When it's just us two for Christmas, the day's an open slate. We awoke to a very cold, very White Christmas, and decided to get out in it.

We bundled up and walked to Heavenly Village for the 2:25 PM showing of Rogue One: A Star Wars Story. If you are a fan at all, this was an excellent movie.
The Village was alive with all sorts of sounds, smells and sights of Christmas. It was the perfect place to feel holiday cheer.

And we even caught a glimpse of the sunset... Magical.
We finished our wonderful Christmas with a scrumptious dinner at Casey and Linda's. Roast Beef, Potato Casserole and Pumpkin Pie... oh my!

This should really read "Being a kid for the first time: Sledding" since I grew up in San Diego and sledding was definitely not a part of my childhood.

Our friend, Susan, hosted an amazing Christmas Eve slide into being a kid (or just continue to be) party. For a few hours we cheered, sledded, crashed, laughed and delighted in being carefree and fully covered in snow. What an idyllic Christmas Eve for Steve and me.

Since both of our sons are with their in-laws this holiday time, Steve and I have been looking back at Christmases past.

 1987 marked our first Christmas as a little family.
1991 had son #2 in the family photo. It has been an amazing life together and we delight in the fact that we have such great memories and keep making more. Wishing you the Merriest of Everythings as you reflect on the past and plan for the future.

Today has been a glorious day of snowfall. It hasn't been epic but we'll take what we can get.

We awoke to a Winter Storm Warning which remains in effect from 6 AM this morning to 7 AM tomorrow.
Timing: snow will move into the Tahoe basin this morning with periods of heavy snow this afternoon through early Saturday morning.
Snow accumulations: 1 to 2 feet above 7000 feet, with locally higher amounts along the Sierra crest. 8 to 14 inches at lake level.
Winds: southwest 15 to 25 mph with gusts to 40 mph. Sierra Ridge gusts up to 90 mph. Lake Tahoe wave heights: 2 to 4 feet.
Impacts: poor visibility with Whiteout conditions likely over the passes. Dangerous conditions for back country activities and travel on Highways 50, MT Rose Highway and Interstate 80.
Recommended actions: Now is the time to prepare an emergency kit for your home and car. If traveling consider waiting until the storm passes on Saturday afternoon and road conditions improve. Remember to carry tire chains, extra food, water and clothing. Once the storm arrives, travel may be difficult or impossible for an extended period of time.
Our travel wasn't impacted. All we had to do was get to Heavenly Village to see Santa hanging out in his globe. I delight in this sight every year. There is just something about it.

Another Tahoe tradition is to gather Sugar Pine cones and bake them. Today was the gathering day. While not as large as years past, the cones we found were beautiful and I can't wait for the house to fill with the aroma of pine.

To get to our favorite pine cone 'hunting spot', we had to pass Emerald Bay. It was a spectacular day for driving around the Lake and the Bay was breathtakingly beautiful.


And the day ended with yet another tradition, our neighbors Dan and Heidi coming over for holiday cheer. Oh it's looking A LOT like Christmas now!

We awoke to a light dusting of snow and a crispness in the air. While the snow didn't last, the beautiful day did. It seemed perfect for an outing at the Lake.

We shared this amazing day with Bob, Jenny, Janet and her dogs. The photos below pretty much speak for themselves.






There is a peacefulness in the stillness. It was the perfect place to celebrate our coming home.

Since moving here, we have delighted in a very special tradition of hiking through the woods to cut our own Christmas tree.

During the holiday season the U.S. Forest Service Lake Tahoe Basin Management Unit offers permits for the public to select and cut Christmas trees in the Lake Tahoe Basin. Permits are offered to help reduce hazardous fuel materials that have built up over years of fire suppression. Removal of excessive amounts of small trees helps create a healthier forest over time. This year they sold 4,500 permits. We were so lucky to get one.
Because it is so late in the holiday season, we chose a sweet, simple tree. It really isn't the size of the tree but the magic feelings that it evokes. ♪♫ It's beginning to look like Christmas! ♫♪

Wanting to have a small gathering upon our return, we invited friends over for dinner and Bingo.

The meal was Italian, with thirteen of us nestled into our cozy dining room.
It had been a long time since most of us had played Bingo. It was a wonderful night with much laughter, a British accent (a long story), and even prizes for everyone.

There is something extraordinary being with friends after an extended absence. It was cozy and comfortable, like we had never left at all. It is good to be home.

Located only 1.8 walking miles from our cabin, Heavenly Village offers so much fun. We decided to stroll there for Happy Hour and dinner.

Live music, drink and food specials, a fire pit and an incredible view. Did I mention that we love Tahoe?

Okay, what I should have said is this Nativity IS Rocks.

A friend of mine shared this with me. I love creativity in any form and I thought I would share this with you. This image comes from the Ventura Visitors Bureau and was created by Juan Cisneros who is known in the area for his rock stacks.  He says, "I feel the energy of the rocks and know exactly how to place them." How uniquely awesome is that? You might even say "it rocks!"

We were delighted to return to Tahoe in time to help host local author John Hindmarsh as our last Friends of the Library Program for 2016.

John writes Science Fiction and Thrillers, sometimes with crossover. Well, he claims you need a thrill in your Science Fiction and an occasional touch of science in your Thrillers.

After a three month absence, there were certain things that just had to be done so our first day home was spent being "productive".

The front yard was covered with pine needles and cones. I cleverly used shower caps, from hotel stays, as shoe protectors against the sap. They worked pretty well.
Seven full bags of pine needles and about 100 pine cones. Wow.
I'm including this light bulb because this was the strangest thing we discovered upon our return. It turns out squirrels chewed through five hanging light bulbs that were draped across the yard and wrapped around the tree. They not only made the bulbs fall to the ground but they absconded with the cable that suspended them. So very strange.
Steve spent most of the day going through the mail. This isn't the fun stuff that I delight in opening but the business stuff that is grueling.
But the reward for all our catch up chores was a stroll along the shore of Lake Tahoe. Being out in the crisp winter air, overlooking our amazing Lake, was what made us come home.

We are back, happily in Tahoe! Woo hoo. The image below is a great summary of our three month and three day (94 days) American Road Trip.

This a cool feature of Steve's truck. It is our trip diary, so to speak. So let me translate the totals for you. Since we departed on September 9th, Steve (I am not allowed to drive) drove for 226.04 hours, using 884.7 gallons of diesel fuel while getting a whopping 11.3 average miles per gallon (which is rather good since we weighed over 14,000 lbs). The coolest stat is the amount of ground we covered- 9,557 miles! And we actually traversed 22 states.

We are happy to be home. Yet, this has been a truly unforgettable experience. Thanks for coming along with us, until the next story!

If you are on my snail mail Christmas Card list, you should have received your newsy mailing from me by now. Did you note the postmark? Just in case you missed it and you don't want to dig through the trash, here it is.

Yes, your card arrived from the North Pole, Alaska and no, we didn't actually get there to mail them (this year). 
Getting a North Pole Postmark is a service provided by the United States Postal Service. Even though I didn't utilize it quite as it was intended, all of my cards we're sent from Alaska. Yes, Virginia, there is a Santa Claus. And the Postal Service™ can help you prove it when Santa replies to your child’s letter to Santa — complete with the North Pole Postmark! The Letters from Santa program adds to the excitement of Christmas and is ideal for interesting youngsters in letter writing, stamps and penmanship.
So I placed all my cards into a Priority Flat Rate box and sent it to: