Friday Gloria and I drove up to Sedona. She wanted to visit the family ranch outside of Sedona, which used to belong to her husband's family. We had a lovely visit there. [← the view east] 
The caretaker delighted in showing us around the ranch, showing us the improvements that had been made, and hearing Gloria's stories about Aunt Mary and Uncle Joe. Gloria delighted in her memories of the ranch, when she visited Mary and Joe there. Mary and Joe were early settlers in the area. They chose an incredibly beautiful place for their home, among the red rock formations. 
We drove to Las Vegas on Saturday, meeting Steve there. We went first to the Bellagio, to pick up our tickets for the Cirque du Soleil "O" show. The Chihuly glass ceiling in the lobby is spectacular.
Then we strolled through the Conservatory, which was beautifully done, as always. Each time I've been there, the display has been different, and fantastically done - though always made of flowers and other organic material. [Gloria in front of a "painting" made entirely of flowers ↑]
We visited the chocolate fountain, then walked down the Strip, past Paris, and Caesar's Palace, to the Venetian, where we saw the canals both inside and outside the hotel. Near the inside canal↓, we saw a living statue. [Steve and Gloria ↓] That evening Gloria and I saw the Cirque du Soleil water-themed show "O" at the Bellagio. Neither of us could figure out the story line, but the creativity, color, and precision and physical strength of the performers, was impressive. I will never forget the spectacular beginning or the end. Unlike any other I've seen. 
Then we stopped at the Forum lobby and went up the spiral escalator.
The next day, Sunday, was very windy, so we decided to drive a short distance out of town, to Red Rock Canyon State Park. We drove the loop through the beautiful canyon, amazed at the colors and formations. ← and ↓
That evening we met Gloria's friend Pam for dinner, and the four of us went to see Celine Dion. We all loved it. My favorite piece was the theme from the Titanic movie, "Love Will Go On".
↑ On our way back home the next day, Gloria and I went through Lake Havasu City and stopped and saw the London Bridge. ↓
We enjoyed the beautiful drive back to Mesa, with the amazing rock formations, mountains, and hills along the way. 
While Gloria was in Mesa, she got to see my mother, my brother and his family, and my niece and her family, too, so it was a busy visit. But, even with all that, we barely scratched the surface of all there is to see around here. I look forward to her next trip, when we can continue our adventures! :-)
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