What happens in Vegas......and other places I've been

This really cool plate shows the old Sugarhouse. It's not a state, but I have BEEN there, so it qualifies!


My little sis, Sandy, invited me to go to Hawaii a few years back and it was fabulous. We did the regular tourist things: Pearl Harbor, where the reverent feeling was broken when I looked down to see where the sunken ship was and saw a plastic chair someone had thrown down; Did lots of walking and shopping; went on a dinner cruise around Diamond Head; Had an authentic Hawaiian Luau. Next time want to visit Kauai!


Well...I stretched the truth a little here. I actually didn't stay in Ohio, just passed thru on my way to Pennsylvania! It didn't look that great, though.

My dad's family came from Eastern Canada, so when I was about 14 years old we traveled by train to the home town where my dad was born and one of the neatest places to visit was Niagara Falls. The Canadian side is the most dramatically beautiful and it was definitely one of the most amazing sights I've ever seen.


My good friend, Lydia Deiss, lives in Idaho in a small German-American community called Cottonwood. When David and I visited there about ten years ago we drove thru a beautiful part of Idaho--McCall, where we met Lyd and her husband Greg and stayed in cabins on a bright blue lake, then continued to Cottonwood where David was able to go fishing and boating with Greg. The town has a sizeable Abbey we also visited where the 14 stations of the cross are along a slope before you get to the building housing the nuns. Quite impressive! I'd love to visit again.

Took my first trip to Vegas with my son, David, to celebrate his 21st birthday. Even if you don't gamble there is so much to see and do. We stayed in a nice hotel that overlooked the whole strip, ordered in a fancy breakfast one day, went to see the Secret Garden of Seigfried and Roy, where we saw and were able to pet some dolphins that were also there. Fun times! I'll never forget how brightly lit Las Vegas looked from the plane before we touched down. No place quite like Vegas!

State and Country Decorative Plates

Another fun collection of mine are plates from other states and countries. I wondered how many places I had been in my life and came up with the plates to match.

Yellowstone Park where my family trips were spent when I was young. I have many fond memories of seeing Old Faithful, the geyser, real live bears wandering up to your car as you drove through the park, and being able to pick out a few souvenirs to take back home (with the inevitable tag on the back indicating it was made in China)

Utah, my home state! One of the most diverse places on the planet. Zion's National Park-- towering mountains with slot canyons; the deep gorges of Bryce Canyon, red in the sunset; Moab, with stone bridges and rock formations in red sandstone; Park City, home of the Sundance Film Festival; The Great Salt Lake---miles and miles of salty water and home to the tiny brine shrimp. A pretty great place to live.


Texas! Dallas, where you can see on the street off Dealey Plaza a red X that marks the spot where President Kennedy was killed. Then into the "Fifth Floor Museum" where Lee Harvey Oswald fired the fatal shots. The whole floor is filled with photos and memorabilia from that horrible day. Outside a stark wall behind which is a memorial to Kennedy where one can meditate.


Seattle, Washington. The Space Needle, Pike's Market, and wonderful places to eat really fresh fish! A little known place to visit is the underground Seattle that still has the places carved out where there was a thriving "Red Light" district a long, long time ago.


Portland, Oregon. Green everywhere you look. Beautiful, lush Japanese Gardens, eclectic restaurants and diverse shopping areas, Powell's Book Store that takes up a whole city block. Lively downtown area by the pier overlooking the Willamette River where barges from all over the world come in from the ocean. On a clear day you can see Mt. Hood, Mt. Rainier and Mt. Adams, famous volcanoes in the area.

I have a lot more places I've visited and more collective plates. Stay tuned!