SKIING

Sierra at Tahoe, our local ski area opened this weekend and we were very excited. In September We bought season passes for the family not sure if James would like it enough to benefit from the season pass. James loved it and actually said "this is awesome!" as we were going up the lift. He didn't want to leave at 3:00 but I talked him into it. We were beat. We had gone skiing in New Hampshire at McIntyre Ski Area a couple years ago and he seemed to like it, but it was raining and he was a bit young and got frustrated.

We started late at about 10 or so in the morning, we went up to the top of the mountain and took a long run down, it took us a while and it was slow going. For the rest of the day we mostly stayed on the bunny slope and let him get a feel for the skis and get his confidence up. Later in the day he wanted to try the big slope again. After we did that run again, he remarked at how much faster he did it the second time compared to the first. We did the long run a few times and then called it a day. Very impressed at how James had progressed. He was in awe of the big kids who were doing jumps and tricks on their snow boards. One time we rode up the lift with a 9 year old who offered to take James down the terrain park, but James declined. He wanted to get a bit more experience before he did any tricks, I do not think it will be long before he does venture off to the park. He was jumping a bit as we went down the slopes as it was and this was only his second day on skis.

When we were in New Hampshire, we purchased a TrySki by Techno-Synthetic that helps keep the ski tips together and the learning skier with wedging so they can stop. This helped James a lot and gave him the confidence he needed to enjoy himself. Other parents had asked about it and we were glad we had it. I am not sure if the ones that are softer would be better, they may allow the ski tips to cross causing more difficulty in learning.

A funny thing happened while I was at our car. During lunch I put our skis in the pod, a guy was walking by looking at me and he finally said, "I like your car, man!". It is the base model Subaru Outback wagon with a Thule Cargo "pod" on the roof. I thought nothing of it until we were leaving and the fella next to us asked if our car was all wheel drive and whether it had snow tires. All Subaru's are full time AWD but it only has all weather tires on it. He had a Ford 150 pickup. Seems to be a popular car among skiers.

Thanksgiving

Vacation

We drove to Las Vegas last Monday for my work. I had an installation start on Tuesday so we all drove down. After visiting the site we left NV and headed to Zion National Park for a couple days and then over to Bryce Canyon National Park. We had visited these parks about ten years ago so it was nice to go back and take James to see them. While we were in Bryce it snowed and made the place very pretty.

( More photos )

Snow!

Around noon today we left the house to go fishing, we got to the local lake and saw the snow on the mountains, we decided to go check it out instead.

Fall is here

11:00 AM 10/27/2007 It has been a wonderful fall here. We have enjoyed the change of seasons. The area around us is mostly pine trees but we have noticed many deciduous trees now that the changing colors have made them more visible. This weekend, since Jaimie and I both had something to do on Sunday, we took our hike on Saturday instead. We chose to hike the Thunder Mountain Trail. It is a very nice hike and one of the most spectacular that we have done. We only went up part of the way as James was whining the whole time and we stared late. We left the house about noon and did not get to the trail head until about 1. With the shorter days and whining kid, we knew we could not make it the 7 miles round trip in time. We average about one mile per hour with James. The hike is a steady uphill for the first mile and a half, fairly steep grade up the trail. The weather was perfect and the temperature was about 55 degrees.

(See our latest photos)

22/23 September

We had some friends visit for the weekend. On Friday, we went to Jack Russell Brewery and has a couple beers and let James play in the yard.

On Saturday we went to the farmers market which we often do on Saturdays. Then went to a local diner for breakfast. After that, we went to local winery to taste their wines and then came home and got ready for dinner at Taste, in Plymouth, CA. The meal was very good and we had a great time. On the drive over we stopped at Bray Vineyards and tried their wines. I liked almost every one they served. We bought a bottle and sat under a tree and had a few glasses and enjoyed the view. Then at a quarter to 6 we headed off to dinner.

