Red Rock Casino

We can see the pools and the mountains from our room.

In our room there are several framed photographs of the canyon.  Over the bath is a large picture framed in a thin black edging.  When I first looked at the picture, I thought it was modern art.  I could see no sense to it.  Suddenly today, I realized that it was a close up of a yucca plant that had been blown up to make a picture that is larger than a poster.  Now when I look at the photograph, I cannot understand why I did not recognize the plant immediately.  It is so obvious that it is a plant.

 I have tried taking a photograph of this unusual picture but have failed miserably.  With or without a flash, with or without the room lights on, I get a reflection.  These pictures give an idea of what it is like but the leaves of the agave or yucca plant are green with red all around them.

The hot tubs are overpopulated with children.  The Professor and I drove a cute little girl away by using the one that was not working very well.  She apparently thought we were too scary.  Her dad was right there keeping an eye on her.  She just went over to the big round pool with the fountain.

I used the pool and did some laps but my arms are horribly weak.  It was comfortable and I had the entire pool to myself.  I guess the small pools to the right? of the lap pools are "cooling off" pools.  Take a quick dip and then go back to sunning/baking yourself.  I am not into the baking part.  I want to sit in the shade...especially my head/eyes so that I can read.  The only way that I ever get tan is from doing yard work or walking on the beach.  

The picture below is of the carpet in part of the building.  It mirrors the layers of rock that one sees in the canyon. 

Red Rock Canyon National Conservation Preserve

Cacti of Red Rock Canyon, Nevada

Went to lunch.  Went swimming.  Went to Albertson's.  Went to the Red Rock National park and actually hiked on a short trail.  However, we did not recognize the petroglyphs or the agave ovens even though there was a sign there saying we had found them.  

We did see something awesome though.   We came to a bridge and there was water flowing over rocks just beside it.  We didn't hike up to the waterfall and we are sure we missed something special.   It never occurred to us that in May there would be water running.  

We were both wearing sandals so not at all prepared to hike anywhere.  I was enticed by a information board that said there was a children's hike that had the above two items to be seen.  Despite our footwear, we set off.  However, it was not that long before we were walking on rough stones and wondering whether to turn back.  We did miss out on the falls but I am so glad that we took the time to go on this short hike.  

Miss all of you.  All of the kids would love the pool here.  It has a huge pool that is only a few inches to about a foot deep with a fountain.  The little people would love it.  We sat in the hot tub for awhile and then I did some laps in a pool, all by myself.  I did not put on any sun protection today so maybe, I got a little "tan" today.  

Cacti of Red Rock Canyon, Nevada is the best site I have found showing cacti and labeling what type of plants they are.

Agave Roasting Prehistoric Puebloan and Yavapai-Apache Tradition shows not only the tradition of roasting but also the fruit of the agave that is cooked in the pit oven.

San Francisco Cruise under the Golden Gate Bridge

Angiogram

Much to my surprise I spent most of Monday, April 8th, 2013 in the hospital.

While the professor and I were in San Francisco, I had almost overwhelming pain in my chest.  When we finally managed to get back to our hotel room, the professor promptly called our family physician and made an appointment for me to see him at 7:30 on Monday morning.

My doctor was concerned about the chest pains.  When his office tried to set up an appointment for that day for further tests, the clinic said that there were no openings available and they could not see me.  Instead I went to the ER at the Utah Valley Regional Medical Center.



I now know more than I ever wanted to about being tested for heart problems.

Information from an American Heart Association cite:http://www.heart.org/idc/groups/heart-public/@wcm/@hcm/documents/downloadable/ucm_317626.pdf


 It is even possible to view a procedure on YouTube:




After watching this particular video, I am not sure that I am any better informed than I was before.  However, you may notice that the doctor talks about treating women more aggressively than men because for so many years women were not considered at risk for heart problems.

I now know that there is no damage to my heart.  Does that mean that I have never had a heart attach? I don't know.  I do have heart disease and have all of the symptoms associated with it...diabetes, high blood pressure and high cholesterol levels.  I need to exercise regularly and to change my eating habits. We'll see how well this old person can do at changing bad habits of a life time.

I am so grateful for the care that I received in the hospital and for the warmth and sympathy shown to me by my family.

I really did not mean to alarm anyone.  Hopefully I will live for many, many years yet.

Phoenix

I failed to take care of several chores before we left for Phoenix on March 22.  The most notable missed assignment was taking care of cameras.  I left mine at home and did not recharge the professor's.  As a result we missed a lot of photo opportunities.

The professor's cousin Ralph lives in the midst of a citrus grove that is about four acres.  Unfortunately this past year the fruit was frozen just before harvest time.  The fruit is still on the trees but all that is left inside of them is pulp.

On Saturday evening we went our with friends of the professor.

Easter Egg Hunt March 30, 2013