We arrived home at 3 am this morning. 5 days with no cows, no computer and no vehicle was about enough for both of us. To top it off, I couldn't even get my email on my cell phone and we had a terrible time finding an internet cafe anywhere in Vegas.
We were told that there were 800,000 tourists in Vegas when we arrived on Monday and I believe it! It was literally hard to even walk on the sidewalks at any time of the day or night. I think we saw every shape and size of humanity on earth on this trip. We tried to see as much as we could and I think we saw 8 shows along with many of the other exhibits available. The Cirque du Soliel Ka show at the MGM Grand was something I will remember for the rest of my life. I would gladly head back to Vegas again just to see this show again! We were very fortunate to get seats in the second row of that huge theatre and got to visit with one of the lead characters before the show began. He told us, that when the previous long running show ended there, that over $200 Million was invested in that show theatre alone before the Ka show opened. I can honestly say it was the most amazing show I have ever seen... anywhere. I guess I was not expecting the performers from all the shows to be so willing to visit with anyone who wanted to do so. The Blue Man Group show was also great and when the show ended they came off stage and came into the crowd and talked. We had a great visit with 2 of the 3 members in teh Blue Man Group, which is something I never expected would happen... very down to earth, genuine guys. Their show is hilarious.
Chris and I are not really gamblers, but before we left for Vegas, my dad gave me a $20 bill and he told me to make him some money ( of course he was just joking and he never dreamt he would see anything from his $20 again!). On the first night there, I decided to put the $20 into a slot machine and see how many minutes it would take to lose it. Within 10 minutes of doing this, I had made $230 so I cashed out and put the money in my wallet before I lost it all. My dad was very surprised when I gave him the $230 this morning. Chris had a lucky streak the second night and somehow made a $20 bill turn into $600, in less than 30 minutes. She actually came home with more money than she went with. I told her she should be opening a magic act beside Chris Angel, because the magic she preformed was just as impressive as what he does.
The biggest disappointment we saw was our tour of the Pawn Stars shop. What a dive!! A rundown building with very little in it to look at. The biggest display of anything was Pawn Star T-shirts and " I love Chum-Lee T shirts " for a sweet $60 each. I really like the show, but somehow I resisted buying one! It was nothing like it appears on the show. Quite frankly it was a virtual total waste of time, and there are better pawn shops in my small home town.
In any event, I am glad we made the trip, but quite frankly, I have seen all the cement, glitz,marble and people I need to see for a long time into the future. It certainly felt really great to head out and check all the pastures this morning. I spent my entire day today showing 3 seperate visitors our cattle , and I could not help but think about how fortunate we are to be able to make our living from the cattle business. After 5 days with wall to wall people from around the world, I was again reminded of what I have said many times over the years... that being that " the more I deal with people, the better I like cows." If this trip did nothing else, it was a great reminder of how lucky we are to be involved in agriculture and more specifically, with the production of cattle. I think many of us often forget how fortunate we are.
Okotoks.. old Sparkle is just that... she is getting old! Fortunately, she has started to flush good again after Davis -Rairdan tried a new flushing techique with her. Her last 3 flushes have been some of her best ever. I am hoping we can get a few more embryos from some different sires before she has to go. That will be a very sad day for me. Both her and her Pioneer daughter have been flushed 3 times each for some New Zealand breeders, and both will be flushed next week again for ourselves. I decided to use Ralph Larson's " Easy" bull on old Sparkle this time, and we are using Paintearth Rama on Sparkle Delight 2X.
