What a wonderful way to conclude my birthday month.  We spent the day thrift store shopping with lunch at Russian River.  Then we headed to SF...

This is probably only a funny story to Steve and me but I'm telling you anyway.  We saw this car behind us (Ford GT 500) and thought it was cool.  As we caught a glimpse of the driver, we realized it was Sammy Hagar.  Back in May, Steve shook Sammy's hand at his Cabo Wabo Bar.  When he was driving past us, Steve rolled down his window, waved, and Sammy slowed down to give Steve a big smile and a thumb's up!  Super cool.

This is Sammy and his muscle car!  Just for those who want to know.

Kegan spent Spring Break frolicking in Florida with his grandparents.  We all picked him up in San Francisco for a mini family reunion!  "All was right in the world."

Dinner was at Moylan's, a delightful brewery/restaurant. No visit is complete without something baked, with love, by Christy.  This lemon birthday cake was incredible.  It's not going to last a day!

I took great delight in exploring Christy's garden.  She has the greenest thumb and all throughout town, Spring was exploding in color!

Their lemon tree creates some interesting fruit.  It is always fun to see what's lurking!

I love irises. Through its intricate history, the meanings of the iris has come to include faith, hope, wisdom and is the symbol of idea and message.  Not to mention it's beautiful.

Our weekend was one of just hanging out.  We did some crafts and things around the house.  We shopped and dined well.  But mostly, it was just great family time.  My wishes did come true.

When we were here for the Camel Races, in September, I wrote that I would say a bit more about this very interesting town.  Guess what?! Now's that time. This first truly industrial city, in the West, began in the late 1850s, with gold being discovered here in 1859.

Virginia City could be considered the "birthplace" of Mark Twain, as it was here in February 1863, that writer Samuel Clemens, then a reporter on the local Territorial Enterprise newspaper, first used his famous pen name.

At its peak, Virginia City had a population of over 15,000 residents and was called the richest city in America.  There are hints of its finer days throughout the city.

We toured the museum in St. Mary’s in the Mountains.  This was the first Catholic Church in Nevada, originally built in 1860.  The history was very intriguing and an interesting glimpse into a different side of this town.

At Silver Terrace Cemetery, Virginia City's adventurous souls rest in peace, but their stories live forever.  Brady and I spent an hour exploring.  We were both captivated by August Bouhaben's headstone which read, "native of France MURDERED on March 31 1892".

The gun man used the excuse that he was drunk but the Jury didn't buy it.  He was sentenced to hang and he was on July 19 1892.  This was a wild town in its day!

Keeping with tradition, dinner was in Reno for the famous- AWFUL, AWFUL.

Brady is a Pescetarian and was able to enjoy a calamari sub while we devoured our 1/2 of ground Chuck steak served on 1 lb. of french fries.  YUM.

Best way to end my birthday?  Scrabble in pajamas.  What an incredible day.  I have said it many times, the greatest gift is "presence vs presents".  Thanks Brady and Fred!

What an incredible day!  They say a picture is worth  a thousand words... here's 14,000... 

We began with a hike to Emerald Bay.  Right before this trip, Fred had a skateboarding accident (breaking a thumb and a clavicle), so needless-to-say, he is sadly missing in some of our more strenuous activities.

Just yesterday, I was lamenting the fact that I had not seen a Snow Plant, and here it was, along with blooming Manzanita.  It is wonderful to see 'color'.

This was the first time seeing so much water in Eagle Falls.  It was a fun side trip on our hike to Vikingsholm.

Since snowboarding is out for Fred, we went to Squaw just to "be".  We sat in the sun and soaked up all the Spring Breakers having a blast.  With its rich history and cool vibe, it's not a bad place to hang out.

Rum Runner Wednesday, at The Beacon, is where we chose to end the day.

Today, we witnessed four different, gorgeous rainbows.  I'm pretty certain the pot of gold at the end of this one is actually our cabin!  What a magical day of celebrating and friendship.

Fred and Brady arrived, for the week, and after dinner we headed to my very first Sierra Club meeting.  We were there for the authors who were sharing their hiking tales, both of whom I have heard read before, but tonight I wanted to introduce them to Brady and Steve.

Suzanne Roberts' memoir, Almost Somewhere:  Twenty-Eight Days on the John Muir Trail is a humorous and, at times, touching story of the summer after college and "finding oneself".  I can't wait to read of this award winning author's adventures.

Tim Hauserman is the local expert and guidebook writer for the 165 mile Tahoe Rim Trail.  He shared photos of his numerous treks around our beautiful Lake.

Both of these writers inspired and made us realize, even more, what incredible opportunities lay before us.  John Muir said it best, “Thousands of tired, nerve-shaken, over-civilized people are beginning to find out going to the mountains is going home; that wilderness is a necessity..."

I delight in saying we walked through two states today.  Our gorgeous Spring weather just demanded a long walk.  Edgewood Golf Course, at Stateline, is about 3 miles from our home and a perfect destination in which to meander.

All my Southern California friends have been telling me about their Spring blooms.  I was so delighted when I saw this beautiful flower announcing the end of Winter.  Yippee!

We discovered 'Joe Montana' down a private road and since the 49ers did so awesome this year, I wanted a photo with him- too funny.

It really feels as if Winter is gone and Spring is here to stay.  History tells us this isn't necessarily true, but we are hopeful and warm.  It's a great day!

We spent an enchanted evening at our new friends' home.  Having decided to simplify, Dave and Barb put their amazing house on the market and it sold quickly.  Tonight was probably our first and last opportunity to dine there.

In brisk 37° temperatures, with the Lake reading the same, hundreds of participants (in costumes) and their supporters, braved almost freezing weather to support Special Olympics Nevada.  This amazing organization provides athletic opportunities to children and adults with intellectual disabilities, instilling the confidence they need to succeed in life.  The photos pretty much explain the event.

Howie Nave, a comedian/satirist and morning radio DJ, he's a pretty big celebrity in South Lake Tahoe.  I think he was having the most fun!

Got to love a guy in bacon!  There was so much people watching happening.

The UNR Marching Band was incredible.

This group with the Wounded Warrior Project made me cry.  What an unforgettable moment.

This was an exceptional day of being in the company of truly caring and fun loving people all gathered for a cause.  Even being a spectator made us feel a part of it.  Maybe next year we'll take the plunge. Hmm.