Tuesday, January 31, 2017

Commitment To Excellence

Commitment To Excellence

Commitments

  • Health: have been maintaining my exercises. Have been seeing different articles and different people (these authors) speak of "changing it up." I do not think I am there yet. Will just stick with these basics until there is something to change up. Am doing what I call floor exercises: sit-ups, leg-lifts, push-ups. It still astonishes me that most of these exercises, I could literally do one or none. And sticking with it... am now doing sets. Do not let anyone say it is not worth it. Even as I sit here texting this my body is thankful. Just got done. Over and over... nothing exciting. Sure does feel nice.

  • Computers: am still learning and practicing HTML and CSS. Have been competing lessons at Alison.com. Am still texting this blog in HTML. The Trump project is still ongoing. Am going to link my cabinet files to the index today. Eventually will have a nice set-up.

  • Gardening: need to get out to clean this Spring's area.
    UPDATE: 2 February 2017.Spent a couple of hours out cleaning up garbage, and I think that is it today. Am 100% disabled. Have a picker upper so I don't have to bend each time, yet the process really tears me up. My neighbor Dimas helped me toss an old couch into the dumpster someone had left out on the street. Below is an image of Dimas taken last year while he was working on his truck. The image also gives an idea of where the dumpster is located out front... this is where we tossed the couch.

  • Dimas Out Front


  • Photography: need to get out more.

Addendum

Am going to put the rest of today's commitment information onto another blog. Have been blogging regularly, but have not been opening a post for each day. May start adding a new post each day, so that it is more accurate to keep track of my commitments.

Saturday, January 28, 2017

How To Prepare An Excellent Scrambled Omelette

Scrambled Omelette - Presentation

My most recent post was about preparing an omelette, yet this post is going to describe an even more tasty omelette. A scrambled omelette so that "the fold" is not involved. Was in the kitchen preparing a nice batch of chili con carne today, and had some left over diced capsicum (yellow pepper and bell pepper) and left over meat. I have a fresh tomato in the veggie drawer as well as some cheese food slices in the refrigerator. I stock my pantry with plenty of general spices: salt, pepper, garlic powder and crushed red pepper to spice the omelette. I prefer olive oil to fry the capsicum until soft and clarified.

You will need a stove top, a nice skillet (mine is an American made 10.5-inch iron skillet),and a quality spatula (mine is solid, American made, stainless steel) to prepare the meal. A one skillet meal! Yaaaay.

    Egg Mixture:
  • four Eggs
  • two tablespoons of Milk
  • one-half teaspoon of Crushed Red Pepper
  • one-quarter teaspoon of Baking Soda
  • one-quarter teaspoon of Ground Black Pepper
  • one-quarter teaspoon of Table Salt
  • one-quarter teaspoon of Garlic Powder
  • three tablespoons of Olive Oil

    Filling Ingredients:
  • one medium Roma tomato
  • two sandwich slices of cheese food
  • diced meat

KEY: Olive Oil

Note the color changing in the peppers because they are being clarified by the oil.

The image below illustrates the level of preparedness that must be organised. The egg mixture is ready to be whisked, "before" the peppers are clarified. There is about a five-minute window of opportunity to compose an excellent scrambled omelette.The image above is about the oil. Once the skillet is hot from cooking (clarifying) the peppers, the eggs will be added to the hot pan.

The spatula is handy to manipulate the egg mixture and peppers. The tomato is sliced and diced as well as the cheese being close at hand. It takes a few minutes for the eggs to firm up. As the eggs firm up, add the tomato and meat and continue scrambling the eggs. The following images show the eggs firming (I think it is water being cooked away).

This image above, the egg mixture was only been added about one minute ago along with the tomato. The heat cooks off the moisture in the eggs and tomato. The image below, the sausage has been added and the egg stays where it has been scooped.

