"My mind sees that I am nothing, my heart sees that I am everything, between these two poles my life unfolds."

Saturday, December 1, 2012

Viva Las Vegas, Part 3

Pretty soon, we're going to find out Whoo's been naughty or nice...!!

December greetings! Have you got your tree up yet? I put mine up this week. I find I feel SO much more festive once I've decked the halls. I listened to my 'A Charlie Brown Christmas' cd while decorating and it was warm fuzzies all the way :) I find this album has a very cool New York jazzy feel to it -- I can't help but imagine I'm in a Nora Ephron or Woody Allen movie when I listen to jazz. 


Here's a bit of New York for you, Las Vegas style.
I quickly snapped this from the window of our tour bus as we drove by. 


Many modern iconic structures are immortalized on a smaller (yet still quite significant) scale. 


When we were in Vegas, I happened upon a vending machine that dispenses art. For $5, you receive a small original painting or photograph, all mounted and ready for hanging! 


Here's mine :) 
The colours are much richer than this photo demonstrates... it's hard to take a good photo of a photo.


I wish I had a pic of my daughter's - if I remember correctly, hers was a painting and the artist's name and email address were on a business card that was in the tiny cardboard box it came in. What a novel way for struggling artists to get some advertising and small commission. 


Check out the prices on these rare books I spotted in a showcase outside Bauman Rare Books.
Scarce first edition of Fleming's second James Bond novel - $30,000!


A little blurry, but I'll bet the $16,500 price tag still jumped out at you!


And lastly, for all you Sci-fi fans.


24 comments:

  1. If I ever go to Vegas again, I'll take a tour. You seemed to enjoy it...

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    1. I think tours are the only way to really familiarize yourself with a new city.

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  2. The vending machine that dispenses art is just about the most interesting thing I've heard in a long time! That is truly amazing, and very cool! But it's Vegas, after all, and so I'm not surprised. It sounds like such an exciting, fun and lively place. I must visit!

    OHMYGOD.... $30,000 for a book. I know, I know...it's rare. But still. And here I am complaining about paying more that $10 for a paperback...hahahha...

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    1. I thought you'd likely find this idea interesting! I was quite impressed with it and probably would have put a few more 5's in, but I had to try to keep up with the rest of the group :D

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  3. I'm in the middle of putting up our Solstice tree. Last night I set it up and fluffed it out. Tonight I put the lights on it. Tomorrow we'll decorate it and it's done! I have to do the process in stages or else it drives me nuts.

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    1. I completely understand your pacing yourself - it's exhausting and takes hours if you do it all in one shot. A good example of working smarter - not harder :D

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  4. I haven't put my tree up yet. I love the idea of an art vending machine. Of course anything in miniature always gets my attention. I love books, but I'd never pay that kind of silly money for a first edition. I think Vegas is the place for me!

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    1. Me too - if it's miniature, I'm instantly intrigued. I think it's insane to spend this kind of money on collectibles.

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  5. Expensive books - I am not a collector so I can't understand how people would pay that much money.
    I put our tree up mid December, hopefully the day I decide to do it it's not hot.

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    1. I don't understand it either! Being too hot is not a concern for us this time of year, lol!!

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  6. Vegas really does look fabulous. The art vending machine is such a fun idea.

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    1. I am looking forward to going back and having another look around - there's so much we didn't see.

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  7. Wow Jane, you really brought out a different side of Vegas. I am not a big fan of Vegas, but through your lenses, it looks magnificent.

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  8. Chciałabym to miasto zobaczyć, ale grać bym nie poszła, bo by mnie jeszcze wciągnęło :)
    I'd like to see the city, but I did not go to play, I would have sucked me :)

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  9. oooh, we expect pics and photos of the decked halls of yours :)

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  10. ha ha! I actually scaled back my anti-Las Vegas feelings when i saw the art vending machine. That is pretty amazing. I doubt anyone could survive on it but it is finally a way to get real art to the people. Amazing!!! I also liked the picture of Robbie the Robot. I don't remember him but I guess he was quite the 'man' in his day!

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    1. Hehe - good to hear! Oh, I'm pretty sure you'd find plenty to amuse yourself with there.

      Robbie (I've also seen it spelled Robby) the Robot, first appeared in the MGM movie 'The Forbidden Planet' in the late 50's and after that made many, many guest appearances in movies and tv shows - such as: Lost in Space, The Twilight Zone, Columbo, and Mork and Mindy - to name a few.

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    1. We saw The Mentalist, Criss Angel, and Cirque du Soleil - all were fantastic :)

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  12. Love Robbie the Robot! I hope I get to add a version of him to my robot collection some day.

    When we were antiquing they had a version of the Bible from 1700, 1800s? I can't remember exactly but the book was at least 8" thick if not more. I was thinking wow that has to be expensive but it was only around $200 bucks.

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    1. Interestingly, I was recently watching one of those Antique Roadshows, where people bring in items to be appraised and one woman brought in a very old bible (very thick like the one you saw) and I was also surprised at what they told her it was worth. Not much - she was quite visibly disappointed.

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