A Not So Laboring Labor Day

We spent a the most wonderful Labor Day weekend with our friends Cobban and his hubby Ray, whom were driving up from Southern Arizona and staying with us for a few days.

We had a great weather, lots of food, a few cocktails and a lot of fun. And we actually accomplished quite a lot of sightseeing. Red Rock Canyon, the Las Vegas Strip, old downtown Las Vegas, a free Howard Jones concert at Fremont Street Experience and Cirque du Soleil's "Love" at the Mirage.

Did I mention that it was one heck of fun weekend?

Below are some impressions.

Cobban, Ray, myself and George at the garden conservatory inside the Bellagio.

The dancing water fountains of the Bellagio on the Las Vegas Strip.

At Red Rock Canyon, just outside Las Vegas, NV.

The red sandstones of Calico Hills at Red Rock Canyon.

Red Rock Canyon, just west of Las Vegas, Nevada.

Ray is educating himself about the natural history at the new visitors center of red Rock Canyon.

I think George and Cobban should stop growing any taller already.

Ray, Cobban and I at Red Rock Canyon.

Cobban is posing as the 'fifth' Beatle at the entrance of Cirque du Soleil's 'Love' at the Mirage. And he is an avid Beatles fan. He really enjoyed the show, which is a feast of amazing visuals and sounds. A must for every Beatles fan.

All you need is "Love"

It’s been a busy week. And we’re more than ready for the weekend. No big plans this time. Just staying home and doing some chores around the house and the backyard.


The results of last Sunday’s AIDS Walk are in. AFAN raised over $401,000 and more than 8,000 people participated. A pretty successful and fun event and all that for a very good cause.



I forgot to mention that last Saturday we also saw Cirque du Soleils “Love” at the Mirage. We invited George’s mother to join us and decided to enjoy an early dinner and nice stroll along the Las Vegas “Strip” before the show. Again, the weather was perfect for a nice walk and it was too much fun to play tourist again.


“Love” was definitely different. If you expect to see a typical Cirque du Soleil presentation with amazing, gravity-defying acrobatic performances then you may be disappointed. This is by far a more visual feast than anything else. There are a few acrobatic acts but they seem rather repetitive and tame compared to the breathtaking stunts one sees at the other Cirque shows on the “Strip,” like “Mystère” or “O.”


“Love” is entirely driven by the music of the Beatles, which has been completely remastered and surrounds each and every guest in this venue with an incredible sound system. The venue, by the way, was originally the Siegfried and Roy Theatre, but was completely redesigned and specifically retrofitted for this show. Some songs just sound amazing. If you’re a big Beatles fan than this will be definitely a totally new experience.


Like I said before, this show is a visual feast which is hard to put into words. We concluded that the designers of this show were surely high on something when they have conceived this project. Some scenes are quite...how shall I put it...trippy. At the same time it’s astounding how amazing some of the effects were created with rather simple methods.


All in all, I have to say that this is not my favorite Cirque du Soleil show. But I recommend it for it’s artistry, creativity and vision. If you love the music of the Beatles than this is a must-see.


And yes, there is a message that makes the people feel uplifted when they leave the show.


“All you need is Love.”



Below are more impressions from our walk on the Las Vegas “Strip,” which I took before the show.

This was also Elton John’s last week in Las Vegas. After five years of performing at Caesars Palace, his “The Red Piano” show closed on Wednesday. Kinda makes this a historic shot of sorts.

Detail of the facade of the Forum at Caesars

George and his mother

Awww...don’t we just look so cute together?

The following photos show the surroundings of Caesars Palace, the fountains, gardens and statues

The pictures below were taken at the Bellagio, their conservatory and the spring flowers display with live butterflies and the pool area

The photos below were taken immediately after the show. They’re depicting the audience mingling inside the foyer of Cirque du Soleil’s “Love” at the Mirage Hotel & Casino