This is the last day of the show and it is only a half day because it all shuts down at two. Our plan is to hit the aisles early, but when I do my morning check of my website, I am taken to somebody else’s family website - a family I never heard of! Eek! I try the back door and find that my website has completely disappeared. OK - that gets my attention.
Eventually things get straightened out, but, by then, we are running late. We also have to pack and check out since we are leaving this afternoon. We have missed the chance of a good breakfast next door again, but figure we can stand just one more experience in our hotel restaurant.
Things are even noisier and smokier this morning than yesterday. I make the remark that I can’t imagine a more unhealthy environment for a human nervous system. I should have never said that!
Immediately, three workmen come in with jackhammers and begin to remove the concrete floor under the slot machines - not ten feet away. Have you ever been confined in a small space with three jackhammers? I don’t recommend it. Perhaps I should quit challenging the Universe that way?!?
It has become clear by now that my daily report on everything we find interesting at CHA is not going to “fit” the schedule. I can’t “output” at the same time there is so much “input”. My pipes will get clogged!
So, the plan is to talk about the discoveries one by one so I can do them justice. The CHA “report” will be ongoing for awhile. Once I get back home, I can make the discoveries (and the experiments based on them) part of my blog for a long time to come! I have a huge bag of “stuff” to talk about.
By yesterday afternoon, I never wanted to see another piece of paper again. At least not the 12"x12" variety in cute prints!
That was before we ran into Diane’s Daughters. We ran into Diane herself actually, but her daughters were nearby.
There is a richness and texture to these papers that just makes you want to touch them (even though the surface is actually smooth). I would never, ever glue stuff on top of these, but I would use them in every imaginable paper arts project. What fabulous journal covers!
Thanks, Diane (and your Daughters) for saving this paper artist from paper overkill!
The Diane’s Daughters website is wholesale only, but they have an extensive store locator. Your job is to get into your local store and tell them you must have these papers! Because, really, you must!
We were thrilled to find this totally tasteful and sophisticated line of papers - particularly when we found it - this discovery rejuvenated us and our love for papers.
The show ended at two o'clock and we had to assess our energy level. We would be leaving town in a couple of hours and we had not really seen anything of Las Vegas. Could we tell that to the folks back home? We needed to see something, right?
We were under the impression that it is impossible and very expensive to park on the Strip, but we took the van anyway, because we just couldn’t walk anymore. Happily, we found the aforementioned rumors to be unfounded. Turn in beside the Eiffel Tower and follow the signs that say Self Park. You will find a gigantic garage, mostly empty, and completely free. Finding your way out of and back into this garage is a whole other story - but it is free.
We decided we needed an experience that was equal parts food, faux, and fabulous. We decided to go to Paris, have lunch at their bistro and watch the fountain show at the Bellagio directly across the street.
I’ve never been to Paris, but they say it looks like this. With all the tourists in bad shorts, I wonder?
Anyway, this replica of the Eiffel Tower is one half the size of the original, and otherwise, it is an exact replica of the original. But is the original stuck through a hybrid of the Opera House and the Louvre this way?
To add to the illusion, there are also statues of frozen Parisian street sweepers with dustpans and frozen Parisian litter.
I’m not sure what this stained glass ceiling is inspired by, but it is beautiful, and it served as clue for us finding the garage again.
The Mon Ami Gabi is a bistro that allows outdoor dining right on the Strip. You can people watch but fountain watching is better. The Bellagio is right across the street.
The food at the Mon Ami Gabi is interesting and different - and expensive - but what the heck, we’re in Paris, right?
I order a fine French Chardonnay and French Onion Soup (when in Rome . . . oops, I mean Paris), and both are delicious. Maribeth has a salad bigger than the table.
It is a beautiful day and we are tired in the way you are when you have successfully accomplished a big thing. We wait quietly for the entertainment . . .
The fountains in the man made lake in front of the Bellagio are so fabulous that everyone told me I must see them. And they did their thing several times while we had lunch - wow!
If I had even one ounce of energy, I would walk across that street and take some great photos (this one is from the hotel website). We even talked about it, but the light was going by then and the effort was too big.
My last activity in Las Vegas was the same as my first one - I got lost. I don’t usually get lost and I travel a lot. I think it was because of the quick trip back from Paris, maybe.
Anyway, I drop Maribeth at the airport (she is headed for rainy Seattle). The airport exit is where my directional challenges begin. and I circle around for while.
Eventually, I am allowed to leave Las Vegas, and I do.
I may or may not publish them.
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