Aimee Update

A few shots taken by Don of Aimee!

Here's another one!

Rome, Venice and the Great Air Hockey Competition

One more shot of New York, New York where we had spent some time the evening before.

The elevators over by the Chrysler building were appropriately Deco.

We arranged to meet the gang over by the Bellagio.

Of course we had to stop and take a few pictures.

But then they arrived - The Reservoir Dogs: Ms Purple, Ms Blue, Ms Gray and I don't know who that other one is!

We never could get enough food in Vegas so we had to stop off at Petrosians for a quick refreshment.

Then we headed to an art exhibit about the new City Center. It was quite interesting - quite a few notable artists and architects have been involved in planning the construction area that we had walked by numerous times. It will be quite interesting to see when it is finished. After the exhibit I got this picture - one of my favorites of the trip. It isn't a flattering shot, but I like the composition, the colors and the idea.

Don and I decided to make a quick trip to The Venetian to see what the structure was like.

The did a very passable job of making things look like Venice. The canals had gondolas and gondoliers and you could hire rides either inside or outside. Here is a ceiling near where we entered.

Here's the Casino.

The interesting parts were in the shopping area.

The ceilings had been painted to resemble skies and the buildings emulated Venetian architecture. There were several town squares.

The statues however were more realistic than the buildings.

These are actors hired to stand still and startle passersby with a sudden or subtle movement.

Here is an interior canal.

We also got to hear a few operatic songs performed in another Piazza.

Here is one more of the living statues.

Next we headed over to the Forum, but on the way we saw the Love advertisers sharing hula hoops with wandering children.

Caesar's forum was less exciting after the complexities of the Venetian. Maybe it was because we were now so tired. This part was impressive, but...

much of it seemed a bit cheesy.

These ceilings were nice,

...and I did like this Gryphon.

Some of the shops were pretty unique too.

There were more ceiling skies.

But the statuary was too stylized to match contemporary tastes and we walked a really long way

...past the FAO Schwarz trojan horse ...

So we could visit "Atlantis".

It sounds exotic, but the Cheesecake factory Neon Sign in the middle really did not add to the effect.

Basically it was a cheesy fountain with a fish tank in back. I think they could have done better!

Stupidly (or perhaps it was wicked cleverness) there was no way out at the far end, so we had to walk all the way back fin the direction from which we had just come. By the time we found the exit we were exhausted!

Somehow the statues didn't look any better the second time around either!

After our exhausting European tour, it was time for the big event - the whole reason for even coming to Las Vegas - the Great Air Hockey Competition.

The competition was fierce. Look at the fierce expression of pure will on the faces of the contestants.

Look at the power in the shots! The determination! The gleaming sweat, muscles taut and drilled for precision accuracy!

Years of training lacked in evidence and we had to work hard to keep from scoring points in our own goal areas.

Sometimes we failed.

games often resulted in intense discussions on the sidelines. The battle went on through the night, until finally ...

we switched over to something we weren't any better at!

Smart ball!

We lost at that too!

And then it was back past the now infamous meeting place (under the hanging pig men) on off to our rooms to dream happy dreams our las night in Vegas.

It hasn't been the best day in the world. I was awakened middle night to clean up doggie diarrhea for a second night in a row. I didn't dare go back to sleep cause the stove installers were supposed to come at 8:00/ But how could I be angry with such a sweet exuberant thing - doesn't she look happy with her stick?

So the stove guys came late and then we discovered there was a beam where they were supposed to put the chimney. I was about to cancel the whole project - but then they decided to use and s pipe - so it looks a bit weird.

Remember the practice images. here is one:

Well, here is what it looks like now!

What do you think?

The Grout is In!!

Okay - this has to dry and then the sealer goes on and then the edging so two more steps, but I got the grout done tonight so that the stove guys can do their work on Monday. Looks like everything is coming together.

A Don's Eye View

Here are some of the photos that Don came up with from our trip to Vegas

This first picture is of our waitress at the Sherwood Cafe. I'm glad he got a shot of her. We had her twice and she was very funny and very obliging.

Don came up with this great shot of the lions at the MGM Grand.

Here is Pru playing for Uncle Arbogast's secretaries' niece. I'm taking it all in.

This is at Wolfgang Puck's.

We saw this view every day as we headed up the strip to do things. I think it was taken from in front of the Luxor.

I really like the angle on this shot. It makes everything seem so exciting!

Sunday in Vegas

I got a late start this Sunday morning because sister Pru and I were up late "playing cards". The others went to the Forum shops to check out the cheesy statuary and then to the MGM to see the lions. Don and I went to see the lions a bit later and took a few photos. The lion enclosure is very interesting.

It is designed to protect the lions from humans, so they can not smell or hear the people outside the enclosure. Trainers are kept inside so that they become a natural part of the lions' environment. Lions only spend 5-6 hours there a day and are switched out frequently so that they don't have to come repeatedly. They are kept at a separate lion conservatory elsewhere.

The enclosure was designed to keep them comfortable and happy and they did seem to be so.

