Almost December!

We just went through a nice long Thanksgiving weekend and are preparing for Christmas. December used to be a quiet month in Las Vegas, but that has changed with several groups converging here. This weekend will see the annual Cowboy weekend with the Nationals Final Rodeo at Thomas and Mack center with sub events all over, Nascar will be back at our speedway up north, the Rock and Roll Marathon takes place on the Strip, and on Saturday will be the Santa Run (the one I participate in). So whatever your interest there seems to be something.

Out in our backyard it is finally Fall, the leaves on the peach tree have turned yellow and almost all fell off suddenly, and the ash tree is a nice bronze color.



The only unfortunate thing is that all the Thanksgiving turkey has been eaten up. I just love turkey sandwiches.

Steam engines

I play with toy trains, and at times like to look at real ones also. This year is the 100th anniversary of the Union Pacific Railroad, and as part of their celebration they are having one of their two steam engines, UP844, tour the country. It's in Arizona right now, and on Sunday will be coming to Las Vegas from San Bernardino. Due to arrive Sunday afternoon and be open for tours at the rail yards downtown Monday from 9 to 5. This is the first steam in Vegas in eleven years, there are only a handful of running engines around the country and it is something you don't see very often. If you haven't seen a live steam engine then this might be your only chance - they are big and impressive. This one was built in 1929 and has been restored by UP.

It's pulling a train of pretty yellow UP passenger cars.


Not many computers in the cab.


It is more impressive up close (in Gilbert, Arizona last week).


There are some nice Videos here.

All photos from the UP Facebook page

I plan on driving down to Kelso on Sunday morning to see it running through. Probably joining a big crowd of steam enthusiasts, but we'll see.

from space

Kevin posted this, and I really thought it beautiful, especially the lightning in one pass

Monday videos - 80's girls

Looking up the YMCA video last week just forced me to look at a bunch of 80’s videos that were listed along the side as related. But before we get to those, LMFAO just came up with a new one that I found rather amusing. It even has Ron Jeremy dancing:


OK, back twenty five years. Let’s do the girls and girl groups today. I don’t think this one would get airplay today, much less back then. It would have been remade with a different top. Those things sure want their freedom


I rather liked Bananarama (at least the name). They came through town a few months ago.


Did you ever walk like the Bangles


Go-go
 


Cyndi is still around having fun


And a young Kylie


OK, enough big hair already

YMCA

I knew Vegas was the destination for entertainers, most names come into town for a few hours or weeks (or years) to put on shows and make some money. Usually tickets to a show here are three times the price of the same show in any other city. Sometimes we even get acts that have been around for a while (Elton John? I remember him from . . ., and Cher?) but was surprised to read in yesterday's paper that the Village People will be putting on some shows next week. You remember them, of the YMCA fame? (sorry, no embedding allowed). (I really like that leather guy's mustache) Anyway, that YouTube search led me to many hours of old videos.

Normally I put up a few photos of my granddaughter E, so let's get back to that.

When Grammy was up visiting over the summer they wandered through fields of flowers


And put some in their hair (even though it was Portland and not San Francisco)


They put a lot of time into visiting restaurants and smiling too.

Cold already?

I sure don’t like this daylight savings time change. Now I drive in to work heading east with the sun in my eyes and I drive home driving west with the sun in my eyes. I was used to getting to work when it was dark and watching the sun rise through my window, and having some time in the afternoon when I got home to do yard stuff. Now the sun is going down and I’m stuck inside. This is ignoring the cold – it was only 0c (33f) when I got up this morning (outside - yes we have the heater on inside) which probably has already taken out our tomatoes. We usually can pick tomatoes until the first frost, which some years has been around Christmas. This is much too early for it to get cold here. In the afternoon it warms up to around 17c or so (62f) but I would much rather have a longer fall with warmer days. This year it came too fast. Friday we had some light rain, and on the mountains just north of us it came down as snow - not much, but the hills and mountain were all white. I wanted a photo, but by the time we dug out the camera Saturday morning it had all melted. Oh well.

Nobody expects the Spanish Inquisition

Dr. H's open house

I've written about Dr. Hammargren before, about how I much admire his collections (and would love to have a Statue of Liberty arm sticking over my back wall). He had another of his annual open houses last Sunday, and someone posted a few minutes of video taken around his place. (now what would my wife say if . . . )