La Madre Springs

Sonny and I decided to hike another trail this weekend that neither of us had ben down... La Madre Springs.

It was definitely a bit colder than my last trip out to Ice Box Canyon and the trail head started at the base of a cliff that blocked out the sun... no help there. The hike began rather easily with the first 1/6th being a 4x4 trail. The Wind was howling and of course I didn't bring a wind breaker.

The trail broke away from the 4x4 road and was pretty moderate for the next half hour. In fact there were some really colorful birds in the shrubs and small trees lining the path... brilliant blues flashed in front of us as these birds (not sure what type) fluttered across the path ahead of us.

It was about half way up the path that it became pretty steep with a steady incline of about 30 degrees I would guess. The path was manageable but the constant incline was getting to us a little. However, the long hike up the incline was worth it when you hit the small pool. As we approached the crest of the hill we were hiking we could hear the sound of trickling water which is unusual in the desert. Once we reached the top we were greeted with the sight of a medium sized pool of crystal clear water and a pretty fast flowing stream rushing into it.

This is where the best part of the hike began... we thought that once we reached the pool it would be the spring head but this was not the case. We followed the stream up a small canyon it had carved over the years... the contours and vegetation along the stream path were very interesting and unlike anything we had seen coming up... that is what altitude and water will do for the geography and flora.

There have been many sightings of rams in the are as they go there for water and food but we were not that lucky... so no ram pictures in the blog this time though I am determined to get some good wildlife footage in here... it will require a predawn hike or post sunset to really get some good photos...

We followed the stream up some distance before we reached an area that would be a little treacherous and as the sun was setting I didn't want to navigate in the semi darkness with Sonny and get hurt that far up. So we came down and enjoyed the decent much better from a quads and calves point of view than the accent!

Not to self: Go again and this time go earlier and bring backpack/camel back to reach the spring head!

Ice Box Canyon

Decided to take a nice hike this Sunday... it was a little late when I got out of the door but hey... it's playoff time. And Hail to the Redskins! I headed out at probably 3:30pm... it gets dark at about 5:00pm this time of year. The Ice box trail is about 3/4 of the way down the scenic drive in Red Rock Canyon... I hadn't hiked this particular trail so I was excited to check it out... it was listed as a difficult trail... and there was some climbing involved.

The main difficulty was the temperature... I had dressed in shorts, boots and t-shirt with a sweatshirt over... when I left the house it was about 58 degrees... when I stepped out of the truck at the trail head it was 45 degrees... brrr but after ascending half way up the trail I was comfortably warm. The canyon continued to narrow and climb... as the canyon walls closed in from both sides and with the sun going down the temperature was still dropping... the terrain was getting even more difficult and I decided it was time to turn about before I got caught in rough terrain in the dark...

I didn't bring a light and only had my blackberry which can cast a faint glow... in fact a cell phone saved me when I got caught on the 45th floor penthouse of the Hilton on 6th and 53rd in NY when we had the east coast blackout... the stairwell emergency lights failed to illuminate so about 20 of us used our cell phone screens to light the way down the pitch black stairs.


I probably got about half way back when the sun finally set over the horizon but the terrain was easy at that point and I realized that I was still casting a shadow and could see relatively well... nearly a full moon... what luck.

When I reached the end of the path I had a decent view of the Las Vegas valley so I set my camera up on a rock and set a timed exposure to avoid motion blur.

A Vodka Experiment

My Parents sent me some Calamondin Oranges that I had requested to make my own Tedsolute Orange... After thoroughly cleaning the oranges with water and a medium brissle brush I dropped them into a very large sealable jar.

Some were in bad shape so much like the bad eggs in Wonka's Chocolate Factory they got rejected. I then added 3 bottles (750ml each) of Teton Glacier Potato Vodka into the jar so that it could slowly soak up the flavor of the oranges... The expert at Lee's Discount Liquors suggest this as one of the better domestic potato vodkas made from choice Idaho russet potatoes.

I look forward to some super martinis!

New Year's Resolutions and Happy New Year!

