THE WEEKENDER :) PITCHES AND SPRINGY THINGS

THE GREAT SELL

      Spring brings thoughts of travel and places to explore.

For that part of the world locked into a winter mindset, the return of warmth triggers thoughts of summer vacations.

       The WEEKENDER :) presents a couple of 21st Century travel brochures.  Even if you have no intention of visiting either place, you may enjoy the pitch. Here is a marvelously
beautiful piece from Alberta Canada.

        Or a stateside option from a the old hometown.

     Back in elementary school we'd write the chamber of commerce of a potential place to visit and hoped for a color brochure in return.  

      Now, you need to travel no further than your screen for

a display of more color, courtesy of the California Central Coast.  

DAY BOOK

SPRING ENERGY

Have a great and colorful weekend.
See you down the trail.

PRETTY AS A PICTURE

CELEBRATING COLOR 
AT THE BELLAGIO

    There is a lot about Las Vegas that is, can we agree on
the word "excessive?" The Scot's blood in me can't help but
swirl about a bit. The place is a haven of money-spent. But
at the Bellagio it has purchased beauty, on a grand scale of course.  The garden is a marvel and so too is the Dale Chihuly glass art. They provided this blogger a chance to 
reprise some color for you.

The frame below is a tribute to the Monet exhibit on display at the Bellagio Fine Art Gallery, an affiliate of the Boston Museum of Fine Art.  BTW, seeing that show is money well
spent, according to this tightwad.  It is nicely curated and 
presented.

   And as you know, you can't go anywhere without going through the Casinos.  That's just the way they design and lay out the foot traffic. So, despite what is a prohibition from shooting in the gaming rooms, here's an accidental
snap.  While it is lacking in players, don't you think it looks
a bit anemic, by comparison?

See you down the trail.

DO THEY KNOW ABOUT THIS PLACE ON THE STRIP

ENTER ONLY IF
YOU WANT TO SEE ANOTHER SIDE OF VEGAS
BEAUTIFUL RED ROCKS

    Less than an hour west and north of the strip is a world

apart from the Vegas that comes to mind.  Magnificent mountains, light and the interplay of both.  To take you "close to the action" there is a loop drive and a dozen options for hiking, walking and climbing.

     The only special effects here are provided time and nature.  These old Yucca heads look like old shrunken heads indeed.

     As one in our party noted, they look like old spirits.

     This trail takes you over and through slanting rocks.

     Look carefully in the frame below.  How'd you like that view?

On the mid horizon line and you can
see the beginnings of the Vegas most people think of.
See you down the trail.

VEGAS POST CARDS

THEY THINK ABOUT THE VISUALS

       From the days of Bugsy Siegel on, everything about

Las Vegas has been improbable. But, almost everything about it is visual, from the serene desert and ringing mountains to the phenomenal spread of civilization.

      Of course Steve Wynn is the reigning patriarch of the opulent, and in his case, stylish use of architecture. 

      And it is a place for gawking and shooting.

     It's also a place that employs lighting designers and a sense of the theatrical.

     You don't need to drop a dime in a casino to get a pay out.  All you need are eyes.

       See you down the trail.

TAKE ME BACK

ALL YOU NEED IS.....

 WHERE IN SOME OLD BOYS 

REDISCOVER

      You are in the midst of a full cultural hiccup when a when a Beatles retrospective celebrates a fifth anniversary.

     And you are in the presence of a transcending greatness
when the magnificent Cirque du Soleil is the ride into the power of the Beatles song book.

      I'm one of those who think the Cirque troupes are among this planets greatest specimens of human skill, talent and creative imagination.  Already you know you are in for something extraordinarily special when you enter their arena.

     But when it is the Beatles that becomes the raison d'être, it's transporter time-beam us up, or back as it were.         
     As Linda, one of the boomer bunch who shared the time trip said, "It's more than a show, or a performance. It's a human experience!"
     Every accolade that can be laid on this cast probably already has been.  They are all deserved, and then some.
     You know how totally engrossing a Cirque performance can be.  What plusses this show is the music, voices, audio
documentary moments and the spirit of John, Paul, George and Ringo.   
     You are immersed not only into a full body assault of site, sound, texture and essence.  You are also "claimed," or captured and emotionally pulverized by the spirit of that time, its innocence, its playfulness, its youth-our youth.  
    As my friend Jim said "Several times I said I want to go back to that time. I want to go back to that age."
    Boomers can, at least for a couple of hours.  Be ready
to let the tears flow. And then, at least in some special
way, feel something sweet and wonderful, again!

See you down the trail.