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Picture heavy post. This summer we’ve had the pleasure of two trips to Tahoe and what better way to describe our time than through pictures.
Out and about
Sawmill pond South Lake Tahoe, stocked with fish (who taunted us by jumping out of the water right and left) only those 14 & under allowed to fish.
her sitting rock on the walk to the beach
would you like some water?
Taylor Creek Rainbow trail walk
The Beach
mmm…sand…mmmm goatee
The Lake…ah the Lake
Claire, you’re shivering and your legs are purple, come warm up in the sun. Claire: My legs are purple, that’s great purple is my favorite color. (and back in the water she went)
The Cabin
Hiking to Angora Lakes
Boats
Most of the time it certainly didn’t feel like winter in the Sierra Nevadas. The outside temperature topped out around 55 or 60 most days and the sky was bright and clear. Snow is a beautiful thing when its not old and dirty but those balmy temps sure make playing outside a lot easier and a little more fun (less concern of frostbite).
This snow was a whole lot easier to shape than the November snow. This snow actually packed together and we were able to create several snow people, a couple snow dogs (fashioned after my Uncle’s dog Dixie that Claire kept calling Skippy) and a snow bunny.
See what I mean? No hat and Meme is only wearing a fleece. I like to tell myself Claire was bundled up because she’s been battling a cold but the truth of the matter is mom forgot another jacket option for her.
Meme and Claire checking out the newly renovated sledhill (thanks to Daddy). This has become Claire’s preferred way to travel.
Snow angels with PopPop.
Making sure PopPop continued his snow angel endeavor.
Mom’s turn to sled with Claire. I took full advantage since last year I was pregnant and didn’t get to sled.
Dad and Claire intensely concentrating on their sled run. I think Josh is grooming her for the US Bobsled team.
Conor’s first sled run (don’t worry it was a very gentle slope).
Claire’s favorite passtime, eating snow.
Conor’s first time out of state, Stateline, CA/NV
Making Tortilla Soup with Meme (the stove wasn’t on).
Can’t find mittens? Socks work pretty well.
Dashing through the snow in a one horse open sleigh o’r the fields we go asthma all the way.
Sunday dawned bright, beautiful and balmy for a January Tahoe day – balmy as in like 58 on the south shore. A perfect day for a sleigh ride – snow covered mountains as the backdrop, a lake view – what could be better? Josh faced a dilemma. He loves being with his family and he enjoys horses but his team was in the playoffs and as a Chicago sports fan, that happens infrequently. So, Josh elected (with his family’s whole hearted approval) to catch part of the game instead of taking a picturesque sleigh ride.
Because of the balmy temperatures and the fact that the south shore gets less snow than the west shore (where we were staying) stateline had a bit of a dingey old snow look to it but once you turned off the main road things became a lot prettier. Josh departed us at the parking lot and we (my parents, the kids and I) made our way across the highway to Borges Family Sleigh Rides. Claire was a bit grumpy. She’s turned into quite the homebody and although she loves Tahoe, the snow and GiGi’s cabin, there is no substitute for her home and at this particular time she was begging to either go home or play in the snow. The almost 2000 lb Belgian horses distracted her temporarily. They were beautiful and HUGE horses. But Claire wanted to play or more importantly to her, find a patch of fresh snow so she could eat it.
Fortunately for us, the morning crowd was light and we waited maybe eight minutes before being loaded onto our sleigh. Meme and Pop Pop behind the driver with Conor and Claire elected to sit in back with mom. We were introduced to Jack aka Eeyore a 15 year old draft horse who apparently can pull like 4000lbs. Claire was a little unnerved by the jostling of the sleigh and further distracted by all the pristine snow we were treading upon that she wasn’t allowed to play in. Conor was content on Meme’s lap taking in the sights. About halfway through the 30 minute sleigh ride Claire was emboldened and decided to help Vanessa, our driver, hold the reins – that lasted about a minute and just as Claire was getting passed back to me in the back seat, a familiar twinge hit my chest. Familiar in that old smell from childhood way but not nearly so pleasant. Familiar as in time to visit the doctor’s office for the smoking of the peace pipe (that’s what we called it – it was a breathing treatment). It was back – asthma, a condition that has been such an infrequent visitor I had almost forgotten about it.
