E Friday and entertainment this weekend

Yesterday I was just picturing the Echelon project that I drive past each day. In this morning’s news it’s reported that Boyd gaming, the owners, are stopping construction due to problems with the financial market, and will probably delay things for a year. That’s for the $4,800,000,000 construction on the site of the old Stardust, that’s filled with a dozen cranes and steel and stuff going up all over the place. I’ve watched them digging the whole site down for almost a year, and finally starting to fill it back up, now only to hear that all will stop. Look at that picture below, with the steel frames rising; guess I have another year of it sitting that way. I know that Vegas doesn’t get much rain, but still some things have to deteriorate in the sunshine while just waiting for construction to resume. Word yesterday that the new convention center planned to replace the one I work in is also delayed, supposed to break ground a few months ago, now on hold until January. With half a million dollars in steel sitting in a warehouse someplace just waiting to be used, carrying charges must be something on that too.

One of the columnists in our local paper, Doug Elfman, reviews entertainment around town. Today he was discussing oldies acts that will be here this weekend. I found several of his comments to be interesting. For you old farts coming into town this weekend, Bryan Adams opens for Rod Stewart at the MGM Grand on Saturday ($52-$158) (you remember Bryan; with his breakthrough lyrics such as "Have you really, really, really ever loved a woman?"). Motley Crue will be at Mandalay Bay tonight ($55-$95), in comparing Crue with Nine Inch Nails Doug reports that Crue is lacking in "musicality, chops, style, originality and brain cells." Ouch. The Regeneration Tour brings in Human League, Belinda Carlisle, Flock of Seagulls, Naked Eyes and ABC on Saturday at Planet Hollywood ($72-$131). And Pat Benatar will be in Primm ($32-$44) Wow, cheaper to drive to Primm, isn’t it? (Primm is the small area 30 miles south of us on the California border, formerly known as State Line Guess they figured to fancy themselves up with the name change.)

OK, back to E Friday, which I know is why you really come here, so in following the tradition of Clare we return again to E Friday, where I post photos of my darling granddaughter E, because VG really likes to look at these pics. Well, I like to look at them also.

When B was up visiting Portland back in cold days there were a few times when the group walked down to the park a few blocks away. Mom pulled a wagon for E to ride in, but sometimes she got bored and walked


and sometimes she was tired and rode



When we visited last time it was a little warmer, and there were two whole days of sunshine amidst all those days of grey. We walked down to the bakery and E was in more of a walking mood.


But she did come back when requested not to go so far ahead (sometimes)


There you are – from a distance outside in Portland.

Oh - if you don't remember, here's Bryan: