i wanna ski (part 2)

we ventured up to tahoe again this weekend (surprise, surprise!). this weekend we did not have the company of our housemates, so we were on our own. on the bright side, though, we were able to borrow alec's boots and skis (thanks jolly's!!!) so greta could try something besides the strap on skis.

greta was so excited about using alec's boots and skis (not the ones pictured above - that was her trying on evan's boots & hat) that i think that would have made her day in and of itself. we put them on and headed to the magic carpet (like an airport people mover) at alpine. all we heard for the 2+ hours she was out there was "more", "again" and "i wanna go fast". she fell in love with skiing all over again. evan finally dragged her in when he could tell she was getting tired and it was time for lunch, although she was not ready to admit she wanted to go in.

sunday we took her out again. it was a little cooler with a breeze, so we didn't stay out quite as long (and i gave her an offer that she couldn't refuse - raisins). after an hour of "again" "more" and "i wanna go really fast", we took a break to play inside. her one disappointment from the weekend was the fact that she thought she was clearly ready to go "up the mountain on the chair" and we were not quite ready to make that leap. perhaps we will get one or two rides in closing weekend so she has more to look forward to next ski season.

all in all, it was a great weekend. saturday the highs were in the 50s, and while sunday was a bit cooler and there was wind to freeze everything up saturday night, it was still a great spring skiing day. the snow is disappearing quickly (but there's plenty left to enjoy) and we are slowly shifting our mindset to the spring/summer months ahead.

here's more of the photo-fest:

spring storm

last weekend we made it up to tahoe again. we are looking wearily at the calendar and realizing that the end of the ski season is right around the corner. we were treated to a great day of skiing and a super-spectacular day of skiing (and some other fun along the way).

our neighbor, brian, joined us as he found himself a "bachelor" for the weekend. we drove up after work on friday and got out before 9am saturday morning. evan took the morning shift, which was "ok, not great". we got a couple runs in together as our friend jen wasn't skiing at the time and offered to keep an eye on greta for a bit. evan got nap duty and i headed back out for some afternoon fun. the snow started to fall and the snow on the ground had softened up just enough to make it great conditions. brian and i found a great trail in scott's chute and kept to it for a good portion of the afternoon.

friends brian and jen joined us and the jolly's for after skiing drinks and dinner at our place. they went above and beyond by bringing a birthday pie for me. the kids were all excited as they got cupcakes. it continued to snow all evening and through the night, and the 7-11 inches expected overnight turned into 22. we were in for a great day.

the only snag was that syracuse was playing the early game on sunday. evan chose skiing, although he did get to catch the second half while i was taking my turn. the snow kept coming. it was cold, soft and perfect. avis, brian and i found untracked spots hidden here and there across the mountain. evan, brian and andy went out for the afternoon and found some more off a lift that opened late. all in all a great day of skiing and a wonderful surprise for this late in the season. there is usually a big spring storm at some point every year, but this was a nice cold one and perfectly timed.

(andy - photo by evan)

(brian - photo by evan)

after naps, we had some more fun watching the kids play outside in all the new snow. icicles were a big hit as was the improvised snow slide.

a yummy dinner and we were ready to head down the mountain. we have a couple more weekends to go in the mountains, but i'm guessing none quite like this.

an unexpected weekend

we had planned to spend last weekend in tahoe skiing, but got thrown a curve ball of sorts on friday afternoon when camp (aka daycare) called to let us know that greta had a fever. so i picked her up, took her home, and we called off the trip to the mountains.

fortunately, after 12 and a half hours of sleep (and a saturday of sleeping in past 7 for us!!!), greta woke up ready to go. we played around the house and went to the store (which for greta is a great form of entertainment).

after another night of 12 hours of sleep (and another morning of sleeping past 7!!!) we decided to head out of the house early and head to the beach in santa cruz. on the way, we decided to try out the restaurant at the summit of hwy 17, under new management. it was delicious and everyone there absolutely loved greta.

once we got to the beach, there were approximately 4 other people there. it was still cloudy and misty and, in our opinion, the absolute perfect time to be at the beach. we had it almost to ourselves. carson had a blast as always and greta was in her element. she loved it!

her favorite activities there included climbing up short drifts of sand, watching the birds, watching the waves come up and "chase" her when they get close, and to top the list, throwing handfuls of sand into the ocean.
all the excitement proved a little to much. greta determined that she did not need a nap that afternoon, and with that, she adjusted to the time change. we were happy to get one weekend of "sleeping in", but it would have been great to get a bit more of those mornings past 7.

not quite spring

i suppose there are hints here and there about spring... daffodils blooming, more light each day and the not-so-subtle daylight savings switch, but i'm not quite ready to give up winter yet. a bit of a shock, since i am a huge fan of warm weather, but winter has spoiled me this year.

(hee-hee, evan's going to LOVE this one. a self-portrait btw)

by renting a house in the sierras for the winter with friends of ours, we have taken every opportunity to go up and hit the slopes. this past weekend was no exception. it had snowed over 7 feet last week, and we took advantage. this weekend we had a packed house as our housemates, the jolly's, had family in town. it worked well since we had extra ski buddies for the weekend and with the new snow, we trekked to parts of the mountain that wouldn't be quite worth the effort if the snow weren't great. certainly worth the drive up this weekend.

last week, evan and i adjusted back to real life without grandparents. my parents left on tuesday. we did take advantage of the grandparent visit by skiing together for the first time this season, going on two (count them, two) date nights and in general watching greta entertain for a crowd. we got some good pictures in the last few weeks, so more coming soon!