Happy Friday everyone. Welcome to Friday Night Photos your once a week escape from the day to day insanity of the world we live in. Post any photos, memes, music or whatever else you find of interest that helps tune out the madness.

I hope everyone had a wonderful Thanksgiving yesterday, and are enjoying the leftovers today.

As many here know, last month I wandered off to Las Vegas for my niece's wedding. She said she did not want a traditional wedding. The ceremony was performed by a female Elvis impersonator at one of the hundreds of small wedding chapels that can be found all over town. Seems to me you couldn't get more traditional than that in Las Vegas. Lets throw in a Vegas showgirl, too. There was no wedding cake but there was wedding cannoli (yum). The showgirl (double yum) was there to fill cannoli shells for the guests at the reception.

There was no wedding singer. Just this guy playing the organ.

Happy Friday everyone. Welcome to Friday Night Photos your once a week escape from the day to day insanity of the world we live in. Post any photos, memes, music or whatever else you find of interest that helps tune out the madness.

As temperatures drop up north the migratory birds are heading for the warmer climates in the south. Most of the usual suspects have already shown up at Santee Lakes. Every winter, along with the usual cast of characters, there's always one bird that's a rarity. This year it's a pair of Mandarin Ducks. I haven't seen them yet but they have been spotted hanging around Santee Lakes the last few weeks.

Snowy Egret
 

Happy Friday everyone. Welcome to Friday Night Photos your once a week escape from the day to day insanity of the world we live in. Post any photos, memes, music or whatever else you find of interest that helps tune out the madness.

Tuesday morning the camera club had this month's meet-up at the Gemological Institute of America (GIA) 
Established in 1931, the Gemological Institute of America (GIA) is the world’s foremost authority on diamonds, colored stones, and pearls. A public benefit, nonprofit institute, GIA is the leading source of knowledge, standards, and education in gems and jewelry.
 More info about the GIA can be found here, https://www.gia.edu/

Maw Sit-Sit a rare green ornamental stone

Happy Friday everyone. Welcome to Friday Night Photos your once a week escape from the day to day insanity of the world we live in. Post any photos, memes, music or whatever else you find of interest that helps tune out the madness.

My sister had never been to Hoover Dam, so while we were in Las Vegas we toured the dam.

A little info about the dam courtesy Britannica.com
Hoover Dam, dam in Black Canyon on the Colorado River, at the Arizona-Nevada border, U.S. Constructed between 1930 and 1936, it is the highest concrete arch-gravity dam in the United States. It impounds Lake Mead, which extends for 115 miles (185 km) upstream and is one of the largest artificial lakes in the world. The dam is used for flood and silt control, hydroelectric power, agricultural irrigation, and domestic water supply. It is also a major sightseeing destination, with some seven million visitors a year, almost one million of whom go on tours through the dam.

Hoover Dam is 726 feet (221 metres) high and 1,244 feet (379 metres) long at the crest. It contains 4,400,000 cubic yards (3,360,000 cubic metres) of concrete. Four reinforced-concrete intake towers located above the dam divert water from the reservoir into huge steel pipes called penstocks. The water, after falling some 500 feet (150 metres) through the pipes to a hydroelectric power plant in the base of the dam, turns 17 Francis-type vertical hydraulic turbines, which rotate a series of electric generators that have a total power capacity of 2,080 megawatts. Nearly half of the generated electric power goes to the Metropolitan Water District of Southern California, the city of Los Angeles, and other destinations in southern California; the rest goes to Nevada and Arizona. The dam, power plant, and reservoir are owned and managed by the U.S. Department of the Interior’s Bureau of Reclamation.

Happy Friday everyone. Welcome to Friday Night Photos your once a week escape from the day to day insanity of the world we live in. Post any photos, memes, music or whatever else you find of interest that helps tune out the madness.

First off, thank you, Janis for hosting last Friday while I was out of town and safe travels on your visit with family.
I'm not a big fan of Las Vegas, but I have a niece who lives there and she got married last Saturday so I bit the bullet and made the trek there for the wedding. Previous to last weekend, I'd been to Vegas three times and had bad luck there all three times, and I don't even gamble. Fourth time was a charm. I finally had a good time there on this trip.

After dinner Thursday evening, my sister, brother, SIL and I took a walk along the strip and also checked out the fall display inside the Bellagio hotel.

Happy Friday everyone. Welcome to Friday Night Photos your once a week escape from the day to day insanity of the world we live in. Post any photos, memes, music or whatever else you find of interest that helps tune out the madness.

Last Sunday I went to the Pacific Southwest Railroad Museum in Campo. Campo is located about 50 miles east of San Diego and 3 miles north of the Mexican border. They have all kinds of old railroad equipment, railcars and engines plus a functioning train you can ride on. The train ride lasted about 40 minutes and was lots of fun. It's the first time I've been on a train since the late 70s. I don't know how old the locomotive was, but the rail cars were built in the 1930s.

Happy Friday everyone. Welcome to Friday Night Photos your once a week escape from the day to day insanity of the world we live in. Post any photos, memes, music or whatever else you find of interest that helps tune out the madness.

I went back to the Safari Park again this week and focused on the many different birds they have from around the world.

Emerald Starling: Guinea to Mali & Ivory Coast

Happy Friday everyone. Welcome to Friday Night Photos your once a week escape from the day to day insanity of the world we live in. Post any photos, memes, music or whatever else you find of interest that helps tune out the madness.

Nothing new or exciting to report on in San Diego. The weather has been beautiful (sunny, low 80s) , groceries are still expensive, the Padres were eliminated from the playoffs yesterday (bummer), and gas was $4.49 a gallon last time I filled up.

I went to the San Diego Zoo Safari Park for a few hours Tuesday morning. 

Male African Lion

Happy Friday everyone. Welcome to Friday Night Photos your once a week escape from the day to day insanity of the world we live in. Post any photos, memes, music or whatever else you find of interest that helps tune out the madness.

Happy Friday everyone. Welcome to Friday Night Photos your once a week escape from the day to day insanity of the world we live in. Post any photos, memes, music or whatever else you find of interest that helps tune out the madness.

Last Sunday I went to Barona Dragstrip, a 1/8 mile local dragstrip located on the Barona Indian Reservation in the east county area of San Diego. The last time I was there 3 years ago there was a large turn out of racers. Last Sunday, not so much. There was a mix of cars and trucks from the big 3 American auto manufacturers. There was even a Tesla. That was a surprise. Being a Mustang fan I was happy to see a lot of Fox body Mustangs in attendance. All in all a fun day.