A Visit To Hoover Dam

Above, the Hoover Dam. Photo by Armand Vaquer.

My first full day (Tuesday) in Las Vegas with Max Bettman and Mitchell Geriminsky began with breakfast at the Peppermill Restaurant and Fireside Lounge.

I haven't been to a Peppermill in ages and they still have colored crystal sugar there.

Above, the three of us at the Peppermill Restaurant.

A nice eastern European young lady took a group shot of us and I bought a couple of copies (Mitch got the other one while Max got a complimentary one).

After the Peppermill, we headed off to Hoover Dam. I haven't been there since 1973. It was pretty much like what I remembered, but there were more structures (like a visitor's center and gift shop) at the dam to accommodate tourists along with the new Memorial Bridge spanning the canyon near the dam.

Photos from Hoover Dam:

Above, the Arizona Spillway. It last overflowed during the Reagan years. Photo by Armand Vaquer.

Above, the Intake Towers. Photo by Armand Vaquer.

Above, Mitch and Max near the Arizona Spillway. Photo by Armand Vaquer.

Above, Lake Mead's water level was down. Photo by Armand Vaquer.

Above, the upper part of Hoover Dam. Photo by Armand Vaquer.

Above, the Memorial Bridge. Photo by Armand Vaquer.

Above, the bottom of the dam. Photo by Armand Vaquer.

Above, yours truly at the dam.

Above, the Hoover Dam plaque. Photo by Armand Vaquer.

Above, the power houses at the bottom of the dam. Photo by Armand Vaquer.

Above, the Arizona Intake Tower clock. Photo by Armand Vaquer.

Reunion In Las Vegas

Above, a shot of us before heading out to dinner. 

My plane arrived in Las Vegas on Monday around 3:30 PM.

My friends Mitchell Geriminsky and Max Bettman picked me up from there and we headed to our hotel, The Excalibur. Nice hotel, but (as we found out later) they tack on charges on top of charges such as amenities fees and taxes on those fees, an upgrade fee (upgrade from what, we wondered) and a tax on that. That's modern-day Las Vegas for you!

This was a reunion of college frat brothers. I hadn't seen Max since the late 1970s.

Above, Max, Mitch and I on board the S.S. Catalina 44 years ago.

We headed to Fremont Street in downtown Las Vegas. The street is now enclosed with a roof (that's actually a video screen) and has been spruced up a bit. There's an odd assortment of characters there (I guess they are supposed to be performers/entertainers) with very revealing garb. It is now called the "Fremont Experience".

Above, the roof is a video screen. Photo by Armand Vaquer.

We managed to get dinner at Binion's (formerly Binion's Horseshoe Club) at a barbecue restaurant called Benny's Smokin' BBQ and Brews.

Above, many of the oldtime casinos are still at Fremont Street. Photo by Armand Vaquer.

After dinner, we wandered around the Fremont Experience for a while and then settled down at a table at Starbucks and just people-watched.

The Pioneer Club has long been closed down and replaced by souvenir shops, but its old "Vegas Vic" cowboy sign (a Vegas landmark, if there ever was one) is still there. "Vegas Vic" made an appearance in the old 1957 science-fiction movie, The Amazing Colossal Man.

Some of the sights at the Fremont Experience:

Above, the old "Vegas Vic" cowboy sign is still there. Photo by Armand Vaquer.

Above, Max getting some attention at Starbucks. Photo by Armand Vaquer.

Above, a live rock band performs. Photo by Armand Vaquer.

Above, one of the street entertainers. Photo by Armand Vaquer.

On the way back to the Excalibur hotel:

Above, Chef Gordon Ramsay's Hell's Kitchen. Photo by Armand Vaquer.

Home From Las Vegas

Above, warming up The Beast at the Albuquerque International Sunport. Photo by Armand Vaquer.

After three days in Las Vegas, Nevada (there's a Las Vegas in New Mexico), I am back home.

My flight left Las Vegas around 7:00 PM last evening and I had a brief (about 45 minutes) layover at Los Angeles International Airport. My flight from Los Angeles to Albuquerque was supposed to depart around 8:35, but it was delayed for some reason. Actually, it worked out for the better as I may have missed it as the flight from Las Vegas didn't arrive until after 8:00 and it would have been a mad scramble to get to a different terminal (despite a convenient shuttle).