The reason I keep emphasizing the olive oil is because of its importance, of course. "And" the temperature of the pan reached while the peppers sauté (clarify). Because if both are just right, nothing sticks to the pan. The omelette can just be ladled out onto a plate. The image below... it took three scoops and is was on my plate. No fuss, no muss.

Isn't this beautiful?

Put a lid on the skillet to melt the cheese and the heat will soften the tomato slices just right.

Tuesday, January 24, 2017

Healthy Hacking - How To Prepare An Omelette

Healthy Hacking - How To Prepare An Omelette

Last night I set out the beginning of my day with a list: wake-up, coffee, exercise, and Alison course... no You Tube. Have been awake a few hours and have accomplished this list of tasks. It really excites me that I followed my suggestions from last night. While sitting here sipping on a cup of coffee (mud, joe), I ran across some images of meals that need to be shared to keep my blog posts up to speed. As soon as I sleep a bit will post images showing my latest omelette and the avocado-tomato-egg sandwich spread. This sandwich spread is more of a dip than spread, just depends on perspective... I have bread and don't have any crisps.

Prepped Tomatoes

When preparing an omelette, get everything ready. Here in this image are diced and prepared tomatoes. Before going much further, put a skillet onto a burner and get it hot. Prepare the eggs with seasonings to whisk, whip, or mix vigorously. For this omelette, I added some sliced cheese food (artificial cheese) which is unwrapped,pieced and waiting along with the prepared tomato seen below. Once the skillet or pan is hot, I added some spray oil and almost immediately poured the prepared eggs into the skillet. Make certain the pan bottom or cooking surface is hot, and the oil covers the entire cooking surface.

Finished Meal

Cover the eggs after they are poured into the hot skillet. Let them fry a bit. Then, I added the prepared tomatoes and the cheese that I had set aside, on one half of the frying eggs. The frying eggs look like a pancake only made out of eggs. I re-covered the mixture to let it cook. Checking almost constantly, I waited until the eggs were fully cooked and the cheese slice had melted; then carefully I folded the empty half over onto the half with the added ingredients.

Really use caution and take enough time to fold the omelette half over the other half. Watch the cooking omelette so as not to over cook, and it will look neat and tidy just as this. Can see the bread is at the ready, and personally, there is a side of beef/potato hash in that bowl. I am a big fan of habanero sauce as my spice. Can see a greenish drop over to the side displaying its color.This morning (25jan 17) as this blog is being texted out, I am getting into the mood to have an omelette.Am going to add this image to flickr.com, also.

Saturday, January 21, 2017

Hacking Health - Healthy Avocado Sandwiches

Hacking Health - Healthy Avocado Sandwiches

Am having a wonderful day. Woke up, exercised, and got right into my computer work. Have a bunch of plans working inside my head that I do not want to forget. Listing of my thoughts is complete. Made the most excellent sandwiches for dinner. Yummo.

Prepping The Veggies

Check out that color. Yummy! A buck and 69 for that avocado. Avocados are healthy, packed full of vitamins, and avocados are known for containing good fiber and healthy fats.

Above, the avocado is neatly sliced. The avocado slicer is a kitchen "gadget" made specifically for savory (block) cheese slices. The tool slices the avocado wonderfully... this is obvious, hey?

Ready To Eat

Have my chips ready to go and my drink. Am including this image because one should note the remaining avocado w/seed and container. This is the proper way to store unused avocado. Will include an image or two of the results of this storage technique inside this post.

An image of my sandwiches with chips and a drink

Have everything set out for this image because this shows the ingredients with a written recipe... a visual recipe. One can examine the image and decide for themselves how to proceed with the sandwich preparation.

Ready To Eat

A close-up image of my sandwiches

So I went all out with avocado, tomato sans bacon. Quite refreshing. A good sandwich is an art form.I love avocados. Am going to share how to keep them in the refrigerator. And how I get the slices "just right."... below.