I make them every year and this year I am ahead of the game! I started accomplishing my resolutions before the year started...

Continue to become more physically fit... I have been going to the gym 6 days per week and continue to do so. And can I say that I find myself somewhat annoyed with my recently jammed up gym... wow the first week of 2006 and I have to wait for machines with all the new years health resolutioners hitting the gym now... I secretly wish for a steady decline.

Eat healthy... a well rounded diet... 2000-2300 calories per day and cheat like hell on Sunday's to keep my sanity... it works... been doing it for months now...

Invest more... I would probably get an unsatisfactory for this but I've made some strides going into the new year.

Lastly get into more social group things... cycling clubs and such... working in a virtual office for the past year I realize that all my new relationships are mostly with clients and coworkers... and my old relationships are kept up through phone, e-mail and blogging...but I realized what I have been missing when I started playing pick up basketball again...

Sonny and I had a pretty laid back New Years Eve... we went to Roy's for a nice dinner and then had a romantic evening at home... going outside to yell and shout with the rest of the neighborhood revelers when the time came.

Highway to the pleasantly surprised zone...

Our friend Rachel called the other day and told us that she could get some free tickets to see Kenny Loggins with the Pointer Sisters as an opening act.

Well they were free okay! And besides... I still have a soft spot for Footloose and TopGun... and I know the Pointer Sisters, "Fire", "He's so Shy", "Slow Hand", "I'm so Excited"... they played them all and very well too... that was a blast from the past... late 70's, early 80's man!

Kenny was great too... but of course you don't sell gold and platinum records if you are merely okay... well at least in the 80's you didn't... not like today's manufactured stars. I'm under no illusion that there weren't manufactured stars back then... it just seems like today they decide the image, songs, lifestyle, etc... then just insert warm body...

Anyway, I could tell Kenny was trying to separate from his old stuff as he has some knew music out or about to be out... and it wasn't bad... I got my "Footloose" fix right before the encore so that was cool... though he only played a little of "Highway to the Danger Zone." I still had the image of him with the buzzcut and big aviator sunglasses... he looks much different now.

When I told my buddy Victor I was going he asked me if that type of music fell into the genre of Wussrock or Spazrock... sheesh... I still had to laugh though.

Go Ahead...

Today I felt like a shoot. All of my contracts were completed for the year... in fact I exceeded my year goal by some 125% or so when all is said and done and my goals this year were nearly 200% higher than 2004! Needless to say I was feeling good... so to celebrate why not blow off a few rounds with my 357 Magnum... a Smith and Wesson model 66 that was my grandfather's service revolver when he was on the Indiana State Police Board.

The place I usually go is The Gun Store, not the most original name but they have a nice indoor range and until recently carried the 357 frangible rounds (meaning no lead) as they don't want to breath atomized lead from standard rounds all day or worry about ricochets. Frangibles turn to dust upon impact with the steel back plate of the range.

It's nice to go in every once and a while and shoot off 2 boxes of ammunition (100 rounds total) I'm not bad either...

The only thing that gets me sometimes are the guys and sometimes, though rarely, women, who have an urge to fire an automatic assault or military weapon... good lord are they loud... when I went shooting today I had someone next to me with a .45 Thompson a WWII weapon but more commonly recognized with an ammo drum clicked in and a mobster rubbing out his rivals... then there was the M-16 and the AK-47 wow really loud.

I am tempted to rent one gun though and shoot off one or two clips... only because of the name... the 9mm Madsen M50 SMG... a Danish gun.

Mom's Sugar Cookies

My mother sent me some sugar cookies the other day and I opened them up and had a bite... I will tell you what... I was not expecting the flood of Christmas memories that I got... it has been a while since a taste or smell triggered such a onrush...

Memories of...

... making cookies as a child with my mother...

... the small plastic containers with different colored sugars, silver balls, pastel stars, red hots...

... the same cookie cutter shapes as always...

Sonny even was a little surprised as I rummaged through the cookies to find a Santa with a silver ball in his cap or a Christmas tree with the same silver ball as a star at the top and the glee I felt upon finding one.

