Still playing with camera while walking.

 

 A Very Merry Christmas to all. It is pouring here in Las Vegas, but the temperature is 61 out so at least it is not cold. In fact instead of snowing on the mountain it is raining and washing away most of the snow. Hopefully for the ski resorts it gets cold overnight. This is the warmest December in Las Vegas that we've seen. Been mostly high 60's or low 70's very nice. Today would have been a walking day for us, but not in the rain. Going to be raining for a couple of days, forecast 1 inch of rain for here. 

We got good news from Bill's neurologist.  The myasthenia gravis is staying just in his eyelid so far. Not spreading to his face or body. Thank goodness. He is controlling it with prednisone. For now. The doctor really doesn't want him on it long term. And more good news the prednisone has gotten rid of the long covid. We were wondering as he has not had an episode since starting the prednisone. Doctor confirmed it. Steroid's are amazing what they can do good and bad.

He and I have been out walking a couple of times. Got in 2 full miles one day and he was fine. Still playing with my camera and really glad I got it. The view finder makes it so much easier to get the pictures I want. These are some I took from one walk with walking friend. 

The blue heron airing out his wings. Could never have gotten this picture with the camera. 

Just getting ready to take off. 

There he goes.

No idea what he is. Don't remember ever seeing a bird like him before. Another one of some kind on the rock. 

Some guys way up river by the reclamation plant taking samples of the water - any way that is what it looked like they were doing. 

Came across this puffed up road runner. He just stood there and watched up. He can make himself look really big when he puffs up.

Just the still river with the bridge in the background. 

One of the paths we walk, next to the river. 

Never seen one of these guys before either. The zoom with view finder let me get a good picture of him. 

Isn't he cute. Ripples in the water. 

One of the walks Bill and I took.  The playground right behind our house. Fun things to climb on.

I was going to try this but then thought better of it. 

There he goes, hat and all. 

Rainy weather brings nice sunsets.

We went out to lunch with our son who lives here. He took a picture of us just standing in front of some Christmas presents. While we were waiting for our food my phone dinged with a message. This is what he sent me. OMG.

Trying out camera on walks with Bill

Trying out my camera, works great! Some more of our home Christmas decorations. Still have not drug out any of the boxes in the shed. I'm pretty sure there are two Christmas quilts there somewhere. 

I made the placemats last year as it was the first time we actually were home at Christmas time and I'd never made any. Well - there might be some in the shed that I made while we lived in Indiana.  I really should look. 

I just finished this window hanging using the new embroidery machine. Gave me something to do and used up more material. 

A closer look at one of the embroidered designs. About 4000 stitches to make it. All computerized, so I just have to change the thread colors. 

My Storyteller Santa - took me forever to find him. If I remember correctly we got him in Taos, NM and my Hippie Santa notice his sandals and velvet bellbottom trousers. These reside in the house in a curio cabinet.

Got this a few years ago when we were in San Blas, Mexico. All beaded figures.  The tallest wise man is less than two inches tall. 

So - more checking out the camera and bonus of getting Bill out and walking.  One walk was one and one half miles, yesterday's walk two miles. That was unintentionally longer than planned. The way the Wetlands is torn up due to sewer construction, we made a mistake and couldn't get home easily, had to walk on the road all around the park. 

Desert Mistletoe in the mesquite bushes. Even though it is unseasonably warm the plants are winterizing.

Lots of big fish in the Boardwalk pond. 

I forget what he is called, but in same pond as fish. 

Zooming in on the fish. Can clearly see his scales. 

One of the small turtles. (I love this camera, so much better than phone.)

Bill playing in the snow. 

Snow on the mountain. 

Snow on the ground. Nope that is salt covering the dirt. Once was an ocean here. 

Fall colors all around the Wetlands. 

Christmas Sphere.

I'm having a problem with one eye so going to ophthalmologist tomorrow.  According to AI 😁it was that I just had too much screen time for a couple of days. Especially reading the nook and fooling with the computer. Bill goes to the myasthenia gravis doctor next week. Hope he can figure out some pill that does not make Bill sick. Then I see cardiologist on New Year's Eve in the afternoon - fingers crossed that all the people celebrating are still at their office parties. Exciting life right?

Got my new (used) camera yesterday. The exact same SonyCybershot model I've been using for years, so no learning curve. So far it is working fine. Hope to take a walk later today and really use it, especially the zoom part. What I like about that model it has a viewfinder and a 30x zoom. And I already have extra batteries and a charger. The price was a whole lot less then the new ones with the same features. When we bought the original one it was $349, this one used was twice that. It will be a great day for walking, in the low 70's no wind, perfect. Just have to get Bill moving. We did walk around the neighborhood a little yesterday. Want to use the camera and make sure everything works on it. 

Some of our Christmas decorations. Stained glass in the sewing room window. I have trunks full of decorations in the shed, but no desire to drag them out and put them up. 

Three of the pillows covers I made last year.

And another one for a smaller pillow.

More stained glass in the kitchen window. Makes me want to go out in the garage and make a couple of nice pieces I have the patterns for. 

More Sphere.  Different one, I imagine it is amazing when in motion. 

Christmas.

This is different. 

The five great grands have their new quilts. They loooove them according to their mom. Glad. After I sent them I made a window hanging with Christmas embroidery panels to hang on our sliding patio doors. Now I can't think of anything else to sew. That room looks strange with sewing machine in its cabinet, no threads on the floor and no material on the cutting table. 

Spent part of yesterday cleaning off my laptop that I use when we travel. Had hundreds of pictures on it and a bunch of old files - some from 2008 that I didn't even remember why they were there. Does anyone out there use "The Cloud?" If so how does that work? I started looking it up but just got more confused. I back up my PC to an external hard drive, but if anything goes horribly wrong I'd lose everything. 

Oh boy, I have one minute to finish my coffee. Can't have any more caffeine until after my Stress Test tomorrow at 9:00. Tomorrow morning no caffeine or food. UGH hate that. at least the test starts at 9 - not in the afternoon. 

Walked yesterday - mile and a half. More pictures another day. I'm home from stress test, it was a different kind, no tread mill. 

Nice walking weather

My walking friend and I got out for another three mile walk in the Wetlands. We were surprised to see this heron in this pond.  We now have 100 miles in for the year, so should get our reward, a coffee cup I think, in January. 

This pond has been cleaned out of the reeds, nice blue sky that day. 

Just a few mallards in the river. By this time last year there were all kinds of waterfowl there. Only a few ducks and coots this year. 

Looking towards The Strip and the snow on the mountains. Been warm lately and snow is melting, the ski places are open. Guess they'll have to make snow. 

The river has a lot of water in it now. No birds. 

Also lots of trash from the heavy rains we had a couple of weeks ago. The one over the rock is a mattress. All kinds of crap for town and tunnels ends up here. 

I mentioned the beaver keep trying to build a dam in this spot. This day we saw the guy taking down one beavers were trying to build. First they put mud there then the reeds and tree branches. We told him he should leave it alone. No answer. 

More of the Sphere 

Different.

And now they are starting on Christmas and Winter scenes. The bottom one stays here with us. 

All five quilts are done, In a box ready to be shipped. Now I'm starting on some embroidered Christmas for me. 

Son just called and said he is sending his ladies to clean our house. Goody, goody!!! There are bits and pieces of sewing thread all over the place.