Lon's Avocado Slicer

An image demonstrating the use of a block cheese slicer for fresh avocados

I had a half-an-avocado left over. Want to share how to store left-over avocado so it will not lose taste. First, note the container up above in the second image. This is the container I will use... the seed is still inside the half to keep fresh. Second, below note the two images day old avocado I am posting today

Stored for Two-days

This avocado is left-over from the meal above. Note the same piece of fruit in the images above.

Image of an avocado stored for 2 days

Using my avocado slicer (block cheese slicer) I cleaned up the fruit. The fine results are shown below.

Cleaned up and ready to eat.

I used this halved avocado in the illustrated recipe below this image.

Image of an avocado stored for 2 days that has been cleaned up

Avocado, Tomato, Egg Sandwich Spread

All leftovers. And will start my exercise regimen as posted in an earlier blog. And then will upload the images of my sandwich spread. The whole idea is staying focused on what I have been blogging. It is taking a lot because I am "really" not motivated but I have done two sets of sit-ups and different leg lifts. Whew. Am having a very bad attitude today. Am just sitting here watching YouTube after having completed plenty of exercise. Waiting on dinner (baked fries) and my attitude is much better. It is wonderful what exercise does for us (me). I feel much more relaxed... calmer. Am so thankful I started doing this.

25 January 2017; Update; 1644 hours

Woke up hours ago. Finally, am getting a little motivation as it gets dark outside. Dang. Puts a damper on gardening, yet I did capture a couple of images. While processing them I ran across the images below describing my "fresh" homemade sandwich spread. This stuff turned out to be quite utilitarian. I used it as a chili con carne topping as well as a sandwich filler. Half a large Hass Avocado that cost me $1.69, half of a 0.25¢ Roma tomato, one boiled egg, bread, and some spices was used to constuct three meals. Filling meals. Wow. And I am thinking quite nutritious meals at that. I have been neglecting my fresh veggie intake. Will monitor veggie intake a bit closer.

Friday, January 20, 2017

Hacking Health - List Of My Exercises

Hacking Health - List Of My Exercises

Am trying to stick with it. Lots of things happening today. Trump is being inaugurated as the 45th President of the United States. (Yet it has to be mentioned that one President was elected twice: Grover Cleveland was our 22nd and 24th President). Am up and at it early, have had some coffee, and will exercise. Have been using HTML5: Edition for Web Authors as a reference to keep my pages semantically correct. Will get back into my review and studies at Alison.com. And these folks are serious. Am learning quite a bit and am hoping with review some of it will be retained. Am seriously having problems with retention. Think I will make a list in order to remember what I need to stay focused, and should actually go back through my posts to refresh my memories. Today's weather will not permit me to garden nor make plans to capture images.Dang! Need to do laundry as well. Will do some exercises, drink a bit more coffee, and watch some YouTube if there is anything good.

I purchased some photo frames a while back, and was actually able to print three images. So will need to get one other item in order to start displaying my art. Yaaay. Am very excited.

0945 Hours

Am trying to get motivated for the day. The weather is crummy but have completed two sets of leg and glute reps. Hopefully, this will help my adductor pain subside. This takes a lot of time also. Yet, hopefully, it will be worth it.

21jan17: Was sitting here post processing images of my most recent meal. Decided to have a look at exercises I could add into my regimen. The variety and alternatives are quite numerous. Am starting to think the best idea is to just move. Actually just doing whatever is needed to "move" and doing the movement in a way that works the muscles. Working my muscles effectively is the idea.

    List of My Exercises

  • 20 sit-ups:
  • I use a pillow to keep my tailbone from digging a hole through my skin. I do the exercises slowly and using "form". Am remembering when I first began this endeavor, exercising, that I could not complete my first sit-up without pulling myself by cheating. Now I do 3 sets of twenty.

  • 20 right leg-lifts:
  • Am crippled and deformed a bit on my right leg, so I concentrate on this appendage. When I began, was able to lift my right leg, so have been trying and strengthening it. I do 3 sets of 20 reps.

