Silver Lining

Yesterday we had a great sunset, but I really liked this point, right before the sun went down. The clouds were very dark, but there was the silver lining all around them, and gave me a pause to think about all of the great things in life.
-Dave

Another Brick in the Wall

One of the interesting things about Las Vegas is we never seem to run out of walls- we are always building new block walls around our communities and properties... when people first move here, that is often one of their complaints- they aren't used to having walls all around them, and then after they live here a while, they complain the walls aren't high enough...

They can add a touch of class though, and they do help to keep the communities distinct from one another.

Dave

Fast Wings and a Crazy Eye!

Here is another picture of one of the moths- I think the thing that stands out the most to me is the eye of the moth- the whole head looks like a bird, but the body looks like an insect...

Dave

Fast Wings

As I was working yesterday, I saw a trio of Butterfly Moths ( I don't know their actual name, but that is what we always called them) flitting around some of the flowers. To give you an Idea of how fast the wings are going, i had to use a flash and an ISO 1600, with the corresponding aperature and shutter speeds- and that still didn't stop the wings! some of the pics I got look sort of like ghosts... maybe they should be called Ghost Moths...

Dave

Blooming Flowers

Springtime is here! We are starting to get a little more color in the scenery now that the weather has turned nice. We have been hitting temperatures in the upper 80's to lower 90's, and it has been great!

-Dave

Spring Fever

I was driving by a preschool the other day and saw these bikes all lined up at the gate, almost like they're ready to get out and play! That is exactly how I'm feeling right now, the weather is great, and I'm stuck at work, though I'm ready to play! I was reading on the NY, NY DP and he said it went from 11 degrees to the 60's. It went from the 50's to the 90's here! It's great!
Dave

Airport Construction

This is what the runway at McCarran looks like right now... Just Kidding! A third terminal is now being added to the airport, to try and quell some of the expected traffic- as it is the airport is expected to reach its capacity by 2016, and so plans for a whole new airport are underway. The new terminal is supposed to be operational by 2010. The only worry I have is whether they are going to be able to shorten the security lines... they're not too bad, it only takes about an hour to go through them now...

Dave

Ascending Planes

This is the median between the up escalators at the D Concorse at McCarran International Airport. Currently, according to Wikipedia, McCarran is the nation's 6th busiest airport, and services more of Southwest's flights than any other airport. I liked the progression of the planes as it went up... the down escalator has the planes going down- again pretty cool!

Dave

St. Louis, MO from St. Louis, IL

Another interesting thing about St. Louis- it is actually in two states! This is from the Illinois side of St. Louis- we walked across the bridge here and found that half way across is the state line- pretty neat! I'm not sure which river it is, but there are two main waterways that connect in St. Louis- the Mississippi and the Missouri. I will say it is more water than I've seen in a long time!
Dave

Greetings From St. Louis!!

Greetings from St. Louis! Hey all, sorry about missing the last few days; I was in St. Louis for a conference and wasn't able to get online long enough to put up a post. I know this is a Las Vegas Daily Post, but I thought since there isn't one for St. Louis, I can post some pics!

This is the famous St. Louis Arch- I was really surprised to find out that is does not go over the river, which I always thought it did. It is huge though, rising over 600 feet into the air! There is a tram that will take you up to the top inside of the arch, but I didn't have the hour to wait in line to go... but it is a really neat thing to see, on my list of things to go back to for sure!
Dave

Looking to the Future

This is a picture I took last summer that I call Looking to the Future; it just seems to be a good day for that! The future has endless possibilities, and the world is at our feet, if we choose to walk! There may not be a post for a few days (sorry), but we'll be looking forward to getting some new ones up in the near future!

Dave

Golden Arch

One of the great things here in Las Vegas is the 24 hour service- You can find just about everything you need at anytime- even the McDonald's! I thought this sign was cool because it really caught the eye, even though it is on the Strip, and there are so many things already there competing for a look... I also found it interesting to see other franchises getting in on the act- Panda Express and Chipotle- McD's gets the attention and the others get a second look... smart advertising!
Dave

Night Time Traffic

Unbelievably to those of us who live here in Vegas, here is proof that there are some drivers here who can follow the road when driving! This is taken from one of the many street overpasses around the Strip, this one near the Wynn. They have been constructed to help pedestrians be able to cross the street without getting hit by a taxi! The taxis here are kind of like the ones in NYC, but they can go a lot faster here... This photo was taken by my camera, but the concept of the photo, framing and timing was by my friend Erinn
-Dave

Fire in the Sky

We have some of the best snusets here! I was driving the other night and turned to try and get a picture of the sunset- sorry its a little blurry... But it was absolutely gorgeous that night!

