Valentine's Day 2017

It's Valentine's Day tomorrow and, of course, we plan to celebrate in style. Ethel M's, a local upscale chocolatier, has a botanical cactus garden that is pretty spectacular to tour during the day. Around Valentine's Day each year, they dress it up with a half million sparkling colored lights and open it to the public for night time viewing. We visited last year and decided it was worth another visit this year.

The night was mild and mellow. The full “Snow Moon” was obscured by the clouds. There was a sizable crowd at the gardens, but the number was not overwhelming. We strolled hand in hand along a maze of cactus-lined paths that twinkled and glowed in the darkness. Reds, pinks and purples dominated the “Lights of Love” (corny, huh?) display.

The use of backlighting and shadow made for interesting viewing. A new technology (at least to us) known as meteor shower lighting accounted for a fireworks effect. Dazzling brightly colored reflections danced on the walkways … candy for the senses.

We've made plans for an intimate, romantic dinner at Casa di Amore, a noted Italian restaurant in town that touts “Vegas the way it used to be”. Since we don't know what “Vegas used to be”, it'll all be new to us … but the reviews we read are great. We don't dine out all that often, so we're looking forward to this special occasion. How could we go wrong on Valentine's Day eating at Casa di Amore (House of Love)?

To look back at how we celebrated in years past, take a look at Valentine's Day in Australia in 2014 and Lesotho in 2015.

Hoping you're loved on Valentine's Day!