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as promised a few photos from the Bellagio Casino from Christmas morning in Las Vegas

check-in counters in the lobby

more of the lobby featuring the Fiori de Como by Dale Chihuly

the Christmas Garden

i can't remember exactly but i think it was about . . . 9000 carnations that make up the polar bear.

one giant snowball (made from flowers)

and a few photos from this morning before and after my jog/walk

the first California poppy of the new year . . . very early or very late.

morning sunstar thru the still blooming red flowers. Christine planted them next to my petunias when she was checking my mail and checking up on my apartment when i was in Japan last Sept/Oct.

the last petunia just as the sun was rising. i planted these petunias back in May (2010)

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a few more from Holland and a few from this rainy monday. i don't think it will be hard to tell which is which.

turn up the volume to hear this cute old dog . . . possibly a little hoarse. this was about two weeks in Holland. he was more interested in me than in fetching.

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starting at the bottom of today's blog entry is images from today's sunday walk. the red flowers are from today and are blooming outside my front window. the photos after (above) the red flowers will be from my last few trips of 2010.

from today . . .

still blooming

first himawari (sunflower)

right turn.

tree lined and covered

nice sunday family walk. he kept looking at me. i found myself waving to him.

a different sunday path . . . before the rain. it is raining now.

stalking . . . the cat, not me

lazy and obviously well-fed cat

the old man and the calla lily

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photos from the first day of the new year, first sunrise, first walk to the beach, etc. tomorrow, i will try to add some photos from my trips to Amsterdam, San Francisco, Las Vegas and of course to and from Philadelphia during the last 10 days of 2010.

first dandelion (in black and white)

first risu (squirrel)

first neko (cat)

first caution of the new year

first seagull sitting on a backpack

first paddle surfers

first family walk on the beach

first dog on the beach

first dolphins

another kind of holy place . . . the beach (from a different angle)

sand, sea (other side of small dune) and sky

first tanpopo for 2011 (but not the first one i photographed today)

tony watching the first sunrise before our first walk to the beach (don't worry i won't be saying "second" this and that tomorrow).

first sunstar from first sunrise

first sunrise reflecting off of first moonrise of the new year

明けまして　おめでとうございます。

Happy New Year. Happy Year of the Bunny.

ありがとう to my Family in Minoo

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twin palms and last sunset of 2010

last sunstar

last calla lily in black and white

scene from my last walk

Los Angeles about 5 hours and 45 minutes after leaving Philadelphia (plus about 15 minutes for de-icing).

solid air. somewhere west of Philadelphia east of Los Angeles

the last sunrise of twenty ten at PHL