Pru seemed happy in her natural habitat too. She developed an ingenious gambling strategy. By claiming to have promised to play a slot for everyone she knew, she could hide a growing gambling problem. Last time I can remember she was playing for our cousin Emo's girlfriend's yoga teacher's rabbi, but of course since she was winning we decided it must be okay.

For lunch we decided to go to nearby Wolfgang Puck's.

It was a unique experience. I had a very nice Tuna tartare there and an excellent salad.

And both the iced tea and coffee there were very good.

I was, however, very disappointed in the desserts. My suspicion is that it was a problem of naming. They called this a brownie.

It was really more of a mousse on top of a tiny little, teensy weensy layer of brownie crust. It was good, but when you want a brownie, this doesn't cut it. Even more disappointing was the Crême Brulée. This was really much more rubbery than creamy and was an egg custard rather than a crême. Pru who said she'd never had Crême Brulée liked it as did my husband who had ordered it, but I was painfully disappointed.

Somewhat better was the pumpkin cheesecake . It was nice and pumpkin-y, but very short on the cheese. Of course not a one of us ordered a pizza, so we can't weigh ion on that, but my advice at Wolfgang Puck's is stick to the standards. Mom's cuban pork sandwich was dry and unpalatable too. The coffee, as I said, was exquisite and the best we had in Vegas, but skip the dessert.

The exterior of the restaurant has these lovely hoops for privacy and it was a very pleasant dining atmosphere.

The MGM Casino is much more understated than most of the others we had been in. It was husband Don's favorite Casino because it was tasteful and somewhat muted - of course for this very reason I found it boring.

Meanwhile back at the castle, there were more interesting people to be seen.

And we had been informed it was time to practice for the air hockey tournament.

We all took it very seriously, in spite of the fact that none of us had played in ...ahem... several decades.

Of course, since we were already in the arcade, we couldn't resist trying out some of these less adult versions of the games upstairs. The point of this one was to use your mini-sledge hammer to bop the witch into a cauldron.

This one took unnatural feats of human strength. Alas, no spells would be brewed in those cauldrons on that day.

Our luck at the ping pong balls in the shallow dishes game was equally dismal, but it was a fun time and helped us pass the time until dinner and our next show.

Our Sunday show was chosen by Mom and was the Smothers Brothers at the Orelans. This image is not mine - I got it from FrankAyran's flickr pictures - but it is such a great representation of the Las Vegas spirit. Be sure to check out his photos at http://www.flickr.com/photos/frankayran/3103529043/

Anyway, this is The Orleans, where we went to see the Brothers Smothers.

One enters The Orleans (they seem to love to capitalize the The in Las Vegas) through these doors.

Can you tell there is an alligator theme going on here? I chose the restaurant and had a choice between Prime Rib and Steak and evidently chose wrong - but we ended up at the Prime Rib loft. We wandered through the Casino and found our restaurant.

On the way, we passed the bar. Anything stick out about the bar?

The prime rib was good, but evidently someone thought the drinks were better. Who ordered all of those anyway?

Uh oh, Mom, I guess there'll be an intervention when you get back to Houston. You had better live it up while you can!

Then it was on to the show. I wish I could tell you it was a young, fashionable audience, but what we lacked in youth, we made up in exuberance. My sisters and husband were the youngest people in the room. It doesn't look like he wants to be associated with us, does it?

After great anticipation the Smothers Brothers took the stage. Were they going to be old, feeble shells of their former selves, tottering around barely able to manage their instruments after all these years?

No, indeed, they were still in fine form! They were indeed older. Dicky had become a bit gaunter than he was those odd thirty five years ago and Tommy had developed that aged roundness that so many of us seem to get. Still they were easily recognizable and just as vibrant and funny as ever.

They still sang beautifully in crystal clear tones and the jokes were not hackneyed and feeble, but as hilarious as ever. Tommy still embellished on the truth a bit

And Dicky played the perfect foil and straight man. We even got a vist from the Guru of Yo, the yoyo man.

Still in fine form, we got to see several yoyo tricks by the Master of Yo.

Just before the end of the performance we were shown a slide show of a brief history of the Smothers Brothers. It was good to see some of the old favorites. Tea with Goldie, Pat Paulsen running for President and pictures of the Smothers family.

We all laughed ourselves sick and left with a nostalgic tear or two in our eyes.

If you have a chance to see the Smothers Brothers definitely do so! They won't let you down!

Zumanity - Review with Pictures

A warning to the sensitive - this post will contain nudity and images that may be considered inappropriate for children or people offended by sexual material. I want to write about the Cirque show Zumanity, which is a sensual cabaret act that contains what some might consider foul language, nudity and explicit mentions and images that suggest sex. So... if you do not wish to see such things then skip this particular post. (I couldn't figure out a way to make this a post that one has to intentionally click on, sorry).

I will confess right off the bat that I didn't really want to see this show. I'm not a fan of pornography or erotica and am one of those people that would just as soon skip the sex scene in movies. That being said, I have to admit I enjoyed Zumanity, which makes me worry that the show pulls its punches for the "white bread can't take the heat so stays out of the kitchen" kind of audience (of which I consider myself a member.) I mean shouldn't I have been shocked or uncomfortable or something?