Above, inside the Albuquerque Sunport's terminal. Phot by Armand Vaquer.

It was delayed until 9:30, so it worked out perfectly.

I arrived at Albuquerque International Sunport at around midnight. It was about 45° when I reached The Beast. I was debating on whether to drive part way home (I was tired) and boondock somewhere or drive all the way. I ended up driving all the way and reached home at 3:00 this morning.

I did get a few hours sleep this morning.

Above, New Mexico alien souvenirs at the Sunport. Photo by Armand Vaquer.

One thing I like about the airport in Albuquerque is the Airport Parking I-25 and Sunport lot. It has a big RV parking area for $5.00/day, which worked out great for The Beast. The lot attendant sends a shuttle bus to your vehicle to take you to the terminal and vice-versa.

The Albuquerque International Sunport is a very attractive airport and is much smaller than LAX. It is easy to navigate around. Since New Mexico is famous for the 1947 Roswell UFO crash, there were plenty of alien souvenirs in the shops.

Vegas Bound

Above, the Las Vegas Strip. Photo by Armand Vaquer.

El Rushbo and Sean Hannity To Join Trump At Rally

Above, Rush Limbaugh.

Two talk show heavyweights will be joining President Trump at an election eve rally in Missouri.

The Hill reported:

Rush Limbaugh and Sean Hannity will join President Trump at a rally on the eve of this week's midterm elections, the Trump campaign announced Sunday. 

The two conservative media personalities will join Trump for a rally Monday night in Cape Girardeau, Mo.

The campaign noted in a statement that Hannity and Limbaugh are "longtime friends" of Trump and "strong advocates for the President’s America First agenda."

Cape Girardeau is Limbaugh's hometown.

Above, Sean Hannity.

To read more, go here. 

More Horsin' Around

What better way to spend a relaxing Sunday than going down the hill to give one of the neighbors a treat of carrots?

Legendary Pictures Wished Godzilla "Happy Birthday"

Above, Godzilla at the Wako department store in Ginza in 1954. Photo by Toho Pictures.

Yesterday marked 64 years since Godzilla (1954) was released in Japan.

A number of people in social media and elsewhere made note of the occasion, so much so that it would be easy to get "lost in the shuffle".

Above, Haruo Nakajima (right) getting into the G-suit in 1954. Photo by Toho Pictures.

One of the more interesting ones was posted yesterday at Comicbook.com.

They wrote:

Fans are ready to see Godzilla take on the other legendary monsters in Godzilla: King of the Monsters, but today is a day to celebrate the big guy's birthday first. 

Legendary Pictures took a minute to celebrate it's iconic monster's 64th birthday. You can't exactly buy Zilla a cake or some trick candles and expect him to smile (does he actually smile?), so you might as well get a little modern and celebrate with a cool GIF of the big guy doing what he does best...breathing crazy blue fire. You can check out the full birthday message below.

Above, Godzilla in Shinjuku today. Photo by Armand Vaquer.

To see all, go here. 

Morning Chill

Above, the feral cat to the right of the gate. Photo by Armand Vaquer.

Well, the weather reports weren't kidding about it being cold last night and this morning.

I just got done feeding the feral cat outside and it is about 35°. It was a bit of a bite since I was just wearing my pajamas and yukata.

Today will be concentrated on getting ready for a little jaunt to Las Vegas. I'll be meeting up with friends there.

I'll be flying there instead of driving. I will be driving to Albuquerque to catch my flight. 

Long Johns Needed Tonight!

Above, Jamestown, sunny but on the cold side. Photo by Armand Vaquer.

Tonight, people around here will have to put on their long johns, if they have any. Or, fire up the heaters.

It is going to be a cold one again tonight and tomorrow morning. I've already fired up the holding tank heaters to The Beast and the ceramic heater inside.

According to The Weather Channel, the weather in Jamestown, New Mexico will be:

Tribes Seek To Restore Buffalo To The Wild

Above, lounging bison in Yellowstone National Park. Photo by Armand Vaquer.

