Roger Thomas is Aces

Casino Resort Designer, Roger Thomas, responsible for the romanticism, theatrical, and breath-taking designs of the Bellagio, Wynn Resorts and Casino, The Mirage, and the newly opened Encore, will be receiving the Casino Design Lifetime Achievement Award at the Global Gaming Expo on November 16th in Las Vegas.

I attended a lecture by Mr. Thomas at the Las Vegas Design Market in September of 2008. It was an inspiring and memorable experience.

For those of you that think one has to be formally educated in the area of interior design to become a Design Icon, here are some news: Roger Thomas received a BFA in Art History. He started his career as a designer when he was an apprentice during his teen years.

Hats off to Roger Thomas for creating an exciting visual experience for tourists and gaming aficionados of his Casino Resorts.

The following images are from the Wynn Hotel.

Summer Cocktail of the Week

The Mangotini

Sugar the rim of a martini glass and fill with the following:

Vodka - fill the glass 2/3rds or more
Mango puree
Mango or Mango Peach Juice
One slice mango for garnish

Viola! A beautiful and delicious summertime poolside beverage.

Avant-garde

As I look around my neighborhood and surrounding areas I am always curious and intrigued by beauty and mystery combined. For those of you that are new to the the definition of "avant-garde" I will give a description. It is referred to people or works of art that are innovative or pushing the limits of what is the norm.

When I think about my interpretation of avant-garde, certain works come to mind that are both mysterious and yet beautiful. Some of which are so mysterious one might wonder how it is so that the piece can be beutiful at the same time.

Take for instance the Notre Dame de Paris. Notre Dame de Paris was one of the first Gothic cathedrals, and its construction established the Gothic period. The architect was really pushing the limits with the heights of its walls and the slenderness of the lines.

-Images of Notre Dame Cathedral, Paris, France

Another one of my favorite examples of avant-garde is the works of Gaudi, a Spanish Catalan architect famous for his unique buildings. While on a trip to Spain I'd overheard one of my fellow tour travelers refer to his buildings as hideous. One might see it as hideous but his "hideous" architecture is one of the most well known in the world.




















-Architecture by Gaudi,
Barcelona, Spain

I welcome comments and sharing of works that you have come across that might be considered mysterious or odd but to you are simply beautiful.

Caio for now