A very busy day today, with my first showings in MacDonald Highlands, the prestigious guard gated community in Henderson, at the southern end of the Las Vegas Valley. The Master Planned Community is nestled in the foothills of the McCullough Range, often referred to as the Black Mountains, as they were formed by long dormant ancient volcanoes. It's next to the active adult community of Sun City MacDonald Ranch, and the nearby Green Valley Ranch.

The beautiful luxury homes found there are wrapped around the Dragon Ridge Country Club Golf Course, with many homes either along the course or with views of it. The elevation and terracing of the homes have many with spectacular views of the valley, including the lights of the Las Vegas Strip. These homes often have balconies to enjoy these sites, as well as interior custom amenities that bring pleasure to the eyes.

The homes were being viewed by a great couple, a doctor and his wife...who is also a doctor. Or I guess you could say a doctor and her husband...who is a doctor. My first pleasant surprise was to find out they're expecting their first baby. By strange coincidence, during our home tours we came across a very unique and meaningful custom feature at one of the homes, that none of us was expecting.

No, it wasn't the nursery and built in children's play stage in one of the former model homes. This was in a front garden courtyard entrance. As you passed through the gate you couldn't help but notice the delicate palm in the center. Then I noticed this tiny strange 'growth' on it. You may want to click on it for a larger image, and once the page opens, use the magnifying glass on the top right for a full sized dragable view, or you can download them there if you'd like, even for use as a screen wallpaper.

I have several palms at my own home. One just like this one only triple-trunked, fan palms, and even three large canary date palms, but I've never seen anything like this on any of them. This was something that was definitely attached to the palm frond.

It looked like a little bowl, with the opening not any bigger than a silver dollar. The courtyard was shaded at the time, so we all stepped closer for a better look. That's when we noticed something fuzzy was moving inside, two tiny creatures about the size of small in-the-shell peanuts.

Yes, these were two baby hummingbirds! It wasn't long before you could hear the hum of mum returning to the nest to take care of her newborns and keep them warm. I've seen plenty of hummingbirds around Las Vegas, but this nest in a palm was a first, and right by a front entry. It was a shame the light wasn't just a little better for 'high speed' photography today, and had the wide angle for taking interior pictures and not the zoom, but it was still amazing to capture the moment of this very unique feature of the home.

Now was it just a coincidence, or mysteriously appropriate, to be running into this new little family while showing homes to this expecting couple? For them a touch of Feng Shui, the good Chi of having hummingbirds in the garden on the north side of the home, representing love, ambition, and fidelity? I can't say for sure, but it was great to share this surprise of natural beauty with this wonderful happy couple while helping them search for their own new family 'nest', in addition to enjoying this exceptional luxury home community. Some of the unexpected uplifting side benefits of being a REALTOR®, I guess.

If you are interested in relocating to Las Vegas or would like more information on Las Vegas real estate, please email me, Roberta LaRocca, at roberta@search4lasvegashomes.com, or call 702-354-8988. I look forward to hearing from you!