As you can all imagine, Cinco de Mayo is a bit of a thing around here. Everywhere you go Mexican music is playing in the yards. Yesterday, I attended the festivities at Christmas Circle in town. It was a beautiful sunny day with a gentle breeze to keep the temperature down. Around the community volunteers gathered together, decorating and preparing food for the crowd they expected. There was bbq'd beef for burritos. I had never had cucumbers in my burrito, but it turns out to be a tradition that I enjoyed. There was a salsa contest. No, not dancing, but making. I urged Shawn to participate but he said he was out of his league...lol...I was tricked into tryin the killer recipe. HOT! I am sure all of my fire eating friends would think it had a nice burn. I, ran for the sodas. A traditional folk dancing group performed the Mexican Hat Dance in brightly colored costumes. There was a DJ playing rockin' Mexican music...much better than our neighbor's Mexican polka crap. Toddlers that could just walk, to people with canes rocked on the dance floor, shaking their hips. Pinatas had been donated for the kids and they were so adorable trying to bust them open. Everyone was so friendly and welcoming. It reminded me so much of my early childhood...Visiting my dad's family in Pixley and Lodi. I never knew work could be so fun. I am sure Angi is thinking...just wait until you have to attend some stuffy board meeting...LOL

I know you are all going to be saddened that the man I nicknamed Becca after as a baby has passed. Well, maybe not Becca! Frank, Chairman of the executive committee of the board of directors of Perdue Farms Inc., died of an undiscloses illness on March 31, in Salisbury, MD.

I know you are all dying to see Vegas, but for some reason the site is not letting me post pics. I have sent an e-mail to zoomshare so hopefully we will hear back soon.

We slept late the next day...until 11:00...guess we did a lot of walking in the sun the day before. So we got a bit of a late start. We took the shuttle to The Mirage ...this is where Sigfried and Roy are and their dolphin and white tiger habitats. By the time we got to the dolphins it was closed! Boo, none of us new that five was the deadline. So we hurried over to see the tigers, just in case that closed too. There was one sad looking white tiger in the viewing area with a limp! I felt so bad for her/him. The tiger was very skinny too...:-( This was not my favorite part of the trip...we then walked outside to look at the waterfalls and head over to see the Venetion . It was a stunning hotel. Beautiful, but in a different way than the the Bellagio. The ceilings were covered in beatiful paintings and ornate gold filigree. There was a canal that ran through the shops. Billy, Todd and Angi took a little canal ride, the gondola guy sang them beautiful Italian verse. We had a great dinner at a Japanese restaurant. I think I had the best pad thai I have ever eaten. We then journeyed over to Treasure Island complete with wood plank boardwalks. We did a few more slot machines...I won $10...yippee! We had time to kill before the pirate show later that evening. So we walked down the strip...took a look at the newest hotel on the strip The Wynn...it looked very cool from the outside, but they wouldn't let us inside. It was having that grand opening that night so no non-guests allowed. I saw The Frontier where they had bikini bull riding and mud wrestling. I couldn't convince the rest of the gang to go...:-( We headed back to Treasure Island so we could see the pirate show called Sirens of TI. It was hilarious...I'm not sure it was meant to be, with corny lines like "You're not the first man to sail into my cove," and "Captain, I see a bounty of beautiful booty," I don't know how it could be anything but. The best part was the man who was dressed as a parrot. He was wearing a mask that gave him plumage on his head and he cawed like a bird...of course he was shirtless. Shirtless is very big in Vegas. I have never seen so many half naked people in my life. Not only on stage but walking the streets. I guess it's a town where people can cut loose. After all it's motto is "What happens in Vegas, stays in Vegas!"

So we headed to the strip to visit the Bellagio . What a beautiful hotel. I think it was my favorite that we visited on the trip. In the entrance lobby they have this gorgeous glass ceiling. Glass flowers in a rainbow of colors were over our heads. The lobby led into a beautiful garden. Glass flowers 15 and 20 feet tall were around us. Butterfly sculptures, beautiful plants, and a butterfly atruim surrounded us. Marcie said she could live there. We then rounded the corner and came upon the bakery! Ohhhhh yummy! They had a waterfall of chocolate. Glass tiers dripping chocolate from one level to the next. Gillato! more mmmmms! We got a treat and then took in the array of desserts. Shawn would have loved to see the beautifully shapped treats. We then saw the water show in front of the hotel. It was sooooo cool! Before the show you could look down at the "Pond" in front fo the hotel and see strange shaped black lines. It reminded me a bit of the movie "The Abyss," when the alien spaceship rose to the surface. Just before the show starts these metal tubes shoot up from the water about a foot high...then water shoots out of them! It's choreographed to music and really amazing. I don't think I can describe the grace and movement of the water here...you have to see it. After a picture with Elvis, we went home to ready ourselves for "The THUNDER from down UNDER!" We all looked beautiful...the boys too. The show was at the Excalibur and as with previous male reviews I have been too...a little uncomfortable. Well, not necessarily for me...but Todd, looked like he rather be somewhere else. He was the one who chose the booth in the back, far away from any action. I was the only one who objected so that's where we sat. I did a shot of tequila with Marcie to loosen up those inhibitions and then settled with my margarita. The others sipped thier drinks...except Marcie who thought tequila shots were fun! But I will admit, she didn't get that crazy...but did she relax...:-)So the TDU like to think they are "Real" dancers! lol...They have these long badly choreographed routines, where it takes for- EVER for them to take their clothes off. The first guy was my favorite. He had long hair and a kind of rough around the edges look. He kissed me on the cheek too. He was a sweaty bloke! the others were ok, but it seemed very wierd. Every time I go to one of these things it seems weird...lol...Anyhow, we all left, disappointed in the show. We wanted to wander over to the Billagio again to see the water show at night. It was a picarious trip, Marcie and I being tipsy, but we made it at last. The show was even better at night with the lights. Marcie became obssessed with chocolate so we found some food at Ceasar's Palace before heading home. All in All, it was a fun day.