Chocolates @Las Vegas ベガスのチョコ

ラスベガスのファッション ショー モール内にラスベガス発祥のチョコレート屋エッセールズと世界中で有名なゴディバの店舗があった。
エッセールズは、[カクテル]と呼ばれるチョコレートに絵が描かれているのが特長。12個入りが$14、24個入りが$27で売られていた。$75以上買うと24個入りチョコがフリーで付いてきた。レスベガス以外ではシカゴで売られている。あとはネット販売している。 工場とサボテン ガーデンがラスベガス ストリップから2マイルのところにあるらしい。入場無料。

ゴディバでは店頭でいちごやバナナをくじざしにしてチョコをかけていた。1個$8で売られていた。いちごだけのチョコレートがけは＄５だった。お兄さんの写真をバシバシ撮ったので、スノーマンの袋に入ったプレッツエルにチョコレートかけたものを買った。＄10と割りとお得だった。

There were two or three chocolate shops at Fashion Show Mall in Las Vegas. I visited Ethels and Godiva. At Ethels, they have "cocktail" chocolates with colorful drawing on the top of chocolates. They are sold at $14 for 12 pcs, $27 for 24 pcs, and you get one box of 24 pcs free with a purchase of $75 or more. I believe this Ethels chocolate originates in Las Vegas. They have shops in Chicago, IL, and also you can order their chocolates on-line. They have a factory and a cactus garden, 2 miles off the Las Vegas Strip. The admission is free.

At Godiva, a guy was covering fresh bananas and strawberries with chocolates. The combination of banana and strawberries were sold at $8, and a strawberry was sold at $5. Since I took so many photos of this, I purcased a chocolate covered prezzels in a snowman pouch at $10. It was a good deal.


Ethels Chocolate 1



Ethels Chocolate, Cocktail (top layer, $14 for 12 pcs)



Ethels Chocolate, Cocktail (bottom layer)



Ethels Chocolate at Fashion Show Mall, Las Vegas, NV, USA



Ethels Chocolate



Godiva Chocolate at Fashion Show Mall, Las Vegas, NV, USA



Godiva Chocolate photo 2



Godiva Chocolate photo 3



Godiva Chocolate photo 4



Godiva Chocolate photo 5



Godiva Chocolate photo 6



Godiva Chocolate photo 7



Godiva Chocolate photo 8

Dancing Santa 踊るサンタ

ラスベガス通りにあるファッション ショー モールにて12月ホリデー期間限定で踊るサンタのショーを行っている。時間は週末12PM、2PM、4PM、6PM。さっそく先日12/22/07に見に行きました。短いビデオクリップ4枚と写真を数枚アップします。

Dancing Santa (video 1)
Dancing Santa (video 2)
Dancing Santa (video 3)
Dancing Santa (video 4)

At Fashion Show Mall on Las Vegas Blvd in Las Vegas, NV, USA, you can see "dancing Santa" during holiday season, on weekends from 12 PM, 2PM, 4PM, and 6 PM. Attached are short video clips of this show I took from 4 PM on Saturday, 12/22/2007. The Santa is dancing along with lady dancers. He looks happy.



Dancing Santa photo 1



Dancing Santa photo 2



Dancing Santa photo 3



Dancing Santa photo 4



Dancing Santa photo 5



Dancing Santa photo 6



Dancing Santa photo 7



Dancing Santa photo 8



A Christmas Tree at Fashion Show Mall, Las Vegas, NV, USA

Alexander Fitch Cabernet Wine アレクサンダー・フィッチ・ワイン

今日の夕方近所のトレーダージョーズで2005年アレクサンダー・フィッチ・カルバネワインを見つけた。よその店では見かけたことがない。お値段も$5.99（約700円）とお得。さっそく夕飯時に味見したところ、口当たりがよく、さくらんぼと樫の木の香りがし、芳醇で美味しかった。私ならこのワインに90点の点数をつける。カルバネワイン好きな方にお勧め。

　　トレーダージョーズに頻繁に出かけるが、このワインを見かけたのは初めてだった。
　　このワインはアレクサンダーバレー産。カリフォルニア州北部ソノマ郡の北側に位置する。このワイン産地は長い歴史を持ち1841年開墾。ワイン造りに適した土壌。是非明日トレーダージョーズにまた行ってもう少し購入しようと思う。在庫があるうちに買わないと。。。
　
　　別のカリフォルニア在住の人が書いたブログ（英文）を見つけたので、リンクを下につけます。とてもミステリアスなワイナリーでＨＰなども検索したが見当たらなかった。

I found this 2005 Alexander & Fitch cabernet sauvignon wine at Trader Joe's this evening at $5.99 plus tax. This 2005 cabernet sauvignon wine is very good. I would rate this at 90 points. It is smooth and full bodied wine with cherry and oak flavor. This wine is also mysterious. I don't find it at anywhere else. This was the first time I noticed this wine at Trader Joe's store, too. Alexander Valley has a long history of wine making since 1841, and its rich soil is suited for wine making. It is at the north tip of Sonoma County, California. I would recommend this wine to any cabernet wine lover. I will go back to Trader Joe's to get some more while the supply lasts.

