HOLIDAY AT INCLINE-DAY 2

Sunday was ski day at Incline. I don’t ski, I’m the photographer, mule. There is a lot of clothing, gear and ticketing, and waiting around.


The sun was very bright. The weather balmy. The predicted rain didn’t show.


Cedric dons his goggles.


No,wait!  Virginia is going to wear the goggles. Cedric put on a light weight pair of sunglasses.


Sisters.  Aren’t they sweet?  Where did those goggles go?


Finally, they are ready to go. Kristanne is skiing for the first time since high school. Austin is skiing for the first time. Last year he chose snowboarding, but this was their togetherness plan. Notice the dark clothing.


Am I supposed to pick them out from all the rest from a great distance?


Owen only uses a snowboard. Doesn’t like to ski. And, of course he does it in all black clothing.


Theo only skis. Dressed in black. Both boys use the big runs.


Both Austin and Kris had a brush up lesson and skied three of the beginner hills, which was fine with them.


The emergency services brought in this injured skier, a reminder of how dangerous this sport is. There were two accidents that day.


People like to start their kids at a very young age. This little guy didn’t ski, but he wasn’t much younger than others I saw on the bunny slope.


Mt. Rose Ski area supplies incentives by entertaining the kids and a disc jockey playing popular music LOUDLY that appeals to young people.
Everyone had fun. We packed a great lunch and everyone went out for a couple more hours. I read Virginia’s newspaper and started a new book.
At the condo the non skiers watched the Patriots vs. Ducks?  Or Sea Hawks? And hung out visiting and snacking. We had another big family dinner. This time, I cooked the dinner of chicken boudin, Virginia prepared several salads to go with it. Doug’s and Virginia’s cookies, Cedric’s pies and Sees candy. No lack of desserts. Yum.

And, while we were gone, Laurie finished the puzzle.

TRANSITIONING LIFESTYLES.

Normally, if I'm a member of an organization, I like to contribute  by attending meetings, taking on a job and helping out. Because of my traveling lifestyle, I make it to two or three meetings a year. I enjoy that Len, a club stalwart, is always there to play music while others chat and visit. He learned to play accordion as a child and transferred that to piano and organ. He played When The Saints Come Marching In for me.


Club members are a fun bunch and my dinner partner, Earl Randall, worked in Judge Connit's court, Alameda County,  and knew practically everyone in the Sheriff's Department that I knew, including having met my husband and his best friend Jack Baugh. It is such a small world. The Elks Club Dinner was Wednesday night.


Last night, Suzy and Ron Hayes, invited Karen and I to have dinner with them before I leave today. I could not ask for better neighbors and I treasure them.


Ron and I share similar philosophies of life and we like to rail against our ineffective politicians as in fire them all and start over. I always tease Suzy that I'm going to marry him when she's done with him.


Karen and I usually have one dinner together. I try to see all of my friends when I get home. I managed pretty well this time despite unexpected issues to take care of.  Karen often cooks dinner and brings me a plate to share. She took me out for tacos at Sidewinder, but as close as we are, living in the same house, we didn't manage a sit down dinner together until we got to Suzys.

Today, I leave for Incline Village to have a belated Christmas with my family since not everyone could make it to Calaveras County in December. We've rented a condo and almost everyone skis. Ahh! The card games and cooking together, the loud banter, just seeing everyone under one roof is very precious to me.  Then, transitioning to my rambling life with Jim and leaving the busy chaos of home behind for a while. I'm grateful to have such plenteous choices and two distinct lifestyles.

DOWNTON ABBEY, SPIFFY MOTOR HOME.

Yesterday was supposed to be a cruise out to South Padre Island. We had an appointment to have the motor home and Bronco washed and waxed today.  The two guys knocked on the door after washing a motor home a couple lots over and offered to get it done yesterday before we headed out for the day. They finished and we decided the windows needed washing on the inside. Then we lubricated the window tracks, washed all the screens, and just kept digging. We put off South Padre Island for later today. The motor home looks spiffy inside and out.

But, the Seattle Post Intelligencer reported that Seattle had the highest viewership in America last night for the premiere of the third season of ‘Downton Abbey, as reported by public television station KCTS 9.

Boston loves ‘Downton Abbey’ second best.

Austin was third most enamored, and darn, they don’t even broadcast  PBS in Harlingen.

New York came in fourth (*sniff*), PBS reported in a press release.

I guess Downton Abbey has become a national obsession. I’m feeling so culturally deprived.
I finally finished a huge book I’d been reading, it seems forever, Life by Rolling Stone,  Keith Richards. Quite a life indeed.

And, I read this  marvelous sketch about RVing from Jim’s friend Bud Kuball  He addresses Jim as Marco and signs Edwuardo, the CB names they chose while traveling to Panama and back in 2004.

Marco:Skiing @ around the 10,000 foot level in the Rocky Mountain West
when the temperature gets down to a MINUS 30 at night & you’re in a
PROPERLY equipped motorhome with sufficient solar panels,6-volt
batteries,back-up generator,heated water system,frost-free
windows,satellite tv & enough propane to last 10 days WITHOUT
hookups–plus 4 wheel drive & 8 commercial snow tires on the ground
with a 9000 pound winch up front–now that’s RVing!! With the sun
turning the snowflakes into sparkling jewels during the day &
cross-country sking on the high plateaus of Grand Canyon, Zion & Grand
Teton National Parks under a FULL moon making the snowflakes glisten
like diamonds & listening to the mournful howl of a grey wolf —now
that’s one of the joys of a PART-TIME RV’R. Adios.Eduardo.

I love his description of snowflakes like diamonds under a full moon because I’ve experienced that including the mournful howl of a wolf. Bud is a world class adventurer and writes prolifically and well about his experiences all over the world. Most  are published in TWA Magazine. Bud is a former TWA pilot.