Jimbo

Jim, or Jimbo as he’s known to his friends and out in the blogosphere, is currently in the City of Sin to attend a conference all this week. We have heard about Jim many times before, mainly from our mutual friend Homer and other fellow bloggers, but yesterday was the first time that George and I met him in person. Jim is a genuinely nice and funny guy. We like him a lot.


Yesterday was his day off, so to speak, since the rest of his stay in Las Vegas seems to be rather busy. We picked him up at the Hard Rock Hotel and took him to Jamms, a small local restaurant, where we had a nice breakfast. Afterwards we drove westwards on Charleston Boulevard and right into the heart of our destination for the day, Red Rock Canyon.


Unfortunately, the weather wasn’t all that great. It was cloudy and a bit cool. But I was glad it didn’t rain like the forecast had predicted. That would eventually happen later that night. I was hoping for a little sun. This whole area around Red Rock Canyon looks so much more stunning when it is literally drenched in sunlight. That’s when the colors of the red and yellow sandstone will be most effective.


Jim told us that he used to be a park ranger and was quite impressed by how the newly remodeled and expanded visitors center has turned out. After looking at many of the exhibits and buying a small souvenir at the center’s gift store we were on our way to drive the 13-mile scenic loop drive.


We stopped at various outlook places to enjoy the vistas and to take some photographs before we parked the car at the head of the Pine Creek Canyon trail. It was surprisingly busy and the parking lot had already filled. We parked the car on the side of the road and made our way down towards the trail.


Jim is also an avid bird watcher and brought his book along to compare his bird sightings. There weren’t too many birds out but we could hear a few in the distance. He was happy to see at least one bird which was very indigenous to this area.


After the brisk hike we were getting hungry and we headed on over to nearby Bonnie Springs, which has a small-scale western town, complete with a motel, a cowboy stunt show, a miniature train, a petting zoo and a rustic country-style restaurant. George and I have not been to this place in over ten years and almost forgot about it. Along the way, we even saw a few of the famed wild burros that roam this area. There aren’t too many of them left anymore and the chances of seeing these animals out in the wild have become rare.


After we all had a nice and hearty dinner at the Bonnie Springs Restaurant we were getting ready to drive back into town as it had started to get dark anyway. Before dropping Jim off at his hotel we made a quick stop to have a drink at the Fun Hog Ranch, one of the local gay bars. There was suppose to be a beer bust but apparently we either had already missed it or we were too early as the bar wasn’t busy at all.


After finishing our drinks we returned Jim to his hotel. And so ended another terrific Sunday well spent. It was great to have finally met Jim and to have made another friend. Below are some photos from our day out at Red Rock Canyon.


George and Jim at Red Rock Canyon


Jimbo and Jim. I seriously think there are way too many Jims on this planet.


On our hike along the Pine Creek trail lots of photos were taken of beautiful vistas and interesting plants.



Trying to listen and identify a bird call in the distance.



Thousands of years of erosion carved interesting patterns into the rocks.



Just as the day was coming to a close the clouds were starting to break up and the last rays of the setting sun were illuminating the Red Rock mountains. This is the view from the Bonnie Springs Ranch.

Mark and Colin

It doesn’t seem like I’m on here that much anymore. I also noticed that some of my fellow bloggers are adding less and less entries to their sites. Looks like everyone is indeed having less extra time to spend writing. Or we just have switched to spend our time on sites like Facebook instead. I’m certainly guilty of that crime. I don’t necessarily have more time to waste on Facebook than spending the time writing an entry on here. In fact, I have even less time. Therefore, sites like Facebook seem more convenient and provide a more instant form of communication. So I have to pick the lesser of two evils.

The last few weeks just flew by. Work and George’s studying haven’t left much room for anything else anyway. Now the long Labor Day weekend has come and gone as well. We didn’t do much fun things or relaxing at all. Mostly chores around the house, homework and even more studying for George’s classes.

However, we managed to take time to feast on some really scrumptious food. And totally ignoring the scale in the process.

Mark and Colin took us on a hike through Tahquitz Canyon near Palm Springs.

But there’s a bright light at the end of this slightly monotone tunnel. Our friends Mark and Colin will come visiting us and staying at our casa. We haven’t seen them in quite a while, so it’ll be great to catch up in person. Granted, one can catch a glimpse of each other lives on sites such as Facebook, but nothing can beat spending quality time and having a face-to-face conversation with friends in real life.

