So Wassup?

Posted on May 15, 2016May 15, 2016 by Dusty Roads

Wow, Things aren’t letting up at all. Last weekend I stole an hour or two to head out with the camera. Still trying to get the hang of this “Raw” stuff. I got a few practice shots but I just wasn’t feeling inspired.

Museum of Natural History, Providence RI

Just a day on a Swan

Then Sunday, Mother’s Day I left Taunton early in the morning to drive to upstate NY to take my mother out for lunch. I can’t tell you how old she is. I am sworn to secrecy but if I have her genes I’ll be around for a long time. My sister went with us to the 99 restaurant where we enjoyed a very pleasant lunch. I was back home by 8 pm.

During the week I confirmed my Maine trip in July with the Audubon Society and started doing the preliminary research for the Maui vacation in November. Then Saturday dawned sunny and warm. The first really awesome day we’ve had in forever!

I had an appointment for an oil change at 10 am. From there I planned to go to the Norton Reservoir where I’d spotted a family of Swans to see if I could get some fun pictures of the cygnets.

I picked up my car after the oil change and headed up RT 44. At the first set of lights the car stalled out! Strange it was running fine when I dropped it off. I started it up and off I went again. A bit farther down the road I got a text message and pulled off into a Dunkin Donuts to reply. Stalled again. What’s going on?

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The last straw was as I pulled up to the reservoir. The engine started shaking and there was a squeeking, clanging kind of sound so I pulled into the parking lot for Norton Liquors and called the service station. They agreed to send a tow truck. While I waited I took a few pictures of the adult swan and the babies.

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Hurry Up.

Once back at the shop we checked the oil and it was clearly fresh and full. After a diagnostic and multiple mechanics looking it over the car was pronounced in dire shape.

It still turned over so they didn’t pronounce it dead but the prognosis was grim.The “lifters” inside the engine were done for. I needed to either replace or rebuild the engine.

It was time to go car shopping.

Madam Tussaud’s Las Vegas

Posted on April 13, 2016April 13, 2016 by Dusty Roads

We finally made it to Madam Tussaud’s. I was anxious to see how it compared to Orlando’s location.

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There’s not a lot to say about it so I invite you to join us on a visual tour!

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I’ve always wanted to be a Talk Show Hostess

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We all Love Lucy!

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I had no idea Michael was so tall or maybe I’m just short!

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Viva Las Vegas

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Donny and Marie are still headlining.

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Mr. Las Vegas, Liberace and the Rat Pack!

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Then it was on to the super heroes!

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My Super Hero Pose!

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Remember what they say…What happens in Vegas, Stays in Vegas.

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Bye Bye!

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The Venetian, Las Vegas

Posted on April 11, 2016April 11, 2016 by Dusty Roads

Its our last day in Vegas. In the morning we’ll check out and head for the airport. No time for any last minute sightseeing. We still need to use our tickets to Madam Tussaud’s and we want to do a quick load of laundry so we don’t have to carry dirty clothes home. Polo Towers as a time share, has coin operated washers and dryers throughout the building. Too bad a lot of them didn’t work. Eventually we found a floor with working machines. Then with clean clothes packed into our suitcases we could head out to explore knowing that task was behind us.

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The first thing we did was head for the bus stop at the Hawaiian Marketplace. Instead of buying a ticket for the Big Bus, we bought the less expensive ticket for the city bus line. Known as the Deuce /SDX it runs frequently up and down the strip 24 hours a day.

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I wanted to show Sandy the Venetian so that was our first stop.

DSC_2513 copy Of course with our late start we arrived around lunchtime. It was such a beautiful day we decided to eat at Burgers and Beer. Turns out this is a Mario Batali restaurant. I wouldn’t have guessed as I always think of him as an Italian Chef. We managed to get a table with a sun umbrella because we were willing to wait. It was a good thing because it was very hot in the sun. We passed our time watching the Gondolas cruise the exterior canal.

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When I was here in 2015 the outdoor canal was closed but it makes a beautiful setting with crystal clear water now that it is open again. I was disappointed to learn that the exterior canal and the one Joe and I rode inside the Grand Canal Shoppes do not connect. I was hoping for one long ride.

After lunch we headed inside for our Gondola ride. We lingered a bit at the entrance to admire the waterfall and huge glass butterflies.

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Then it was into the little boats to be serenaded by our gondolier, a lovely young woman with an amazing voice. She had an accent and told us she was from the “real” Venice and that we really needed to go to her country to experience the Real Thing.

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As we headed back to the dock we passed another gondola and I recognized our gondolier from last year.

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Nice to know there is some longevity to these jobs.

We’re Not Done yet!

Posted on April 6, 2016April 6, 2016 by Dusty Roads

Back at Bally’s we waited for the Big Bus to pick us up so we could continue our exploration but it was getting late.

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The bus stops running around 6:30 and we’d yet to make a complete circuit. We have tickets to Madam Tussaud’s but it doesn’t look like we’ll get there today.

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We climbed aboard determined to ride the rest of the route. We’d get off where we started at the Hawaiian Marketplace so back we went past the Hard Rock Hotel and Cafe with it’s Gibson Guitar, the Wyndham, the Miracle Mile Shops and Planet Hollywood. DSC_2412 copy

At the Excalibur we interrupted a photo shoot with the costumed staff.

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Then it was past the Luxor and the Sphinx, Las Vegas’s nod to Egypt.

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Finally we approached the McCarren airport, not the commercial side but the section with the private planes and there it was. The famous Las Vegas Sign! We got to see it coming and going!A wedding party was posing for pictures in front of the sign.

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I wonder if they were married in the nearby Wedding chapel?

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The bus did a U-Turn and we were heading back down the strip.

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We waved to Leo the MGM Lion and then we were back were we started. Just time enough to head back to the Polo Towers and then it would be time to go back out for dinner and a show.

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Big Bus Continues

Posted on April 4, 2016April 4, 2016 by Dusty Roads

Soon after our stop at the Gold and Silver Pawn Shop we pulled into Circus Circus.

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Circus Circus is the start/end point for the tours. Here you can change buses to go into the Fremont Street Experience, another route to malls and shopping and a return to the Strip.

We had about a 20 minute wait which meant it was approaching lunch time. We road the Big Bus until Bally’s where we hopped off for lunch at Johnny Rockets in the Food Court.

Tummy’s full, we walked to the High roller outside the Linq.

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This was familiar territory because Joe and I stayed at the Linq last year when we were in Vegas. The bus stop for the High Roller is closed due to construction and this stop at Bally’s is the closest one currently operating.

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Up to now Sandy had been insisting that she didn’t want to ride the High Roller. Sandy doesn’t like heights. The High Roller isn’t like a normal Ferris Wheel with an open seat. It’s an enclosed observation pod. Very Star Wars !

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But I wasn’t having any luck getting my point across. She had to see it to understand and once she walked under the huge pods she decided that it might not be such a bad experience.

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The whole rotation is only 30 minutes and it will be the fastest 30 minutes you’ll ever experience. It didn’t take Sandy long to get comfortable and was soon standing right near the windows to take pictures of the Las Vegas sights.

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