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!

Chinese New Year - Year of the Rooster

We celebrated Chinese New Year last Saturday night. Granted, it was a little lackluster compared to other years. No lion dances nor dragons nor bright red Chinese lanterns nor parades to entertain us. Instead, we had stir-fried veggies and chicken which had been marinated in a soy and Chinese Five Spice concoction and served over rice for dinner. There was fresh pineapple and fortune cookies, served in red cardboard Chinese take-out containers, for dessert. That's about all the celebration we could muster up. I read that 1/5 of the world's population celebrates this holiday in a big way. Man, are we ever slackers.

The Rooster is the tenth in the 12-year Chinese zodiac cycle. If you were born in 1933, 1945, 1957, 1969, 1981, 1993, 2005 or 2017, you're a rooster. Being an ox myself, I'm fortunate to be married to a rat (really?), a very compatible sign.

My Chinese horoscope for the year indicates I'll be lucky in love and career (career? what's that?). I'll have the blessings of some auspicious stars, but it appears I'll spend more money than I make. Darn … I hate when that happens! David, my compatible rat sweetheart, “will suffer damage and loss in the year. Generally, as [he] clashes with Tai Sui (inauspicious star), [he will be] prone to have many quarrels and unnecessary disputes leading to bad luck in wealth. “ Fortunately, my three auspicious stars might help him out, too. We're hoping for the best.

On Sunday, Mary suggested heading to the Strip to the Bellagio Conservatory and Botanical Garden to view their Chinese New Year display. It's always amazing how they're completely able to transform the gardens from one theme to another. We walked through the 16' Moon Gate where a 10' animated rooster welcomed us and heralded the start of the new year … 4715 on the Chinese lunar calendar.

We ooh-ed and ahh-ed as we wended our way along the paths through a wonderland of floral displays. I might add, there's no admission fee for the gardens … so, based on our horoscope predictions, we're being careful ... spending less than we make.