Claire “driving the sleigh”
To keep Claire entertained and distracted from her inability to play in the snow she delved into amateur photography. Here are a couple of her photos.
As we rounded the bend and Jack commenced a short lived trot back to his home base both Claire and Conor got pretty squirrelly. Conor dozed off just as we pulled to a stop. We descended the sleigh and my mom turned to me, “did you enjoy yourself?” I wheezed out a “yes…but I need to get out of here, asthma.” She gave me that you’re kidding, ok, lets get a move on it look and began ransacking her purse for an inhaler. Claire got to feed Jack two alfalfa biscuits, I think that was the highlight of the adventure for her. Mom came back with a no such luck on the inhaler and we gathered the group and went in search of Josh over at Mont Blue.
I was conflicted as I called Josh. The predicament I was in was going to bring up a sore topic between the two of us. The first summer that Josh and I dated he took me horseback riding at the camp he was working at. By the time we got to his parents house for lunch I resembled Martin Short after his bee sting in sheer luck and I tried to play off my reaction as getting a cold all the while my chest was constricting and I could barely see because even my eyelids were swollen. He was frustrated that I neglected to mention my horse allergy and even more frustrated that for years I always conveniently forget to mention the horseback riding and my reaction to my parents. So…though I was now ten years older I was faced almost the same issue. Sigh.
We tracked down Josh and he just smiled and took inventory about how he could help but the smoke of the casino did nothing to relieve my asthma but thankfully a stroll through the fresh mountain air over to jamba juice did help to loosen my chest and i was able to get away from the incident without an inhaler and as more time and space separated me from the horses, I could appreciate and enjoy the experience the sleigh ride had been.
If family and fellowship were the overarching themes of the holiday weekend, this image would sum up everything else.
Lots of relaxing…while entertaining Claire and Conor.
There was turkey…
and gingerbread house making…
and general silliness.
and Conor learned to sit up.
and then of course, the SNOW! There was at least three feet of snow before we arrived and we got another foot while we were there. It was stinkin cold the day we arrived, the high didn’t get out of the teens and the low was below zero! Sheesh! So the kids were layered up a la Christmas Story but they didn’t seem to mind. Once we got the fire going at the cabin, it was gloriously cozy. Knowing that the warmth of the cabin awaited us, we plunged into snow fun. We attempted snowball fights and snowmen but the snow would not pack. Josh and Claire were successful at a snow fort.
trying to eat snowflakes.
The snow stopped Saturday night so fortunately for us, the roads were clear on Sunday. We enjoyed breakfast with Grandma and Grandpa Smith at one of our favorite places, Firesign and headed home.
And how would we know that its 72.2 miles? Well, I am content to find out that information online. Josh on the other hand wanted to find out for himself. And he did. All 72.2 miles of road. On a bicycle. We spent the last weekend in September (and what a glorious weekend it was) in lovely, magnificent Lake Tahoe.
May I first say I was reminded once again how much I love the off season when I ventured into SaveMart for a few groceries and was welcomed with clear aisles, small lines at the checkstand and plenty of parking. Oh how I love you off season.
The kids, settling in.
Josh started training for this race in mid August by riding his bike to work a few times each week. The start and finish were at Zephyr Cove. Josh gave us a call when he was at Bliss (while riding his bike, I don’t like thinking about it so I won’t dwell there) and we drove up to the road from the cabin to cheer him on. I would have loved cheer him on from a couple different locations but with the kids we thought it best to do something for fun for us/them instead that didn’t mean more car riding.
here he comes.
And there goes. We got kisses and hugs but then he was on his way. He figured out he was on pace to finish the race in 4 hours!
GO DADDY!
And now, time for our hike! The hike we did was a continuation of a hike Josh and I did the last time we were up at the Lake. This leg went from Bliss to Emerald Bay. A lovely little jaunt which was flat for the most part. We didn’t make it the whole way, we were probably another 8 minutes walk to Emerald Bay but turned back for the sake of naps and good humour.
and all back at the cabin safe, sound and in good spirits.
one last glorious morning.
Our vacation kicked off with a great big cold. That’s right, a cold. Josh, Claire and I all had it. Yippee, great way to start vacation, right? At least we were going to the cabin, a low key, comfortable and most of all, relaxing place. The kids were much more cooperative in the car this trip; they both slept a bit which was wonderful. When Claire wasn’t sleeping she was entertained with her special folder I put together for her (stickers, flashcards, paper, crayons, colorbooks).
