The Day After The Big Day

JWise Photo of the Day, Travels

Maria and Nelson Tello at Cape Royal on the north rim of the Grand Canyon National Park in Arizona

The wake-up call from the Luxor front desk came in at 7:30; by 8:30, we were on the road. After driving 90 miles in Nevada, we dipped into Arizona for a short 29-mile drive across the northwestern corner of the state called the Arizona Strip. This is the only part of Arizona that you cannot get to from Arizona; you must enter from Nevada or Utah. The first stop in Utah was Zion National Park near Springdale. After a brief visit and drive through Zion, we headed east through the Coral Pink Sand Dune area and then dropped south on our way back into Arizona, going to the North Rim of the Grand Canyon National Park. It was already late afternoon as we started the drive in the park that took us to Angel’s Window and Cape Royal overlooks, where the above photo was taken. Driving home, we saw the Vermillion Cliffs, crossed the Colorado River on the Navajo Reservation, and finally passed Flagstaff on our way home to Phoenix, Arizona.

The Big Day

JWise Photo of the Day, Travels

Maria Estrada and Nelson Tello at the Clark County Marriage Bureau in Las Vegas, Nevada applying for a marriage license

This is Maria Estrada and Nelson Tello, who are only two hours away from getting married. A taxi brought us from the Luxor Hotel to the Clark County Marriage Bureau where the lucky couple applied for their marriage license that would be needed before they went to the Little White Chapel to get married. And then during the eighth hour of the evening on the eighth day of the eighth month in the year 2007, Maria and Nelson became husband and wife.

I would have liked to have posted a photo of the marriage ceremony, but the rules are such that no photography is allowed except by a trained professional from the Little White Chapel, so those photos will be mailed to Nelson and Maria within the next few days.

After the wedding, Mr. and Mrs. Tello visited the Stratosphere Tower for a view of Las Vegas from 1000 feet above the desert. The next stop was Noodle Asia in the Venetian Hotel for dinner and their first attempt at eating dinner with chopsticks. Following a two-mile walk down Las Vegas Boulevard with a stop at Caesars Palace, passing the fountains of the Bellagio, going to the Excalibur Hotel and Casino, and the New York, New York, it was after 2:00 in the morning and time to call it a night back at the black pyramid of the Luxor Hotel. Congratulations, Nelson and Maria, and best wishes for a long and happy marriage.

Rainbows In The Sky

JWise Photo of the Day

A rainbow with both sides visible over Scottsdale, Arizona

Behind me are blue skies, in front are storm clouds and hammering rain, and thus the sun helps create this beautiful double rainbow stretching across the horizon from north to south. Today is the last day for the rest of the week that monsoon storms are forecast for the greater Phoenix area. It is just as well that the storms should pass as the humidity is becoming unbearable, some drying out would be a welcome relief.

Another Sunset

JWise Photo of the Day

Sunset sky with clouds over Phoenix, Arizona

Can’t find anything else during the day to photograph and post here as my photo of the day, look to the skies. The sky is rarely boring, besides some haze or pollution, there are no obvious amounts of trash lying around. Looking up into the blue heavens there are no neon signs, no branding, no signs regulating how long or fast I can look at the sky or use its services. Admission to look is free, so far Homeland Security hasn’t made it a crime to photograph the sky, nor does the TSA (Transportation Security Administration) frisk me, send me through a metal detector, or stop me from carrying my water to look at the sky. Seems like the sky is the last bastion of freedom unless of course the Russians put a flag up there and claim the sky as their own.

Bibimbop

JWise Food, Photo of the Day

Korean dish Bipim Bop. Consisting of stir fried vegetables and tofu over rice

This was my first attempt making the Korean dish bibimbop which is basically a dish that consists of rice with a topping of meat and/or veg. Following a couple of different veg recipes and improvising on one of my toppings, tonight’s dinner was pretty darn good for a novice attempt. I have made kimchee before but this was my first hot Korean meal made at home. The dish is served in a hot clay bowl with the rice at the bottom. On top of this, I placed warm soy sauce and sesame oil prepared bean sprout salad, next to it is steamed baby bok choi tossed in a tamari ginger garlic sauce and finally, the third element is fried tofu with sweet potato cooked in sweet ginger garlic and vegetarian fish sauce mix. This is something I will be trying again but maybe with different toppings. And yes, we did have the Korean red pepper paste to go along with it.