End of sailing season and start of Vegas trip

 

My contribution to the PDYC Sailing Division is to order the flags and then organize them for the awards event. This took me two evenings as the first evening I ended up with flags left over and had to start all over again.

At the end of season event Spellbound got 3 first place flags and a trophy. A successful initial season.

The next day I was off to Toronto and then to Las Vegas for Sweeton family Christmas. Rick is looking after Rasta.

Mike, Aimee and the kids were at the hotel when we arrived (having spent most of the day walking around as they got there earlier)

We couldn't yet get into our hotel so walked "the strip" for a while

as it was River's birthday (now 3)

she got to choose from the Hershey store.

I am not a big fan of Vegas. Everything is too stimulating, too Over the Top, too geared to make you spend money. But I am fascinated by the amount of art and the fabulous decorating and lighting choices made.

We are staying in a time share attached to The Jockey Club hotel....living room/dining room,

full kitchen and plenty of beds. I have a room with a king size, Jason, Chris and Cigi have a room with 2 queens and a double, Mike, Aimee and their 3 kids have a room with 5 beds in it and there is another room with a double. 2 bathrooms.

There was talk of swimming and other activities but after a dinner of pizza we all ended up in bed. Turns out Mike got his second wind after a nap and they went out at night, saw the fountains and went swimming.

Next morning Chris got up early and worked and had a zoom work meeting. When I got up, Chris, Jason, Cigi and I went for a buffet breakfast leaving the other family still sleeping.

We then walked over to the Belagio.

Art work on one of the walls was photographs with latchet hooking attached to give it dimension. Nice to see some fibre art.

The Belagio

is very opulent

but we were there

to see the Conservatory.

The display is changed every season and they were putting the finishing touches on refreshing the fall display.

We had seen them dumping the faded Mums.

This season

a woodland fantasy

with fairies, dragonflies, tree houses and

driftwood creatures.

Cigi was so impressed with its authenticity that she pulled down her underwear and announced she was going to have a "bush pee". Had to be hastily taken to a more civilized washroom.

Bubbling, misty pools

and beautifully displayed flowers, plants and pumpkins.

While Cigi was in the washroom

I had to pop to the lobby as I love

the glass ceiling sculpture - Fiori di Como

by Chihuly.

Back to the apartment and swimming at the Cosmopolitan Hotel was next on the agenda (Chris had got all the kids goggles "for Christmas")

Our hotel has a rather simple pool but we have access to

the pool at the hotel next door.

Chris and Jason went shopping so I was on "Cigi watch". As Mike says "she is perfectly comfortable with drowning" (She thinks she can swim and just counts on someone picking her up off the bottom)

It is an excellent pool with plenty of shallow area for kids to splash around in and an area for the older kids to swim and do somersaults,

plus a hot tub.