Accepted!!!

I'm back from my trip (more about that later). When I checked the email I found out some exciting information. My picture of the Mirage hotel in Las Vegas was excepted by the Schmap Vegas Guide website. I'm so excited. Here is a copy of the email I received. I'm also posting a link to their site. I'm also going to include a "widget" of their site as a courtesy for publishing my picture. Travel is not necessarily the focus of this blog so I'm not sure how long I'll leave up the widget. If it adds to the aesthetic of the page I'll leave it, if not I'll take it down sometime.

Hi Gemini Art,

I am delighted to let you know that your
submitted
photo has been selected
for inclusion in the newly released fourth
edition of our Schmap Las Vegas
Guide.

Thanks so much for
letting us include your photo - please enjoy the
guide!

Best
regards,
Emma Williams,
Managing Editor, Schmap Guides

Link to Schmap Guide, Las Vegas page. As you can see, my photo of the Mirage hotel, taken from the balcony of the Venetian, is in the upper right hand corner of the web page. There's even a little attribution to "Gemini Art" beneath it. I'm famous! I hope all my loyal readers will leave their generous compliments for me in the comments section on this blog entry and check out the Schmap Guide in appreciation for their wisdom in recognizing my photographic genius.

Exciting Email Today

Sometimes there are little things that come out of the blue that really make your day. You know, unexpected miracles like I wrote about in my prayer previously. Well, today it happened. When I checked the email this morning I had received this little note from a viewer on Flickr. (I've excluded some of the note that explained how to submit the photo for inclusion in the guide.)

Hi Gemini Art,

I am writing to let you know that one of your photos hasbeen
short-listed for inclusion in the fourth edition ofour Schmap Las Vegas Guide, to be published late
December 2007.

Best regards,

Emma Williams,

Managing Editor, Schmap Guides

I never dreamed that my little photo I took of my hotel might attract the attention of someone who might publish it. But, I'm glad its being recognized. Wish me luck everyone. It would be cool to have my photo included in a mainstream, highly visible website. I'm anxious to know if it makes the final cut. I'll let you know as soon as I find out. Of course, I'm reposting the selected picture here on the blog again.

Melancholy Memories

Ah, Vegas. It was only last month but already it feels like a lifetime ago. I've previously posted pictures of the gaudy Vegas, i.e. Harrah's, Venetian, Caesar's. But, I've not posted the pictures of the more romantic side of Vegas. This is the Belaggio fountain. The water is choreographed to the most beautiful music. The scale of the spectacle is dramatic and hard to describe unless its seen in person. I'll just say that when each jet of water goes off it sounds like a shotgun firing. Its a very powerful experience.

This picture was taken at sunset. You can see the sky glowing slightly warmer near the horizon. You can see the bluish gray clouds hovering just above the treetops. The fountain lights had just been turned on and the base of the waterworks is faintly illuminated. It was a wistful and romantic evening. Its how I choose to remember my time there. This is probably the last of the Vegas pictures I'll post. I'm about to retire this series. So, its appropriate that I end it with a picture of the fountain at sunset. This was my favorite evening in Vegas. If anyone is interested in seeing more of the Vegas pictures check out my web album by clicking on the Flickr link.

The Vegas Strip Monorail

There was something about this cheesy bit of decoration I just loved. This figure is the joker that adorns the entrance of Harrah's Hotel and Casino just adjacent to The Venetian and across the street from The Mirage. It's located on The Strip. Harrah's doesn't seem to be as ornate and classy as the other Strip casinos. I would consider this place the poor man's Caesar's. Its the Belaggio of the Wal Mart Shoppers, the Venetian of the NASCAR set. The feature attraction of the place seemed to be a bar inside that was endorsed by country singer Toby Keith and named after one of his songs. I didn't get the feeling this place was "fancy".

This wasn't the kind of place I wanted to frequent. However, it was necessary for me to visit. This was the Center Strip entrance for the all-important Las Vegas Strip Monorail. Anyone not wanting to spend a fortune on taxi fares and wear out lots of shoe leather had to be a patron of the Monorail system. Therefore, one must visit Harrah's and go slumming with the trailer park folk.

I was a fan of the monorail. There were automated kiosks to purchase monorail tickets. Insert debit card, punch in numbers, out pops a ticket. You can customize your ticket to suit your transportation requirements (2 rides, 9 rides, 15 rides, a day of riding, etc.). There were stations at most of the major casino locations. The north end stopped at the Hilton (home of Star Trek stuff) and the south end at the MGM Grand. Intermediate stops were at Harrah's, Paris Hilton (the hotel, not the ho), and a couple of other unremarkable places.

We had quite a few trips on the monorail. It took us to all the major sites on the Strip. And all of the monorail stops are usually connected to a system of overpasses and escalators to quickly get you to most of the large attractions. Escalators seemed to be a secondary theme of Las Vegas. I've decided that if you count all the escalators, moving sidewalks and the monorail, Vegas probably has more rides than Disneyland.