Virtual living has its limits. And I would much rather “waste” my time with real, warm-blooded, breathing human beings than with some machine made up of chips and circuitries.

I’m old-fashioned that way.

Mark, Colin, George and I in Palm Springs, a few years ago.

More of Two Good Things...

Our friends Rover and Cal are back in Las Vegas again. They got a great deal to stay at one of the suites at the Encore on the “Strip.” So they’re here for a few days to enjoy a little romantic getaway, checking out some shows and the new City Center which opened just last week.

George, Cal, Rover and I at their suite at the Encore.

We spent a fabulous Thanksgiving weekend at their place in Los Angeles but it was great seeing them again. We met them yesterday evening after work at the Encore and had a nice dinner at the Wynn next door. Afterwards they showed us their beautiful appointed suite on the 63rd floor of the Encore. Needless to say that view was spectacular. And the amenities in the suite were first class all the way.

Then we strolled around the casino floors and checked out all the excitement and commotion. Rover and Cal are so much fun to hang out with. Too bad we don’t have enough time to meet up with them again but we have to get ready for our own little adventure.

Tomorrow is the last day at work and then it’s off to Germany. It can’t come soon enough.

Below are some photos from the last few days.

The lobby of the Mandalay Bay Resort.

The holiday display at the Bellagio Conservatory.

George at the Bellagio. He just finished his gelato from his favorite Gelatario in Las Vegas.

Social Butterflies

We have been so busy the last few days that there was no time to add anything on here. But here it goes and we try to keep it short and let the photos do most of the talking.

Last week we saw “Shear Madness” with some friends at the theater at Town Square. They added their own little Las Vegas tweaks to the storyline and the play overall was just hilarious. Unfortunately, it closed last Sunday. Las Vegas just doesn’t have as big of a theater crowd like in other cities.

On Friday evening, we attended a special Human Rights Campaign event which was hosted by the Encore Hotel & Casino. It included reduced-price tickets to see the fantastic “Le Rêve” aquatic show, created by Franco Dragone and a hosted gathering at the trendy and ever so popular “XS” nightclub. 415 attendees helped to raise over $19,000 for HRC.

Our new friends Al and Steve invited us over to their beautiful home on Saturday to spend a wonderful day with their friends Ken and Bill by the pool. We talked, laughed, swam, barbecued and watched bats drinking water from the pool as they dove down from a dusk sky.

On Sunday afternoon we drove over to the cineplex at Red Rock Station Casino to see the movie “Ice Age 3.” I had free movie tickets for it and we really enjoyed it. Although it wasn’t quite as funny as the preceding “Ice Age,” it was still very enjoyable and really clever at times. Afterwards we had an amazing Mexican dinner at “Cabo,” one of our favorite places at the Red Rock. And with that another amazing weekend came to a close.

The Sin City Q Social group help their weekly gathering at House of Blue’s “Foundation Room,” atop the Mandalay Bay hotel tower. We’ve never been there as it’s an exclusive members-only club. The dark, ancient and colonial India inspired rooms were fascinating but the view of the glittering city from the open terrace on the 43rd floor was just spectacular. Needless to say it was rather crowded.
Before we went to the Foundation Room, George and I had a lovely dinner at the Bellagio Cafe where we enjoyed a plate of wonderful Tandoori Chicken and a scrumptious Pacific Salmon Sandwich. After the gathering at the Foundation Room we wandered around the casino floor of Mandalay Bay. We also checked out the store of the musical “The Lion King,” which found a new home at this casino’s theater a few months ago after “Mamma Mia” closed after playing there for over six years.

Gee, look at us. We haven’t been going out this much all at once in...well, like in forever. Are we turning into little social butterflies in our olden age?


Below are random pictures from the last few days.



You know we had to throw some nature in. A close-up of a cicada in our backyard



One of our many vases



Inside the Bellagio Cafe

The dining area of the Bellagio Cafe

Southbound traffic on the Las Vegas “Strip”

George along the lake in front of the Bellagio

My humble self, waiting for the next performance of the Bellagio Fountains

Mon Ami Gabi, the amazing French restaurant across the street

The Bellagio Fountains in action, choreographed to the music of ol’ blue eyes, Frank Sinatra

View from the House of Blues’ “Foundation Room”

The city of lights at our feet

The other side of the Foundation Room open terrace,
facing the east wing of the Mandalay Bay tower

Outside the theater foyer of “The Lion King,” inside the Mandalay Bay Hotel & Casino

Rover and Cal

Cal, myself and Rover in front of the entrance
to Cirque du Soleil's "Love" at the Mirage in Las Vegas.

