Luxor Las Vegas

Postcard US-3971390 to Finland claims Luxor Las Vegas to be the next wonder of the world. The entrance to Luxor boasts a 10 story replica of the great Sphinx of Giza and an Egyptian obelisk over 190 feet high, and a water screen depicting Egyptian holographs. Named after the city of Luxor where the ancient city Thebes was located in Egypt, the hotel opened on October 15, 1993 with a replica of a pyramid-shaped tower that was the tallest building on the Las Vegas Strip at the time.

After July 2007 innovation, much of the ancient Egyptian themes and artifacts inside the hotel were replaced with modern lounges, restaurants and clubs. The reflection pool seen on the card was removed to make way for a station of the Mandalay Bay Tram that was built between 1998 and 1999.

Most recently, master magician Criss Angel opened "Mindfreak Live!" in Luxor on May 25, 2016, replacing his previous show "Believe" that ended its run on April 17, 2016 after 3,000 performances for more than four million audiences in seven years.

Also, another significant change is that, as part of the MGM Resorts International's plan to charge for parking on their properties, parking will no longer be free after June 6, 2016.

Fashion Show Mall

Postcard US-3677822 to Brazil shows the Cloud, a plaza that faces the Las Vegas Boulavard in front of the Fashion Show Mall, an over-250-store shopping mall first opened on Valentine’s Day, February 14, 1981. The main attraction is a 80-foot retractable runway in the central atrium Great Hall that can be used to host fashion shows.

Currently, in celebration of ReCon 2016, the global convention for the shopping center industry, fashion shows featuring 10 of the mall’s retailers are scheduled at 12:00 pm, 1:00 pm, 2:00 pm, 3:00 pm, 4:00 pm, and 5:00 pm through May 30, 2016.

Friday, May 20: Lucky Brand
Saturday, May 21: U.S. Polo Assn.
Sunday, May 22: Vince Camuto
Monday, May 23: Lorna Jane
Tuesday, May 24: Under Armour Brand House
Wednesday, May 25: Robert Graham
Thursday, May 26: Calvin Klein
Friday, May 27: Macy's
Saturday, May 28: Macy's
Sunday, May 29: Beach Bunny
Monday, May 30: Lululemon

Digital dance shows and live performances art by Girl Power Digital Show and Uptown Dance Funk are scheduled at 12:30pm, 1:30 pm, 2:30 pm, 3:30 pm and 4:30 pm on select days through May 30, 2016.

Another copy was sent to Finland as US-3682362.

I Can't Bear to Leave Chippewa Falls, Wisconsin

Outgoing postcard US-3935012 to Finland was a vintage linen postcard showing a bear in Chippewa Falls, Wisconsin.

All eyes on the April 5 Wisconsin primary Tuesday, with its 96 delegates up for grab on the Democratic side and 42 delegates on the Republican side. Bernie Sanders wins Wisconsin Democratic primary. It added to his momentum, but he still trails Clinton in delegate count. Republican Ted Cruz crushes Donald Trump, hoping that party will unite behind his campaign from now on and the future contests will lead to a rare contested convention.

They Tickle

Postcard US-3903405 to Finland shows a pig with her piglets on a vintage postcard by Baxter Lane Company. It's funny that I thought those piglets were rats initially.

Arundel Castle

Postcard US-3592467 to Finland shows a great dane with Arundel Castle in the background. A restored and remodeled medieval castle overlooking the River Arun in Arundel, West Sussex, England, the castle was built by Roger de Montgomery at the end of the 11th century. The castle was damaged in the English Civil War and was restored in the 18th and 19th centuries.

Dragon Dance

Postcard US-3372308 to Finland shows a Kung Fu team performing the dragon dance at Chinatown Plaza in Las Vegas on February 22, 2015. Dancers manipulate the poles positioned at regular intervals along the length of the flexible dragon body, mimicking the supposed movements of this mystic creature in a sinuous, undulating manner.

Similar to the lion dance and often performing together, the dragon dance can usually be seen during the Chinese New Year celebrations.  It was a highlight during the Year of the Monkey Spring Festival at Chinatown on Spring Mountain Road earlier today.

Dragon dance at Chinatown Plaza in Las Vegas on February 21, 2016

Walking over the Golden Gate Bridge

It was a little windy but otherwise beautiful earlier today. I took the opportunity to walk across the Golden Gate Bridge in San Francisco - one of the most beautiful bridges in the world, and back, as part of my Coastal Trail hiking. The bridge celebrated its 78 anniversary of opening on May 27, 2015.

The bridge spans 2.7 kilometers or 1.7 miles. I started at the parking lot on the San Francisco side. During my previous visits, I had turned around at the first tower like most people did. However, walking over the full span turned out very rewarding. From the Vista Point in Marin County on the other side, you got to see the entire northern coastline of the city including the Fisherman's Wharf area. The added bonus was watching those large container and cargo ships passing directly under the bridge. It took me a little bit more than one hour for the 6.1-kilometer or 3.8-mile round trip.

