Afternoon Tea in Vegas

 I had a conference to attend in Las Vegas.  Since I don't gamble and hanging out in bars is not my thing, I decided to find other things to do on the day I arrived.  So I booked a table at the Mandarin Oriental for afternoon tea.

First of all, the Mandarin Oriental is a beautiful hotel in City Center with NO CASINO.  This means NO SMOKE!  The Tea Lounge is an 8 table area on the 23rd floor.  The furnishings are exquisite.  The hostess was brand new and apologized for having to repeat one item.  I thought she did fantastic.  Besides the tea they have tea cocktails!  Mine was a green tea fizz and was wonderful.  The hostess recommended an Oolong team that I loved.  It came in a glass pot on a warmer.  They also delivered the delicious jams and clotted cream.

The food was set up on a stand that was on the floor and the plates were above the table.  I loved the stand.  As you can see, eventhough I was alone, I had a table by the window.  There were 8 tables, 3 small and 5 larger ones.  So the place was very serene.

Close ups of the desserts and finger sandwiches.  I thought the presentation was beautiful.  Everything was very good!

Here is what my plate looked like afterwards.

This is a closeup of the table base.

And here is my view taken on the paroramic setting on my iPhone.

Houston Exotics

 Bill and I decided to take a tour of the "exotics" of Houston.  Fred Collins posted the locations of where he took a group on a field trip, so off we went.

The first stop was Monsignor Joseph A Forienza Park at Eldrige Parkway and the Westpark Tollway.  We first spotted a Western Kingbird in a tree. 

Next we found a Loggerhead Shrike.

Then walking along, we found the Monk Parakeets that we came looking for.  Hurricane Ike wiped out the ones on our side of town.  They were playing in the grass as people jogged by them!

We found a Western Kingbird on a nest in the powerline.

At Robert Storey Park we found Orange Bishops but I was not able to get photoes.  But did get a photo of a Cave Swallow.

Then off to the Houston Heights.  We had looked for the Red Vented Bulbul previously without luck.  This time we found them around the corner from where they had been seen.

Off to Deussen Park we went.  Here is a domestic goose that was actually wild.

Bill spotted the Halloween Pennant Dragonflys.

Then we found what we were looking for - The Fish Crow.  It was raining so I got it while it sat on a fence.

Next up was Rancho Bauer Drive close to where I  used to live in West Houston.  We hard there were Peafowl in the neighborhood.  They have been living in the wild here since 1980.  They roam the neighborhood and Buffalo Bayou.   We found a mother with some you.

Some gorgeous male Peafowl, commonly known as Peacocks.

This one has an odd feather pattern.

Gorgeous!

Day 3 - The Day of Lasts

The day started early driving through Albuquerque. We did manage not to leave anyone anywhere on this day. But it was a day of lasts! The first thing we saw was hot air balloons over Albuquerque. They were gorgeous but I could not get a good picture since I didn't have much time. We stopped at Bosque del Apache. We were told it was a pretty amazing place and it did not disappoint us. Of course my pictures are not that great. We stopped first at the Vistor's Center which had a great gift shop. And Gambel's Quail were hanging out around the Vistor's Center. It was very pretty.

We drove around several lakes.

From there we drove to El Paso and the Franklin Mountains. Our main goal there was to get the Gambel's Quail in Texas for Bill and Bryan's Texas list. And we saw them! They are such gorgeous birds. Of course half the time the dial had moved on the camera and I didn't notice. Oh well.

Bryan and Stephanie.

If you look close you can see the Gambel's Quail.

Then the day of lasts began. We did not notice that the sign said the park closed at 5. Who closes a park at 5 during daylight savings time? I'm sure it's part of Governor Good Hair's budget cuts. So we get to the front gate at 5:06 and we are LOCKED IN THE PARK. Some other people pulled in behind us. They thought they saw some workers so went back to find them. We started calling every phone number on the sign. Of course NO ONE ANSWERED eventhough the sign said FOR AFTER HOURS CALL. Finally Bryan get in touch with the park manager and he gives us the combination to the lock. Ends up the other numbers we called would charge us to come let us out. (More Governor Good Hair's ways to raise money?) Then we didn't know what to do about the other car in the park. Fortunately they pulled up then and we all got out. And we ignored the other phone calls coming in on our cell phones.

