Oh so intriguing... it really should read "murder mystery author" at the library.

Jennifer introduced us to the third novel from her Mountaingirl Mysteries series, Sierra Nevada Dangerous Developments. "In this adventure, Rachel Winters never skied so fast in her life. But her life never depended on it before. Now, Rachel's friends and family are in danger, and the only clue left behind is a message written in blood. Still recovering from a serious accident, Rachel must race against the clock to save her loved ones. Who’s after them, and why?"

An evening in the library, surrounded by bibliophiles, while listening to a talented author speak about her work... a fun night indeed!

Since we missed the last amazing moon event (we were in Anchorage and there was zero visibility), I awoke to wander our neighborhood, in my robe, as to not miss this one!

This spectacular lunar event, called a Super Blue Blood Moon, features the second full moon of the month, also known as a Blue Moon, as well as a total lunar eclipse, which is often referred to as a "blood moon" because the moon turns a reddish color when it passes through Earth's shadow. To round out the lunar trifecta, the moon will also be at its closest point to Earth in its orbit, making it a supermoon.
What makes this Super Blue Blood Moon extra special is that it marks the first time since March 31, 1866, that a total lunar eclipse coincides with a Blue Moon in North America.
"That red light you see is sunlight that has skimmed and bent through Earth's atmosphere and continued on through space to the moon," Alan MacRobert wrote in Sky & Telescope. "In other words, it's from all the sunrises and sunsets that ring the world at the moment." I love the thought of that!
Jenny and I were parallel viewing. The above photo and two below are her moon shots from her back deck. Sweet.
What a spectacular moonset.

If one is going to be awake far too early in the morning, this was worth the lack of sleep!

Last year, Steve and I booked a transatlantic repositioning cruise to Rome for later this year, with a one-way flight home from Barcelona (more about the actual trip when it gets closer). I, in my overzealousness, booked our return flight on Norwegian Air way too early... I just recently learned.

When I booked, the only flight available to us was an awful 20 hour catastrophe flying from Barcelona to Sweden before finally landing in Oakland. Arg! But the tickets were non-refundable, etc. I decided to give it chance and called the airline. After 28 minutes of explaining and being on hold, the very helpful Andrew received permission to change our flight to a direct one, departing and arriving at very reasonable times. And since that flight wasn't available when we booked originally, he was able to change it at no additional cost to us. I love great customer service. I'm a happy traveler.

Wanting to see if our first trip to this amazing store was a fluke, we ventured back. Oh man, what a shopping extravaganza!

This time we lucked out and got the use of a shopping cart (after I stalked a gentleman in the parking lot). We are actually standing on a scale!
This haul was even more impressive, yet slightly more expensive ($1.20 each item, based on overall weight). We did get heavier items which included an unused ovenproof skillet and a 1922 edition of Kipling's Kim.
Yes, we did get excited when we found Kim selling at this incredible price. Upon further research, ours was of less value since it wasn't autographed, but it was still a fantastic find. This was the hunt that revealed more name brand treasures: an Eddie Bauer down vest; a Sims snowboarding jacket; a Jessica Mc Clintock clutch; and an Ann Taylor sweater, still with its $59.99 price tag attached. We had more fun than anyone should have at a thrift store. We can't wait to go back!

It's always good to get off the hill, during winter, and find ourselves in Spring.

Woohoo we got 8" of sweet, sweet powder at Lake level. According to OpenSnow.com, "The snow moved in NW of the lake around 5:30 last night with intense snowfall rates of 2 inches per hours for the first few hours.  Overnight the cold front moves through the entire area with the last of snow showers winding down South of the lake around 5:30 this morning."

Our nephew rolled in last night for a snowboarding weekend. His timing was perfect!
"We have reports this morning of 6-18 inches on the mountains. Snow showers kept filling in behind the cold front overnight as temperatures dropped through the teens on the mountains.  That kept snow going while snow ratios were rising.  This was not supposed to be a 12 hour snow event, so the longer duration helped to put us over the top at some ski resorts."


So Steve and I strolled to the Lake. It couldn't have been a more beautiful after-storm-day, but it's not over yet. The snow dances are working.

Steve and I have a 1 1/2 hour break between our classes so we decided to visit the Haldan Art Gallery, located on our college campus. I was really interested in seeing Tony King and Pamela Glasscock's Inside/Outside Explorations. We were in awe.

Ms. Glasscock's drawings and watercolors of flowers are meticulously rendered, created with amazing scientific precision. Both of us thought they belonged in a botany book. I especially loved her wildflowers of Death Valley.


Mr. King's focus was on vivid plein air paintings. We loved his large scale images of the Ancient Bristlecones. Both of these talented artists have captured images from places we have been to and fondly remember. Maybe that is why we liked their works so very much.

Due to the recent snowfall, every bed in our cabin had a head in it. After a great day of skiing, these diehards went bowling and I got to tag along.

Not my best bowling but fun none-the-less.

I love searching for unique things to do and Karen was totally up for the Frances Humphrey Lecture Series at the Nevada State Museum. The topic: The Future of the Stewart Indian School by Sherry L. Rupert.

The presenter, Sherry L. Rupert, is the Executive Director of the State of Nevada Indian Commission. She shared with us the sad tale of how life was for Native Americans right here in Carson City. Established in 1890, the Stewart Indian School was one of the first 25 of hundreds of Indian Boarding Schools instituted across the nation to assimilate American Indian children into mainstream culture. The school was open for 90 years and educated over 30,000 American Indian students in the multi-colored stone structures. The 110-acre campus, with over 65 buildings, is the best example of an intact campus that still remains.
Native American boarding schools were established in the United States, beginning in the 1880s, to educate and assimilate Native American children according to Euro-American standards. The assimilation was forced through appearance changes with haircuts, children were forbidden to speak their native languages, and traditional names were replaced by new European-American names (to both "civilize" and "Christianize"). The experience of the schools was often harsh, especially for the younger children who were forcibly separated from their families. Originally, they were encouraged or forced to abandon their Native American identities and cultures.
After hearing about the school's past, we knew we had to see it firsthand. Wow.
Karen and I picked up a map and headed to explore via the Stewart Indian School Trail, a self-guided walking tour of the campus with twenty points of interest and audio stories (even with our flip phones). We didn't have time to do the entire trail but we will be back.



Karen and I are huge fans of snail mail. We loved this post office. They actually made a town of Stewart, Nevada for the school.





The beautiful buildings were crafted by Hopi stonemasons and the students they trained.
Over time, the memories of the school's beginnings faded and the Stewart Indian School became a desirable institution of learning for Native students. It closed in 1980 due to budget cuts and earthquake safety concerns. Soon, the hope is for it to be resurrected as a campus of cultural learning and celebrations. Actually, we plan to return for the Pow Wow in June. The history lessons continue.