I love this staircase in the Tsunami Asian Grill inside the Venetian. What wonders are to behold at the top of those steps? Probably just more dining tables. But it's fun to imagine where those stairs could lead. I love how the reflection in the glass makes it look like a stairway to Heaven.
What better way to start the week than to take a 2 hour lunch break and go to the Hard Rock Cafe for a free concert by G Love & Special Sauce?! I found out about this show at the last minute so I rushed over and enjoyed a great lunch with a great friend and a great show by a great band. No monday blues for me!
This is how close I was. There was only a hand full of people there so every seat in the house was good. Awesome!
I went to Venice tonight! OK, so it wasn't the real Venice. I love the atmosphere in the Grand Canal Shoppes at the Venetian. There were lots of folks milling about St Mark's Sqare so I had fun catching the action.
For most people thinking about Las Vegas conjures up images of Elvis in a jumpsuit. Well, here he is!! The King was hanging out on Fremont Street. No big deal ;)
Tree Lizard (Urosaurus ornatus), okay this is the last lizard I will post this week. Obiviously I think they are fascinating. I took this photo in Zions National Park, a four hour drive from Vegas. This lizard is very tiny, unfortunately you can't tell from the photo! -Wendi
I thought I would post another lizard photo. This one is of the Western (Great Basin) Whiptail. Unfortunately I don't have any fun stories about this one yet! -Wendi
I took this photo on a trip out to the Valley of Fire, but just found out today that this lizard is called the Leopard Lizard. The Leopard Lizard is not friendly and will bite, not only will they bite us, but they will bite other Leopard Lizards. They are canabalistic! The females which are larger than the males, will consume the smaller males, if they are hungry. So how do they overcome this problem to actually mate? Well, during mating season the spots on the lizard turn red, indicating that it's okay to get close! It's amazing what you can learn on public TV!
We went up to Mt. Charleston and watched the meteor shower which peaks now until November 24th. I had to try to take some pictures of the sky. It's amazing how much the sky moves in a 4 minute exposure or should I say how much we move! -Wendi
I couldn't resist putting this picture up... What is the wildlife in this picture and how many of them do you see? -Wendi
On our way out to the wildlife preserve we got rained on. Yes! It occasionally rains here and decided to do so last weekend! So we were blessed with two full sized rainbows and excellent lighting! We started to look for the treasure at the end of the rainbow, but didn't get there fast enough! Have a great weekend! -Wendi
Took this on the way to the Desert Wildlife Preserve! Be prepared to be Shocked at what lies 40 minutes from the Strip! -Wendi
After you have perused the many huge aquariums at the Shark Reef you are led to the biggest tank of them all, the SHARK TANK! Here you get the feeling that you are in a sunken ship surrounded by sharks, barracuda, sea turtles, etc... circling, above, below(see the window in the floor) and too each side of you. It's an erie feeling. Oh and by the way, did you know that sharks can hear a beating heart, their eyesight is very poor but their sense of smell and hearing is excellent!
This tank holds jellyfish and is part of the Shark Reef exhibit at the Mandalay Bay. They keep the lights dimmed in the exhibit and light up the tanks, it makes for a cool experience! By the way did you know that jellyfish don't have brains or hearts?
The interior of the Mandalay Bay is classy, the high ceilings, and sky lights add to the whole ambiance. We are working our way to the Shark Reef, an indoor aquarium. -Wendi
This was a pretty cool lookout to the folks walking into the Blue Man Theater. I wonder if they knew what was in store for them.
Had to take a few shots of these kids on this hill. Brought back many memories of climbing up hills in a race to get to the top. Those where the days! The race is a little bit different now! - Wendi
Here's a shot from Snow Canyon in St. George, Utah. Near where the racers ran. It resembles Red Rock Canyon in Las Vegas with the red rocks. I love the red rocks against the blue sky, guess that's why I live in the desert! -Wendi
On the trip out to St. George I saw the Harvest Moon rising. I couldn't resist pulling over and taking a picture of it. Kala, of the Honalulu Daily photo, has posted a spectacular photo of a full moon in past months, which inspired me to try to take a night shot of it! So here you go! -Wendi
St. George, Utah is about an hour and a half or more(depending on the speed of the driver ;) ) east of Las Vegas. Today was it's annual marathon. I drove out to visit some family, who had friends running the race. It was exciting to see so many people running together. They start the race out in the middle of the desert and run 26 miles into town. This photo was taken at the 17 mile mark, near Snow Canyon. The sign says, Grandpa Rob Way to Go! Love, Kylie! Way to go everyone who ran, you are an inspiration to me! -Wendi
Red Rock Canyon is one of my favorite get aways in Vegas. The other day I needed to escape so I drove out there for a bit, did some hiking, and photographed the red rocks as the setting light hit them. -Wendi
This is the same sunset I saw through the rearview mirror... except that I was at a point where I could stop and photograph it properly. This was taken on the road into the Village Monte Lago at Lake Las Vegas. I think this is one of my favorite views of the city.
The other day as I was driving out to Lake Las Vegas I looked in my rearview mirror and discovered one of the most incredible sunsets I've ever seen in Las Vegas. I couldn't stop and take a photo so I thought I'd just show you the view I got.
Monday morning brought a beautiful sunrise! In Vegas if we have clouds in the sky (which is rare) we get some beautiful sunrises and sunsets. If you look closely you will see the outline of the strip in front of the mountains in the distance. Have a GREAT WEEK! -Wendi
Today is Sunday a day of rest. So I did not venture far today to take a picture instead I went into my own backyard to see what I would find. I took some pictures of some birds, flowers, etc... then looked up and found that I was not alone! This cat had been hiding up on a fence behind a tree watching my every move. I don't know whose cat he was but he was quite content to stay up there and cat nap on this restful day! -Wendi
