Recap of Day 3

Foreign flora

The landscaping around the resorts is breathtaking. I don't understand palm trees though. How can one palm be as big as another in circumference but be less than half as tall? They seem to be the same variety so how'd they do that? Some resorts have astroturf for grass.  The lawn above is real.

Hearty drought resistant and many have flowers. The flowering bushes at the back of the above photo are the same kind planted in the landscaping around Lloyd Center.  I recognized the scent of the blossoms.

I don't know if this tree is blooming or if the yellow is foliage.  It looks really pretty against the black glass of the pyramid.

The most abundant flowering plant around the hotel.

I call this one:

The fly fishing plant

Each of these feathery red flowers looks like a fishing fly stuck in a bush. I didn't touch them to see if they felt like fishing flies. A lot these plants have thorns.

More strange palms

Each of these trees was about 7 feet tall with a single blooming spike sticking up. One tree had two flowers. Eacn bloom was bigger than a football though they were kinda football shaped. Stange indeed.

A lovely traffic circle at Town Center (the mall). Harlan went into that exciting store called Staples while I sat and enjoyed the lovely evening breeze.

Poolside at the Luxor

I braved the elements and the social stygma of not having a beach body to sit poolside and get a little sun on my arms and legs. It wasn't too bad being out there with the masses. I had my sunglasses and an iced latte. I was good.

One thing I'm finding hard to get used to here is the smoking in public.  Any time, anywhere, you can find people with cigarettes and cigars puffing away. Outside isn't as bad but walking through the mall and the hotel?  The lady two lounge chairs over was smoking during the 30 minutes I was out there. The trash can in the lower corner of the picture has a ring of sand or something around the edge so it's also used as an ash tray.

It is a pretty setting. Almost makes me wish I'd brought my bathing suit. Almost ;0)

A peek at the pool @ Mandalay Bay

Harlan and I walk past the wall of windows that looks out over these pools on the way to the conference center. This resort is more family friendly than ours. The wave pool was pretty popular.

But the Lazy River would be just about right for Har and me. Sitting on an inner tube just floating along. Sounds relaxing hey?

He's really here!

"Elvis has left the building."  He left the pool area anyway. I was wondering if I'd see anyone dressed like him while down here, knowing I wouldn't being going to any shows to see him.

Big birds

The mall is directly in the flight path to the airport which is really close to our hotel too. I only managed to get one photo of a fairly small one compared to some that flew over that evening.  Exciting to me though I'm sure it may get to be annoying if you had it happening 24/7.

Romantic dinner

Har and I figured we'd find someplace to have dinner while we were down at the mall. We were walking around looking at shops and looking for Staples when I saw this restaurant.  This was where we would eat! It ended up being the perfect choice. Kind of Olive Garden-ish but with more atmosphere. Very romantic setting.

When we came out of the restaurant we noticed the lights wrapped around the trunks of the trees. So pretty.

Took one last picture on our walk back to the hotel.  Is this a magnolia? It was on a tree and there were quite a few very fragrant flowers filling the warm night air.

A nice way to end the day.

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Location:Las Vegas