Several years have gone by since I last visited Lake Las Vegas and the Montelago Village area. I had forgotten what beautiful grounds are part of the property. Thankfully, I had my camera with me.

The reason I visited Lake Las Vegas was that a friend, John Allen, is a member of a group, The Shakespeare Institute of Nevada, and the group was performing scenes from Shakespeare on a lakefront stage. The performances were free for Lake Las Vegas visitors, and chairs were provided. (The actors/actresses did a splendid job, incidentally).

Yes, I had read numerous stories about changes in ownership and bankruptcies at Lake Las Vegas and somehow I figured that what I would see there would be somewhat tawdry. The surprise was that I loved walking around Montelago Village and the surrounding area — amid Italian-themed buildings and landscapes filled with flowers and neatly trimmed greenery.

I suppose I should have known things weren’t as bad as they once were at Lake Las Vegas when President Obama stayed at The Westin Lake Las Vegas resort in preparing for one of his debates four years ago.

From my observation Sunday, a number of very picturesque restaurants are alive and eager to welcome visitors, even if most of the original shopping destinations have closed.

The Lake Las Vegas event calendar includes the Westin’s Thanksgiving Grand Buffet Thursday and the annual tree-lighting ceremony at 5 p.m. Saturday. An enormous sand box for youngsters also means that whole families can enjoy visiting the Lake Las Vegas area. And yes, the area does have a grocery store, something that did not exist when I first visited Lake Las Vegas 15 years ago looking for a home to buy in anticipation of moving to the Las Vegas area.