On this glorious day, we headed to the "Crown City".

The City of Coronado is a small beach community, with an island feel. Incorporated in 1890, Coronado has a rich history and exceptional community assets in a village atmosphere. Surrounded by the San Diego Bay and the Pacific Ocean, Coronado offers a unique lifestyle enjoyed by residents, and has also welcomed visitors from around the world for nearly 120 years. It seemed the ideal location for an escape.


Lunch was waterside, at Il Fornaio, one of our favorite Italian restaurants.
É stato delizioso il cibo.

What a lovely way to spend our 95° afternoon.

Whenever my friend, Lynne, has to be out of town, and I'm in Temecula, I offer to take care of her pet donkey, Willy.

He is the sweetest critter and always greets me enthusiastically.

As we continue the drive down 395, we delight in the detours. Today's was to Convict Lake, a mere two miles off our well trodden path.

Convict Lake and Creek are so named as the result of an AMBUSH encounter here September 17, 1871, where a group of inmates escaped from prison in Carson City. It is such a beautiful spot with such an unfortunate name.

Convict Lake was also featured in the the following films and commercials:

• The 1951 film, The Secret of Convict Lake, was largely based on the events that occurred at the lake in 1871.
• The movie How the West Was Won has Convict Lake was in the opening scenes.
• The lake was the filming location for several scenes in the 1998 film Star Trek: Insurrection.
• The 1966 movie, Nevada Smith, by Steve McQueen was shot near the lake.
• It was used in an advertisement for Nature Valley granola bars in 2007 and 2010.
• An image of Convict lake was used in a CG background for a cartoon demonstration on Mythbusters.

This was a very special stop and one more "check" off our 395 sightseeing list.

Our friend, Fern,was given tickets to one of South Lake Tahoe's most fanciest of nights and she invited us along as her dates.

 We already had the attire, so we were ready to go.
Described as:  Another incredible evening of fun, food, and community will be had by all that attend. On arrival guests will enjoy wonderful tastings from Crystal Basin Cellars, Picchetti Winery, and Tahoe Blue Vodka. You will enjoy a beautiful seated dinner by Harrah’s finest, incredible floral displays by Thran’s Flowers, a fabulous silent and live auction, Elegant Baskets, Elegant Bags plus music and dancing.
 ...And Prom photo-type opportunities.
Harrah's went all out with the meal. The steak was amazing and I don't even like meat much.
We had wonderful evening of connecting with friends while supporting the Soroptmists and we got to dress up. That's a pretty great way to spend a Saturday night.

Our scheduled speaker, for today's Friends of the Library program, had to cancel due to an injury and she thoughtfully sent a replacement, her friend, Gina Geldbach-Hall.

Gina shared her story of being one of the first female firefighters in Las Vegas. It was a tale of prejudice and struggles while advocating for women as a pioneer in the field. I loved her quote, "The first thing you have to do is learn to Stop, Drop and Roll with the punches."
The audience was on the edge of their seats as Gina told firehouse tales and lessons learned. We were empowered and entertained. I was completely impressed by her positive attitude and great sense of purpose. Steve even commented that she was one of the best public speakers he has ever heard.
I can not wait to read the entire story. I am already spellbound just by the small snippet shared today!

This has been our view for most of the day. I must admit, the snow falling is pretty spectacular and with nowhere I have to be, I'm enjoying nature's show.

The day required lots of hot tea.

Throughout town, the trees were blanketed in a gorgeous white.

I know going out for pizza isn't the most exciting thing I can post, but we love Vinny's (owners Justin and Lauren). We want it out there. Casey and Linda had not been and left exclaiming, "This is the best pizza we've had in Tahoe!"

