YOU'LL FIND THE BRIGHT PLACES...

..."Somehow you’ll escape all that waiting and staying.
You’ll find the bright places where Boom Bands are playing.
With banner flip-flapping, once more you’ll ride high!
Ready for anything under the sky.
Ready because you’re that kind of a guy!"

We meandered back through Flagstaff way, missing any signs of the major fire that had started that morning, and headed towards NV.  A quick stop to make sure construction on the new bridge at Hoover Dam was on schedule, and a trek through an antique store in Boulder City, before heading down the hill (though I am told it is actually UPHILL - don't ask - I could argue that point all day) to Henderson, and my waiting family.

Dinner that evening was one last Mexican food restaurant - Chapalas - which has a pole out front that proved too tempting, after margaritas, for grandfather and granddaughter.

After a night of rest, we spent the next week doing tourist things, including a trip to the Silver and Gold Pawn Shop (or Gold and Silver - who knows), of TV fame...just to see what was up, and if it was really what it looked like on TV...we were a little disappointed, but we can say "we did it".  Three nights netted four shows for my folks, and a chance to get out and walk The Strip, for me and Jaci...something we very rarely get to do.  The first night was impressionist Frank Caliendo, at the Monte Carlo - a marvelous time was had by all...including the voices in his head!  Jaci instructed my parents (as we were standing out front of the hotel, waiting for seating to start) that it was important to try and not look like tourists when doing "touristy" things, like posing in front of the fountain.

All that well-heeded advice flew right out the window when Dad discovered a stack of the "slap cards" that are handed out on the sidewalks on The Strip (if you have to ask, you don't need to know...one of the "seedier" souvenirs you can pick up...let's just say he was taking them home and gonna' sell them to my nephews for a quarter apiece).  We got him a stack about an inch and a half thick that night, during our walking expedition - made for inspirational reading material over coffee and sweet rolls the next morning.

                

More photos of Jaci being "non-touristy" - the last being with a photo for a candy shop on The Strip, with her idol, Vanilla Ice.

The following night was spent with Cher (if only) at Caesars Palace - Happy Father's Day, Dad, and Happy Birthday, Mom!  Jaci and I spent more time walking on The Strip, doing "tourist" things (yeah, she may say they were not, but they were).  Ninety-nine cent margaritas (quite a few) and 101 degree heat, while dodging hundreds of people on a sidewalk, make for a knockout evening (Jaci taking one for the team from Joe Lewis, outside of my Bobby Flay's Mesa Grill in Caesar's Palace).

I drug them over to The MGM afterwards, to look up my son, Louie, who was working that evening, just for a photo op.  Damn near killed both of them, with the walking, but look at the nice shot we got!

Requisite tourist shots of two beautiful Strip sights - The 1/3rd scale Eiffel Tower in front of The Paris Hotel (the real one must be enormous), and the dazzling water show in front of The Bellagio, that night, set to the music of Frank Sinatra.  The following evening they went to see one of the Rat Pack Shows at the downtown Sahara Hotel...Frank, Dean, Sammy and Joey.  Jackie "D" and Charlie met me there for drinks, and to catch up on gossip.  Back to Chapalas for dinner with Louie (OK, I lied...THIS was the last night of Mexican food and margaritas).  While there, I got a call from a friend that had tickets for the four of us to go see "O", at the Bellagio.  Never one to turn down a last minute proposition like that, we headed back to The Strip for a MARVELOUS 10:00 show - yes, we are O-fficially night owls!  "O" is one of seven Cirque du Soleil performances at various hotel locations here...this one, done in, over, and under water - STUNNING!

On the fourth day, Louie shaved his head, and we rested...to say I had a marvelous time on this vacation is an understatement, for sure!  One more post of pictures to go...thanks for sticking it all out with me!

AND THANK YOU TO ALL THE MEN AND WOMEN SERVING IN OUR ARMED FORCES, AND THOSE WHO HAVE GONE BEFORE THEM, FOR KEEPING OUR HOMELAND SAFE - IT IS BECAUSE OF YOU WE CAN LIVE AND TRAVEL FREELY THROUGH THIS GREAT COUNTRY OF OURS...HAPPY 4TH OF JULY, AMERICA!

