Venetian

What would a trip to Vegas be without a trip to the Venetian shopping malls and Regis Galleries? Perhaps a cost savings trip 'cause it seems we cannot go the the venetian without dropping some cash at the shops, and this trip was no exception. I think we got out of there for only 1/2 a K or so, so perhaps we should deem this a successful trip.

Red Rock Canyon

Our only real excursion during our most recent Las Vegas vacation (I mean, besides the car show) brought us to Red Rock Canyon. I'd never been here before, and we've visited Las Vegas a lot. Sure, it looks a lot like the other places we've visited this summer and in past Las Vegas Vacations -- Valley of Fire, Sedona, etc., but it had its own beauty as well. One of the interesting things was how barren the land was due to a recent fire, but it was trying to come back -- you could see early signs of growth.

After checking out the visitor center, I was already to ecounter all kinds of wildlife. Not so much was found. Sure, we spotted a chipmunk, and a couple of deer were interesting, but the wild donkeys were the most entertaining. They had no fear of people and didn't think twice about begging for food.

Supposedly there are lots of petroglyphs and pictographs as well -- we saw one and only one. Apparently we didn't go to the right spot. Maybe next time.

Bowling at the Orleans

For some reason, we can't seem to make a trip to Las Vegas without visiting the big honkin' bowling center at the Orleans Hotel and Casino (and bowling alley). The place is beautiful (as far as bowling alleys go) -- too bad I always suck when I bowl there.

Still, we come back, year after year, to try our luck again. It is nice to sit at semi-clean tables and use machines that actually work. It certainly beats Poway Bowl, that's for sure.

Auto Collections

I've been to Las Vegas many times, but I've never been to the "Auto Collections" at the Imperial Palace before this trip. What a discovery -- not only do they have cool cars there, all kept in great show condition, but effectively, it's a used car lot: Nearly every car is for sale. That means some cars may go, but other cars will take their place. Next visit to Las Vegas means different cars!

The downside is, I think they charge for admission to the show, but trust me - that would be a waste of money. You see, you should be able to find a coupon in one of many ad magazines around or just pick up a coupon from one of the hawkers walking around the Imperial Palace. The coupon gets you in for free. It just wouldn't seem right to have to pay to visit a used car lot -- even a fancy one.

Of course I took photos of some of the cool cars there -- but there were lots more you might find cool that I didn't shoot -- or maybe you just find it more interesting to see the cars in person. I won't be offended -- GO! Until then though, feel free to browse through the cars on my photo website by clicking the title above.

Bates Nut Farm

Today my photo club took a trip up to Bates Nut Farm to photograph all the kiddies, pumpkins, donkeys -- whatever. Mainly it was an enjoyable trip, with only a hitch or two.

The sky was overcast, but that made for great shots with no harsh shadows. Before I left home I was wondering if anyone would show up considering the weather, but when I got there, all doubts were gone -- the place was crowded. Typically this week before Halloween is pretty crowded and this was no exception. It seems it was going to be a great photo outing.

The hitch I came across was shooting lots of various kids -- and encountering a dad who thought perhaps I had nefarious reasons for my photography. We finally convinced him we weren't pedophiles, but we decided we definitely need to get some cards printed up to pass out to help people understand what we're about.

There were 13 of us there taking photos -- the link just goes to my photos.

Personal note to Clark -- Yes, I stole your "Children of the Corn" idea, but only for my Blog -- it doesn't appear anywhere in my photos I'm sharing with the club (check out the link to verify).

Meeting Trevor and the Blown Save

On Monday, the 26th of September, I met Trevor Hoffman, the San Diego Padres closer, at a local restaurant while we were both filling our sodas. I was surprised and feeling pretty lucky. I said something stupid like, "Trevor?" Thus began our conversation.

I told him I was indeed a Padres fan and had tickets to the game that night, the next night, and Friday and Saturday as well. I couldn't go to the other games that week because I was going to be on travel. Normally we don't go to so many games, but it just so happened this was the culmination of a bunch of tickets and exchanges and free tickets that made this one of the heaviest weeks. I must have sounded quite dedicated to the team.

Anyway, during the conversation he said the magic number was like 2, and I actually corrected him to 4. I guess they really don't pay attention to such nonsense -- just winning games. I wished him luck and said it would be great to see him out there that night. Afterward, I asked for his autograph on my hat -- and here it is.

Of course, I got my wish. The Padres were beating the Giants by a run going into the ninth inning. Now it's Trevor Time. Trevor came out -- and blew his first save since the beginning of the season. One of two blown saves all year. People at work blamed me for jinxing him. Perhaps that's so. If so, sorry Trevor. Sorry Padres -- but you're still the Western Division Champs and heading to the playoffs.

Um.... good luck Trevor... and the Padres! No, I really mean it! Beat St. Louis!!!