On our road to Santa Rosa, we just had to stop and frolic in the flora. What a treat.

Six months ago, our friend, Kae, moved to Mexico where she's living la dulce vida and blogging about it at kathrynreed.com.

It was a wonderful opportunity to be included in her brief NorCal itinerary.

Sometimes the simplest of activities are the most fun. Today, six of us gathered to adorn jars with bling.

I gathered shells, ribbons, jute, raffia, and various other trinkets that, along with other contributions, allowed us to craft some super fun works of jar art (jart ?).
These are my three masterpieces. I plan to use them as gift vases when the need arises. What a delightful afternoon of friendship and fun. I 💗 crafting!

What a diverse day! It began at the South Lake Tahoe Library where 38 other community members came to meet the Sheriff.

"Sheriff John D'Agostini Presents: Criminal Activity: Awareness, Reporting & Prevention. Our El Dorado County Sheriff will provide an overview of things we should know here in South Lake Tahoe. Of special interest is the homelessness, crime trends and the most common financial scams targeting our communities and ways to avoid falling victim to scammers. In addition, the Sheriff encourages questions from the audience on any other subjects that are of concern."
The Sheriff shared successes, concerns and plans for the future. After his presentation, there were several thoughtful questions and we all departed feeling good about our law enforcement.
And he shared his vision:
Next in the uniqueness of my day occurred at the Tahoe Maritime Museum. This was Karen and Stephen's first visit here and it was the perfect introduction to this very cool nautical treasure.
We came to hear sailor tales. "Returning for Part II. Join us for a fun evening of maritime stories from Capt. L.R. “Spike” Wimmer, Capt. US Merchant Marine.  Spike’s maritime background is quite extensive, and includes the role as Harbor Pilot for the US Navy in the San Francisco Bay. Internationally, Spike was an inspector and surveyor for the governments of Panama, Belize and Greece. Here’s a talk you won’t want to miss!"
Being as I'm a Navy gal, I thoroughly enjoyed hearing Spike's story, A long road to the Wheelhouse.
This is a man who sailed, as a teen, from Newport to Alaska in the 60s when one had to rely on his wits, stars and mad skills. So dang cool.


In addition to sailor stories, we had the great opportunity to explore the entire museum. The current exhibition is called The T-Files: The search for Tessie.
Inspired by the 1990's hit series The X-Files, this experience captures the human need to pursue and study the unknown, the mysterious and that which has yet to be proven. This area of interest is often categorized as the pseudoscience: cryptozoology. Lake Tahoe has its own “cryptid,” or unproven creature, in the form of Tahoe Tessie, but in the world of lake monsters, Tessie is not alone.

There are, in fact, tales of aquatic monsters in lakes, rivers, estuaries and coastal waters all around the world. Many stories are recent and mostly just tales created to entice tourists, but many have an ancient lineage. The focus of The T-Files: the Search for Tessie, is to recount the stories of monsters that have a significant history, such as myths, beliefs and sightings passed down from indigenous peoples, medieval travelers or reputable explorers! Along the way, the museum invites visitors to join us in the search for Lake Tahoe’s own monster, Tahoe Tessie. Does she exist? Believers say yes, skeptics say no. That is the destiny of most water monsters; only definitely alive in the minds of those who “want to believe.” I highly recommend you visit this awesome exhibit and decide for yourself.
In addition to the facts presented, there was a delightful Tessie art display. This one is from the book sculpting duo of My Thousand Words, Debbie and Rachael Lambin. So very fun!

Our younger son's in-laws are passing through our town on their way home from a road trip.

Isn't this a winter wonderland campsite?
And they treated me to an early birthday dinner. What fun.

I wrote to our Dutch foreign exchange student knowing she lived near the scene of the shooting that happened today in Utrecht. At least three people were killed and many others were injured.

Nienke wrote, "Thank you for checking in! What a crazy world we live in. I always thought - perhaps naively - that something like today's shooting would never happen THIS close to home, literally. I live approx. 4 km/2,5 miles from the crime scene."

This is us, visiting Nienke and her mom in 2000.

A play day with Jenny always makes me feel at home. Today was planned for weeks and it could not have been a more perfect welcome back.

When I arrived at Jenny's house, this note greeted me at the front door.
We promptly headed to the Lake shore. GORGEOUS!
Spring is definitely on its way. Song birds were singing.
Bufflehead ducks were swimming about.
Juvenile bald eagles were hunting prey. So dang cool.
Though some signs of a lingering winter were evident.

This day is why I love Lake Tahoe so much. It's nature. It's beautiful. It's simple fun. It's good friends.

And for those who are curious, I arrived back in Tahoe yesterday to find this in my front yard. That is some kind of snow! Regardless, it is great to be home.

We are definitely getting great value from our San Diego Zoo annual pass. Most of us had these memberships when our children were young. For Lori, it had been years since she had been.

She was in when I said we could go together. Have I mentioned how much I love this Park?




I had yet to see the Frequent Flyers Bird Show. We were delighted as birds of various species (and a warthog) showed off their flying talents—with many soaring right over the audience!

And I was thoroughly impressed by the Secretary Bird. Standing over four feet tall, this bird cruises through Africa's tall grass on long legs while looking for a meal. They prefer savannas and open grasslands where they can see around them while strolling. Secretary birds are birds of prey that hunt for food on foot. They can catch and kill snakes, even venomous ones. These clever birds chase their prey and then strike it with their bill or stomp on it until the prey is dead or stunned enough for the bird to swallow. Secretary birds can't pick up food items with their feet, so food is either eaten right away or carried away in the beak. The show demonstrated his many talents. Super cool.
This was the view from our lunch spot.
I was surprised to learn that the new $17.4 million Walkabout Australia just opened this last May. I will continue to tout the “wonders from Down Under” residing in this fascinating 3.6-acre exhibit.
We were mesmerized by the relationship between this mom and her young joey!

When we walked into the Kangaroo area, we were given a list of rules. I then said, "And we can't pet them, right?" The greeter said, "If an animal approaches you, you may pet them but only on their back!" WHAT? Lori totally got to love on a kangaroo. And I got an eight second long video to prove it. So fun.


I'm always delighted by the variety of flowers that continue to appear, each time we visit.




This was the last face we saw before we left the Park. What a fantastic day of friendship, beauty and natural discovery!