Dave

Springtime is Coming

Springtime is here! We have the wind, the rain, and the ladybugs! I was at work the other day, and I saw this lady bug crawling on a wall. I was pretty excited when I saw it, because I didn't have to kill it! but it is exciting to know that the winter is almost over, and soon we'll have our good ol' hot weather again!

Dave

Rainbow

In all of the bad weather we've been having, some really neat things have shown up- Tuesday morning we had a perfect rainbow in the clouds as the sun cam up! it was cool- unfortunately, I couldn't get a small enough angle to get a picture of the whole thing- but it was huge!

Dave

Raindrops Keep Falling...

We've had some rain this week! That may not sound too exciting to some, but when your average annual rainfall is less than two inches, it is exciting when you get a little! The weather has been really pretty cold; the wind has picked up a lot, a sure sign that spring is upon us! I took this picture of my windshield- I like seeing the images of the houses as they distort a little in the water- kind of a "melting clocks" theme!

Dave

Moving Lanterns

We found these cool lanterns in the Wynn Hotel-

What really intrigued me about them is that they move up and down, never staying in the same place. I also really liked the colors they had chosen

Dave

Frog Trio

I saw this statue in a yard the other day (yes Kirk, it was a while ago) and thought it was really cool

Dave

Deadly Beauty

The other day I ran into a Black Widow Spider redoing her web after it had been destroyed by a barrage of water from a hose- being the slight arachnaphobe, my first thought was to kill it, but then I started to watch how she moved and how truly beautiful the spider was, and how intricate her web and movements were. I like this picture because it looks like she's suspended in the air. It was truly fascinating to watch, and I was actually sad when it came time to end the show...

Dave

And you thought billboards were big...

This is a full size Adidas ad- full size as in the side of Bally's Hotel and Casino! Last weekend we had the NBA Allstar game, as well as all of the events that go along with it: it was pretty crazy around here! A number of the people I've talked to are glad its over: the crowds were large and, according to some, very rude and inhospitable. Unfortunately the outside perception of Las Vegas being a great place to party has really stuck, so when people come here, they assume they have the right to lose all decency... but its over now, and life runs on! Adidas had an ad on the MGM too which was really cool looking, but I couldn't get to it in time to get the picture before they took it down. I'm curious- do you think you can see through the film if you're in one of those rooms?

Dave

Desert Firefighters

I was driving the other day and saw this firetruck spraying water a couple of hundred feet out into the desert- coming from a state that has many large forest fires every year, one nice thing about living in the middle of a large desert is that there isn't a whole lot to burn!

Dave

Year of the Pig

In case you didn't know (I didn't until a couple of days ago) its Chinese New Year! And if the giant sign at the Venetian didn't make it clear, Bellagio has a big pig (and its nose and ears move too!) to illustrate the point! According to Wikipedia, the new year started on the 18th, and will go till the end of the first lunar month, which will be in March. Until then, it'll be a great party!

-Dave

UFO Landed!

To those skeptics out there here is proof there was a UFO out here! OK, it was really just the large dish over the entrance to the Fashion Show Mall. Underneath the dish is a myriad of shops, clubs, and restaurants, including one of my favorites in Vegas- Cafe Babareeba, a Spanish themed restaurant, which we'll get in a future post.

-Dave

Patriotic Roof

Happy President's Day! I saw this roof the other day, and thought I had to get a picture of it. Unfortunately for those that had the day off, its been a rainy day today, but still beautiful!

Dave

UFO!!!

Well, for those of you who don't believe in UFO's, my friend Erinn and I saw one last night down on the Strip- Here it is hovering over Treasure Island! If anyone can dispute the evidence, and give another explanation as to what this wierd object is, please let us know!

Dave

Hoover Dam at Night II

This is a view of the dam from the Nevada side, up the hill a ways. One of the most interesting things (to me anyway) is the cables that go across the gorge- it boggles my mind to think how they were pulled to the other side.

Dave

Hoover Dam at Night

One of the great thing about the Hoover Dam is trying to get across it! There is usually a long line of cars, and it can take a couple of hours to get to it and then cross- that was the case here, the line was very long, and I was able to get out and take several long exposures and miss the wait.

Dave

Hoover Dam and Bridge

Hey all! Welcome back! We've all been a little busy, sorry for the abscence! Here is a picture of the Hoover Dam and the new bridge they are building to bypass the dam. They are someof the coolest architectural and engineering feats of the southwest! Both are huge projects, one created the largest man made lake in the U.S. (Lake Mead). The bridge was started in response to the attacks of Sept. 11, to create a bypass around the dam, which supplies electricity and water to Las Vegas, Boulder City and much of Southern California and Arizona.