At one time, the American bison roamed free throughout North America. But a slaughter of millions of bison, sanctioned by the federal government, left only about 100 animals.

Today, Native American tribes and others are looking at ways to restoring the American bison to the wild.

Voice of America (VOA) News reported:

WASHINGTON — Native American tribal leaders, conservationists, wildlife managers and buffalo producers are exploring the cultural and economic benefits of restoring buffalo — known scientifically as bison — to tribal lands and beyond. They are addressing the issue at the first annual Tribal Buffalo Conservation Summit, a three-day event in Denver, Colorado culminating on November 3, National Bison Day. 

Prior to the arrival of European settlers, tens of millions of bison grazed and stampeded across America's Great Plains in herds that could stretch 160 kilometers (100 miles) end-to-end. The huge animals were crucial to the lives and economies of Plains tribes, providing shelter, food, clothing, weapons, tools and even children's playthings. Tribes revered the animal as a gift from the Creator, and it was--and remains--central to their spiritual beliefs. 

During the latter half of the 19th Century, as part of its strategy to subjugate tribes, the U.S. Army slaughtered buffalo by the millions, and by 1900, fewer than 100 animals remained. About two dozen buffalo found a haven in Yellowstone National Park, where they have been protected and roamed freely ever since.

As the article stated, today is National Bison Day.

To read more, go here. 

Fun Things To Do In Seattle

Above, Seattle, Puget Sound and Mt. Rainier (in the fog). Photo by Armand Vaquer.

While about to start a new job, I took a trip north to Washington state in early 2005 and roamed around Seattle a bit.

I had a good time while there and got to see many things.

Above, the Space Needle. Photo by Armand Vaquer.

If one is planning on a vacation trip to Seattle, Washington's biggest city, they should check out an article and video from Travel + Leisure on fun things to do there.

One thing they missed was the tomb of guitarist Jimi Hendrix in nearby Renton, Washington. It was partially completed during my visit.

The Travel + Leisure article on Seattle begins with:

Hailed as one of the Best Places to Travel in 2016, this Pacific Northwest capital of cool has a blossoming culinary neighborhood, Capitol Hill, a vaunted music scene, and no shortage of attractions. 

If you want to know what to do in Seattle, start by ascending the Space Needle—an iconic landmark built for the 1962 World’s Fair. On a clear day, you can see views of the Olympic Mountain Range, Mount Rainier, and Mount Baker from the revolving restaurant at the top. From here, you’ll have a bird’s eye view of the city, and limitless inspiration about where to go next.

Above, the tomb of Jimi Hendrix in Renton, Washington. Photo by Armand Vaquer.

To read more, go here. 

Medical Check-up

Above, the crab apple tree (left) is losing its leaves. Photo by Armand Vaquer.

Yesterday, I had an appointment with my new primary physician in Gallup.

Without even planning on it, it turns out that she's also the primary physician for my neighbor across the street, who is also a cardiac patient.

After an exam and reviewing my medical records, including the most recent check-up and lab tests by my cardiologist, she said I am doing very good.

She said:

• My cholesterol level went way down and is in a good range. She said the medications are doing their job. No change in them are necessary.
• My heart rate was normal.
• My blood pressure was normal

While I was there, she recommended a flu shot, saying that people my age die from flus, especially cardiac patients. So I got it. I hardly felt a thing with the injection was given. I asked, "Is that it?"

Above, the oak trees lost most of their leaves already. Photo by Armand Vaquer.

Above, the oaks still had their leaves two weeks ago. Photo by Armand Vaquer.

I don't have to go back until March 2019, but I will stop in for a tetanus shot which, oddly, also protects against whooping cough. She said there was a rise in whooping cough cases last year.

After the appointment, I celebrated the good results over lunch at Cracker Barrel and took care of some business while I was in town.

GOTV (Get Out The Vote)!

Video featuring John Wayne and Ronald Reagan.




Republicans, GET OUT AND VOTE!

BBC: Why Is "Seven Samurai" So Good?

Above, the Seven Samurai mural at the main entrance to Toho Studios. Photo by Armand Vaquer.

Okay, movie fans! Here's one for you.