Just amazing.

Christmas Morning

This is me waking up way too early...


This is Angela and Sonny modeling their Happy Bunny attire

Lisa enjoying a gift

Buy more save more??? what the hell?

Ribbon girl


The material aftermath

The physical aftermath

Christmas Eve

Well it is an official tradition in Vegas now... Dinner at the Eiffel Tower Restaurant at the Paris followed by a stroll through the Bellagio's Christmas display.

This is a slight variation from the tradition started by my family of going to Le Coq Au Vin in Orlando, FL. It is a fantastic restaurant that on Christmas Eve hires very talented quartet of carolers that move from table to table usually singing two requests from each table... my Poppa (mother's father) would treat us to a truly excellent experience there every Christmas Eve that Sonny later joined with me when we became serious as a couple.


The Eiffel Tower Restaurant while not providing carolers does provide an excellent level of service and we got the same table we had last year with a spectacular view of the strip and the Bellagio fountains. Shea was our wait captain last year but had taken a job at the bar this year and we had a new chap. I need to find his card so that I can request him next year.

The experience was excellent again this year... and this year we went to church service before the meal... going to a midnight service after so much food and wine would have been difficult.


When I received the bill at the end of the meal it only added to the appreciation of all those fancy meals my family has treated me to.

After dinner we strolled through the Bellagio seasonal display which I was happy to say changes from year to year... while seeing what we saw last year would have been nostalgic and still nice... it was great to experience something new and different.


After much photo taking and goofing around it was time to head home... to wrap a few more gifts for under the tree and settle down for a well deserved sleep.

Christmas shopping in the West

Well, I suppose that shopping in the West is not really much different than in the East except for the fact that it is noticeably less crowded... especially in Vegas... which is nice. When I lived on the east coast whether it be Fairfax or Norfolk, VA or Orlando, FL you could certainly count on wall to wall shopping crowds as Christmas approached. I imagine it has much more to do with population density than anything else but what a difference.

Shopping at Meadows Mall or my favorite Fashion Show Mall wasn't much different and in fact was less crowded in Fashion Show than during the Summer. I didn't really have to wait in long lines and spend more time deciding than waiting which is quite a shift... had time to pop by Teavana and get some yummy Monkey Rolled Oolong Tea with honey... have lunch at California Pizza Kitchen and stroll around the mall like a man without an agenda.


In the east I had my list and was practically Olympic fast walking as I weaved through the crowd like Clinton Portis... list in hand eyes on the prize and a mental count of money to be spent, money spent and available funds.

Crazily I missed some of the hustle and bustle of Chrismas shopping in the east but hey at least I didn't have to worry about Aisle Rage...

P.S. If you were wondering about the dancing Santa's helpers? It is all part of Fashion Show's deal... they have a runway in the middle of the mall... during holiday they have holiday events but normally they have models, modeling what is sold in the mall... the Fredericks and Victoria's Secret shows are the best!... well at least from my point of view.

Dude!

Well I wasn't quite on the slopes by 8:30 when they opened... had to get some chow first. However, when I opened the blinds and looked outside... what a site... it looked like a blizzard had hit... about a foot of new snow on my patio railing, over night and it was still coming down.

So I put on my snowboarding attire, grabbed the board and walked over to the gondola... I had spoken with Eric, Ian and Sal about meeting up at lift 15 which was going to require some navigation of the slopes to get there... this was my first time on Mammoth Mountain.

I made it to the lift while shaking off some rust... it was especially challenging not having boarded in a few years, shaking off rust and hitting large areas of ungroomed fresh powder.

Since I am regular and not goofy, my right leg was getting a hell of a workout leaning back to keep my nose from diving into the powder. For those of you who don't know... regular stance is having your dominant leg in back while goofy is having your dominant leg up front... the front leg is what you lead with most often going down the hill and your front foot is usually about 15 degrees off the perpendicular of the board.

