The Life Chronicler
Project

From the City of the Stars to Sin City. I had been to Las Vegas many years ago for a handful of hours while on a business trip to Phoenix. This time, I not only had several days, but I also had some friends from Illinois to show me around. Steve and Gail adopted a girl from China on the same excursion my wife and I took in 2002 when we adopted Jennifer.

Although I am not a gambler and have a moral conviction against it, I acquiesced and decided to lose $20. It took little time at a blackjack machine. But at least I had the quintessential experience while on The Strip. Steve and I also watched a show by the famous impersonator Rich Little. I always knew he was a fellow Canadian, but I learned he was from Ottawa, where my daughter attends university. Rich is 84 now, but many of his voice impersonations are still spot on. It was remarkable. When I told my Airbnb host about the show, she told me she knew him as he belonged to a club of which she was a member. She told me he was very approachable and asked if I stuck around to meet him after the show. Well, next time.

I picked up some personalized M&Ms with my daughter’s name on them. A Christmas gift. Yeah, you can do that in Las Vegas. Steve and I also traveled to Lake Mead and The Hoover Dam. Seeing a one-time water line on the mountains containing Lake Mead was interesting. The West has a water issue.

My visit to Las Vegas was truly memorable, and the people-watching was entertaining. And it was great to see my friends again.