For once everything was on time. When we landed, mom and dad were waiting to pick us up and take us back to our home sweet home, and our little boo boo bear. That's always the best part of coming home - seeing that fuzzy little face again.
One of the challenging things about where we live is that it's not always easy to get direct flights in and out. For our trip back we flew out of Vegas at midnight, landing in Winnipeg at about 3 am. Our connection back home left at nine in the morning. That's a lot of hours in planes and airports. As you can see, Dennis was exhausted and caught a nap on the floor. I drifted in and out on the flights. Fortunately only once did I snort myself awake, and thankfully not at full volume. (I tend to snort myself awake - loudly - when I sleep in the car. Dennis always enjoys mocking me.)
For once everything was on time. When we landed, mom and dad were waiting to pick us up and take us back to our home sweet home, and our little boo boo bear. That's always the best part of coming home - seeing that fuzzy little face again.
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Today was our last day in Vegas. Our flight out was evening one, so we had time to squeeze in a few more things before we left. First up - my worst nightmare, the water park.
Marriage is often about compromise and this is one of those situations. Dennis loves, loves, loves water parks. I hate everything about them. I hate that they never have nice locker rooms. Instead, you have to change in a questionable bathroom with sweaty concrete walls, and dubious looking puddles all over the floor. Blech. I hate that they cram as many loungers in as possible which means usually someone is dripping on you as they walk by, or you accidentally get a pool noodle in the face. I hate that swimsuits are required attire. I plan my whole life around not having to be seen in a bathing suit! I hate the rides, which are usually too high, with lines that are too long. In short, the only thing that's worse than a water park is a beach. (Beaches - you know what they are? Human litter boxes. Dig in the sand a little and you will find the most disgusting things. Cigarette butts. Old band-aids. Toenails. Shudder.) But as much as I hate them, Dennis loves them. We don't have the climate for a water park so he has to make the most of it while we're on holiday. Grudgingly I indulged him in a few morning hours at Wet-n-Wild. He went on all the rides, and I worked my way through the latest issue of Oprah. Finally the torture ended! It was time for lunch and we wanted to squeeze in a visit to P.F. Chang's. We had initially planned to go to the one in the Planet Hollywood casino but since we had rented a car, we were able to go to one near the water park. As always, service and food were excellent. P.F. Chang's is turning into a must for us. After lunch, Dennis rewarded my patience with the water park with another visit to Ross, but this time one off the strip. Given his success in finding things, I think I've finally won him over. There were no heavy sighs or "I'll just wait in the car". Nope, he managed to find a new shirt. I added to my dress collection. Even with all that, we still had time to go back to the hotel and shower, which was blissful after feeling sweaty and gritty from the water park. Then it was off to catch our flight and start the journey home. Today we hit the ground running again! After a quick stop at Walgreens for some yogurt, we caught a bus to the North Premium Outlets. There was no Ross store but there are a few shops I like - particularly Dress Barn and Rack Room. I also popped into a watch store and bought a couple of Timex watches. I love how classic Timex is. My hands are small so a thin strap tends to look best on me. Dennis also had good luck - he found a nice suit at Perry Ellis. We only needed a couple hours to get through the outlets. We caught the bus back to the hotel and then popped out to the Quad for lunch. We went to the Haute Doggery. When I first saw the sign I wasn't sure if it was a dog store. But no, it's a gourmet hot dog restaurant. Dennis ordered the El Machete and I ordered the Tijuana Dog: Unfortunately, we mixed them up so Dennis ate mine, and I had his! Luckily we both have good taste so it wasn't a tragedy. Despite my misgivings, our next stop was the High Roller, the newest Ferris Wheel on the strip: I was more than a little terrified. However, one of the attendant's put my fears to rest by assuring me it wasn't scary. And also, she agreed with my request: "If anything happens - mechanical, whatever - save me first! Screw everyone else, me first!"
