Saturday Snapshots: Vegas at Night

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Today we are linking up with Melinda at West Metro Mommy for Super Saturday Snapshots.

When I was planning the flights for our Australia trip last year I thought it would be nice to break the trip back to America up so we wouldn't spend a day and a half just in airplanes and airports. I considered spending a night near the airport at San Francisco but the hotel prices were pretty expensive. We had been to San Francisco several times before so I then looked into other cities that we hadn't been to before to see if it would be an economical way to see a new city. After looking at a few cities I looked at Las Vegas and saw that the hotels rates were less than half than in San Francisco plus the flights would only cost $10 a person more than flying straight home from San Fransisco. We decided that this would be a fun way to break up the trip home. We spent two nights in Vegas and spent the time wandering through the different casinos and playing a few games. One of the things I was excited to see was the lights at night and I was not disappointed. Here are a few of my favourite photos. 

The fading sunlight puts a wonderful ranges of colours onto the buildings of the New York, New York Casino.

I loved the bright colours of the Excalibur Casino at night.

The Luxor really lights up at night, both with the light that shines out of the top of the pyramid and the other structures out front.

A view of the southern part of the strip from the New York, New York Casino.

Since we only had a day to spend in Vegas we didn't make it to the other end of the strip at night but would like to go back and see it lit up. Have you ever seen Vegas at night and if so what is your favourite at night?

Saturday Snapshots: Monkey Quilt

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Today we are linking up with Melinda at West Metro Mommy for Super Saturday Snapshots.

I started my first quilt last December and figured it would take a couple of weeks at most to complete. I kept the design fairly simple but it ended up taking a lot longer than I expected. (I wrote a post about my progress back in April which you can check out by clicking here) I am happy to announce that I have finally finished the quilt and in time for my niece's birthday later this month. The quilt is 3ft (91cm) by 5 feet (152cm) so she can use it in the living room or even on her toddler bed. I am very happy that I was finally able to complete it. Below are some photos of the completed quilt. 

The front of the quilt is a patchwork design with monkeys on it. I tried to keep the design fairly simple for my first quilt.

I chose this fabric for the back of the quilt.

The quilting pattern was wavy lines with leaves every so often. It is a nice effect without being too complex.

A closer view of both sides of the quilt.

Now that this quilt is done I have moved onto my next quilt which is a bubble/biscuit quilt for my nephew that is due next month. I will post pictures of it once it is completed.

Have you ever made a quilt?

His: Living in America: Field Trips/Excursions Part 2

Two weeks ago I started my story about the Central Australia field trip that I took when I was in 10th grade. If you missed that post you can read about by clicking here so you don't miss anything. Here is the second part of the story.

Day 6: After packing up our gear and hoping on the bus we headed to Kings Canyon. It was a few hours from Uluru but it was well worth the trip. The Sides of the Canyon towered above you on each side and in the bottom were plenty of gum trees and thousands of boulders that were perfect for rock hopping. Sadly I didn't make it to the top of the canyon but it still a great experience.

 There were boulders littering the valley floor and it was fun to be able to jump from rock to rock.

The canyon walls tower over you and make you feel smaller than an ant.

From Kings Canyon we headed to Alice Springs which was another 4 hours away. The road from the Canyon to the main highway was a dirt road and one of the bumpiest roads I have ever been on. We were all happy to see the paved highway after 2 hours on the bumpy road. We thought we were headed straight to Alice Springs but the teachers had a surprise for us on the way. We pulled over at what looked like someone's farm but it was a camel farm. We were able to take a short camel ride and we even able to get them to run. I was brave/silly enough to hop on the camel and let the handler run with it. The camel's bouncing made the dirt road feel smooth as glass but i had a good time and glad I had the opportunity to try it. We then hopped back on the bus and headed into Alice Springs for the next two nights.

One of the students and one of the teachers getting ready to try a camel ride.

Day 7: Alice Springs is a fairly small city by most standards but is the only city for hundreds of miles and is the shopping hubs for anyone who lives within a 6-8 hour radius. We spent a short time shopping in the town centre before we went out to see some of the sights around the city.We saw an old telegraph station that kept Alice Springs connected to the rest of the world, Stanley's Chasm and a big canyon with a big pond in it among other things. It was definetely parts of Australia that we would not have seen anywhere near my hometown. It was a long day and it was nice to get back to camp and get a quick meal then off to bed.

Stanley's Chasm has a narrow valley which is under shadow for most of the day.

 I found this Rock Wallaby near the trail at Stanley's Chasm. It was a little nervous so I couldn't get any closer.

An Ochre Pit. The Aboriginal people would use this chalky like material to create cave paintings and for face painting.

Day 8 and 9: The next two days were mostly spent on the bus as we headed north to Tennant Creek and then east towards the Pacific Coast. We were meant to stop at the Devil's Marbles but due to a delay we weren't able to stop. The highlight of these two days was the ceremonial pushing of the bus over the state line and visiting the hotel/pub that was used in the Crocodile Dundee movies.

  Source The Walkabout Creek Hotel

Day 10: We spent the morning at the Australian Stockman's Hall of Fame in Longreach, Queensland. The Hall of Fame is a large museum dedicated to the people that made a living in the Australian Outback. It was really an unique experience and gave visitors a small glimpse on how difficult it was to live in the Outback. From there it was another long ride on the bus to Mount Isa for the night.

 Source The Australian Stockman's Hall of Fame

Day 11: This was another travel day and our last one before getting to the Pacific Coast and the Great Barrier Reef. There was nothing of note to see except a few termite mounds that were taller than us. After more than a week in the desert it was nice to see white sandy beaches and something other than red sand and salt bush. We also got to stay in a bunkhouse, rather than a tent for the first time in a week which made the long day on the bus worth it.

Come back next week to hear about the last few days of the journey including the Great Barrier Reef and the Gold Coast of Australia. What has been your favourite part of the trip so far?

Saturday Snapshots: State Fair - Midway

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Today we are linking up with Melinda at West Metro Mommy for Super Saturday Snapshots.

Last weekend we went to the Virginia State Fair. We look forward to it each year and have been every year for the last few years. It is about 2 hours from our home but it is a easy day trip. I take a lot of photos at the fair and one of my favourite sections is the midway (Sideshow Alley). All of the bright colours help make some very interesting photos. Below are some of my favourite photos from the Midway.

The Giant Ferris Wheel dwarfs most of the other attractions in the Midway.

There are several different games including this basketball one. Its interesting that they have to post a disclaimer that the hoops are not a standard shape or size now.

Often they have some prizes that are from popular TV shows or movies like this Duck Dynasty one.

The Midway was pretty crowded even though it was mid afternoon and only gets busier as the day goes on.

Amanda and her parents enjoy playing some of the games. I am happy just taking photos of them playing.

Normally Amanda and her parents win something. Here is their victory picture from this year.

The Midway lights up even more during the night and makes for some great photos but they will have to wait for another week. Have you ever been to a State Fair?