"CSL TECUMSEH", a 2013 self discharging bulk carrier sailing under the flag of Bahamas, was passing the bridge.

Postcard US-2849047 to Finland shows an aerial view of the Golden Gate Bridge with an ocean cargo ship passing by.

Yuccas Blooming on the Desert

Postcard US-3285001 to Finland was a vintage linen card Yucca Whipplei blooming with a background of mighty San Jacinto Mountain in California.

Native to southern California, United States and Baja California, Mexico, Yucca whipplei ( Hesperoyucca whipplei) is a species of flowering plant in the genus Hesperoyucca, but closely related to, and previously usually included in, the genus Yucca. It is extremely drought tolerant and thrives in clay soils. The fiber from its leaves was used extensively by Native Americans for making sandal, cloth, and rope.

Moominppapa at Sea

Postcard FI-2342261 from Finland shows an illustration of Tove Marika Jansson (August 9, 1914 – June 27, 2001), a Swedish-speaking Finnish author and illustrator from Moominppapa at Sea.

With her first book of the semi-autobiographical Bildhuggarens dotter (Sculptor's Daughter) in 1968, she had published six novels and five books of short stories for adults. However, in the PostCrossing world, she is best known for the Moomin cards with illustrations from her Moomin books for children.

The first Moomin book The Moomins and the Great Flood was published in 1945. However, it wasn't until the next two books, Comet in Moominland (1946) and Finn Family Moomintroll (1948), when Moomins gained a great deal of popularity.

Moomins had lived in Moominvalley for a while, until the family decided that they needed a change and moved to a lighthouse on a tiny island. In this Volume 7 of Moomins, "they find space to grow, and to do things they couldn't in their comfortable, cluttered valley home. As they discover their new home, the family also discover surprising, and wonderfully funny, new things about themselves."

Tove Jansson won the Hans Christian Andersen Medal in 1966 for her contribution as a children's writer.

Aurora Borealis

Postcard FI-2125042 from Finland shows a spectacular view of  the northern lights or aurora borealis, a natural light display in the sky usually seen in the high latitude area near Arctic, caused by charged particles from a solar storm entering Earth's magnetic field and causing the excitation of the neutral particles and consequent optical emissions.

Last Tuesday on March 17, 2015, a much stronger than usual solar storm hit Earth and created massive colorful northern lights. As a result, the auroral zones expanded southward, pushing auroral displays as far south as Kansas and Virginia in the United States.

Wrigley Building, Chicago, Illinois

Outgoing postcard US-3202774 to Finland shows the Wrigley Building at the Northern end of the Michigan Avenue Bridge, built in 1920 to house the corporate headquarters of the Wrigley Company, a chewing gum company. The backside of the postcard reads: "It towers 398 feet above the ground and is shown in magnificent splendor by being entirely illuminated at night." However, it was noted on Wikipedia that the 30-story south tower, completed in April, 1921, is 425-foot or 130-meter tall. The Wrigley Building was sold to a group of investors in 2011.

On a side note, Chicago marks anniversary of 1967 Blizzard that lasted 17 hours and dumped 23 inches snow 48 years ago on this day. It was the largest single snowfall in the city's history. About 50,000 cars and buses were abandoned on the streets and expressways; thousands of people were stranded. It took several days for schools and airports to re-open.

While blizzard warnings expired for New England, heavy snow continues under winter storm warnings and advisories. On the other hand, Chicago only had freezing rain this time, which still caused dangerous driving conditions. Some sunshine is expected in Chicago tomorrow afternoon.

Final Battle Scene Returns to "KA"

Cirque du Soleil removed a final battle scene from “KA” after a performer fell to her death when her safety wire snapped during a rapid ascent in June, 2013.

Eighteen months later, the scene is returning to “KA” theater at MGM Grand on December 3, 2014 after changes have been made to the choreography and equipment used in the scene.

Outgoing postcard US-3106782 to Finland shows a scene from "KA" where the Twin Sister encounters giant sea creatures, including a silly turtle, a mischievous starfish, and playful crabs, after surviving the shipwreck.

Hiking Springs Preserve's Trails

November 2 marks the end of Daylight Savings Time in 2014. To adjust the time change, experts recommend maximizing sun exposure to counter the darkness that looms one hour earlier. Taking advantage of the monthly Bank of America's Museums on US program, I went out to explore the hiking trails at the Springs Preserve.

The Springs Preserve has trails of 3.65 miles or 5.87 kilometers in total on its 110 acres of native habitats and archaeological sites. In addition to native plants and Mojave Desert wildlife, there are a number of historical sites along the way, such as the remnants of caretaker's house and chicken coop. A 10,000 year-old spring mound, an important geologic remnant that still holds significant prehistoric artifacts, can be seen on the left of the photo below. A well derrick from the early waterworks is on the right. 

