No, this is not the Desert National Wildlife Refuge but close by. The nice thing about volunteering and being in one location for at least 3 months is being able to become immersed in the local culture (and eat the local cuisine). And the local culture here is “The Strip.” We have to become immersed in it; it’s a required part of our job.

We have visited The Strip twice so far and plan to go back on a weekly basis. The first time we went was to see how to get there and where to park. That was a daylight trip where we spent about 5 hours walking around with nary a penny lost in any kind of mechanical or digital gadget. We were actually scouting out where we would celebrate Valentine’s Day.

So last night we celebrated. The actual Valentine’s Day was spent at the Visitor Center, and not much romance was happening. For the day after Valentine’s Day we had tickets to a Cirque Du Soleil show at Treasure Island. There are about 6 different Cirque shows going on in Las Vegas, and this one was “Mystere.” We also included the buffet at Treasure Island before the show. After the buffet all I wanted to do was sit at a curb side table and drink shots of Pepto Bismal; however, Shannon made me walk around with her, and we ended up at the Venetian watching the gondoliers ply their trade.

What superlatives have not already been said about a Cirque Du Soleil show? It was truly amazing. The lighting, the costumes, the total control the performers had over their bodies, and the number of times that the Law of Gravity was seemingly suspended and ignored without any negative consequences made the show an unforgettable experience. And not lost on me, it was one of the few performances that I could really enjoy because there was no dialogue to try to hear and understand. Who needs romance when Cirque Du Soleil is in town?