Then we drove down the Hueco Tank's Road looking for sage sparrows but didn't find them. So we headed to Carlsbad. Bill was whining, uh, wanted a coke so I told him the next gas station. We drove 30 miles and hit the boarder patrol. So I asked them where the next gas station was and they said 120 miles. What? 120 miles and we had not seen a gas station in over 30 miles? So I check the gas gauge, we have over a half of a tank. And I do the math, we should make it fine. Of course Bill holds on to the door hanger the whole time thinking we will run out of gas.

We get to White's City with a 1/4 tank of gas, but the gas station is closed. But they take cards so I fill up with the most expensive gas ever. We go to the hotel across the street and they inform us they have no rooms. It's 9 at night and Carlsbad is another 30 miles. So Stephanie starts looking up hotels and Bryan starts calling. I wasn't sure when we would get there or if we would change our mind so I didn't make reservations. We finally get a room at a 1 star. So Bryan keeps calling till we get a 4 star satisfaction rating. And cancel the 1 star. We get there and the guy told us he just had a cancellation right before we called and that he had a hundred calls that day that he turned down. Ooops. Last room in Carlsbad. It was spring break.

So we passed a pizza hut and I call in a pizza. When I get there the guy tells me that the pizza is almost ready. OK, I am not sure if I have ever been to Carlsbad, but I know the guy doesn't know me. Well, we got the last pizza they made that night. Good thing we didn't stay in White's City, we would not have any food at all! Everything was closed.

Tomorrow has got to be better right?

Days 1 and 2, Driving to Moriarity and Sandia Crest

We started the day at 5 am by picking up Bryan and Stephanie in Tomball. There trip was pretty uneventful except when I left Bryan and Stephanie at the gas station near Waco. I took off and Bill asked me where I was going. I told him to the highway. He said "without the kids?". And I looked in the back seat and they were not there. When I turned around there was Stephanie with her snacks staring at us. Oops. . After the long drive, we got to NM and the Bucces of NM. Russell's Travel Center was awesome. . We get to Moriarty where we were staying and get checked into our motel. We asked where to eat since the choices seemed to be Blake's Lotaburger, subway, McDonald's and Arbys. The lady that owned the motel told us to go to Buford Steakhouse. Don't let the name fool you. We had the best NM cheese enchiladas. Except for Byran that doesn't do cheese. Enchiladas just like my mom would make! YUM! The main reason for the trip was to see the Black Rosy Finch that had been a nemisis for Bill and Bryan. I had been with them when we looked in Montana for them. On top of Sandia Crest is the Sandia House. . This is the only way to see birds. It was very cold and very windy. There are feeders at the gift shop and cafe. You can either sit on the deck or sit inside with tea, hot chocolate, coffee and watch the birds. Wow! Did we see them. We saw all three rosy finches, black, gray crowned and brown capped. My photography skills are still lacking, but check Bryan's pbase site for good pictures. Here is the black rosy finch, aka the the star of the show. . View from the top . . Another view from the top. . . I loved the rocks! . . Stephanie was loving the snow! . . A view from part way down. . . Bill and Bryan looking for raptors. . . Bill and Stephnie checking the ravine. . . Gray crowned rosy finch. .

We went down the mountain for pizza at one point and ate at the Sandia Crust! The pizza was outstanding!

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I can not wait to show pictures from our Costa Rica and Italy trips this year! We were so lucky to be able to go on both trips! Both are fabulous places with fabulous pictures. The moggies will be making appearances too in the photos! They had to stay home with the sitter, but they love having their pictures taking.



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