This past weekend brought our friends Rover and Cal from California and some of their friends to Las Vegas. They were in town to see the new Bette Middler show at Caesars Palace and Cirque du Soleil’s “Love” at the Mirage. Rover’s mother and sister, whom he hasn’t seen in three years, also flew in to join this eclectic group of fun and easy-spirited people.

Rover and Cal stayed at our home overnight, while the rest of the gang stayed at various hotels near the Las Vegas Strip. Most of the days were spent at some of the resorts along Strip. Not so much for gambling but for checking out some of the sights and spending a fun time together over good food and a few drinks. George and I joined them all on some occasion and together we all played tourists. Lots of fun was to be had by everyone.

We love Rover and Cal. They’re both the most fun guys to be with. Both are highly creative and very hands-on in everything they do. There’s never a dull moment in their lives, as they share the experiences of being an actor, writer, director, remodeling and restoring old buildings and cars, and event organizers. Oh, and did we mention theme park designer for Disneyland and Walt Disney World? If you’ve been on rides dealing with, let’s say, Indiana Jones, Roger Rabbit and the Muppets, you can thank Rover in part for that.

And despite their busy lives, they are the happiest, yet most grounded people we know. Rover and Cal are intelligent, intellectual and passionate and we had many profound conversations and discussions with them. And in the spur of the moment they both can kid around and just be plain silly and totally crack you up. The world needs more of them and it would be so much better for it.

George and I are looking forward to seeing them again real soon.

Dieses letzte Wochenende waren unsere guten Freunde Rover und Cal aus Kalifornien bei uns zu Besuch in Las Vegas und haben einige ihrer Freunde mitgebracht. Sie waren hier um auch die neue Show mit Bette Midler im Caesars Palace zu sehen, sowie auch “Love”, die neueste Inzinierung der berühmten Cirque du Soleil im Mirage. Rovers Mutter und seine Schwester, die er seit gut drei Jahren nicht mehr gesehen hatte, reisten ebenfalls an um an dieser lustigen und lebensfreudigen Gruppe teilzunehmen.

Rover und Cal übernachteten bei uns im Haus, während der Rest der Gruppe in verschiedenen Hotels nahe des berühmten Las Vegas Strip untergebracht waren. Tagsüber wurde meist in den großartigen Casinos entlang dieser Spielermeile verbracht. Nicht wegen der Versuchung des Glücksspiels, sondern vielmehr um sich die zahlreichen Attraktionen anzusehen und viel gutes Essen und ein paar Cocktails zu geniesen. Jeder war bei bester Laune und es wurde viel gelacht. Wir alle hatten einen Heidenspaß zusammen. George und ich verbrachten mit allen so viel Zeit wie möglich. Es war recht lustig wieder einmal Tourist zu spielen.

Wir lieben Rover und Cal und verbringen meist die beste Zeit mit ihnen. Beide sind höchst kreativ and sehr aktiv mit allem was sie anpacken. Es gibt nie einen langweiligen Moment in ihrem Leben, die beide mit allenmöglichen Berufen und Tätigkeiten ausgefüllt haben. Sei es als Schauspieler, Schriftsteller und Drehbuchautor, Regisseur, oder um alte Gebäude und Oldtimerautos zu renovieren und restaurieren. Und dann war da noch die Zeit als Rover jahrelang für Disneyland und Walt Disney World die verschiedensten Attraktionen gestaltet hat. Für diejenigen die die Disneyparks kennen, sage ich nur Indiana Jones, Roger Rabbit und die Muppets. Rover war, unter anderem, aber insbesondere für diese verantwortlich.

Trotz ihres hektischen Lebens, sind diese beiden die wohl glücklichsten und ausgewogensten Menschen die wir kennen. Rover und Cal sind ein sehr intelligentes, intellektuelles und leidenschaftliches Paar und wir hatten viele tiefgründige und lebhafte Diskussionen und Gespräche. Und dann, mit einem Schlag, können die beiden nur Unsinn im Kopf haben und jeden zum lachen bringen. Es sollte sehr viel mehr Leute wie Rover und Cal auf dieser Welt geben. Diese Welt wäre um so vieles besser.

George und ich freuen uns bereits riesig darauf, wenn wir sie wieder das nächste Mal sehen.