Darkness now seems to sneak up on me. It doesn’t descend like a blanket it creeps in from around the corners and shadows and before you know it you are surrounded. The November evening air isn’t quite cold yet because you can still feel the remnants of summer radiating off the cement and lingering in the air. I turn the metal spigot which releases gas into my outdoor fire pit and push the button sending an electrical charge across two pieces of metal. A mini bolt of lighting bridges the two ends reminding me of some Frankenstein laboratory and ignites the gas.
I settle into a padded lawn chair and put my bare feet up on another one as I get cozy next to the fire. The stars are out now and off to the North I see the planes coming into Las Vegas bringing hundreds and hundreds of visitors to inject their hard earned wages into our local economy. They get their fix of “Whatever happens in Vegas” and expect their secrets to stay in Vegas. Plane after plane lines up like cattle entering a chute one after the other and I am amazed at the motives behind the whole thing. The most successful advertising campaign in Las Vegas history has been the “Whatever happens in Vegas, stays in Vegas.” TV shows, books, and even other ad campaigns use the catchy slogan. Wouldn’t it be great if what we did actually DID stay where we did it? It is as if we have a magical coating on us that keeps us from getting burned. We can cheat on our spouse, gamble our house payment, and drink amazingly beyond our fill yet believe none of it will stick with us because “It’s Vegas, Baby!”
I look back over at my fire pit. The pit itself is filled with blue glass and the gas finding its way through it creates a bright fire reflecting off the ice-like finish. Fire and Ice. The glass itself seems untouched and uncolored by the fire, so much so that it looks like I can simply reach over and pick up a piece. It looks so pretty, it looks so innocent, it looks so … Vegas. Fire and Ice.