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A variety of charities take clothing and household items that we don’t want any more. Here’s a partial list of such charities in my city. Other cities probably have similar charities.

My Sister’s Closet provides these goods:

• Free clothing and household items for women survivors of violence
• Low-cost women’s, men’s and children’s clothing, as well as household items, for the general public

That’s where I take clothing that’s in good to reasonably good condition but that I don’t wear any more (or never wore).

Homeless shelters in my city can be found on this list (PDF format). A search for "homeless shelter" plus the name of the city also brings up results.

If clothing is too old to give to My Sister’s Closet but is suitable for street life, I give it to homeless shelters. In particular, I give old sweaters and other warm clothing to them.

While I was putting together this list, I came across a ready-made list with some of the links I was going to include here. CharityVillage.com has a list of organizations in Canada that accept quite a few types of donations.

That’s a start. Wherever you live, you’re welcome to post links to such charities here.

Yup, Vegas was hot. At 116 degrees Fahrenheit or 47 degrees Celsius on Saturday (the day they issued an "extreme heat warning" for), it was hotter than anything I’d experienced. After spending several hours outside on a Lake Mead cruise, we drove to Hoover Dam, parked, and decided that we were too tired from the heat to walk the quarter mile or so to the dam.

On Sunday, the others arrived. They were still adjusting to the heat while we were enjoying the "cooler" temperatures. The four of us WHT moderators (Dennis, Steve, Paul, and me) met and had lunch together, and that evening, the four of us had dinner along with the three iNET staff members who were there (Troy, Mat, and Scott).

Vegas involves a lot of walking. I’d heard that, but I couldn’t fully grasp it until I was there. From the parkade at The Mirage, where the conference was, it was a 15-minute walk to get out of the parkade, into the hotel, and through or past the reception area, the casino, the restaurants, and the shops. To do any sightseeing, you also need to consider the time needed to walk from where you’re parked into and through the building. To go from one building to another is another major walk.

Driving is another story. Don’t count on Google Maps to show you the full routes. There are shortcuts through hotel property to avoid driving on the Strip, and once you’re parked, it’s a while before you can get to a road again.

Working in the conference exhibit hall was fun. We met a lot of people we’d gotten to know online, and of course we played around a bit. Dennis, Steve, Paul, and Mat, among others, I really enjoyed meeting you and spending time with you.

Vegas isn’t my type of vacation, but it wasn’t just a vacation, and it was a different type of experience. You have to be there to understand it. I’d like to go back and plan on more time for each activity, relax more, and splurge on a show. Many of the free attractions aren’t worth the time it takes to get to them, but I heard only good comments about the shows.

For those who are wondering about my other reason for going to Vegas, this picture tells the story:

We take care of one another. When someone needs help, we help. That’s part of being human.

Even when some people deserve help more than others do.

When we rescue people who need to be rescued, do we assess the value of each life? Does it matter if they’re young or old, contributing members of society or retired after a lifetime of work?

No, it doesn’t, as two recent rescues illustrate.

The first was the rescue of a 20-something man in Lynn Canyon. Signs warn people not to cross into the danger area, but every year, some people decide that the signs don’t apply to them, cross the line, and get hurt. Or sometimes killed.

This particular young man was lying on the rocks below a cliff. It took several members of the search and rescue team about two hours to get to him and carry him on a stretcher up to where the ambulance was waiting. Although he wasn’t injured, he was unable to walk — because he was drunk. As the paramedics were loading him into the ambulance and TV cameras were pointed at him, he showed his appreciation for the rescue efforts by giving the finger.

A TV news crew interviewed one of the search and rescue team members. "How do you feel about rescuing people who disregard the warning signs?"

"We don’t like it, but…" he paused. "It’s what we do."

The second rescue involved a suburban search for an 80-year-old woman with Alzheimer’s. The evening before, she’d walked away from the care home where she lived. Searchers were combing the area by foot, and a helicopter was used to search for her from the air.

A police officer interviewed the afternoon after she disappeared was cautiously optimistic. With the warm weather conditions, he said, there was a much better chance for a positive outcome than if the weather had been cold and rainy. Her neice talked about how the woman had been certain that she needed to go somewhere.

Hours later, she was found, several kilometres from where she lived. Her worst injury was a sunburn.

I can guess which search and rescue team felt better about their efforts.

“I never thought you were the Vegas type.” I agreed with him, but I’m going. As I’ve learned, Vegas is a lot more than gambling and conventions.

First, right in Vegas, most hotels on the Strip (the main drag for tourists) are themed and have attractions, many of which are free. From a fake volcano and a pirate battle to fountain shows and wildlife habitats, it’s all there. Just a short ride away is the Liberace Museum featuring "dazzling jewelry, rare antiques, unsurpassed wardrobe, unique and historical pianos and his custom car collection." Downtown, Fremont Street Experience is a nightly (several times per evening) sound and light show in a canopy above the street. As one person described Vegas, everything is over the top.

It isn’t my kind of place, but everyone has to see Vegas once. That’s what people have been telling me. It’ll be an experience.

And when I’m offered an all-expenses-paid trip if I work at a conference for a few hours a day, how could I turn that down? I didn’t, of course. The "work" will be greeting and talking to people in an exhibit hall lounge. I’ll be getting to know people in person I’ve already gotten to know online as well as meeting new people.

Within an hour of Vegas, there’s Red Rock Canyon, Hoover Dam, Lake Mead (including cruises), and Valley of Fire State Park. If we extend the time to a couple of hours from Vegas, there’s even more to see.

I won’t have time to see everything, but I’m looking forward to seeing a lot. Gambling? Even if I were interested in gambling, there’s too much to see and do to waste time in a casino.

The trailers in the beach parking lot are the first clue — the dressing rooms, the film caterers, the equipment. The set is set up in the park, separated from the beach by a walkway. People walk, jog, and cycle past. A sign indicates that the crew is filming the pilot to something, but the show isn’t named on the sign.

I lean my bike against a log and sit down to watch. As it takes a while to see where the action is among all the people and equipment, I do more listening than watching at first.

“Background!” “Background!” For some reason, every one-word shouted command is repeated by someone else at least once.

“You guys, be quiet. You aren’t paid to stand around talking.”

“When you walk across, walk this way, OK?” The director motions with his arm.

“Rolling!” “Rolling!”

I finally see where the action is. There’s a young woman with long blonde hair wearing a yellow shirt with a red shirt under it, and she’s sitting on a bench. A young man with brown hair and a green-brown shirt walks onto the scene and sits on the bench next to her. They talk for a bit, but I can’t hear them. Then he gets up and walks away.

“Background!” “Background!” “Quiet, everyone!” “Rolling!” “Rolling!”

Everyone is quiet, and they start to film the scene again. An ice cream truck drives into the parking lot with its music playing. “Cut!” “Cut!”

They go again. “Background!” “Background!” “Background!” “Rolling!” “Rolling!” The young woman and man repeat the scene. From where I sit, it appears that they got it right this time because they take a short break afterwards.

A few minutes later, they set up the scene differently. I strain to see what they’re filming this time. It is…the same park bench facing a different direction, and the same young woman and man.

It’s just another day in Hollywood North.