end of summer, big wheels

Still warm here, due to be 38c today (101f) but thunderstorms due for the next few days. We had a lot of rain last week – a full 1.58 inches (about 4cm) which might not seem like a lot, but it broke a few records and doubled our recorded rainfall for the year so far. Yes, it is dry here in the desert. There is still some new construction going on down at the Strip. Not just one but two big wheels are being built by competing firms. Caesar’s is building the Linq on the center Strip, by the Imperial Palace across from Caesar’s Palace. It is a redo of an older area (well, 20 years is old here in Vegas) rebuilding several restaurants and putting in a 550 foot tall big observation wheel, similar to the London Eye. A second one is being built by a private firm further south, across from Mandalay Bay. That one will be about the same size, but not attached to a casino but rather a new shopping complex is being constructed with the wheel at the center. Each location is spending around $500,000,000 on their wheels and surrounding buildings. We finally got the pool cover fixed on our swimming pool – it’s an automated cover that is really good at keeping the pool clean and the water warm. One of the ropes that pulls the cover closed broke a few months ago and we have been having a hard time getting it fixed. There is only one company in town that can repair this brand of cover, and they seemed exceptionally busy. Well, we finally found out that they were having employee problems, and the manufacturer pulled their franchise and contacted a company up in Utah to handle things. They sent a bunch of employees down to work on all off the built up problems, and somebody came out last Friday and did the repair. With the cover on only one week the water warmed up eight degrees, and it now sits at a comfy 92f (33.3c) which is just where we like it. And it will keep the water warmer longer – so it should be pretty nice swimming come the end of October (when visitors are due out from cold country)