On Sunday it was raining a bit so we did a driving tour of the mountains. We went up Mormon Emigrant Trail (NF-5) towards highway 88 near Kirkwood ski area. We stopped at Silver Lake/Plasse's Resort and looked around the lake. Then we drove into Kit Carson Lodge and walked around there for a few minutes. Then it was back in the car and we went over to Kirkwood. There was a lot of snow up on the peaks there, I was excited. The first snow fall at Sierra at Tahoe, the local ski area came on Wednesday, the 19th of September. That was the first day of precipitation we have had all summer. It rained off and on all morning Sunday and it did not clear off until we got close to Lake Tahoe. There had been some motorcycle rally in Nevada and there were hundreds of motorcycles riding in the rain down the mountain. I was not the least bit jealous in that weather. 36 to 40 degrees and a light rain, no thanks. For lunch we stopped at Sprouts in South Lake Tahoe which is a great place to eat. Probably our favorite in South Lake Tahoe.

Anyone reading this?

If you see this, please email me and let me know so I know to keep updating it. If only one person is reading it, I can email them directly.

Darrin

Airshow

On Saturday morning we drove up to Lake Tahoe for the airshow. We took our bikes so we could ride to the airshow since we were not sure how busy or where the parking was. As it turned out, there was a lot of parking and not many people at all. It was a very nice airshow and there were a lot of military planes there. James loved the Hercules C-130 and stayed in it for a long time. The rear drop gate of the plane was open for you to go into the cargo hold and see the inside, then you could go up into the cockpit. It was real neat.

After the airshow we went to get something to eat, then we went down to Camp Richardson for an ice cream. From there we went to Pope Beach to play in the sand for a while. The water was so cold, but James had a good time making a sand castle and burying some other children's father in the sand. We rode our bikes down to the beach, so after that we went for a bike ride along the Tahoe Lake Trail. James has been on his bike a few times here, but where we live is so hilly, it is hard to do it much. We were impressed by his riding ability and we rode for about 4 miles. He had a couple of spills and after the last one, where he was going a bit too fast, he got up and was holding his tummy. We were a bit concerned as he fell flat on the ground on top of the bike right into a pile of pine needles. When he got back on his bike he stated, "I guess that is why I shouldn't be cruising along like that".

A few days ago, James asked me "Why do they put luggage in the tummy of the plane?" It was so cute to hear that terminology used for a plane.

Canoe Day

On Saturday, we put the canoe on the car and drove up to Silver Lake. It is a nice lake deep in the National Forest and not real busy. It is south of Lake Tahoe and on the south side of Highway 50. The south side gets a lot less traffic than the north side of the highway and is great when the weekend crowds come up as people do not come down that far from Tahoe so it stays relatively quiet. The lake is small but very pretty. There were only a few power boats but lots of paddlers. It was very windy, though, so it made for a hard paddle but very enjoyable. We sat on the shore for a while, ate some lunch, had an adult beverage, watched the birds and boaters, and just enjoyed the day.

The birds we saw at the lake were an eagle and and a pair of osprey. The osprey were fishing the whole day and we saw them hit the water many times. Not sure if they were ever successful in their fishing, but it was neat to see. The eagle flew over and was there only briefly.

First Day Of Kindergarten

Today was the first day of kindergarten.

Uneventful.

James likes his teacher. He says he is a terribly nice guy. We are glad he likes him as we requested him as his teacher. We met his daughter at REI Folsom (Sacramento) and talked with her for a while, she said her father taught in Pollock Pines and she went to school at Pinewood. We decided to ask for him.

James went into his classroom, sat where he was assigned, was called to sit in the circle in the center of the room, he ran to the circle and sat down. We said good by and I gave him a High Five and we left.

James couldnt have been happier.

