Visitors!!

Scott rolled into LV on Monday about 5p.m. and by 8 we were at Harrah's enjoying the "Million Dollar Quartet" show.

It's 90 minutes of rock-a-billy music and fun as the play details a day in 1955 at Sun Records when owner Sam Phillips got his four stars - Johnny Cash, Carl Perkins, Jerry Lee Lewis and Elvis - together for some great music. Helen and I had seen it a couple weeks ago and thought Scott would enjoy it. We were right.

It was great to see Scott, who had been in Phoenix to accept an award Sunday. He drove up to see us on Monday, then Tuesday morning had to fly back to Grand Rapids. He got back to Michigan about 1030 on Tuesday, then had to drive to Detroit for a Wednesday morning surgery that he attends to aid the physicians using his company's cardiac devices. He travels A LOT!

Then yesterday our niece Tricia and her husband Kevin arrived for their first LV visit about 2:30 p.m. or so. Helen and I picked them up from the airport and gave them a brief tour of the Strip before taking them to the Mirage where they are staying. During the check-in, Tricia asked about the possibility of a free upgrade. The four of us went up to their room on the 19th floor and they have a GREAT view overlooking the famous Mirage Volcano and the Strip.

After checking out their room, we visited the Beatles Gift Shop at the Mirage. Kevin is a big Beatles fan and they are going to see "Love" tonight. At the gift shop, Helen bought a Sgt. Pepper t-shirt and a notepad that features a photo of a ticket for the Beatles 1964 show at Olympia Stadium that Helen attended as a 15-year old!

After a while, we were all getting hungry, so decided to try the Samba Steakhouse for dinner.

For years I've wanted to try Samba. It has a unique system where you pay $39 per person and they bring you all the skewered meats you want. Each meal starts with a basic salad and some round baked dough balls that you dip in oil. Then come the skewered beef, chicken, turkey wrapped in bacon, sausage, pork and lamb. They give you a small card that is green on one side, red on the other. If you leave the green side showing, they bring you more meat. Show the red side and it means "no meat for now." The meal also includes side dishes of black beans, rice, sugared plantains, veggies and garlic bread. Kevin and I pounded down as much meat as we could possibly hold. All of it was tasty, except the pork was a bit dry. Tricia and Helen showed much more restraint. But we all enjoyed the meal!

We decided a little walk would be nice, so we headed south on the Strip to Caesar's Palace. We entered at the Forum Shops and Tricia and Kevin were impressed by all the amazing architecture of the shops. We stopped at a shop that sells framed, autographed items of pop culture and history. Always cool to browse the exhibits that include Teddy Roosevelt, The Beatles, John Dillinger, Al Capone, Buffalo Bill, Geronimo and so many more. Helen and Kevin each bought a great matted photo display of the Beatles for only $25.

Then we continued walking south into Bellagio where we showed our guests the great lobby area that features the blown glass flowers of Dale Chihuly. We visited the conservatory that has a display honoring the Chinese New Year - the Year of the Monkey. We headed outside and to watch a Bellagio Fountain Show. The first one was a classical tune that we enjoyed so much that we decided to stay for another show. They run every 15 minutes after dark, so it wasn't long before we were listening to "Viva Las Vegas" by Elvis and the water cannons shot high into the air. What a great way to end our evening as he made the walk back to Mirage where we said goodnight to Kevin and Tricia. Then Helen and I made the 40-minute drive back to our apartment.

And today our adventure continues...