YOU'LL LOOK UP AND DOWN STREETS...

..."Look’em over with care.
About some you will say, “I don’t choose to go there.”
With your head full of brains and your shoes full of feet,
you’re too smart to go down a not-so-good street"...

The trip the following day took us on a quick stop to the ever enchanting Flagstaff (and I tried to get Dad to stop at more attractions, but it seems they are all "at least 60 miles" from the turnoff, so on we went to Flag), where some pretty great little treasures were found in a local antique store.  From there, we headed down the canyon to Sedona.  We passed an old, dilapidated truck with an old, dilapidated woman standing next to it, taking a driving break...the truck was covered with plywood signs indicating that she was on a "National Anti-Sodomy Crusade".  We whizzed by too fast for a photo op, but it did provide fodder for song on our way down the scenic canyon.

Sedona is almost surreal...beautiful, breathtaking red rocks surrounding just about everything.  The picture with the grass was taken from the step-out back patio door of our hotel - what a view!  If you've ever been to Sedona, you hear lots of talk about "vortexes" - Sedona is somewhat of a "spiritual energy" Mecca for many in the SW...perhaps why the Anti-Sodomy Crusade was heading there.  While I really can't explain it all, I found this blurb from a Sedona Internet site:  "In Sedona, vortexes are created, not by wind or water, but from spiraling spiritual energy. The vortexes of Sedona are named because they are believed to be spiritual locations where the energy is right to facilitate prayer, mediation and healing. Vortex sites are believed to be locations having energy flow that exists on multiple dimensions. The energy of the vortexes interacts with a person’s inner self. It is not easily explained. Obviously it must be experienced."

I told you I couldn't explain it!  So, not only is Sedona the "vortex site of the SW", it is an art gallery/quaint, unusual shop HEAVEN!  There is the ever bustling main drag through town that is jam packed with just about everything you could ever want (including the Chico's at the top of the hill where I amused myself, while waiting for Mom that day, by rolling pennies past my Dad, and into the dressing room of the unsuspecting woman trying on clothes...I never expected it to stay on its side clear through the store), and the amazing Tlaquepaque (Ta-la-kee-pock-ee) village at the bottom of the hill (and I swear I never noticed where my Mom's hand was until I got my pictures home).  Once again, art, architecture, sights, sounds and smells!  Yes, we had a Mexican food dinner that included margaritas at a quaint little restaurant with an outside patio, directly behind the large ivied wall. 

Which lead us to have to walk over to the outdoor sculpture garden of beautiful, slow moving "wind thingies" (a technical art term) and relax on the large natural stone chairs that were provided for your comfort (we don't break rules on our trips - that would never do - the garden has an open invitation for people to sit, relax, and take in all the beauty)...they had spent a day soaking up the desert heat, so were unbelievably soothing, even though you would imagine them to be so HARD.  And, OK...I DID get my Dad to touch the sign.  It was the one rule we broke all day.

"Day Two Sedona" brought a trip through the gallery housing the work of Susan Klewer, with a purchase of a new bronze scheduled to arrive in Denver in the next 3 or so months, as he was a work in progress...a wonderful Koshare to go with the Hopi Butterfly Maiden already there.  The Koshare is the beloved black and white, striped clown of the Hopi tribe.  Susan is an incredible talent and a warm, wonderful person!

And why so many photos of the folks on this post, you might ask...well, I'll tell you.  Aside from being quite photogenic, they celebrated their 54th wedding anniversary, right in the middle of all of this fun.  54 years!  Quite an accomplishment, and her hand is still landing in fun places!  We spent the evening polishing off one last Mexican food dinner (of course), and watched the sun set over the Sedona vortexes!

We blew a kiss to Sedona, for all the hospitality and fun, before heading into Las Vegas (NV, this time). And I did find that Javelina I was looking for (still no Javelins, though - thankfully - and both of these photos are bronze sculptures), right in the middle of town.

YOU WILL COME TO A PLACE...

..."Where the streets are not marked.
Some windows are lighted. But mostly they’re darked.
A place you could sprain both your elbow and chin!
Do you dare to stay out? Do you dare to go in?
How much can you lose? How much can you win?"...

