The Bellagio at night, my favorite hotel on the Vegas strip. 

We dined at Circos overlooking the Bellagio lake and fountains. 

Happy Birthday for my sweatheart. 

It is finally time for the big surprise. Unknown to Jeanine, her lifelong friend Kris and her husband Rob had contacted me months ago suggesting we meet in Las Vegas for her birthday which coincided with a conference Kris was attending. Since I needed to be in Las Vegas the following week for the National Association of Broadcaster’s trade show, the timing good not have been any better. Kris sneaked up behind Jeanine as we were walking through the lobby and took her completely off guard. 

We check into our suite at the Bellagio where we are greeted by an exquisite box of chocolates and basket of fresh fruit. 

.

Immediately after landing, Jeanine encounters a rattle snake which she promptly kisses fulfilling a promise made to Maya. 

A view from the air as we approach Nevada. Later in the week we will be drivng through these very mountains. 

Today is Jeanine’s birthday and I am taking her to Las Vegas for a long weekend get away. Our flight out of Boston just beats the incoming nor’easter. 

The main reason for my visit to the rookery was to visit the nesting great blue herons. I was not disappointed and this is just one of two dozen great shots I came home with. 

I am out in the middle of the woods and this beaver nearly gives me a coronary by slapping its tail in the water. Here I am scanning the trees for birds and this guy has been swimming back and forth right under my nose. I guess me got upset that I was not paying any attention to him and thought he would try to scare me to death. 

Even though the light was fading fast, I managed to keep shutter speed high enough to get some great in-flight shots. 

As if a great horned owl was not bounty enough, I also captured this osprey with a recently captured fish. He was calling for his mate for at least 20 minutes before he took off to look for her. 

On the way home from work, I stopped by the Rookery and was rewarded with a special treat. A great horned owl poking it’s head out of the blue heron nest it has occupied. This is only the second owl I have photographed in the wild, and now that I know where he/she lives, I will certainly be going back for another visit. 

I also came across this interesting building which looked nice against the blue sky. Later I explored Fort Independence which I have often admired from the air while on approach to Logan. From the ground, however, it is entirely impossible to appreciate the beauty of its design.