The first half of the week we took it easy with small excursions and trips to the beach while we recouperated. Josh and I were reminded once again that vacationing as a family looks different from vacationing as a couple. We were challenged by tantrums, crying jags, stuffed up noses, coughs, you get the idea. We were also showered with memories we will have for years and years to come.
Enjoying the beach on our first day at the lake.
recouping on the couch and fishing for some mountain boogies.
Conor sleeping and Josh recouping (sleeping).
Conor’s beach digs…
Hiking. We did a couple of small hike/walks on our trip. Josh scored a sweet kids backpack at the REI used gear sale. Claire interest waxed and waned more than Josh would have liked. She loved walking but was a little too into the scenery, challenging Josh’s “the destination is the journey” mantra.
Hiking in style.
Can you believe the view?
Navigating some terrain made tricky by the back pack.
The hiking kiddos post hike.
Conor’s bed…yes…that is a drawer. Trunk space was limited so we had to get creative. He didn’t seem to mind.
Family…
The second half of the week my family joined us at the cabin to celebrate my grandma’s 75th Birthday. Happy Birthday Grandma/Gi Gi. We LOVE you so much!
A little lunch at Sunnyside. Fried zuchini YUM! Seared Ahi YUM!
Conor’s “first” time in the lake.
The Family minus a few…but the family nonetheless.
Claire helping clean up the cabin.
Claire and her new cabin favorite, Pilota, our dinghy.
Its unusual that June and most of July comes and goes without a Smith trip to one of our favorite places. Alas this summer, circumstances dictated a later trip and unfortunately, the first one was made without Josh – he stayed behind to work.
Conor was not a fan of the car trip to and from the cabin, he blessed us with a cryfest 85% of the trip. Claire managed to stay relatively unruffled by Conor’s cries due in large part to the passenger in the front seat. Gi Gi (Saint Patricia). Gi Gi rode with us up and back from the cabin and boy oh boy did she earn her stripes (as if she hadn’t already with her grandchildren). Conor and Claire kept her busy busy in the car fetching pacifiers, soothing crying babies, reading stories, handing out snacks, retrieving dropped toys, you get the idea. She did all of this with her calm and soothing demeanor, totally unphased by the occasional outburst from Claire on Conor’s consistent cries.
Claire finally fell asleep in Tahoe city (on the drive up) so while Gi Gi picked up some extra groceries, I drove around the parking lot hoping to keep Claire lulled in sleep. We also had to pack the extra supplies around Gi Gi for the Trip from Tahoe City to the Cabin. Thanks for being a good sport Gi Gi.
Gi Gi and Conor having a much deserved rest after the morning car ride.
Claire’s morning I just got up face.
and her magnificient bed head!
Claire enjoyed the beach last summer but at 10 1/2 months she wasn’t able to explore on her own. This summer, upon arriving at the beach, Claire threw a sand toy into the water and ran after it to retrieve it. Now the water is relatively calm at the lake but there is a slight drop off (maybe six inches) from the shore and Claire fell face first into water up to her belly. Meanwhile we are trying to unload our beach things, my mom and dad are wrestling with an umbrella and I’ve got Conor strapped to me in the beco carrier. I raced to Claire’s side and yanked her out of the water. She looked up at me a little startled but with this like that said…”what?…really…what?” Ok, so she’s a fish and not at all bothered by the frigid temperature of the water. (the next day at the beach we strapped a life jacket to her – gave me MUCH more peace of mind).
Meme and Claire in the water.
Claire and pop pop playing in the sand.
Conor hung out under the umbrella the whole time. His first trip to the beach – pretty uneventful.
Meme and Conor.
Pop Pop and Conor.
Claire and Pop Pop coloring.
Claire invented a game we call the “glove game” or “I challenge you to a dual” whereby opponenets throw rubber kitchen gloves onto the floor.
The family time honored tradition of giving our cherubs a bath in the sink.
The kids and I snuggling…
For our upcoming trip to Tahoe I’ve got a couple of new tricks I’m going to try to keep the kids entertained. I’ll let you know in an upcoming post if they worked for us.
