Fifty Days and Counting!

WOW! We can hardly believe we've been here that long already! While everything is still new & exciting to us - we do miss our friends and family very much! We look forward to everyone starting their visits soon. LOL....we are told by a lot of you that "Las Vegas in the summer just isn't going to happen for you" due to the extreme weather conditions. In other words....HOT! Well....if you were planning on hiking or rock climbing or something like that - I will agree with you! Although, we are definitely becoming acclimatized to the heat. The last couple of weeks have actually been pleasant with morning temp (at 5am) being 8o to 85 degrees and afternoon temps (5pm) a high of 100 - 105 degrees. There is always a breeze and so far there hasn't been a day without sunshine!

Ok.....so what has happened since our last chat. Not really a whole lot! We've had some outings to check out the area around us known as Southern Highlands. BEAUTIFUL area. LOTS of new growth even since we've been here! A picture above shows the view from the front of our home. It overlooks the desert and a small development being put in near the base of the mountains. The one thing you can't see are the train tracks. They run parallel to us and that development. Yes, you can see the trains and DEFINITELY hear them when they pass by.....at 2 o-clock in the morning. Not to mention FEEL the rumble! Our first week here was amazing - shot me right up out of bed the first time I heard them slamming cars together to make a train. Yes.......slamming.

Randall and I were discussing this the other day - we don't even notice it anymore. I suppose you can become accustomed to anything after time...

We've completed the shop and BYRDBELL COMPANY is back up and running! Thanks to my impatient ;) customers, I have a stack of orders to fill! As usual, we'll be backed up for awhile. It sure feels great to be working again though.....especially doing a job that I enjoy tremendously!

Speaking of "work" - Randall is now employed again! Our local PetCo snatched him up! His official title is Small Animal Specialist. He'll be in charge of all the critters and help people to decide what pet would be right for them. He loves working around people and animals so this will be perfect for him while he attends college. LOL.....he is definitely appreciating the fact that it doesn't involve food service......to humans anyway :)

Time for me to get back to work! We look forward to hearing from all of you! Please write and let us know how you are enjoying your summer!

Beauty, the Beast, and Some Other Stuff!

Of course.....this just has to be BEAUTY! Right Rosie?
Oh my goodness, what happened to YOU!

Little BUG, without ONE pinfeather! Amazing!

I was reminded that I had failed to post a picture of our kitchen. Sorry!

Another week has gone by with more tales to tell! First, we hope everyone had a wonderful but safe 4th of July holiday. Our first in Las Vegas and while we stayed home, we were entertained for hours by fireworks over the city. (With the valley being so flat, we are able to see for miles in every direction from our upstairs windows.) Yes, hours. Last blurry-eyed look at the clock said it was 1:40am. Guess this is what you get from the city that never sleeps! It was beautiful though!
To my bird friends – are your birds in molts that seem heavier then normal this season? Most of ours started before leaving Oregon and as you can see in the picture, Tommy looks horrible! LOL….it won’t be long before he repeats "boy, are you ugly"…he’s hearing it enough! Ok…..shame on me. But he does look like a BEAST! Especially in contrast to little Rosie. She’s always beautiful J
Jenny, I included a picture of BUG just for you! Amazing, isn’t it…..NO PINFEATHERS! He looks like velvet for the first time in his teeny tiny life. Folks, don’t let the teeny tiny size fool you – he’ll guard his territory like a pit bull. I’ve the V shaped marks on my hands to prove it.
Can’t post a note without mentioning the weather! Ok……I give up – how hot CAN Las Vegas get? Today is forecasted for 117 degrees. Humidity is 2 percent. Wind is 7 mph. Oh…and SUNNY! Truth be told, this is to hot for being outside. Randall took a quick trip to the corner MacDonalds (sorry Jen) for a snack and said the steering wheel was to hot to touch. Ok……so exactly how did you get home? Mom doesn’t want to know.
Speaking of weather – apparently, July 1st is the start of Monsoon season. Yes, MONSOON season here in Nevada. I had to do a quick search online just to make sure I heard the news correctly. Crazy. So…later this month, we are told that the summer storms will roll in and with them bring lots of lightning, thunder, and rain…..and with the rain comes the flash floods. All the excitement usually only lasts 15 to 20 minutes but they are saying it can cause some major issues. I posted a link from an old news bulletin below. If you are interested – it tells of some past storms the area has seen.
Oh boy…..something else to look forward to!

http://www.lasvegassun.com/sunbin/stories/sun/2000/jun/18/510399096.html
http://www.kvbc.com/global/story.asp?s=3620159&ClientType=Printable

Robert had this last Tuesday off and as usual it was filled with errands. We had to find a full service Ford Dealer as the SUV was up for his 5000 mile oil change and service. As usual nothing is as simple as it may seem. We dropped the car off and headed for the Medical Center for our consultations with our new family doctor. That chore is done and went well. We headed back to pick up the car, and with Randall in the SUV and Robert & I in the truck, we planned on stopping someplace for lunch/dinner. About 15 minutes into our trip, Randall waved us over. He had observed steam and leaking from under the truck. Great. Not wanting to take any chances, we pulled over into the nearest strip mall and got on the phone to Triple A for a tow back to the Ford Dealer. Lucky us, there was a little BBQ place in the mall. Long story short – the food was amazing!! We will definitely make this a regular favorite spot. Oh…and I can honestly say they convinced me (and Randall) that fried okra is YUMMY! Up till then, I’d gag at the thought.
Two hours later, no Triple A. As we were in this place so long, we were now on a first name basis with the owner and two of the employees. Lucky for us, one of the managers was a retired mechanic. He took a look at the truck and determined that we probably just had a leaking coolant hose and that we’d be able to make it home ok. Three hours later, we pulled into the driveway…….safely, without any alarms or red lights going off in the truck. Whew! (Robert left early this morning to take the truck in to the shop. We’ll get the good/bad news later today.) Oh…..about this BBQ place….its called the BBQ SHAK! The owner and his wife used to have a chain of pastry stores in California. Apparently, they sold out to Starbucks several years ago and are now (retired?) doing the BBQ thing in Las Vegas! Jerry’s wife does all the deserts for the restaurant and we can tell you that they look amazing! We were much to full to sample anything but we’ll definitely be going back again! VERY nice folks!
Amazing how time flies when I get to typing! Gotta run..Randall and I are heading out to do some errands and possibly take in an afternoon movie! Have a terrific weekend, everyone!