Many Japanese kaiju fans have broadened their movie-watching interests into other genres with some focus on prominent Japanese movie directors. Akira Kurosawa is one of them. Many Japanese movie fans have enjoyed a long list of Kurosawa movies, most prominently is Seven Samurai (1954). This includes me. I have a copy of Seven Samurai.

The BBC has an interesting article on Seven Samurai, "Why is Seven Samurai so good?"

It begins with:

Akira Kurosawa's Seven Samurai (1954) is a three-and-a half-hour-long black-and-white epic set in war-torn, 16th-Century Japan. As elevator pitches go, it’s hardly ideal, yet not only did Seven Samurai take first place in BBC Culture’s 100 greatest foreign-language film poll, with 41 critics (20 per cent of the total) voting for it, Kurosawa was one of the most popular directors overall, with three of his other films (Rashomon, Ikiru and Ran) all making the top 100. Tellingly, though, Kurosawa’s global appeal didn’t reach as far as the Japanese critics who took part; not one of them voted for Seven Samurai, or any other Kurosawa film, preferring the subtler homegrown talents of Yasujirô Ozu and Kenji Mizoguchi. But perhaps that’s what we should have expected. Even during his most successful film-making years, Kurosawa was often held in higher esteem abroad than in his own country.

The article is an interesting read. I recommend it!

Interestingly, Seven Samurai and Godzilla were both boxoffice hits in 1954 and both are honored with murals at the main entrance to Toho Studios in the Setagaya ward of Tokyo.

To read the full article, go here. 

27° This Morning

Above, during a warmer time. Photo by Armand Vaquer.

It appears that we've skipped autumn here in New Mexico.

It is currently 27° outside. Not exactly balmy weather.

It will likely be around 40° when I head into Gallup today for my doctor appointment. At least The Beast has a good heater, so I won't walk into the clinic as an icicle.

While in Gallup, I will be doing some banking. I have been expecting a reimbursement check from the pharmacy in Twin Falls, Idaho from an insurance program. I was told it was mailed last Thursday or Friday. As of yesterday, it hasn't arrived (the U.S. Postal Service stinks these days). But, unexpectedly, two checks totaling over $500 arrived instead from a class action lawsuit against a former employer. That was certainly welcome. All I did was to confirm that I worked there on specific dates. Not too shabby!

That will come in handy for my trek to Las Vegas next week.

Yellowstone Roads To Close For Season Monday

Above, RVs driving through a Yellowstone valley. Photo by Armand Vaquer.

Winter is fast approaching (next month) and already Yellowstone National Park is preparing for it.

Local News 8 reported:

YELLOWSTONE NATIONAL PARK (KIFI/KIDK) - Visitors will have a last chance to drive through Yellowstone National Park this weekend. 

The Park will close the West, South, and East entrances to vehicle travel at 8 a.m. Monday, November 5.   Crews will then begin to prepare the park roads for the winter season and snowmobile and snow coach travel.  Those begin Saturday, December 15. 

The one exception is the road from the park's North Entrance at Gardiner, Montana through Mammoth Hot Springs to the park's Northeast Entrance and the communities of Cooke City and Silver Gate, Montana. That road is open all year.

To read more, go here. 

Whatever Became of...Art Bell?

Above, Art Bell.

There's no mystery on this "Whatever Became Of...? posting.

Art Bell, who hosted a late night radio talk show that focused on the paranormal, died last April 13 at his home in (what he called) "the Kingdom of Nye". I used to listen to his show while working the "graveyard shift" back in the 1990s.

It was revealed last August that his cause of death was an accidental prescription drug overdose.

From Fox News:

The cause of death for radio host Art Bell, famous for his show “Coast to Coast AM” and its "X-Files"-flavored focus on the paranormal, has been revealed as an accidental drug overdose. He was 72. 

According to the Nye County Sheriff's office, Bell's death "was the result of multiple drug intoxication from his own lawfully prescribed prescriptions." 

The Las Vegas Review-Journal reported that Bell "had four prescription medications in his system: the opioid oxycodone, the analgesic hydrocodone, diazepam, often marketed as Valium, and carisoprodol, a muscle-relaxant." 