  • 10 ab leglifts:
  • 20 right-side leg-lifts
  • 20 adductor squeezes:
  • Over the past year or so I have been experiencing major discomfort in this area. I put a pillow between my legs and squeeze. 3 sets of 20 reps. Hopefully, this will help me decrease the pain. It really is quite extreme.

  • 5 Push-ups:
  • It is embarrassing to be able to do so few, but I am sticking with it. When beginning I could not do a single push-up. Now, I am proud to say (quietly) that I am able to do 5 push-ups on demand! Did 3 sets of 5 push-ups.

1830 Hours

Setting Goals

I read that it is smart to set goals. And to stick with the goals to accomplish your agenda. This applies to everything. If I set the goals, it will give me an objective. My goal is to alleviate pain. Have pain medication but it doesn't work for everything. And the pain worries me because the medications are not working. Therefore, I have listed my goals in this post so that I can hopefully keep at them. I took a nap... and slept for a couple of hours and I feel good. The weather put a damper on my photography walk abouts today and have been working on my Trump web page. Need to look at my Alison class though. Which I will accomplish as the night ages.

Goals

  • Improve Photography
  • Sell Photographs
  • Fight Pain
  • Improve Coding Skills
  • Study and Learn
  • Tuesday, January 17, 2017

    Hacking Health - Putting It All Together

    #

    2139 hours

    Started an online course at Alison.com. The "course" is named Diploma in html5, css3, and Javascript. And let me just say, "These folks mean business and they are not screwing around. Am continuing my exercise regimen... did three sets of six push-ups. It is funny because when I started blogging about hacking health, I could barely manage One! And in a few minutes I will start three sets of twenty sit-ups: funny because before, I had difficulties. Below, is an image of this morning's dessert/treat.

    Cookies With Milk

    Image of cookies with dip

    There was a jumping spider that visited earlier during the week and I captured images while it was sitting on my heater. The spider may have gotten vacuumed up when I was sweeping the rug. Am not sure, yet I think it tried to hop away while I was in mid-stroke. Ha. Am sorry to have lost the model because the heater images were out of focus.

    Now back to this code course and exercise.

    Wednesday, 18 January 2017

    0351 hours

    Have been studying for hours. Decided to have a break for some chow. I am very happy to have been applying myself to this free course.Sure is fun and the time is well spent! $$$$ Ha! Thank You so very much. Moving around between CSS and HTML is already getting easier... literally over-night. In order to keep it up there are some rules that I learned back at college. Three credit "hours" a week means at least three hours of instruction time. In order to maintain a level of learning that suits me, three hours of instruction time obligates me to double that time studying what has been taught. Even composing this blogspot counts as far as I am concerned. I will need to utilize what Mr. Tabor has taught me.

    Alongside this, I need to keep up my healthy hacking. Which is quick nutritious chow and the exercise. Yaaaay! It appears that applying myself to this blog is paying dividends.

    0500 hours

    Just finished eating most of my dinner. Will pick at it, relax, and ponder the rest of my time

    2200 hours

    .Went to bed. Dinner (below) made me sleepy. I have really been monitoring what is included inside packaged food. The quick meal I ate included real turkey (as opposed to what? I am not sure) and the same with the 100% "real" potatoes. Makes me wonder why the company is so proud of "real" potatoes. What's in baked packaged potatoes when the "real" logo is not on the package. Reading the ingredients is very important.

    100 % "Real" Potatoes

    An image of baked french fries

    I wrote a simple blog post about a meal put together about a month ago. There are images of the ingredients included inside the post article that show exactly why it is worth the time to read what is inside the package. Instead of trusting the images on the package.

    The dinner that made me sleepy was not much, yet was "real!!"

    "Real" Turkey Sandwiches

    Inside that jar is some honey that I thought to thaw. It has been out a while, so am not sure about it. Will do a bit of reading to learn. It is staying solid. Hmmm.