The Dam Angels

These statues are beautiful. When I visited Hoover dam I expected to see the engineering wonder of it all. I didn't expect to see all the amazing art and architecture associated with the complex. Because the dam was designed and built in the 1920's and 30's it is a wonderful example of the Art Deco style. The dam itself along with the intake towers are all beautifully streamlined. By comparison, modern dams are heavy mechanical things. In contrast, the Hoover Dam emphasizes soaring, sweeping curves and lines. Although its a monstrous construction of concrete and steel, I never got the feeling of weight and heaviness when I looked at it. Instead, I got the sense of space and openness. The concave slope of the dam and its pale off-white color gives the sense that its a fragile porcelein shell barely holding back the torrents of water behind it. It belies the fact that the base of this hulk is a concrete foundation as thick as a football field.

There are a number of impressive monuments around the dam celebrating its construction. The dedication monument is my favorite. It features these two beautifully stylized and streamlined angels. It seems as if the artist is trying to remodel the bodies into aircraft forms. I understand that during this time aerospace technology was just beginning to develop. Air travel was in its infancy and the use of airplanes as weapons of war was a new concept. It's interesting that the artist would associate angels, as guardians and instruments of protection, with aircraft that also serve as guardians and instruments of defense during that time. These angels wings are very obviously inspired by aircraft wing design. There are no suggestions of feathers on these wings whatsoever. Some might argue that the patterns on the torso are suggestions of feathers. I believe them to be a stylized representation of the intercostal muscles.

There was an interesting story they tell of the statues. It is considered to bring good luck to gamblers in the Vegas casinos to rub the feet of the angels as you pass. That's an unfortunate rumor because it has rubbed off the beautiful light green patina that all old bronze statuary have. The angels toes glisten a bright coppery bronze in the sunlight. Nevertheless, it's an inspiring monument.

Caesar's Palace

Caesar's Palace was an all day experience. We spent most of our time in a section called "The Forum Shops". Basically its a giant shopping mall attached to the hotel/casino. There are very upscale shops that most "normal" people can't afford to shop at unless they've won that fabled jackpot on one of the slot machines. I enjoyed the place because of the decor. You have to admire a place that uses reproductions of life size nude male statuary as decorative items. The only other place you might see this many artistically beautiful nude male figures is in Rome itself or backstage at a modern-day body-building contest. Since its not likely I'll visit either of those locations in the near future this served as a reasonable substitute. So, I appropriately got busy with my camera.

Don't judge me too quickly. I did more than just gawk at the hunky statues. We spent quite a while playing in the three story FAO Schwartz store. I was soundly defeated a couple of times playing air hockey. I would be scolded by my opponent if I were to leave out that detail. And, on the top floor of the store we found a giant keyboard like the one from the Tom Hanks movie "Big". There were a few amateurs goofing around with the thing. But, being a true piano player I decided to prove that what Hanks did in the movie wasn't just possible for movie stars. I located G and F and proceeded to play Chopsticks with my feet. I hit a few clunkers but after a couple of tries I made it through the whole tune. I attracted a tiny little audience and got just a smattering of applause when I finished. I felt good about the performance. Yes, I have pictures to prove I did it. But, you'll never see them here. After seeing my pasty legs sticking out from under my old man shorts and my flabby belly bouncing to the beat, I decided that's not appropriate material for public consumption.

That afternoon we ate at a Cheesecake Factory restaurant. I had never eaten at one before. The meal was great. I also began my Las Vegas relationship with a drink called a "Mojito." I had two with dinner. I think I had two the next night also. I've had mojitos before but it was always a bottled mix with rum stirred in. In a city that takes bar tending very seriously the mojitos are a religious experience. In Vegas they're made with handfuls of real crushed mint, fresh squeezed lime juice and cane syrup. I had a couple that actually had sugar cane sticks in them as stirrers. My Vegas vacation is over now but I'm sure I'll continue my affair with the mojito if I ever meet a good one around here.

The Volcano

I can't believe I did this. The guidebook said one of the best "free shows" in Vegas is to watch the Mirage volcano erupt in the evening. It was okay. I wouldn't describe it as great.

Of course, this was the final event we attended after having walked up and down The Strip a number of times and rode the Monorail until our butts were numb.

At first we thought the volcano (actually a fountain that rumbles, turns an eerie orange, and belches flame at the very end) was scheduled to erupt every fifteen minutes. Boy, were we wrong! We saw a sizable crowd standing around the fountain staring expectantly at the splashing water. Occasionally we'd here a rumble and we'd get our hopes up. Then after almost thirty minutes of waiting (not fifteen) the steaming, splashing and rumbling really cut loose. At the last minute a few flames spouted here and there. There was a slight smattering of applause as if a real performance had occurred. I couldn't help but wonder, "Who are we clapping for? Who's grateful for the applause, the ducks?" But, I'm glad I can say I saw the Mirage fountain. Its one of those touristy things you just have to do if you're in town. Besides, this was a shared experience and my company was great.