Bell died at his Pahrump, Nev., home, on April 13, Nye County Sheriff Sharon Wehrly announced in a Facebook post to the community. She described him as a “longtime resident” of the area.

For more on Bell's death, go here.

Above, a historic front page of the L.A. Herald-Express from July 1947 on the Roswell Incident.

What prompted this post was that I came across a YouTube posting of a classic 1994 Art Bell Coast To Coast AM show on the flying saucer crash in Roswell, New Mexico. It is an interesting interview and warrants a good listen.

Here it is:

Canada's "Roswells"

Above, a sign marks the spot of the Shag Harbor UFO crash. 

If one thinks that the United States has a monopoly of UFO sightings or crashes, think again.

Canada has its share of UFO sightings and the Daily Beast posted an article on two of them.

They wrote:

Driving the Extraterrestrial Highway with a detour to Area 51 is a perfectly legit reason to visit Nevada, and we all know why people go to Roswell, New Mexico. But Canada? 

Yes, Canada, too, has a couple of top-tier UFO sites worth checking out, and both also happen to be located in picturesque, tourist-friendly settings.

Horseback riding to a UFO encounter site in the Manitoba woods is a mind-expanding outing. And at a modest interpretive center in a Nova Scotia fishing village, talking to a guy who actually saw an unidentified flying object crash into the ocean makes things real.

To read more, go here.

Bigfoot Sighting On Navajo Land

Above, a map showing the location of Sanders, Arizona.

The Navajo Independent posted on their Facebook page a story of a sighting of a Bigfoot on Navajo Nation land near Sanders, Arizona.

As it turns out, Sanders is about 60 miles west of Jamestown, New Mexico (where I live).

According to the post:

Bigfoot sighting on Navajo land 

SANDERS, AZ - Chris Begaye of Chambers, Arizona has been a hunter all his life. He knows the outdoors and is now a true believer in Bigfoot. He tracked a creature he's certain is the legendary Diné-Sasquatch.　 

He says Janurary 15, a woman attending a family gathering at a rural home south of Sanders claims to have spotted a large white hairy creature outside. Begaye knows the family and the following day he checked out the reported sighting. He found big footprints leading from the family's windmill and followed a track in the dirt for five miles. The footprints are 18 inches long, 8 inches wide, with a four foot stride. 

Begaye says while following the track, he ran into a stench so severe he was almost sickened. He also says there was an "eerie" silence throughout the area: no animals, no birds, something the experienced outdoorsman says is very strange.　

To read more and see a photo of the Bigfoot on The Navajo Independent Facebook page, go here. 

Gathering of Nations 2019 Pow Wow

Above, many tribes and pueblos will be represented at the Gathering
of Nations Pow Wow like these in Gallup. Photo by Armand Vaquer.

At the start of every month, the Gallup Walmart is crowded with people from the various Indian tribes and pueblos for their monthly shopping for food and supplies. The locals here generally refer to it, humorously, as the "Gathering of Nations".

With that in my mind, while driving into Albuquerque last weekend on Interstate 40, a huge billboard advertising the 2019 Gathering of Nations annual pow wow that will take place on April 25, 26 and 27, 2019 caught my attention.

I just checked their website and it looks like an interesting and fun event to attend. I've always enjoyed seeing other cultures (such as the Japanese oshogatsu) by attending cultural events.

According to their website:

In the past 36 years the Gathering of Nations has grown from an early, simple dream to one of the world’s most recognized annual festivals. 

From the beginning the concept has always been to produce an event where Native people can come together each year to celebrate and share culture, and a place where singers and dancers can feel confident that competition is fair to all.:

• Thee Gathering of Nations has had the opportunity to blossom into the most enjoyable, cultural, and entertaining Native festival in North America.  

• Open with the Gathering of Nations song for grand entry, the powwow program also includes the crowning of Miss Indian World. Its pageantry, along with its cultural beauty, exemplifies the pride and dignity of the culture and traditions of Native women across the United States and Canada.  

• Only at the Gathering of Nations will you partake in the isles of shopping throughout the Indian Trader’s Market, enjoying the best of native foods, Horse & Rider Parade, music on Powwow Alley’s Stage 49 featuring the Best in Native American Music Performances and Entertainment!