Because it isn't as popular during the day, Dennis and I were able to have a car all to ourselves. Honestly, it wasn't bad. It took about 30 minutes to do the full rotation. It was high - so high - but we were totally enclosed and it felt very safe. I kept telling myself, 'It's just a big safe hamster ball". It was a fantastic view. After we came down, we wandered the Strip a little bit more. After a quick cat nap, we headed to the Bellagio to claim our free buffet tickets. The buffet was good, as far as buffet food goes. I'm just generally not a fan. Food loses something for me when it's mass produced. From there we went to a late night show, in a tent outside Caesar's Palace. Absinthe is a little bit of everything - comedy, acrobatics, high wire, trapeze. It was interesting although a little crude at times. I definitely would not take my mom to see it! Dennis enjoyed it immensely though. The night ended close to midnight, which is super late for us. Yet another day of going full speed ahead! Our day started by returning the car and then heading to breakfast on the strip. We went to Mon Ami Gabi and sat on the patio. It was very relaxing and quite a holiday-ish thing to do. I had the "big skinny pancakes" which the waiter patiently explained to me were crepes. (Which totally makes sense being that it's a French restaurant.) It's a good thing he said something though as I was picturing traditional pancakes. There would have been a "what the hell?!" moment otherwise. The crepes were delicious and the carb-loading was helpful because it was another marathon day. Once we were done breakfast we wandered down the Strip. I felt myself being pulled, as if by an outside force, to the most magical place in Vegas. The Ross store! Oh Ross, how I've missed you. I ended up buying four dresses, all of which I thought could work for summer or winter. Dennis also decided to peruse Ross and damned if the man didn't out-shop me! He got more items than I did, and spent less per item. I was both impressed and also slightly embarrassed by my own performance. (I demand a re-match!) After we dropped our bags off at the hotel, we caught the bus and went downtown to the old Strip. Dennis was hoping to do the Superman zip line. Unfortunately, it wasn't open yet. It wasn't a wasted trip as we stopped for lunch at Pizza Rock, where we devoured this magnificent pie: It was called the Honey Pie and it was glorious.
After lunch, we caught the bus back to the hotel for a quick catnap. We had reservations to Rock of Ages, with dinner at Table Ten booked before. Table Ten is one of Emeril Lagasse's restaurants. We had gone to Delmonico Steakhouse years ago and so we wanted to try one of his other venues. We had the four course tasting menu and it was fantastic. The gumbo was superb but the best part was the dessert - banana cream pie that had chunks of banana in it. So good. The tickets for Rock of Ages were included in our hotel booking. Given that it was a free show, I didn't have high expectations. But it was fantastic! Funny, with great music and dancing. The only downside was the people sitting next to us. They were slightly inebriated to begin with, then just plain ol' drunk. It got to be quite obnoxious so at the intermission, we moved up a couple rows. (And so did everyone else sitting in their vicinity!) That wrapped up another day! At this rate we will need a holiday from our holiday. This marks my sixth trip to Vegas, and number 7 for Dennis. In all that time, we've never ventured off the strip. Today we changed that - we rented a car and headed out to Red Rock Canyon. There's a 21k loop that you can drive, with turnouts to do some hiking or take pictures. Initially we thought, "Geez, that would be a great half-marathon - I wonder why they don't do one?" We quickly found out why - it would be brutal! No one in their right mind would sign up for it! Aside from the heat (which wasn't even that bad on the day we went) it was very hilly, which would be quite a challenge. It was gorgeous though. The scenery wouldn't be enough distraction for the pain, but as far as driving it - it was lovely. We could have taken a bus tour out but it was nice to take a car and go at our own pace. We hadn't brought hiking gear but I think next time we would seriously consider it. (As long as we had plenty of water with us.) After we finished touring Red Rock, we drove out to Primm Outlets for some shopping. We had always wondered how they were. It was okay but the Premium Outlets and Ross are still a bit better. Nevertheless, I managed to find a dress at Lucky Brand and pants, a dress, and a top at the Lee's outlet. Because Primm didn't take as long as expected, we were able to squeeze in another outlet mall. But first we stopped for a bite to eat at I Love Burgers: It was at the restaurant - when I went into the washroom to wash my hands - that I discovered a major husband fail. Dennis had let me walk around for I don't know how long (2 hours or so?!) with my shirt on inside out. Aargh! I guess attention to detail isn't his strong suit. After our late lunch/early dinner we prowled around the outlet mall. I didn't go into too many places, as I was getting a little shopped out. The only store I was interested in was Charming Charlie: I went to one in Phoenix and it was wonderful - so over the top with it's pretty sparkly things. The store is huge and it's a lot to take in. I tried to go quickly but I'm sure it was still pure torture for Dennis.