Here is my experience of the ...er experience. As you enter the theater you get to walk past little peepholes and look at sensual body parts if you like. I looked at them all. I couldn't really tell what I was looking at. The theater inside itself is all decked out in red and designed with an armature like many of the Cirque Theaters.

Here's a better shot. Behind the area where the shot was taken is a glass wall that shows a scarlet covered bed. Before the show started a scantily clad woman in a mohawk came out and lounged on the bed a bit. About this time other characters started to mill around in the stage area.

The show itself is rather tame and sweet-natured for erotica. It desires to please everyone, but in doing so (in my opinion) takes no risks in offending the radically straight heterosexuals of the audience. There is a male kiss buried in the middle of the show, but otherwise the themes and humor are so toned down that it is difficult to be offended. Our hostess, Edie, a transvestite in fishnets with boa and bustier, talks about sex as if it were a chocolate truffle - all antiseptic and clean, wrapped in a nice ribbon and sterile plastic. Jokes are for the most part innocuous and the orgy scene at the end is like some high school fantasy of sweetness and light or the shots at the end of the film that recap the important scenes for each of the characters as a sort of curtain call.

A few characters start to appear on stage before the show proper begins. This includes a Marlene Dietrich look-alike, who comes out and leans on the piano for a while.

This man also comes out - he later does an amazing job twirling a cape. Personally I don't remember the snake, but as with all Cirque shows there is much to keep one distracted.

In the audience, two large sisters make their rounds with silver trays of strawberries. They are scantily clad in French maid costumes and they feed various members of the audience and do humorous schtick. Leaning over to feed some of the patrons, they reveal more than most other patrons might want to see.

Later they come out in other costumes.

We get "show girls" and pagentry as well as stripping and acrobatics.

Our hostess comes out and introduces the topic of the show. She chats with us, seating herself on the piano and swigging a large cocktail.

Edie is very feminine and a lot like the character of Sally Bowles in Cabaret. She also has no visible adam's apple and that was the thing that made me the most uncomfortable (worrying about whether she had had hers shaved - It sounds like a thoroughly painful process.)

There is a kind of a theme or story for this show which starts out about sexual innocence. We meet the satyr and then see a Paris-style nightclub routine with a feather-clad Josephine Baker style dancer. She was amazing! The other thing that made me a bit uncomfortable is that Cirque has a bad tendency of falling into the stereotype of representing "other" in primitive or oriental images. Crimson, the villain in Believe is a wild, demonic Black woman, in Ka our villain is a FuManchu-like man on stilt-shoes, the Satyr here (but evidently not always in the past) symbol of unbridled sexuality as is this character who does the jungle-inspired jazzy Bakeresque dance to represent many of the same things.

That being said, this woman is an amazing dancer and was one of the best performances of the evening.

One of my other favorite parts of the show was this couple who acted like 1960s style swingers and went out into the audience to look for partners. The guy was just so middle class sleazy. The woman was so naively exuberant. They had a segment on teaching people how to "date" that was cute and the woman (who is called Izzy) did such a fantastic job!

Over the course of the evening, we had hula hoops...

...and cheerleader types

... and the famous fish bowl with two women contortionists. (Nudity follows)

These stills suggest how beautiful the human form can be, but in real life I did not feel that way. Instead I suddenly felt that the naked human body was rather silly looking. It did not have the majesty I was expecting. I prefer the full body lyotards that reveal everything and nothing (and although the private parts were covered, I would have liked more form and less substance.)

There is also a" Loss of Innocence" section of the show, there are two brunette ingenues that are sort of Audrey Hepburn look-alikes. The performances are quite lyrical and lovely and although I have never seen nude ballet before there is a section en pointe.

Isn't that Hair-do SO Holly Golightly!?

A more cynical section has a woman perform a pole dance in front of a television showing a football game. Several men sit in their chairs glued to the game and oblivious to the sensual performance given by the very sexy dancer. Our dancer had a colorful mohawk, but was probably the same woman pictured in these shots.

This woman did amazing hula hoop twirling.

This woman did an aerial performance on long ropes that was stunning.

There was a bathtub sequence near the end. Here is our friend the Satyr and the Dietrich look-alike having some good clean fun.

..and one of the saddest performances in the loss of innocence section involved a man straying and doing a pas de deux with a beautiful lithe blonde woman on a set of long scarves while the Audrey Hepburn naive waited hopefully below in the desire that the man would return to her.

There was live music and singing to go along with the dancing.

There were extravagant costumes ...er... head dresses too, so I could feel like I had seen a real Vegas show.

The performance ended with a sort of mild orgy tableau in the round as a kind of curtain call.

Other acts in the show included a masochism number also on a rope performed by a masked redheaded woman and a man in a metal ring doing some incredible feats of strength and turning.

Here is another shot of the cast.

All in all it was a rather silly, but enjoyable show.