Cacti and Desert Flora of the Great Southwest

Again, May 22 is the International Day for Biological Diversity. Postcard US-3971360 to Japan shows various cacti and desert flora of the Great Southwest.

USPS issued the Sonoran Desert sheet in Tucson, Arizona on April 6, 1999 that contained ten 33¢ stamps. It was the first of twelve self-adhesive stamp sheets Nature of America that USPS released annually between 1999 and 2010.

New Las Vegas ATC Tower Opening Delayed

IFATCA is celebrating the International Day of the Air Traffic Controller with a Facebook profile picture and a Youtube video.

Join us in celebrating the International Day of the Air Traffic Controller on October 20th. Be a proud aviation professional!
— IFATCA (@ifatca) October 19, 2014

Postcard US-3017710 to Japan shows the new 352-foot or 107.3-meter tall FAA Air Traffic Control Tower at McCarran International Airport in Las Vegas that has been under construction since 2011. However, Construction mistakes have pushed the tower opening date from 2015 to late 2016 or early 2017. Upon completion, the tower, the second-tallest in the U.S., will give air traffic controllers a better view of air and ground traffic at McCarran International Airport, the ninth busiest airport in the North America.

Penguin One

Postcard US-3014308 to Japan shows one of Southwest Airlines' specialty planes, Penguin One, taking off from McCarran International Airport in Las Vegas. It is the latest co-branded 737 jets under the partnership with SeaWorld since 1988. The current SeaWorld fleet includes Shamu Two, entering service on May 30, 1990; and Shamu Three, on September 7, 1990. The first jet Shamu One, introduced on May 23, 1988, has since retired.

However, animal rights activists have protested Southwest Airlines' relationship with SeaWorld for its treatment of the killer whales and other sea mammals in captive. Under the pressure from People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals and other animal rights groups, Southwest announced on July 31, 2014 that it would concluded its 26-year partnership with SeaWorld by the end of the year. Penguin One, just introduced to the fleet last year on June 20, 2013, will be painted back to the traditional Southwest color scheme along with Shamu Two and Shamu Three.

French Quarter, New Orleans

Postcard US-1677731 to Finland shows a typical art gallery at French Quarter, New Orleans, LA. The French Quarter, also known as the Vieux Carré ("Old Square" in French) and the oldest neighborhood in New Orleans, was the center of the city when New Orleans was founded in 1718. Although it is called the "French" Quarter, most of the existing buildings were built under Spanish rule with Spanish colonial styles. The French Quarter is a National Historic Landmark that has numerous individual historic buildings.

The photo was from a stop at New Orleans two years ago on September 5, 2010 prior to my All-You-Can-Jet (AYCJ) trip by JetBlue. I flew in from Las Vegas one way on Southwest, and left for Portland, Maine via JFK next on a Jetblue AYCJ pass.