Snow in Vegas? That's a Longshot, Right?

Well, for the first time in 5 years, Las Vegas received a measurable amount of snow today.

The flakes began falling around 9 a.m. at our apartment and the big, fluffy flakes kept coming down until around 4 p.m., leaving some 3-4 inches on the ground. It piled up white and pristine on the grassy areas around our complex, but on the cement walkways and parking areas it was only a sloppy, mess the consistency of a 7-11 Slurpee.

I was out grocery shopping when it began and walking into the store I saw a teen girl trying to catch snowflakes on her tongue while two others took pics with their phone cameras. But I was on a grocery-grabbing mission and spent an hour cruising the aisles at Albertson's in Summerlin.

Heading home, the roads were wet but not too bad. I'm pretty sure these Vegas drivers don't know how to handle snowy roads, since the last measurable snowfall was back in '03, according to the TV weather geeks. When I got home, Helen and I decided to just stay in today. Not a good day to negotiate around town.

So I wrote my January casino entertainment column for the Booth papers. Every month I collect the info on which acts will appear at Michigan casinos for the coming month. For example, the January lineup includes two concerts by Jewel, a visit by Chubby Checker and a show by Styx. I add some info about the entertainers and put it all together in an 800-1000 word column that runs in the Booth papers on the first Sunday of the month. It also goes on Mlive in the travel section.

After that, I picked up a biography of Mike Royko that I'm reading and ripped through a few chapters. By then it was time to start a big pot of chili (with the snow, it seemed hearty and somehow appropriate). Helen spent her afternoon talking on the phone with Anna and Natalie.

By Vegas standards, a pretty low key day. If the weather improves we'll get out tomorrow and revive the adventure...