Dave

Turtle Head Peak

A view of turtle head peak. It's a fun hike in Red Rock Park, with some steep, rocky trails, but the view from the top is worth it. -Wendi

Hiker

Hiking up to Turtle Head Peak in Red Rock Park. It was a nice warm day. -Wendi

Red, White, and Blue

On Saturday I went out hiking and the lighting was AMAZING! So I snapped this shot, ENJOY! -Wendi

Vegas Valley

Dave took this picture overlooking the Vegas Valley. It was a pretty clear day! Still pretty cold here! Brrrrr! -Wendi

Vegas Sunset

Dave captured this sunset, it was a beautiful day!
Wendi

Duck Creek II

Another shot from Duck Creek. It's a beautiful day here in Vegas and we are getting a little bit of snow falling! How exciting! Wendi

Duck Creek

I went out to the Duck Creek trailhead, which is next to the wetlands park this week. It is located at the end of Tropicana on the east side of town, next to the UNLV stadium. The water district is reclamating the land, so they are revegitating the area. It was a haven for birds. It was a warm, beautiful day! -Wendi

Anniversary Narrows II

This is a picture looking straight up in the canyon. Anniversary Narrows is a slot canyon, where a river has cut pretty much straight down through the rock. In many places the canyon is only 4-5 feet wide, though 50-100 feet deep. -Dave

Anniversary Narrows

This picture is a play off of the pic Wendi took up at ice box canyon, just this one is in Anniversary Narrows. You can really see the different layers of sandstone, especially the green. I think the green is actually pumice, because I found a small fragment of pumice the same color further upstream. -Dave

Abandoned Mine

Hello Friends and LVDP viewers! We apologize for the great delay in a post! With the days being shortened, leaving town for the holidays, and both Christy and I being working women we have found it hard to take some picts! Our friend Dave also a local Las Vegan, has offered to help get some posts up! Thanks Dave!
This photo is of an abandoned mine shaft near Anniversary Narrows at Lake Mead. They used to mine for Borox and Calcite along with other minerals around this area. Note the how the layers of the earth are almost perpendicular to the ground! That is caused by major faulting in the area. The area around the shaft is mostly clay, but there are igneous intrusions (Where lava flowed up into cracks in the earth) and deposited calcite veins all through the hill. -Dave

Winter Showgirls

Although Las Vegas summers can feel hotter than the face of the sun we also experience cold desert winters. Even Las Vegas Showgirls need to dress for the cold! Brrr....
~Christy

Conservatory Creation

Most visitors to the Bellagio Conservatory don't get to see the transition between displays. We got lucky (?) the last time we went down to see my favorite spot on the strip. Here you can see all the equipment required to make the displays so beautiful. If you're lucky we'll show you the final product in a few days :)
~Christy

NFR!!

Having grown up in Utah rodeos are not unfamiliar to me. Simply stated- I LOVE THE RODEO! I love the bronc riders, barrel racers, team ropers, steer wrestlers and those famous bull riders. Last week one of my dreams came true when I had the opportunity to attend the National Finals Rodeo! The best of the best were there to show off their cowboy and cowgirl skills. The night I attended was "Tough enough to wear pink" night wherein all the participants wore pink in support of the battle against breast cancer.
~Christy

ps- apologies for our recent deliquency in posting daily. Perhaps our new years resolution will be to make the "Daily" in Daily Photo more of a priority ;)

Adoring Joseph

I went to a live Navity last night at a local LDS church(The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints) and took some photos. It was very well done and the costumes where great. I caught this photo of Joseph gently helping Mary down from the Donkey, I appreciate his expression. In the background you can see the Roman soldiers collecting taxes. -Wendi

Moon over Vegas

As I drove back into town, the moon was setting over the city, it was a stunning site.- Wendi

Chocolate Heaven!

The Bellagio has the largest chocolate fountain in the world and we took a picture of it, just for you! Have a great day! -Wendi

Happy Holidays!

The Bellagio was putting up all it's holiday decor! Once again there is Dale Chihuly's blown glass hanging off the ceiling! -Wendi

Chihuly

Christy and I went to visit the Bellagio! The Bellagio boasts a conservatory, with a cool garden display that changes with the seasons. Next the conservatory is a Dale Chihuly blown glass store, it has some pretty cool sculptures made from colored blown glass! Sorry we have been so delinquent lately, I went down to Mexico, but should be getting back in the swing of things! -Wendi