Old Town Albuquerque was next, down our road of travels...the morning started with Mom taking a tumble on the cobblestone walk, directly in front of where the Indians were setting up shop that morning.  Very thankfully, her ego took the biggest hit - a few bumps and bruises later (and she went ALL the way down), she was up on her feet, dusting herself off and back to her chipper self - though embarrassed enough to stay away from "that side" of the street.

The sign in the park with the gazebo (each and every little town we hit had a gazebo in the park in the middle of town) gave information on what was and was not allowed for your amusement.  Seems that this one may have had a bit of a previous problem with javelin throwers...I don't know why it tickled me so, but it did.

San Felipe de Neri - the oldest church in Albuquerque.  Sits right across from the little park with the javelin throwing - probably a good thing it is there.

By lunchtime, Mom (Barb) had worked up quite an appetite from the fall, so we stopped to have more Mexican food (I doubt that you could ever get too much!)...no margaritas this time, as we wanted to make sure one of us could catch her if she fell, again...since we did such a bang-up job of helping her out with that the first time around (if she had fallen in front of this shop, we might have owned it by now)!  Food was delicious - The Church Street Cafe (actually it's not on the street, but in the alley, around the corner from the park).  No javelins in sight.  No javelinas, either!

Just some very beautiful sights - and if you stand still, just a split second long enough, it changes that quick!  We headed on down the highway to Gallup, later that afternoon, where we spent the remainder of the day traipsing through the local trading posts, having a non-Mexican food dinner (the only one of the trip), and spending the night.  Sedona was ahead of us the following day...

YOU'LL BE SEEING GREAT SIGHTS!

"You’ll be on your way up!
You’ll be seeing great sights!

You’ll join the high fliers who soar to high heights."

My vacation continued on with visits with my brother and his family, plus a dear cousin I had not seen in years - along with encounters with some of my parent's "entertaining" neighbors.  We travelled to the Leanin' Tree Museum and Sculpture Garden of Western Art in Boulder, CO (yes, the same Leanin' Tree that makes the cards), where I convinced my dad to pose atop the donkey bronze, since it said that he could - he did.  We also spent a few days antiquing before hitting the road.  The weather turned threatening (lots of rain and more of those tornadoes I have only heard about - yes, I do admit I would actually like to see one sometime...off in the distance would be fine, if nothing else) and we headed out of town.

This is probably as close to a tornado as I will get, living in the desert...not a tornado, but a hell of a thunderstorm on our way through New Mexico, heading towards our first stop in Las Vegas. 

Stops in the little town of Las Vegas, NM and then Pecos National Monument, made for a pretty wonderful first day out...OK, so I sort of forced my Dad to stop at the Indian ruins and old Spanish Mission of Pecos - I told you it was like being a kid again ('cept I didn't throw up in their car this time)!  Actually, my Mom and I got a map at the one and only place in Las Vegas that they were going to stop at, that directed us up, into old town (which they had never explored), and made him take us up there, too - great little town!  After travelling on down the road and exploring Pecos on foot (ever mindful of rattlesnakes), it was on to Santa Fe.

The sights of Santa Fe amaze me, each and every time I make it through there.  From the art and architecture; the Native American artisans that still sell their wares in front of the Governors Palace; to the occasional, requisite blue door - there is something wonderful each and every place your eyes land.  I believe we ate Mexican food every night but one, on this trip...two of those were spent at Maria's in Santa Fe, where we barely made if out the door after the killer margaritas (we didn't believe they were that a**-kicking the first night, so went back to "make sure" a second...thank God, Mom doesn't imbibe and was trained in the art of "designated driving"!  The food was pretty wonderful, too - there was food?!).  Another night was spent at Tomasita's, where we were entertained by an all-girl mariachi band (one of which I swear was my friend Susan Silva, who lives in VA?!  Yes, tequila will do that to you!) with the most incredible voices.

My folks - I guess you could say they both wear many hats...from chauffeur to tour guide to two pretty wonderful parents...they have always known how to show me a good time - both growing up and these past few weeks...next up, Albuquerque...