To read more, go here.

Michael Jackson Tops Forbes' Highest Paid Dead Celebrities List

Above, Michael Jackson.

Forbes has come out with their list of the top five highest paid dead celebrities.

News 18 reported:

Little has changed in the top bracket of Forbes’ annual list of highest-paid-dead celebrities since last year. 

The five highest-earning dead celebs continue to be the same as the ones named in 2017 with a slight reshuffling in the second, third and the fourth spots. 

With the total earnings of $400 million, a lot of which comes from the sale of his EMI Music Publishing stake, the King of Pop continues to rule unchallenged. Interestingly, Michael Jackson has earned $2.4 billion in the nine years since he died on June 25, 2009, aged 50, reports Forbes. 

At the second spot this year is Elvis Presley, who even after 40 years of his death, is known to move over 1 million albums every year. With an earning $40 million, he is two spots up from last year.

To find out the last three on the list, go here.

A Cold One!

Above, it is cold in Jamestown. Photo by Armand Vaquer.

Just a few minutes ago, I checked The Weather Channel and the National Weather Service and both say that Jamestown, New Mexico's current temperature is in the 20s.

The Weather Channel pegs it at 26° and the National Weather Service has it at 27°.

The high today is expected to be at around 48°. It is still too dark outside for me to see what my yard thermometer has the temperature at.

I got out of the shower about 20 minutes ago so that my pores will be nice and closed again in time for our usual morning breakfast/coffee gathering at Denny's.

I am looking forward to the warmer weather next week in Las Vegas (Nevada, not New Mexico).

Since I have a doctor's appointment tomorrow morning in Gallup, I will stop over at Walmart and brave the "Gathering of the Nations" there and pick up a couple of space heaters. If I can, I will get the same ceramic heater I have in The Beast.

Brrr!

Shibuya's Halloween Mayhem

Above, Shibuya Crossing during normal times. Photo by Armand Vaquer.

Things got a little out-of-hand in Tokyo's Shibuya Ward during Halloween night in Japan.

Most of the revelry took place at Shibuya Crossing (or Shibuya Scramble).

According to the Japan Times:

Police arrested 13 people between Wednesday and Thursday in Tokyo’s Shibuya Ward for alleged groping, assault and theft as a massive crowd of Halloween revelers swamped the district. 

The 13 arrested were men ranging from their teens to their 40s, the police said. 

Several hundred police officers were dispatched to the area to control the crowd, including some special officers dubbed “DJ police,” who aim to marshal crowds in a light-hearted manner. 

Shibuya Mayor Ken Hasebe told reporters Thursday morning that the ward may have to consider making Halloween a paid event at a place like Yoyogi Park from next year. 

“There are many people who behave well and have fun. But it turned out to be a regrettable Halloween because of a small number of people,” he said. 

On Wednesday night the famous scramble crossing and shopping district near Shibuya Station were packed with people dressed in elaborate costumes, including witches, zombies and characters from popular video games.

To read more, go here. 

Fodor's Tips For Surviving Tokyo DisneySea

Above, Tokyo DisneySea's Mediterranean Harbor. Photo by Armand Vaquer.

Three years ago, when I visited Tokyo DisneySea, it seemed like half the population of Tokyo were also there.

The lines to the rides were so long that we rode none of them. The problem was that we visited the park on a Saturday. We should have gone mid-week. Nevertheless, we enjoyed it anyway.

But if one insists on visiting Tokyo DisneySea, Fodor's has some tips on "surviving" it.

They begin with:

Before you read any further–do you love Disney? No, like, dress-up-as-Mickey really love Disney? Because if you hesitated at all in answering that question, you will not survive Tokyo’s iteration of a Disney park. Between the masses of tourists, the price-gouging at every turn, and the endless waiting (OMG THE LINES!), you will need a level of patience that rivals the worst traffic on the 405 in Los Angeles, the most horrific day ever at the DMV, and airport security on the Wednesday before Thanksgiving all wrapped into one magical place! 

But if you are a megafan, Tokyo DisneySea is something you’ll need to cross off your bucket list. Here are our tips on how to survive.

To read more, go here.