comes in a boxed set! I've also wondered how I would respond to it today. When my sister and I played it, I was always Brad, and I think she was Melody. I had a crush on Buddy! Someone was always getting rabies in our game. Not sure where that came from.

It was unfortunate that the Luxor staff were so pushy the day we were there. It was a really cool place.

I still think the shows are more interesting. Hell, I'd rather just walk through the hotels and look at the architecture! Some of the places are just beautiful. People-watching is good too.

I was also a craptastic roller in D&D! :D

[heartofoshun]

I never went to Vegas but I did manage to cross over into the state of Nevada a few times, usually Lake Tahoe and did gamble a little (I may not have been as tight as you, but always broke) and I was more like Bobbie--the little bit of gambling I did usually paid my expenses.

I would like to see the Cirque du soleil adult show! Sounds interesting.

OMG! This made me laugh so much!

That was about it; even then, I didn't write plot. The horse's name was Challenge; my fourth-grade teacher praised my use of very specific names for the different cacti. Even then, I wrote purple prose. The story was 13 pages long, the longest in my class. Even then, I was long-winded.

People do not fundamentally change, do they?

The desert pictures are magnificent.

[dawn_felagund]

I did usually paid my expenses.

Lucky! It's really uncanny how much success he will have compared to my failure. My dad is the same way. He apparently put in $5 one day while waiting for Bobby and me to come down from the room, and he didn't hit a single line. I think the odds of our persistent un-luck are higher than if we hit the occasional "small jackpot." (A favorite term from my former boss who was a high roller in Atlantic City. His "small jackpot" would make me pee in my shoes for joy!)

I think it's the tightwad Walls gene. The tightwad comes from my dad's side of the family. My paternal grandfather was a millionaire and would look over my grandmother's Walmart receipts with a magnifying glass.

I would like to see the Cirque du soleil adult show! Sounds interesting.

It was very good. Very sensual; some boobs and butts, nothing extreme. The dance told the story. Oh, and hilarious--there was a good bit of comedy in there too.

People do not fundamentally change, do they?As a writer, no. Not at all. (Actually, not in general;

[heartofoshun]

Thank you! It was a perfect day for photography!

It takes an eye though and imagination. I've gone back and looked at your England photos a couple of times. OMG! One of Gabriel's aunt took pictures at a few of our big events--Laura's baby shower, Alex's Christening, a couple of parties and it was difficult to find a decent picture or two out of dozens. The guest of honor's head was always cut off or she took the perfect picture with her finger over part of the lens. They were quite amazing in the sense of being so bad. My son's baby mama takes amazing photos--she makes homely people look beautiful and fat people look thin and captures the perfect moment with a cell phone camera. Gabriel's aunt who takes the bad photos has a very nice camera also.

[dawn_felagund]

About half the photos I post are mine, and half are Bobby's. Most of the panoramas are mine. I'm kind of addicted to that feature.

I'm tickled that the England photos have such staying power!

The guest of honor's head was always cut off or she took the perfect picture with her finger over part of the lens.

I laughed out loud at this! Sorry! That sucks! But dang. How does she manage that, unless she doesn't even look into the viewfinder?? Bobby and I both tend to take some time on composition. We took a beginning nature photography class once and use what few concepts we have ad nauseum. ;)

[engarian]

How wonderful to see the desert once more. I notice that you got fairly close to the cholla cactus. I always swore that they could actually jump a couple of inches to grab onto me when they abutted pathways I had to climb to archaeological sites I was working on.

Loved the canyon rocks. So beautiful and in panorama too! You rock! (no pun intended)

I have no gambling medicine and usually end up donating my money to the tribe (or casino owner) in too short an order. DH sometimes does all right, though. Gambling for us is quite rare, though.

- Erulisse (one L)

[dawn_felagund]

I didn't have any run-ins with cacti aside from, in a Red Rocks picnic area, picking up a prickly pear pad off the path where someone had kicked it and where it was just waiting to jab someone who was wearing sandals. I got some of the hairs in my thumb, but they came right out and didn't hurt a bit.

It was a perfect day for photography--I'll blame the gorgeous day for the photos turning out so well! :)

Bobby and I take an occasional day trip to Atlantic City. The bus always gives us $20 each, and his grandmother usually gives us $10, and once those are gone, we walk the Boardwalk. It's really hard for me to throw away money like that; I come from a long line of proud tightwads! :)

[indy1776]

Wow! Those are gorgeous photographs. Like you, I've always been fond of deserts.

I'm glad you had fun!

[dawn_felagund]

It was really a great day for photography; the light was just about perfect and that sky! :)