    Thursday, January 12, 2017

    Photography Basics

    phtography Basics

    Began this article back during September of 2016, and put it aside. Am searching for motivation because the Spring Bloom begins soon. Thought I would put together a post for my own personal reference. Have been procrastinating and have had no motivation. I get stuck in front of the monitor and get doing other things and forget my photography. Think I have found a way to motivate: am going to define "some"of what Wikipedia calls "concepts and principles. Well here goes:

    Concepts and Principles Of Photography

    • Angle of View:
    • What the lens sees when the camera views an object that can be captured with clarity. Sometimes objects are within this angle yet are not distinguishable items over to the very edge of what the lens can pick up. Kind of like on the fringes of one's vision. Also, our eye ball bends and adjusts as we view objects, yet a camera's lens is solid and does not flex nor adjust. Field of view comes gains importance when capturing images up close: our eye would adjust (by bending) to compensate... and fixed solid lenses will create aberration and distortion. Wide-angle and fish-eye lenses are designed to alter the angle of view. Searched around and found a video to help visualize angle of view and all of the inter-related concepts. This is basic stuff and very important to grasp. This is why camera makers include "kit" lenses along with a dSLR purchase at a certain size. So that an entry photographer can start capturing images right out of the box. My Canon Rebel T-5 came with a "kit" lens:18mm-55mm. This size covers basically a standard eyesight range. There is a fish eye effect lens image below.The video above explains the angle of view, focal length, and lenses much better than I could text.

      Fish Eye Effect

      Need to credit this image below literally. It is from wikipedia and labeled for non-commercial re-use.

      Maxwells fish-eye lens


    • Aperture
    • The f-stop!!Am going to access another video by Philippe Dame. Am constructing this post alphabetically, yet aperture is his next video in his series loaded onto YouTube.The aperture is an opening through the lens that can be adjusted to control the amount of light striking the sensor. The diaphram opens and closes, depending on the setting, to allow more or less light.

      Aperture Diaphragm

      The best link I could find to teach about diaphragms is about the human eye. Our Iris

      Need to credit this image below literally. It is from Wikipedia and labeled for non-commercial re-use.

      Aperture diaframma


    • Chromatic Aberration
    • Wanted to discuss this next concept linked above because I find it interesting. Am finding that all of these terms are inter-related and connected. So it is worth the time to study. The Spring bloom is coming shortly this year. Have missed it each year since beginning my photo journey and hope to use this blog to keep me focused.

    • An aberration of my own.
    • Major Tom - My Friend

      This is an image of Thomas. The right side is "blown out.," caused by the Sun entering my kitchen window. I try to avoid this effect, yet this image is an example of why an aberration may actually enhance a run of the mill portrait. To me, this flare shows off Tom's personality. He seems to be eyeing, "When are you going to stop sticking that 'thing' so close to my face?

      image of my cat with a lens aberration

      Below is an image of a Joshua Tree which has a nice natural lens flare aberration. Completely unintended.

      Lens Flare - Joshua Tree

      My own flares and blow outs above are prevented easily by changing my perspective. Just moving before capturing the images. But to me, these two images are uniques because of the aberrations.

    • Circle of Confusion

    Monday, January 9, 2017

    North Las Vegas

    North Las Vegas

    North Las Vegas - Idiosyncrasy And Distinctiveness

    North Town (North Las Vegas) is a really crummy city. Fringes of Las Vegas. Low-income housing and poor folks. Was doing my laundry the other day and was pondering my town. And then, noticed this guy helping a woman. Jorge at the laundry mat.

    The Homeless Guy

    This guy laying here this morning woke me up to somethings that I have forgotten. I have been homeless, and had a rough go of it. This guy is a nieghborhood fixture. Our neighborhood is rough, crime ridden, and very poor. Mostly illegal immigrants. Yet, this guy is safe, so he has chosen to frequent the area. Am sure it is mainly a safety concern. He has lost one of his arms, probably caused by congenital amputation. For him I think it was the drug Thalidomide. Because his legs are really messed up too. A complete and total physical wreck.