Postcard US-3038794 to Finland was bought at the Springs Preserve's gift shop during my earlier visit, showing Yellow Two-Tone Penstemon that is native in the Mojave Desert of southern Nevada and adjacent southeastern California and northwestern Arizona. The gift shop now has some cool 3D postcards featuring various wildlife and plants, priced at US$ 3.95 each.

Tom of Finland Got Stamp of Approval

Breaking the tradition again, I am blogging a postcard that I don't own yet. It is part of the Tom of Finland packing - postcards and stamps issued by Posti, the postal service company in Finland.

Stamps commemorating homoerotic artist Touko Laaksonen, known as Tom of Finland, went on sale on Monday, September 8, 2014. With pre-sale from 178 countries, the stamps become the country's best seller so far. Great oversea interests come from Sweden, the United Kingdom, the United States, and France, according to the number of orders placed outside Finland. 

Designer Timo Berry told Finnish public radio station YLE: “It’s great that these images, which in the past had to be sold under the table, can now be openly stuck on an envelope or a postcard.” Similar to the Harvey Milk stamp issued in the United States on May 22, 2014, Tom of Finland stamps celebrate the freedom of expression and mark the progress of LGBT rights. 

Kesäterveiset

It was a delight to receive postcard FI-2129218 from Finland in the last day of June. Kesäterveiset, in Finnish, means "summer greetings." In a previous post, I found the winters in Chicago, IL and Helsinki, Finland similar. However, for the summer, it seems much more pleasurable in Finland in comparison with Las Vegas. The high temperature is 16.7°C or 62°F with a low at 9,4°C or 49°F in Helsinki on July 1, 2014. In Las Vegas, an excessive heat warning has been issued for Tuesday and Wednesday, with a forecast of high temperature at 45°C or 113°F and low at 27.8°C or 82°F for tomorrow on July 1, 2014. One year ago on June 30, 2013, the temperature at McCarran International Airport in Las Vegas tied the all-time high record of 117°F or 47.2°C, first set on July 24, 1942 and next on July 19, 2005. It also broke the previous record high in June, which was 46.7°C or 116°F on June 15, 1940.

The photo on the top right of the postcard shows cloudberry (Rubus chamaemorus), native to alpine and arctic tundra and boreal forest. It produces red edible fruits similar to those of raspberry or blackberry we have here. According to Wikipedia, "unlike most Rubus species, the cloudberry is dioecious, and fruit production by a female plant requires pollination from a male plant."

What else can beat the summer heat better than a glass of tropical triple fruit smoothie? The bottom layer was blended with strawberry and banana using coconut water; a mix of avocado and blueberry was in the middle; while the top layer consists of mango and banana. I would try to substitute blueberry with cloudberry once I could find the supply.

Middagsvila

Postcard FI-1840516 from Finland shows a water color painting titled "Mid-day Rest" by Kaya Hansson,born in Finland but currently living and working in Sweden. She is known for her farm and garden painting art. You can see her other postcards on PostCrossing and on eBay.

Sweden postcard to UK in 2000

Half Dome, Yosemite National Park

Outgoing postcard US-2738812 to Finland shows a man climbing Half Dome at the Yosemite National Park in California. A recent massive rockfall has closed the Rancheria Falls Trail. Meanwhile, a number of special programs and events are being planned to celebrate the Earth Day from April 19 to April 27, 2014.

The postcard was purchased from the National Geographic store at Zazzle. Copyright: Jimmy Chin/National Geographic Stock.

Terveiset Luostolta

Postcard FI-2007427 brought "Greetings from Luosto" from Finland. Luosto is a mountain in Finnish Lapland with an elevation of 514 meters or 1686 feet. It's part of the Pyhä-Luosto National Park. The area is home to ski centers, and the Finnish Meteorological Institute weather radar.

As Getty Images just opened up embedded photos, my search of "Luosto, Finland" on their web site returned only the following photo. Their embed tool is very simple to use. However, I wish there were an option to allow customized size.

Winter on Lake Michigan

Postcard US-2615869 to Finland shows a winter scene on Lake Michigan. However, when I bought this postcard during a layover at the Chicago O’Hare International Airport on August 27, 2013, I had no idea that the incoming winter in Chicago could be the 8th snowiest in history by early February, 2014. The unusual repeated arctic cold air assaults have over 60% of Lake Michigan frozen. The U.S. Coast Guard Cutter "Biscayne Bay" is working to break ice on the southern Lake Michigan.

For Finnish people who are no strangers to a cold weather, here are the forecasts for Chicago and Helsinki in comparison.

Weather forecast for Chicago, IL

Weather forecast for Helsinki, Finland

From Finland, with a Stamp Bearing Braille Text

Postcard FI-2007704 from Helsinki is gorgeous by itself. However, I was equally impressed by the stamp that came with the card. The stamp was the first issue in the series depicting Finnish national parks, issued in 2009. It shows the winter landscape of the Pallas-Yllästunturi National Park at western Lapland. The stamp is friendly to the visually impaired with the Braille text "1 lk. kl", the 1st class non-value indicator. The stamp was designed by Teemu Ollikainen and photographed by Pekka Luukkola.