Unfortunately, during my runs I never hooked up with the group... visibility wasn't that great and I never saw them or they me... oh well, I had a great time and a nice work out... however the level of snow coming down and the visibility dropping had me concerned about getting back to Vegas... so riding was done by 12:00pm and I was on the bus back to The Village.

Once I arrived it was hurry up and finish packing and get out of Dodge in my Dodge. The training session I had planned had to be rescheduled because any more time not moving could have meant not getting over the pass.

We did have to get some gas and some food so we filled up and popped into a KFC... and I experienced some of those wonderful drivers again... imagine my surprise while washing up after eating and suddenly it sounds and feels like an earthquake starting... it was no earthquake... it was an amateur driver coming in a bit to fast for a landing and slamming into the KFC wall hard enough to break the wall on the inside! I'm glad I was only washing up... imagine if I had been in there using the head!

The road out was snow covered as was 395 a major highway... the real challenge however was getting over the pass... I suppose the next two pictures will speak for that experience...

By the time we got to the end of Benton Crossing and finally into Benton the snow had let up considerably.

Oh and when you are in need of a rest stop and there are none for about 50 miles it's okay to pull over take care of business... What's not okay is your wife taking a shot of you zipping up your fly! I felt like Tommy Boy when Richard (Spade) pulls the car away when he is whizzing on the side of the road... effectively blowing his cover.

After getting back to Fish Lake Valley the snow had disappeared and by the time we were approaching Vegas we knew we were in the fast lane again...

Saturday in Mammoth

When you are staying in the Village... where do you go for breakfast?? There is only one answer... Old New York Deli and Bagel Company... they open early... the food is great, fresh and they have a broad selection... I usually get the lox and bagel but this trip it was a chirozzo breakfast burrito... wow enough for 2 people. I had been thinking about doing a little snow boarding but Sonny and I were a little lagged from the drive, then the cocktails, then the bed in our unit that Fred Flintstone would have been proud of as it felt to be made of granite...

Instead we had a relaxing morning and then headed over to 8050 to view the model. Much of the building is still under construction so we had to hard hat it. The model was fantastic and I noted that I was particularly looking forward to the roof spa/bar/pool/hot tub with flaming water fountains and the whole bit to be completed!

We then decided to take the gondola ride up to the mountain base to check out the scene... when the doors opened at the top of the mountain and I saw the slopes... I knew I wasn't leaving until I had done some snowboarding.

When we got back down I was ready for some Christmas shopping and oh... rent a snowboard! We rented from this bitchin snowboard shop called Wave Rave. It is the place to go if you are a snowboarder in Mammoth. They were very helpful and hooked me up on a Burton demo. I got some Burton pants too while there because my old ones were done for... Some Black Burton AK 3L vents did the trick!

Once we got back we did some solo shopping to get those things for each other that we... may have seen when shopping together and thought that it might be a good gift kind of thing... we met back at the room around 5:00pm to get ready for the Tallus holiday cocktail party.

By that time it started snowing. I had heard some people discussing that the weather report said it would only be about a foot by Monday night... well that wasn't to be the case. By the time we were heading out the door the roads were covered with snow. I had some concerns because while I have 4 wheel drive I have TOYO PROXES directional summer tires. They move forward through the snow well but breaking is a little hairy... so as long as you are cautious and keep plenty of distance, oh and don't go DOWN steep hills you will be okay.

The trip to Tallus was only about a mile... but in that mile there was a lot of accidents... drivers putting their cars through the motions like it was summer. I almost had a Thunderbird slide into me on the way.

Once we got to Tallus I met with Eric, Ian and Sal and chatted with many of the guests. I had an interesting real estate discussion with a gentleman upstairs that went a little long for Sonny who was feeling a bit tired. I had spoken with a broker for the property and had promised to do a short sales meeting the next day about 2:00pm but alas it was not to pass... we stayed until about 10:30pm and then it was back to the room... after all I needed the rest because I was planning on snow boarding at O-dark-30!

Well I didn't really go right to sleep... new snow... beautiful night... outdoor fire... had to go stand by the fire when we got back and enjoy the new snowfall.