Overnight and this morning we’ve had over 3 inches of rain! Not sure how much longer the trees will be hanging onto their leaves. This was taken mid-week. More color to show you in the next few days!

The Mirage is a lovely hotel. It it weren’t so pricey I would stay there. You can do the following things:

See Siegfried & Roy’s Royal White Tigers.

Marvel at the lush Polynesian gardens under its 90-foot glass-enclosed atrium.

Visit the Dolphin Habitat where a group of Atlantic bottlenose dolphins live. They had a baby, five months old, that we got to observe frolicking around with his Mother. He was too cute but he didn’t hold still long enough for me to take a decent pic.

I saw something last night during the commercial break in Dancing with the Stars that really, truly bothered me. The Rose Petal Cottage. A little girl taking a muffin tin out of a play oven danced across the screen in front of my eyes. Next she was putting the baby down in the crib. After that she started a load of play laundry. Uhm, did I go through a time warp? Isn’t this what little girls did 40 years ago? And I guess they still do today, but this seemed more like brainwashing than play somehow.

Are toy makers trying to subliminally send women a message? That along with the newest reports out that say breast feeding your baby for the first year + makes for better adjusted, healthier babies. Gee, why not make us all stay home and clean the house, bake, do laundry, and nurse our children. Am I being overly sensitive? I am not a feminist by any means, but this is a new century for opportunities for women, isn’t it? No, please don’t take offense if you choose to stay home as your job (because it is a job and a very worthy one at that), but why teach little girls to limit their vision?

I love the press release wording:
“We are truly excited about the introduction of the ROSE PETAL Cottage Collection,” said Kevin Fortey, vice president of marketing for PLAYSKOOL.  “The collection distinctly enables preschool

to actively nurture their imaginations through traditional role-play, in a modern setting that they can make their own.”

Uhm, okay. I think he’s grooming his future daughter-in-law, or maybe a second wife since the first one didn’t work out. [She hated housework.]

How about this:
—“empowers preschool

now have a place where they can set their imaginations free.”
[Note: underscoring is mine]

No mention anywhere of letting Little Brother Johnny play with the Rose Petal Cottage too. Nope. Not allowed. It only mentions

and not children in general. Little boys are not allowed to set their imaginations free in the kitchen, nursery or laundry areas of the world. So much for future chefs, nurses ... well, you get the idea.

I can’t speak for you, but my imagination isn’t “set free” when I do those chores. Well, maybe my imagination takes flight thinking about what fun things I could be doing instead! Does it “empower” me? Uh, no.  Something about this just struck me as not quite right. What do you think, am I over the top?

I might be bodily back in New Jersey, but my brain is still running on Las Vegas time. I feel three hours behind and can’t seem to get out of my own way let alone blog. So, I’ll keep us in Las Vegas for yet another day and give you a tour of the Botanical Gardens and Conservatory at the Bellagio. Hopefully my brain will catch up with my body soon.

Last time I was there in April, the Bellagio was decked with tulips and other spring bulbs. Now it’s showing off for Autumn. A large, working waterwheel took up the back half of the conservatory. The water from the wheel filled a pond where fountains of water cascaded over trees.

Next to the pond flowed a “river” of colorful apples.

Many colorful carved pumpkins were scattered throughout.

Crystalline Autumn leaves hung suspended from the Conservatory’s dome.

Everyone was captivated by the arches of water over the walkway. I was more impressed with the arches covered in bittersweet and persimmon vines. Enchanting!

The centerpiece was most likely this endearing Ent (from Middle Earth). He had gathered a harvest of various types of squash around his feet.

A dining table and chairs fit for a king (or an Ent) was fashioned out of thousands of pieces of cushion moss, hen-and-chicks, and lots of moisture pumped in every few minutes via a drenching steam bath. I would need a ladder just to climb into one of these huge chairs.

It was a beautiful and relaxing space to be in if you could just blip out all the other tourists. I loved this arrangement in the Bellagio’s foyer, only to be totally miffed at the tourist who reached out to touch it at the exact moment I took this photo. Sigh.

Of the Flamingo’s neon on top of the Bellagio:

Of the framework of the leg of the Eiffel Tower in the Paris Casino:

Of the Flamingo reflecting pinkly into itself.