Moving Statues

While we strolled through the canal shops at The Venetian (and getting lost a number of times). We found a street performer posing as a "moving statue". He was interesting to watch. However, "moving" is an exaggeration of his performance. He certainly took a minimalist approach to his gestures.

Nearby was a gelatto shop. We actually had lime sorbet. I dropped this guy a few bucks and snapped some pics. I thought that for a few more bucks he might give me a different pose. NOT!!

So, we asked a bystander to take our pictures seated in front of him. We moved on.

Madame Toussaud's Wax Museum - Vegas

Yes, I wish I'd really met The Rock. But, this certainly was the next best thing. The Venetian has a Madame Toussaud's Wax Museum attached to it. When we bought our tickets for the Blue Man Group we received free tickets to the wax museum.

This wax museum is none like I've ever been to. We have a Madame Toussaud's in Hot Springs, Arkansas. Its nothing like this. At the Vegas museum you are allowed to "interact" with the figures. We were able to touch the figures, pose with them, have our pictures made with them.

I have great pictures of myself with The Rock, Patrick Stewart, Capt. Jack Sparrow and Judy Garland. I got to wipe my face with Elvis' scarf. But, I couldn't keep it. Before the visit was over I even pushed the "President" away from his press conference podium. That may have been the most cathartic experience of my entire vacation.

The Venetian

Our first day in Vegas (actually first two days) were all about casino hopping. Almost as soon as we woke up we headed out onto The Strip to begin our adventures. Of course, the most eye-catching thing in that town, in my opinion, is The Venetian. It lies directly across the street from The Mirage. It's amazing to see the tower, the canals, and gondolas sitting there in the middle of the desert.

The most remarkable thing you notice upon entering the casino is the overwhelming smell of orchids. Then as you look up you see huge ceiling murals, looking down you see marble tiled floors. Yes, its gaudy. But, it's not gaudy in the same way as the flashy, neon-striped, glittering style of the others. The Venetian is classy and gaudy at the same time (if that's possible).

We were looking for a show to see. So, we headed to the information desk and booked two great seats to the "Blue Man Group". Then we headed off toward the "Canal Shops". The man-made canal begins outside the casino and runs through the canal shops. The canal is big enough to accommodate the gondolas to be guided throughout the canal shops.

We sat at a little coffee shop and had pastries for breakfast. In the distance we heard singing. The gondoliers were coming on shift. They were marching through the canal shops in step singing on their way to there waiting gondolas outside. Then, throughout the day they continued to sing to their passengers as they paddled their gondolas through the canal. It was a great atmosphere.

Viva Las Vegas!

What a trip! Stayed at the Mirage and saw two shows. But, most of all. The company was great. The weather couldn't have been better. Temps were in the 80's and 90's. We walked the strip from daylight till dark for three days and still didn't feel like we saw everything. This is just a brief primer of the trip. More pics and stories later.

Vegas Bound!

Gee, today was tough at work. So, I've decided to focus on something positive, my upcoming vacation. In a few weeks I'll be headed to Las Vegas. I've been to Vegas twice before. The first time I went alone (not fun). The second time I went with family (only a little more fun). This time I'll be going with a friend.

The first two trips I stayed at the Las Vegas Hilton. I indulged my geeky Star Trek fanaticism. But as we all know, Vegas isn't about Captain Kirk and the Enterprise. Its about worldly, decadant self-indulgence and this time I plan to thoroughly indulge. On my first trip I visited the other casino hotels. The one that stood out in my mind featured lush tropical gardens and a swimming pool that could be mistaken for a small lake. We'll be staying in the Mirage. The Mirage is the former home of Siegfried and Roy. I figured that if the Mirage has made those guys welcome for so many years, I'll fit in just fine.

Today's artwork is a portrait of a young man by the pool. I appropriately call it "Poolboy." I know there is really no great deep meaning in this work other than a simple admiration of masculine beauty. I painted this work a few years ago but decided to post it today in anticipation of what I might see around the pool at the Mirage. Its something to look forward to, right?

The medium is acrylic painted in watercolor technique on watercolor paper. Its painted from a photo I found. My personal technique is not sufficient to paint from a live model yet. But, I'd love to try. I work so slowly and fuss over the details too much to use live models. If I did, the model would be a geriatric and I'd owe him my life savings by the time we finished the sitting. I know, I know, I should practice drawing a little everyday to develop my eye/hand coordination. But, gotta work for a living you know. If painting paid the bills. . . . .

Let me know what you think.