Las Vegas in Black and White

First I want to thank everyone that commented on my last post. It really means a lot to me and I appreciate your support! Blogger used to email me all the comments so I could respond to them via email but now only about half the comments come to my inbox.

I've been going through my photos I took last year around the Las Vegas area and thought I would share. The desert landscape, canyons, lakes and such look so beautiful in black and white.

Around Red Rock Canyon

"I tried to keep both arts alive, but the camera won. I found that while the camera does not express the soul, perhaps a photograph can!" ~ Ansel Adams

The Lake Mead/Hoover Dam area.

 Mount Charleston

Lou Ruvo Center for Brain Health - designed by Frank Gehry

Even the colorful Las Vegas Strip looks great in black and white. 

And for a little color,  a palm tree from my grandmother's neighborhood.

Leaving Las Vegas

The true beauty of the Vegas area lies outside the Strip. We took several day trips, the first one was to Red Rock Canyon. I had never been there this time of year and there was a lot of green. Beautiful!

I see a lot of faces in these rocks, do you?

This rock climber was far away. I would never do this, not in a million years.

I did make my mom climb up into a hole in the red rock.

Close by Bonnie Springs Ranch has an old timey town to explore and a small zoo.

Looks like it was built in the 1870's but was really built in the 1970's for tourists. Probably more fun for kids than adults. They had a staged 'neck tie party' as my grandfather used to call it.

Found a tree full of chickens and roosters.

Who wouldn't want one of these?

Cowboy alarm clock?

Beautiful lynx. I believe they are native to the area.



This strange critter is a Patagonian Mara. Looks like an alien to me!



A trip to Mount Charleston was next.

So beautiful and still a lot of snow on the ground.

Cars were pulling over to let their kids get out and roll in it. Very funny!

The houses and cabins nestled in the mountains were really neat.

Our third outing was to Lake Mead. We were lucky enough to get to go out on a houseboat.

 A great view of the Hoover Dam that most people don't see.

 After 9/11 you can't get up close.

 Loads of carp around the marina. People come to feed them popcorn.

Ducks on top of the fish even.

Pretty redhead duck I've never seen this type before.

View from a top Hoover Dam.

Back to Las Vegas, my Grandmother's husband had to show us the new Lou Ruvo Brain Institute.

It's not every day that one gets to see a Frank Gehry building! It looks like something from Dr. Suess.

The sunset from my grandmother's back yard.

On a separate note, I have finally reached 500 blog followers!

To celebrate I will be having a giveaway soon. More details to come.

Little Jewel

When we arrived at my Grandmother's house in Vegas last Thursday I was surprised and delighted to see a clean, filled hummingbird feeder in her back yard. She said she had a few coming by regularly and they were very friendly. Within minutes I had snapped a few photos of a gorgeous ruby-throated male. If you know me at all, you may remember that I will sit in my yard for hours during the summer trying to get a picture of a hummer. In Vegas, I got one in 10 minutes!

"Happiness flutters in the air whilst we rest among the breaths of nature."

~Kelly Scheaffer

This is how close I was...

Smokin' Good Times

Just got back from a 5 day trip to Las Vegas with my Mom and sisters to visit our Grandmother for her 80th birthday. Since she's my last grandparent I felt it was important to spend some time with her. I know now where I get my spunkiness that's for sure. Most of the time she kept right up with us! As one of her birthday cards said, '80 is the new 60!'. Maybe it's right.

The lights of Freemont Street are so much fun. The last few times I was here, I didn't have the greatest camera to capture them properly.

The overhead light show was awesome with psychedelic images and 60's music.

I love the old neon that they are restoring and displaying around downtown.



Of course we had to make a trip to Pawn Stars! I love that show. Saw a lot of the pieces that were on the show but not the owners.

Storm Troopers are patrolling the streets for missing droids.

"The night before I left Las Vegas I walked out in the desert to look at the moon. There was a jeweled city on the horizon, spires rising in the night, but the jewels were diadems of electric and the spires were the neon of signs ten stories high."

 ~Norman Mailer

Opulence in every window.

 All the casinos had displays celebrating the Year of the Rabbit.

This one was at the Wynn.

I even found Elvis... or maybe his ghost?



Street performers abound.

I snuck a photo of the two Michael's.

Everything is larger than life!



Even in the day, the old neon signs look cool!

We also went to Mount Charleston, Red Rock Canyon, Bonnie Springs Ranch, Hoover Dam and boating on Lake Mead!

More photos to come!