I will attach a blog describing about this wine below. I could not find any website for this winery. The label does not show address and a home page of the winery, too. It's a mysterious wine.


A Wine blog on this wine"

Meteor Shower 流れ星

2007年ももうすぐ終わりです。今年最高の流れ星が12月15日まで見れるらしい。中央アジアから東側、太平洋地域、Americaまで。時間は夕暮れ直後から東北東の方向。ピークは12月14日16:45 GMT。
１時間に60から120の流れ星が観測できるそう。
さあ流れ星になにをお願いしよう?

On Line Sky Map

The year of 2007 is approaching the end. It seems we can enjoy the best meteor showers of 2007 from now through 12/15/2007. The viewing location is east of Central Asia to the Pacific Ocean and America. They can be seen around evening as soon as it gets dark at east north-east direction. The peak will be 12/14/07 at16:45 GMT time. You will be able to view 60 to 120 meteo showers per hour.

The prospects for this year:"
The Geminids perform excellently in any year, but British meteor astronomer, Alastair McBeath, has categorized 2007 as a "great year."

Last year's display was hindered somewhat by the moon, two days past last quarter phase. But this year, the moon will be at new phase on Dec. 9. On the peak night, the moon will be a fat crescent, in the south-southwest at dusk and setting soon after 8 p.m. That means that the sky will be dark and moonless for the balance of the night, making for perfect viewing conditions for the shower.

According to McBeath, the Geminids are predicted to reach peak activity on Dec. 14 at 16:45 GMT. That means those places from central Asia eastwards across the Pacific Ocean to Alaska are in the best position to catch the very crest of the shower, when the rates conceivably could exceed 120 per hour.

"But," he adds, "maximum rates persist at only marginally reduced levels for some 6 to 10 hours around the biggest ones, so other places (such as North America) should enjoy some fine Geminid activity as well.

Indeed, under normal conditions on the night of maximum activity, with ideal dark-sky conditions, at least 60 to 120 Geminid meteors can be expected to burst across the sky every hour on the average (Light pollution greatly cuts the numbers).

What to do:
Generally speaking, depending on your location, Gemini begins to come up above the east-northeast horizon right around the time evening twilight is coming to an end. So you might catch sight of a few early Geminids as soon as the sky gets dark.

There is a fair chance of perhaps catching sight of some "Earth-grazing" meteors. Earth grazers are long, bright shooting stars that streak overhead from a point near to even just below the horizon. Such meteors are so distinctive because they follow long paths nearly parallel to our atmosphere.

The Geminids begin to appear noticeably more numerous in the hours after 10 p.m. local time, because the shower's radiant is already fairly high in the eastern sky by then. The best views, however, come around 2 a.m., when their radiant point will be passing very nearly overhead.

Christmas Decoration クリスマス飾りつけ

Here are some photos of Christmas Decoration in Torrance and Redondo Beach, CA, USA, taken on 12/5/2/2007 in residential area.

In South West Torrance near PCH Blvd, there is an area that does Christmas lighting for the whole neighboorhood. That area is called "Sleepy Hallow". I found a video clip from a year ago on You Tube.com. I will attach the link below.

クリスマス飾りつけをしているご近所の写真をあっぷします。
12/5/2007にトーレンスやレドンドビーチで撮影しました。

南トーレンスのPCHそばにご近所全体で飾りつけをしていて有名な地域があります。
スリーピーハローと呼ばれているそう。去年のビデオクリップがYouTubeにありましたので、下にアップします。

Sleepy Hallow Torrance (YouTube video clip)




South Torrance near Maple St.,南トーレンス、いつもEventごとに飾りつけをしているおたくにて。



South Torrance near Maple St.,南トーレンス、いつもEventごとに飾りつけをしているおたくにて。



South Torrance near Maple St.,南トーレンス、いつもEventごとに飾りつけをしているおたくにて。



South Torrance near Maple St.,南トーレンス、いつもEventごとに飾りつけをしているおたくにて。



South Torrance near Maple St.,南トーレンス、いつもEventごとに飾りつけをしているおたくにて。



South Torrance near Maple St.,南トーレンス、いつもEventごとに飾りつけをしているおたくにて。



South Torrance near Maple St.,南トーレンス、いつもEventごとに飾りつけをしているおたくにて。



South Torrance near Maple St.,南トーレンス、いつもEventごとに飾りつけをしているおたくにて。



South Torrance near Maple St.,南トーレンス、いつもEventごとに飾りつけをしているおたくにて。



南トーレンス Anza Ave. (South Torrance)



南トーレンス Anza Ave. (South Torrance)



Redondo Beach, near my house



Redondo Beach, near my house



Redondo Beach, near my house



Redondo Beach, near my house



Redondo Beach, near my house