Sorry, no shots of bright lights and topless women... All the shots I got from Vegas were taken at the Ethel M Chocolate Factory (which is actually in Henderson). Outside of the factory is an absolutely beautiful cactus and desert flora garden. When I lived in Vegas, I came here regularly to meditate. It's very peaceful. And after 12 years, these are the very first pictures I've taken of the garden. Enjoy!

If you look closely at this picture - sorry about the shadows - you can see that everyone is... HOT!

I had to tell these three to FREEZE before they climbed through the rope barrier. Actually, Bennie managed to get through while I wasn't looking... that rascal...

This place has a mystical quality about it. When you walk through, it feels like you're in a competely different world. I love it!

Here's another "busted" picture. See those sly smiles? Those two were up to something....

Time to crash....

It's almost like a terrarium in the garden. As you might know, most desert plants are succulents, so they have weird, other-wordly shapes. This is a giant yucca plant, whose juices the Native Americans used for all sorts of ailments.

I wanted to take this shot to make it look like I was hiking in a desert forest... that's kind of an oxymoron, isn't it? Oh well...

As I said before, there's a real mystical quality to this place. The landscape designer did a great job to create effects with the canopy.

One thing my digitial camera does very well is macro-focus. This mescal flower was shot from a distance of three inches! Amazing!

Couldn't resist capturing the brilliant yellow of this plant's flowers. Again, the distance was about three inches.