Freemont Street

They put up a bunch of old signs on this part of Fremont Street. They aren't really noticeable here. I'll get some close up photos later.

Closeness is not always love

Someone had a bad start to their day. This was taken about 8:00 a.m. today. Talking on a cell phone? Texting? Looking at the GPS? Google eying a passer-by? How can you miss such a large truck? Be careful out there!

Signs of Spring?

This is one month of photos, well, almost! This experience has been interesting. My eyes are opened, my thoughts are focused, my perspective is alive. Look at the world around you, see what you see!

I had some other photos I took today, but none were exactly what I wanted to represent my day. Then, coming home, walking up my driveway, I looked to the west and this is what I saw. This is the photo that I wanted!

I love my job. Where else does one get paid for roaming around 10 acres of land gazing upon the color variations in the far off mountains, observing the rare Vegas clouds engulf the distant city in white, listening to nature’s sounds, admiring the cows and horses lazily feeding in the neighboring fields, feeling the crisp, invigorating winter air breeze by, experiencing the city’s encroachment onto land once trod only by horses and cows and, oh yes, taking inventory of carelessly discarded items scattering the pristine land and smelling the horse manure illegally dumped on soil desperately needing fertilizer but not by this means. I love my job.

Tomorrow is the beginning of Chinese New Year. So today I invited some friends over for a Chinese meal, a tribute to my Mom and Dad. The problem is, I totally forgot to take a picture of everything on the table! It was beautiful. So, as a conciliation photo, here are some of the ingredients set out and organized, Broccoli sauce on the left, Sweet and Sour Pork veggies and sauce in the middle, Beef and Peppers veggies and sauce on the right. I also had Cold Ginger Chicken. It was so much fun preparing the meal and sharing it with friends.


Here is after the meal was done and all were gone. The middle part, eating and fellowship, was definitely the best!

This has to be the largest park of soccer fields I have ever seen. There are 11 soccer fields and 22 tennis courts, stretching for one mile along Summerlin Parkway, along with the normal playground items and picnicking areas. The photo doesn't do the area justice, the lights are so bright and can be seen for a long way away! Soccer (football to you, Erik) rules!!!

Trash day

Homeless - abandoned? self-exiled? alone? content? despair? joy? hungry? thirsty? cold? forsaken? This man has found our office front grass to be a good place to rest in the afternoon. Who is he? Where did he come from? So many in town. Do we just walk by? How could we help?

You might not think this photo so amazing, but we had a strange happening this evening. I went with a friend of mine to a Lia Sophia jewelry party and when I left my house to go pick her up there was the strangest odor in the air. Then I recalled from years past that the smell was rain! Oh my! After the party I had to drop off some DVDs at Blockbuster and the parking lot was shining brightly; then I again recalled how the lights reflect off the water on the ground. Not common occurances here in the desert!

The sun is so intense here in the summer that it melts the lettering on street signs. This is a sign on Carson Avenue and S. 13th Street, downtown Las Vegas.

Well, I didn't take this picture but I got it from our son, Erik. He's on the harmonica. This is posted on his FaceBook and the caption states "more like how worship should be". He's serving on the Next Wave, a Christian sailing vessel in the Mediterranean Sea. There really are many people in Las Vegas who actually do love the Lord!

Cement floors are miserably cold. So it was strange when our bathroom floor suddenly became so very comfortably warm to walk on. The reason was not pleasant - our hot water pipe had sprung a leak, slowly oozing liquid warmth beneath our home's foundation. Dave had to get through the floor, dig down to the pipe, repair the leak, fill the hole in, re-cement the floor, and soon the bathroom will return to its original state, that of cold floor. A three day weekend to enjoy?

Yesterday


Yesterday









Today

Today some friends and I went on a short hike up to First Creek at Red Rock. We ate lunch by this spring which is tucked way back between two mountains. You can see the reflection of the one peak in the water. It's good to know that even in the desert environment there is water for life.

Is this Dallas? No, this is northern Las Vegas countryside, complete with horses and cows!

Yee Ha!

While trying to find my last audit of the day, at about 4:20 pm, I looked toward the Spring Mountains and saw the results of the sun beginning to set.

The Stratosphere has become a predominate, directional icon in the city. Seen from almost anywhere it helps travelers orient themselves in regard to downtown. The land for the Stratosphere was taken by imminent domain, one of the few government acquisitions given to private industry. Even our city government learns by its mistakes.

Looking north from near Floyd Lamb State Park into the Sheep Range. I was investigating an abandoned housing project, beautiful homes were begun, then left to accumulate other's trash and debris. If the area weren't out at the end of the city I'm sure the homeless would have loved to camp in the majestic splendor of the fine, albeit incomplete, homes and pristine location.

Should such important decisions be treated as a drive-in snack?

Strange tree

There's always something higher

Fun

January 5, 2009

On the way to Lake Mead