After that, we went to a movie theater to catch Guardians of the Galaxy. The theatre was quite nice. For $11 we got luxury seats that reclined. It was like watching a movie at home, although I did manage to stay awake the whole time! Our first full day in Vegas and it was exactly that - full! We arrived safe and sound as Vegas, but as you can see - our hotel room is quite a dump! However will we cope with just 700 square feet or so of velvet, marble, and sunken living room luxury?! We're staying at the Palazzo this time, which is right next to the Venetian. Location-wise it's close to lots of stuff (food, Walgreens, etc.) which is good because there's already enough walking in Vegas without adding extra. Last time we stayed at Mandelay Bay and while it was gorgeous, I ended up with huge blisters on both feet just because we were forever walking from one place to another. I was tuckered by the time it was done!
Our flight in was a night flight so we got to see the strip all lit up. We're going to explore a teeny bit tonight and then early to bed. Tomorrow is Red Rock Canyon so we'll want to be bright eyed for the morning. One of the great things about Wayne visiting is we're actually exploring the city more than usual. We're taking Wayne to all the trendy little places in town and realizing how much we're missing. Case in point, yesterday we went to the Farmer's Market downtown, which we never do. But it was quite nice to peruse all the fruits and veggies. We also stopped in at Collective Coffee, as Wayne has a distinguished palate and likes the good stuff. They do the slow drip coffee, which to be honest I totally don't get. Have these people never heard of Keurig?! But Wayne swears by the flavour.
The area we were in is called Riversdale and it's been going through a rejuvenation of late. You can tell that it's going through some gentrification, as the place was knee-deep in hipsters. There are still some pawn shops on the street but they are slowly being replaced with trendy restaurants and frou-frou decorating stores. I felt a little Wal-Mart compared to the other shoppers. I either needed to be carrying a yoga mat or have a baby in one of those slings to blend with the crowd. My Old Navy dress and Target purse were not good camouflage! However, hipsters are not known for being aggressive so we were able to mingle together peacefully. The only down side to the day was when we were walking through the Farmer's Market and we stopped briefly to watch a cooking demonstration. Well, I thought it was a cooking demo. In reality the guy was giving a lecture about how people cause their own cancer by eating the wrong foods. I'm not prone to violence but there was a part of me that wanted to kick him in the shins. However, being a civilized member of society, I settled for the next best thing. I exclaimed loudly to Dennis, "What an ass!" and then walked away. No point trying to fight stupid. Yesterday was a great day because our friend Wayne and his son Brandon came for a visit. They haven't been to see us for a couple years but I used the c-card to get them out here. I often refer to Wayne as our long-suffering friend, because honestly - we are just the worst and he's always so pleasant about it. For example, since flights are cheaper out of Calgary, we've often stayed with him a day or two and then flown out from there. Invariably we end up asking for a ride to the airport (usually it's a reasonable flight time) and then a pick up when we get back (which is usually at an ungodly hour.) Bless his heart, Wayne is always so agreeable. I'm really not sure what he gets out of this friendship, but he's known Dennis since grade school so there's a lot of history there.