    Image of The Homeless Guy asleep

    I recognize the blankets. Wanted to slip him a ten dollar bill, but just plain didn't have the hard cash. He is sleeping behind a walk being used as a wind-break right in the middle of a small complex of shops. There are tons of outreach organizations in Las Vegas. He probably drinks more than they will permit. There are rules to receive housing. This first image is up close. The second gives a bit of perspective on where the man is actually sleeping. No one is bothering him and most people don't even know he is there.

    Image of the homeless guy from a distance

    The moment I captured the above image, a lady was walking by the homeless guy with her dog. Was standing out front having a smoke and the pup even let me scratch its head. Apologize for the quality of the images. Was using my cell and rushing.

    At least the dog had a nice personality.

    Urban Blight

    When I speak of my neighborhood, the image below describes my neighborhood, although, there are good things.

    The guy at the laundrymat has been working there for ages. Always greets me with a, "Hello, Sir." His name is Jorge, and I had permission to take his photo.

    Idiosyncrasy And Distinctive Character

    The reason I am writing this blog is about the duality of my neighborhood. The homeless guy and the view (above) of the harshness of my neighborhood is contrasted with the good things. Was just standing there and Jorge starts helping this lady. The weather was crummy and he was busy.

    A Helping Hand

    Friday, January 6, 2017

    Hacking Health - Routines

    Hacking Health - Routines

    Developing A Routine

    Alongside eating well, gardening, exercising, budgeting, and blogging, has to be a schedule to accomplish these goals. This morning I have been awake about and hour-and-a-half... it is now almost 0300 hours. So far I have cleaned the sleep out of my eyes, read my mail, read my news, and am thinking of the day ahead. Designed a basic little logo, and changed my page layout on this blog.In the future, I can post larger images. Need to go into a forum to learn how to add my logo onto my header. Have to get ready to go to the doctor's office (Again). Done, ate, and am headed out the door.

    Leftovers

    Made it back in one piece. Yaay! Just a bit over five hours to take care of that task, and good riddance. Was starving by the time I got home, what? With all the exercise and only a small breakfast. The first thing I did was put a batch of left-overs together for a filling dinner.
    Accomplished a major task yesterday, the cost being thirteen hours of sleep and waking up feeling miserable. Have been awake a couple of hours, and am beginning to feel human. Will begin exercises shortly. Began exercises and have decided the reason I am feeling so tired and sore is that I overdid my exercises yesterday. Will just sit here as a tree stump today and let my body heal. I just went to get money from an ATM and it was working for a change. During my walk, along with other walks, I have noticed that it is just plain more pleasant to walk. This can be attributed to my "core" exercises. Sit-ups, leg lifts, standing knee lifts as well as walking a bit more often. Walking used to be painful even for very short distances. I still need to sit for a bit of a rest, but it is more comfortable to me.

    Have been pondering over Trump and his cabinet, and have started a webpage. This is what I will accomplish today while a tree stump. Continue work on my Executive leaders in Trump's nominees. The cabinet including the President of the Senate, includes twenty other key leaders. Trumps's Nominees are listed at this site.
    UPDATE:13jan17. Am still assembling the webpage about Donald Trump's Executive Cabinet positions. The Cabinet is quite complex, much more complex than I anticipated. The organization of Offices has changed since completing my political science courses. I will complete the webpage because I am finding the assembly of information quite enlightening. Am still doing light exercizes. Am up to five push-ups with confidence, and 20 sit-ups with confidence and am trying, as a goal, to accomplish three "sets" of each.

    Thursday, January 5, 2017

    Hacking Health - Back To Basics II

    Keeping It Simple

    Have been continuing my exercise regimen. Discussed in an earlier post, I have been doing a series of exercises to strengthen myself while being so sedentary. Sitting at this desk, viewing videos and studying; blogging as well, it is only wise to exercise and have activity. One must move in order to keep their blood filtered and digestive system processing food properly. The exercise motivates me somehow. I have been experiencing an acute lack of motivation... to do anything. My house must be kept in order, gardening accomplished, managing my budget, and growing as a photographer. Sheesh. Sometimes it seems, to me, I am going no place quickly.

