There was a big, huge Bachelor & Bachelorette party happening in sin city for Luke & Jordan…but that’s not why we came to this crazy place. While Pete & Leia are both attending the wild festivities, little Hayden needed a babysitter…or two! We’re probably the only two people who fly into such an entertaining town, to be wonderfully joyed by babysitting in a hotel room for 4 days.
But, Danny & I weren’t flying across the country together. He had driven to his lake house in Missouri a couple of days before. Greeted by water in the basement & an overflowing toilet….always shit to do at the lake (ha ha, but not really.) He was only there a couple of days, realizing this would be a much bigger project than he had time for right now. He drove up on Wednesday, then flew out bright & early Thursday morning, scoring a direct flight.
Sara took me to the airport while morning was still dark which is soooo appreciated. I was not as lucky with my flight, having to connect in Houston & a 2 hour delay added to my travel day. Pete, Leia & Hayden had a direct flight from Santa Rosa, CA. Luke & Jordan had flown in the day before, so they were already there & Danny was able to Uber to the giant house they’d rented for everyone to stay in….except the five of us. We’d be staying in hotel just a couple of miles away. Leia does a wonderful job of always finding us nice places to stay…this was a family friendly place, 6 miles off the strip where we each had our own suite but they were still connected. Each of us having a kitchen turned out to be so welcome & needed.
It was so fantastic to see Hayden again …& the boys & Leia & Jordan. It was actually a glimpse of Luke & Jordan as they’d be busy all weekend. But oh how Hayden is growing so fast & doing all sorts of new things.
Leia & Pete were in & out over the next 4 days while we played, walked, fed, changed, & hugged Hayden most of that time!
What a sweetie!
These two guys…happy to have each other!
Such a good Mom! And Hayden would rather be in her arms than anywhere. When Leia walks into a room & Hayden sees her, he just lights up & gets a huge beautiful smile!
Grampa is a wizard with crying babies. I did not take any photos, when on the first day after Pete & Leia left, Hayden balled his eyes out, turning red, big huge tears & getting so worked up, for two hours & he wouldn’t take a bottle. But, Danny is a miracle worker….or Hayden just wore out!
I love this photo of Hayden just staring intently into Danny’s eyes & feeling the skin on his face. Danny probably is not going to be a fan that I posted his naked head, but I predict these two are going to have a super special bond one day. And Hayden will look up to his Grampa in so many ways & this little guy will fill up the heart of big guy.
This is Hayden’s favorite toy…a mini pickle ball paddle. As one who loves to put everything in his mouth, this fits perfectly!
Our hotel didn’t have much close by…just fast food & chain stores a few busy blocks away. But sitting across the parking lot from our hotel, was a Bass Pro…boy! we were thankful for that! They had an aquarium complete with a swimming mermaid, casino (instead of gambling, think bright blinky lights), lots of dead stuffed animals to look at, a toy section, a couple of waterfalls, & a place to stroll, stroll, stroll when the weather turned not so nice on day 4.
One mid morning, we had a couple of hours free & Leia drove us down to the strip & dropped us off. I have been to the strip once before (the other times I’ve just driven through Vegas), but not at night. I have always wanted to see the Bellagio fountains at night; also I’d been told there was a Chihuly glass exhibit there. We walked through the Venetian hotel (which was the only other hotel I’d ever seen besides the Bellagio) among a million people checking out. Danny had never been to Vegas before & was very underwhelmed by the hotel…actually, he was underwhelmed by all of it.
Then we walked over to the Bellagio…only to see the fountains not working. The ceiling, which is the same Chihuly glass as I’d seen years ago, turned out to be the only display of this geniuses’ artwork. We did stroll through the little conservatory, which changes displays frequently. So, it was decorated different on this trip.
I could tell Danny wasn’t really enjoying the Vegas chaos, so we decided to see how far we could walk back towards the hotel, before calling an Uber. I snapped a few pics along the way. I wouldn’t call myself a big fan of Vegas either, but as long as we were there, I could find some entertaining things to do or sights to see. (Next time. I’m not going to miss the speakeasy at the Mob Museum.)
As we walked fast & passed by this faux statue of liberty, I couldn’t help but think she might be in a more realistic place in Vegas than in New York where the original greeted millions of immigrants that came to our country & were welcomed. Making up a varied United States of America & becoming a safe place to live & earn a living for your family. But I feel our current state of country has shifted to more align itself with those traits found in this town & it’s history: lying, cheating, conniving, bullying, rich getting richer at the expense of those who are not, ignoring the law & where white men dominate everything. Women are used for sex & ethnic people are only welcome when cleaning your hotel rooms or washing dishes in your fancy restaurants. Even the wildness, noise & craziness of Vegas, couldn’t stop my being depressed, worried & angry about our country.
On our 4th day, plans at the party mansion fell through, & Leia took us to a Mexican art show called the “Colors of Mexico"…not what I was expecting but it was great! She knows what kind of things I like & this was spot on. Definitely the best activity we got to do during our stay there. It was in a restaurant at the mall of all places, but it turned out to be fantastic. Tickets were $15 each, but you got $15 in food or drink. This was the decor in the restaurant…fun.
Just a little fun on the way in….
Oaxacaan art is one of my favorite types of art….loved these life size pieces.
Hayden wearing his ear protection but loving the colors too! I’d love to have a room in my house just like this!
This was a mirrored room with the display changing every minute or so…really cool!
Loved all these sayings they had scattered throughout the show..
And, a room with Mexico's Mayan history.
Happy family!
This room had a show of all things Mexico…beautiful places, awesome people, festivals, music, food…makes you want to go for sure!
A maze of fun sayings….
We borrowed the car for a couple of hours, in between party festivities, & took a drive out to Red Rocks Canyon. I’ve been here hiking before, but today we didn’t have time for any trails & it was crazy windy & busy. But, Danny at least got to see this spot of natural beauty away from the strip….very drastic differences.
And, more Hayden!
Love, love love! this little guy!
We all rode to the airport together, Danny winning the most airport time with a 7 hour wait. He tried to get on an earlier flight stand by, but the plane was full. He did get to see Luke & Jordan & visit for a bit before they flew back to California.
While I didn’t have a direct flight, I was much luckier going through Austin…such a nice airport always with live music, good beer & food.
Side note: Danny’s long travel day would get longer. As his plane approached the KC airport about 11pm, the airport closed because of severe weather. They got diverted to Wichita, sat on the plane for about 90 minutes, then landed back in KC around 1am. While he’s not a converted car camper, he does have a bed set up in the back of his truck. So, once the shuttle dropped him off, he was able to crawl in the back & finally get some sleep.
It was so great spending time with Hayden, seeing Leia & late night talks with Peter. I’ll pass back through Vegas on my summer trip, but as in the several other times I’ve driven through, I’ll buzz by all the glitz, crowds, crazy & expensive shows as fast as possible on my way to nature somewhere.
In the next few weeks our busy travel begins, & most of it apart from each other. Check back in for my next BIG SUMMER ADVENTURE beginning May 22nd.
I’ll end this page with a bit of wisdom from the Colors of Mexico!
