Rest assured, this is a "G" rated hub, but, isn't it the truth?

When you go to Vegas in August, you expect to be hot. And, no matter what month it is, when you go to Vegas, you want to be hot.

A few years ago, my brother started somewhat of a family tradition of taking his kids to Vegas as each of them turned 21. My brother lives in Dayton, Ohio, but I guess he thought that Vegas would be a more appropriate place for the boys to experience their newly found liberation into adulthood.

Since my daughter just had her 21st birthday, it was now her turn. So, my daughter, stepdad and I drove across the hot and boring California desert to meet my brother and his wife, my nephews, and various friends in the sin city of the west - Vegas.

So - how do you get "hot" in Vegas?

You begin by staying at a hot hotel. The choice this year was Planet Hollywood, great for Baby Boomers. The sounds of classic rock filled the casinos, the elevators and shops. Rod Stewart, Dan Fogelberg, Fleetwood Mac. My kind of music!

So far, so hot.

The Hot Tub

Then, mix it up with the outside temperature. Triple digits. Yes, it was hot. When we weren't in the air-conditioned, smoke-filled casinos, we went to the pool. We sat in the shallow end, sippin' some cool, icy, frothy, liquor-laced trendy new drink. We talked, laughed and planned our next "hot" activity.

Apparently, that was when the under-thirty of our group got bored, because they left the cool pool and ventured on over to the hot tub. Because it wasn't quite hot enough! Being outside was like being in a convection oven, yet these kids wanted to poach themselves in hot water.

Call me an old geezer (after all, I am a new grandma), but I stayed in the cool pool with a glass of the frozen-spiked lemonade.

The Gambling

The group was split on which games to play. My brother and my nephews played blackjack. A few of us played slots. Others played a little craps.

My daughter was given a $100 chip at the Bellagio as a birthday present. She doubled her money. She was hot.

I stuck to the slots and won about $90. Then I promptly lost it. That was the hottest that I ever got.

My nephews and their friends did well on craps - close to $1,000. They were hot.

My brother loves blackjack, and was always on the lookout for a good table. Leading the way, Mike led us through casino after casino. He would scope to the left, scope to the right, on the hunt for that hot blackjack table. Right behind him were his faithful followers.

I swear it was like the Pied Piper of the Casinos. He would wind around the maze of gaming tables, and all 12 of us were following him, winding our way along the same path. I can only imagine what that must have looked like!

When he found just the right table, he'd park, and maybe one or two of the kids would park with him. The rest of us would just stand there.

Mike would put down his chips and get ready for his hand. Cards were dealt, chips were moved from one pile to another. He used the hand motions to the dealer like a real pro.

He had his ups and downs, wins and losses. It was like watching the stock market. Then, one of the blackjack dealers told him that he played "perfect blackjack", that he made no mistakes.

So now my brother thinks he's really hot.

Fremont Street in Old Vegas

We took a step off the strip and back in time, to the kind of restaurants and casinos that attracted the Rat Pack-like characters of the '50's. We ate a great dinner at Binion's Steak House, then wandered through the old casinos and left more money.

After dark, the buildings, signage and street life on Fremont Street lit up like Christmas gone wild. It was exciting. It raised the temperature another 10 degrees. It was hot.

Coyote Ugly and the Night Clubs

Need I say more? My daughter and her cousins told me the clubs were hot, and considering her state of being when she got in at 5am, I believe them.

I didn't ask too many questions. I remembered what it was like to turn 21. I also remembered that "what happens in Vegas, stays in Vegas."