    Exercise Routine

    I have been having a fun time developing an exercise regimen and have been accomplishing this goal for quite some time. Am thinking it is time to set down a more professional exercise "routine." There are some very interesting blogs that have information for nerds and geeks that would like health. A bunch of what I read was about people very busy trying to make time for exercise and this is not "my" problem. Staying motivated causes me to most trouble. Some things that I have noticed in my daily life are simple differences. One of my goals is countering my bone and joint pain with muscle strength:

      Simplicity
    • Opening heavy doors with confidence
    • Getting out of bed and not falling
    • My left shoulder doesn't hurt as much
    • The adductor muscles inside my groin area aren't as painful
    • Strengthening my knees and ankles so that I can walk with confidence. The key is not to over-work the ligaments, tendons, and muscles. This is one of the most important aspects of my "hacking health."

    An Orderly Home

    Am watching a video, the 1985 version of Dune, authored by Frank Herbert, on YouTube. The uploader has neither butchered (cut) the plot nor altered the digital signature, so it is over four hours in length. After the show is over, I will clean my apartment. Especially the floors. I love clean floors. In addition, I was able to purchase my 1956 GE stove from the landlady. Am going to start the restoration, today.

    Gardening

    Budget

    PHotography

    Sunday, January 1, 2017

    New Year's Eve - Vegas 2017

    New Year's Eve - Vegas 2017

    Exactly 2400 Hours

    No one was synced to computer time!! Heard the sirens and bells go off for about five-ten minutes marking the New Year. Was up by Inspire, and the folks on the roof were the first. At about 11:55 P.M. Up top on the party floor, it was standing room only and the young folks were very excited, so who can blame them!! The image below was captured when the siren went off at Inspire and is fuzzy because I was caught up in the moment.

    Precisely 2400 hours.

    The last second of 2016 leading into the first second of 2017. This image is a lot clearer and shows what people were feeling just outside the Fremont Street Experience. These are the working people that were wise enough to stay outside of the standing room only Experience... yet as you can see the people did not miss "The Experience."

    Up over my left shoulder is the roof of the Inspire. The noise was so loud Downtown that when I reached the other side of LVBS, onto the actual Fremont Street Experience, I heard other bells sounding the New Year. I captured a nice image of the Hacienda Horse and Rider (part of the Neon Museum).

    The image below was captured seconds after 2400 hours and shows just how crowded the celebration was outside of Viva Vision.

    The organizers have seen fit to charge an entry fee to the FSE over the past few years, so I took my $20.00 down to the El Cortez and gambled. No big wins for me but lots of excitement just the same. Would have paid the money to be inside that cherry picker basket, and am guessing that money means different things to different people.

    Cherry Picker

    Contented myself with the tens of thousands of people and activity inside the Downtown Las Vegas area. Captured some mighty fine images here, also. Jackie Gaughan lived on the top floor of his El Cortez Hotel tower, and he was one of the original businessmen here. Today, the El Cortez anchors the FEED area of Downtown Las Vegas.

    El Cortez

    Jackie Gaughn even has his own street. The Ogden Tower had to arrange for this because of its location relative to the El Cortez. Guess it worked out well for both parties involved. As the Fremont East Entertainment District gains importance, the El Cortez having the private pedestrian walkway/entrance/entertainment area will be significant.

    The Ogden

    The image below illustrates "why" the trade was made between the Ogden and the El Cortez. The other side of the Ogden Tower shades Jackie Gaughan Pkwy during the summer sun.

    The Ogden and El Cortez

    The image below illustrates the importance of Jackie Gaughan Parkway. There is room for some of the most beautiful roses on display in Las Vegas rivaling The Venetian Roses as well as the World Market Center roses.

    El Cortez Parkway Entrance