Las Vegas

We're back home after spending four days on vacation. Actually, we got back yesterday in time for Thanksgiving.

It likely will be our last vacation for a while as we're expecting a baby in June, so it was nice to sightsee and just relax. For the first time in my life, I actually was able to sit in an outdoor pool in November. Can't exactly do that in the Northwest.

Even though we've been to Las Vegas before, it always is fun to sightsee as there always is something you haven't noticed before. We walked into the MGM Grand and saw a huge crowd around a large glass structure. As we approached it, we noticed a man petting and feed meat to a lion.

We also saw the CityCenter development near the Bellagio. The concept of the 76-acre "city" is to creat a community with so many amenities that one never needs to leave. Live, eat, gamble ... sounds like Las Vegas. Anyway, it doesn't look close to completion, but apparently it's supposed to be done next year.

It will be interesting to see who tries to top that development. I'm sure someone will. When I started college, an upperclassman noted that "construction never ends here." The same can apply for Las Vegas. It's only a matter of time before another building is blown up and replaced with someone else's own unique twist.

One aspect that remains consistent about Vegas — besides the gambling — is the weather. On that note, it's time for me to turn up the heat.

$2.34!

That's what I paid to fill my tank Friday. Sometimes it's difficult to believe how much the price at the pump has fallen in recent months. I remember paying more than $4.50 per gallon at one point during the summer. That means I spend more than $20 less to fill a 10-gallon tank now. Pretty remarkable.

It will be interesting to see how long these prices last. White House officials projected that gas would hit $3 by the end of the year when prices first began to decrease. Now it obviously is far below that. Makes one wonder if anyone really has a good grasp on it?

One thought I had recently related to the car commercials we saw during the summer and their $2.99 gas guarantee for three years. Can't imagine the people that bought into that are too happy now, but that could change in short order.