Despite being one of the nicest people on the planet, Wayne is a bit of a magnet for calamity. Twice now he's had a brand-new car get smashed in a hit and run. (Thankfully no injuries either incident.) Another time he ate at a restaurant that had a hepatitis outbreak and he had to get tested. If something mildly catastrophic is going to happen, it'll happen to Wayne. No surprise then that Wayne's trip to Saskatchewan wasn't uneventful. Somewhere along the way he ended up getting a chip in his windshield. (This would be the car he just recently had repaired, of course.) So shortly after he arrived we found ourselves heading over to the Rona parking lot where they had one of those quick fix kiosks set up. I particularly enjoyed that the attendant was wearing a shirt that said "Say No to Crack". I like a business with a sense of humour. They were doing brisk trade so we had about a 30 minute wait. While the boys entertained themselves at Cabella's, I popped into a couple shops. I didn't see anything in Banana Republic but did find a lovely lemon-print scarf in the Gap. I have a hard time resisting scarves....and lemon prints...and sale prices. Of course I added it to my collection. (My scarf collection is getting to be rather sizeable. *gulp*) So I guess the moral of the story is - other people's heartache can sometimes work out okay for you. Or maybe the moral is, you can find bargains when you least expect them. ? Regardless, it was a happy ending all around - Wayne got his windshield fixed and I got some retail therapy. Win! So yesterday I realized that my childhood is essentially "vintage" now. It was a hard pill to swallow but I've made peace with it. The truth is, we had some cool (and slightly deranged) things in the70s and 80s. No wonder people are discovering them now and enjoying them anew. For example, there are some pieces of jewelry I owned that are now turning up on sites like Etsy and eBay. If only I had kept these beauties in my jewel box! A few of my favourites: ![]() A tweet little brooch. I used to call this my Tweety bird brooch, even though technically it was just a bird not actually Tweety. (I'm sure it was trying to be Tweety-like without actually getting sued for royalties.) The bird was on a small spring and would wiggle every-so-slightly if the cage was tapped. That made it extra special, of course. One thing I will say about jewelry from my childhood. While it was made out of plastic, it wasn't cheap plastic. It was sturdy stuff. No wonder these things show up on Etsy in pristine condition. ![]() Is there anything more vintage than a bunny on roller skates?! This was another classic, also from Avon. There were two fantastic things about this: 1. The legs moved. (I'm not sure that would wow me now, but to a child it was awesome.) 2. The back opened and had a compact of solid perfume. A brooch and cosmetics in one! What would they think of next? I'm not sure the perfume was one that you'd want a child slathering all over the place but oh well. ![]() Hold me closer, tiny dancer! I'm seeing a theme here with the jewelry - all of these pieces moved. In this case, the ballerina's legs would go back and forth. I loved, loved, loved this necklace. I was fascinated with all things ballet, especially since my own experience with lessons was so sadly short-lived. This little necklace was so pretty and dainty - it always felt like a special day when I was wearing it. It reminded me of these cake decorations I had at one of my birthdays. (In fact, I seem to recall we re-used them year after year, because that's the way you did it in the 70s.) ![]() Making a cameo appearance. This final piece is the only one that didn't move but it was still very special. Like most of my jewelry, Tracy had a matching one too. This necklace was so pretty - small, delicate and a bit old-fashioned. You don't see cameo very often nowadays, which makes me think it's due for a comeback any time. The few times I have seen a piece, it's been a bit too modern for my taste. I love the look of the 1880's pompadour style in the profile, as opposed to something like this where the silhouette is more contemporary. Cameo blue would be my preference, although it is very pretty in that vintage pink shade as well. (Why did I ever let it go? What was I thinking?!) Those are just a few pieces from my childhood. I didn't have a lot of jewelry, which made it all the more special when my parents would give me something new. Of course, when I got older and I had my own spending money (plus pierced ears) I expanded my collection. I'm not sure that my taste was always impeccable though! Michael Jackson earrings? Oy! Thankfully I think my style has improved over time. My collection now is less plastic, more gemstone. (And most definitely does not include tributes to pop stars!) Today Dennis and I ran an assortment of errands, ending with a quick pop into Hidden Stitch to check it out. Hidden Stitch is a new shop that upcycles furniture - refinishing, re-upholstering, etc. to make new but vintage-y looking pieces. Dennis had been following them on Facebook and wanted to see if there might be anything fun for our house. We're still keeping our eyes peeled for some new end tables for the living room. One of the first things that I saw when we walked in was a large painting - three ships on a red velvet background. Holy crap! We used to have that exact same picture when I was growing up. My parents bought it "off some guy in a van" and were super excited because it went with their red velvet couch set. The trip down memory lane didn't end there. I saw many more mementos from my childhood. For example, they had some pieces from Blue Mountain Pottery. I defy you to find one childhood from the 70s that did not include Blue Mountain somewhere in the house. It can't be done! They also had a collection of these: Pennants! I had forgotten these exist but remember collecting them from various cities when I was a child. I couldn't even tell you which cities, but I remember the excitement of getting a new pennant for my room.
We had a good time perusing but didn't see anything for our living room. It wasn't until later that I realized, crap! I'm now at a point in my life when things from my childhood are considered vintage. There's a whole bunch of hipsters out there buying things to enjoy ironically. Things that I enjoyed unabashedly in my childhood. How did this happen?! Next thing you know, 1980s fashion will come back and everyone will be wearing neon jelly shoes and - dammit! |
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