Happy Thanksgiving - we give thanks for all our friends and family

On Weds. we piled in the car and drove out to Las Vegas. Someone told us it was a four hour drive but traffic in Sun City, stops along the way, and a backup at the Hoover Dam, turned our four hours into six. Still, we had a great time in the car checking out the scenery as we went from Arizona to Nevada. We drove through some cute little towns along the way and discovered that there really are miles and miles of wilderness out there. Everyone's favorite stop was at a rock shop in Nothing, Arizona. The proprietor lived in a trailer next to the shop and the whole place was plastered with signs from tourists and jokes about the name of the town (ie: "I came to Nothing and left with nothing). We took some photos and David tried to buy a rock for our fountain but the shop owner wouldn't negotiate and in the end, the "it's just a rock" philosophy won out over the "I have to have it" impulse.

We were pretty tired by the time we got to Vegas on Thursday night so we had dinner and went to bed. On Thanksgiving morning Mom and I played slots at the Suncoast casino (not your traditional family holiday). We didn't win anything and we gave up after losing $5 a piece. To shake off the dark and smoke of the casino, mom and headed out for a scenic drive around Red Rock state park. The views on the loop were amazing - there were parts that made us feel like we were on the moon! I wish we had photos but our two photographers (Larry and David) were working and helping to prepare dinner, respectively.

Thanksgiving dinner was perfect - Beth made a wonderful, traditional spread and we ate our hearts out surrounded by loved ones - just how a Thanksgiving should be.


Friday morning we were roused from our lovely food coma before dawn. No we weren't hitting the early sales, we were up to take mom and Larry to the airport and say goodbye as they ended their wild west trip. David drove and gave them a proper send-off while I slept under a blanket in the passenger seat. I think I remember saying goodbye...

Friday night David and I went to the strip to see the lights. The Christmas decorations weren't up yet, but the Thanksgiving ones were beautiful. We took a picture in the Bellagio (below) just before we hit it big (ok, well, not so big, but we did win $160 playing a series of electronic nickel slots that neither of us ever figured out). There was something about getting the right combination fish, anchors and dancing pirates...

Saturday Beth took us hiking in the Calico Basin section of Red Rock park.
I had my first experience with rock
scrambling (climbing up big rocks) and loved it. The views were beautiful and we ended our hike at a secluded pool surrounded by towering rock. To counterbalance all that exercise, we spent Saturday night indulging in a last holiday feast at the Rampart buffet. David's grandparents treated us to a fun dinner and a special end to our trip.

Thanks to all who visited and who invited us to visit you. We were reminded this Thanksgiving that we have been blessed with so many wonderful family members and so much love.