Homeward bound

We are back from Lake Tahoe and this is pretty much what we saw, at least by Thursday. When we arrived on Monday, there were only a few grimy patches of icy snow left on the ground. Caroline was greatly dismayed, but Roger and I were relieved that the drive was an easy one on ice-free roads. However, it started snowing on Wednesday evening and kept snowing lightly through lunchtime on Thursday, so we got a good fresh layer of snow to romp in before we left. Caroline got to build a snowman and make snow angels and pelt us with snowballs, which thrilled her no end.

We did embarrassingly little while there...which is why we like to go, to be honest. We've not skiied much, and with the lack of snow it didn't seem like a good time to introduce Caroline to the sport. We walked around outside a fair amount, letting Gemma pull us through the woods to follow all the enticing new smells. We made good use of the recliners built into the leather couches (I've always thought those were rather hideous, but I have to admit that they're darn comfy) and we read a lot. And napped. And played games.

I was engrossed in a novel called "Sister Mine" by Tawni O'Dell, a quirky story about sisterhood and life in a coal-mining town. Roger had his nose in a D. W. Buffa legal thriller, "The Defense," which I'd read and liked and shoved at him. Caroline built a new zoo with the Zoo Tycoon game software she loves so much (and I like it too...how fun to build your own zoo!) So we were quite content.

We ventured out for our usual dinner out at Sunnyside, which we love. I had the best filet mignon I'd ever had, perfect accompanied by Roshambo zinfandel (from right here in Healdsburg), and of course we had to have their signature appetizer of fried zucchini. Yum.

We got home last night, just in time for my reoccuring cold to blossom. Lovely. I have spent today catching up on laundry, putting the vacation paraphanalia away, and dosing myself with decongestants. Going away for a few days can make coming home to one's own bed and cozy flannel sheets feel so lovely!