How can you not love this place?! From their website:

Our mission at Vinny’s is to bring authentic, New York style pizza, oven-baked pasta dinners and more to South Lake Tahoe, CA.  We make our own dough, hand toss it, top it with your favorite fresh ingredients, then bake it in our Baker’s Pride brick deck ovens.  Our marinara sauce simmers for 6 hours and we make our Alfredo sauce creamy with bites of fresh spinach.  Our local partners, Truckee Sourdough, Overland Meat Co., provide our fresh bread for our cheesy garlic bread and sub sandwiches, grass-fed beef and hormone-free sausage for our meatballs and Italian sausage.  Our tasty Spumoni ice cream comes from Hoch Family Creamery just over the border in Minden, NV.  Come in and enjoy a draft beer from local area breweries that we rotate seasonally.

Peace, Love, Pizza 

This was my bedtime story from Jenny (and Lake Tahoe Wildlife Care):

There once were three orphaned bears....
Things went well this morning.  Tranquilizer took effect quickly.  Blood was drawn for data base, and the bears weighed in at 121 lbs, 110 lbs, and 75 lbs.  The Department of Fish and Wildlife said springtime release seems to be working better than winter--the bears have a better chance at finding natural foods and staying out of trouble.  Yay!

...and they lived happily ever after.

How wonderful it is that there are people who care about these amazing animals and we happen to be friends with two of them!

Several 'Givers' hit the streets, beaches, boat docks and Rec Centers to hand out books for this amazing event. Steve and I ran around town being the official photographers. Here are my favorite images of the day...

What an incredible way of spending the day... participating in World Book Night, spreading the love of reading, person to person.  Today –Shakespeare’s birthday– tens of thousands of people in the U.S. went out into their communities and gave a total of half a million free World Book Night paperbacks to light and non-readers and I got to be one of them.  I'm pretty content. What a great, great day.

As part of our Friends of the Library programs, we hosted a pretty interesting presentation, where we introduced people to a snippet of TRTA’s 33 year history, as well as its many programs, volunteer projects, and all eight segments (of its 165 miles) via a slideshow.  The evening provided the public with the knowledge to be ready for the upcoming hiking season.

The Tahoe Rim Trail is a 165-mile long-distance hiking trail which forms a loop around Lake Tahoe. The trail ranges in elevation from 6,240 feet at the outlet of Lake Tahoe to 10,338 feet at Relay Peak in Nevada. About 50 miles of trail above the lake's west shore are also part of the much longer Pacific Crest Trail. What's really cool about this trail is that it's right here, in our own 'backyard'.

The presentation got us all in the mood for hiking, even though it was snowing while it was happening. Look how happy Janet is to be joining the association! "Of all the paths you take in life, make sure a few of them are dirt."

Tomorrow, I get to be a book giver, and I couldn't be happier. World Book Night U.S. is a celebration of books and reading held on April 23, when 25,000 passionate volunteers across America give a total of half a million books within their communities to those who don’t regularly read.

Why does World Book Night exist? Reading for pleasure improves literacy, actively engaging emerging readers in their desire to read. Reading changes lives, improves employability, social interaction, enfranchisement, and can have a positive effect on mental health and happiness. Book readers are more likely to participate in positive activities such as volunteering, attending cultural events, and even physical exercise.

 Or more simply put, books are fun—and they can be life-changing.

After a morning walk with Steve and lunch out, Jenny and I went to Karen's, in Lake Valley, for a nature hike before the snow came.

Note this "Where's Jenny?" moment as there was no way she was getting on a log, perched over a roaring river.
I love these Pterospora, commonly known as pinedrops, which are part of the blueberry family. It grows in coniferous or mixed forests and is quite stunning in a landscape of browns and greens.
We didn't see any beavers but plenty of proof of their existence.
After our explore, Karen prepared a most delectable, and completely meat-free meal. Jenny and I were ready to become vegetarians. Delicious.
My day concluded at Bona Fide Books for the monthly Print Club meeting. While everyone else works on masterpieces, I am content to create stamps for Letterbox hiding. What a great space to just do what you want, in a very friendly environment.
It was a nice day of simple pleasures.