Forbidden Gardens

Stepping into China....without leaving Texas :)

Forbidden Gardens is a project inspired by a wealthy Asian American who wanted to bring his country's culture and history to the city of Houston. His creation took years and lots of money but it was so fantastic to visit. I was always hesitant to go to Asia because of the language barrier and drastically different government and culture...but after going here...I'm ready to go!

So, here are the pictures......

Walking from the pavilion to the Terracotta Warriors
The actual size men

This would be the replicas at a 1/3 scale of the actual size in China.

The first emporer of China...Qin

The cross bow warriors

The warriors ready for hand fighting

The cavalry

Tried to get a good shot of everything you see in this part of the Gardens

LOVE these statues....so interesting

The warrior weapon room....tempting :)

The rest of the place is made up of models of the old Forbidden City. It's a great exhibit.

Around the whole thing they have the Gates and Warriors standing every foot or so.

And many of the areas were posted with signs like these. I could have totally lived in harmony back then.

The end.......LOVED IT. Totally recommend it!

Hoover Dam

Here's my Dam pictures :)


The drive winding around the mountains to it was great!

At the Hoover Dam you are at the border of Arizona and Nevada. So, in one day I was in three states! :)

We parked on the Arizona side and walked along the damn. Those towers have the Arizona and Nevada time on them.

The Colorado River dammed up making Lake Mead.

Standing on top of the Dam looking at the new bridge going up. Scary!!!!!

Taking pictures of the dam from the dam as my knees shake tremendously.

So, we took a tour below the damn. Craziness, and it wasn't recommended for those who are claustrophobic. I went ahead anyways, and it wasn't so bad, except for being crammed into an elevator. Nothing like pressing your body against 5 different strangers.

Seeing the turbines that create energy/electricity for Nevada.

From the visitors center over the viewing area.

And we were there for sunset!! Such pretty colors :)

Leaving the area and one last shot of Lake Mead. *Sigh* Makes me wonder if I really want to live in a city like Houston for the rest of my life, and miss out on such beauty the world has to offer.

California and the Big Game

After we got into town we went out for dinner at Outback (Dad's choice). That's right, we paid $1000 for our airline tickets not counting the rental car and we ate a restaurant that is down the street from our real house in Texas.

After dinner I convinced Dad to go see the Rose Bowl so I could take some pics. Already, vendors in tents were set up along the road selling team items. Of course, we stopped at each one and Dad bought stuff from each of them. Haha you know he gets in those moods when he's excited about vacation. Here he is now buying my face paint, earrings, hoodies, landyards, and Lucas/Reuban UT shirts.

Taking the limo to the game with Beau's family.

Our hotel was on Historic Route 66!!! Too cool. We walked down to the liquor store during sunset.

Here's where the limo dropped us off. The Rose Bowl!! (Like that background??)

Up close and personal.

First, the tailgating Texas Ex party. Here's the band coming in.

I liked watching everyone sing the Eyes of Texas. It was a see of Hook Em Horns!

And more of the background of where we were....It was great.

When we got in the stadium...

Opening ceremonies with the skydivers. I couldn't get a good picture of the one with the UT flag but the US flag turned out good.

Coming out on the field!!!!!

Colt leaving 10 minutes later (it seemed like). Half time.... It was all too exciting after that. The excitement sooned turned to depression. I definitely had a new hero that night. His name is Colt McCoy. I only hope that I'm that strong and faithful at my lowest point in life.

It was the game of a lifetime. Tragic, but so moving. Enjoyed California so much that I can't wait to go back!

Drive to/from California

So, we drove from Vegas to Pasadena for the big game. The drive was BEAUTIFUL. First we passed the Mojave Desert, and then just the mountains. Enjoy some pics.




The Mojave Desert
I think the highest elevation we got was between 4,000-5,000 feet.

It was like this for 4 hours. :D

This is more the drive to Hoover Dam around Boulder.

Vegas

So, I think I'm going to post my National Championship pictures in four groups: Vegas, California Drive, Pasadena, and Hoover Dam. First...Vegas. We stayed at Sam's Town. Dad and I both had a good time and didn't lose all of our money. We have pretty good luck in Vegas together. However, I couldn't win at Blackjack to save my life. However, I did win $200 in Video Poker.





The lobby. So massive. It was very impressive.

They had a mountain in the middle of their lobby that had a light show at night. It was fun. Very patriotic. There's a bar where I took the picture and that's where Dad and I watched the show and had a drink.