Kindergarten

We went to Pinewood Elementary School on Thursday 9th of August, 2007 for an orientation for the incoming Kindergarten class. James will be attending there starting on Monday from 9 am till 3 pm every weekday. Mr Haslam, the principal, gave us a welcome speech in the auditorium when we arrived. It was a rather moving speech and he reminded us that we need to communicate with our children every day. Ask them how their day was and what they did. Good advice, I hope everyone takes it to heart. He also brought the room to tears by telling us that our children will be in the class of 2020, it seems so SOON! I know that everyone says, make sure you spend time with your child, they will be grown before you know it. I tried, but it seems like he is already out the door and off to college.

James's teacher will be Mr. Ferris. he has taught at Pinewood for many years and seems like he will be a fantastic teacher. I think he will offer structure and discipline to the kids yet he understands that learning also takes place outside of the classroom. We actually met his Daughter in REI down in Sacramento a few months ago. She was very nice and helpful and said her Father teaches at Pinewood, well we had to ask for him to be James's teacher.

Sunday, 5th of August 2007

Jaimie and I went for a hike up to Immigrant Lake on Sunday. It is a nice hike up to the lake and part of the trail follows the shore of much larger Caples Lake. The water is beautiful and clear and has a very picturesque shoreline. Reminds me of the Sechelt Peninsula in British Columbia.

After we left the parking lot for the hike we looped through the lodge we spotted from the other side of the lake while we were hiking. It was a nice place with some small rental cabins on the water called Caples Lake Resort. Quite an adorable place and the lake was nice as there were only a few boats on it and no speed boats like on Jenkinson lake near us.


http://www.capleslakeresort.com/

Sticks

The other day Jaimie was joking with James Fyffe about beating me with a stick and Jamesy responded, "That's why I collect sticks!"

The back story. Any time we go hiking with James, he collects 3, 4, 5, or more sticks, he will carry as many as he can along with him, asks us to carry some too, and tries to bring them all home. We have since instituted a "One Stick Law" which allows him to transport one of his beloved branches back to the "Twiggery".

Robbery!

On Thursday night, while we slept evil visited upon our deck. From the beginning. In mid July, Jaimie and James came home with a couple of gold fish. We do not have an aquarium or an air pump so I was concerned about the longevity of the fish in a bowl. That night when we went to sleep I inquired about the fish and Jaimie said they would be fine. The next morning they were swimming upside down and not too fast, if you know what I mean... On Wednesday, we purchased a fish to put in our water garden. On Thursday we bought some fish food for it and on Friday morning I went out to feed the fish. I found the water muddied and the fish gone. The water lily had been pulled out and eaten. The water lily was packaged in some black netting with some rocks in the bottom to weigh it down and coconut fibers around it to protect it and keep it moist (I presume) in transit. All of the lily packaging was scattered over the deck. The lily in the water garden for a few weeks and it had finally sprouted out some shoots. This photo is from our security camera and is who we believe to be the suspect. We have the local police department on the case and hope to apprehend the perp soon.

28 July 2007

The whole family went with me to King City CA for an adventure. On Friday I was visiting a customer there in King City, then on Saturday we would go to the Gilroy Garlic Festival. As you may know, Gilroy is the Garlic capitol of the world!!!

On Friday we left the house around 9:30 and headed down to King City. It was a nice drive and I really enjoyed having the family with me. We made it to King City just after 2 pm and checked in to our hotel and then I went on over to the plant. They had some cracks in their system that was allowing hot gas to come out of the end of the turbine. We had a stick with a rag on the end and put it up to one of the cracks and it was gone in a flash. When we were finished, I went back to the hotel and we went swimming and played in the pool for a while and then got ready for dinner. We went to a small mexican restaurant that had no vegetarian food. Jaimie was not to happy. Afterwards we went to Taco Bell and got her something to eat and then went to the hotel to watch a movie.

On Saturday we went up to the Garlic Festival, it was great as there was no traffic at 9:30 in the morning and we were coming from the south where there was no population so we had no trouble getting into the festival. We drove up the main road into it and parked along the road. The walk in was about half a mile and very pleasant. We ate some garlic fries and deep fried artichoke hearts with, you guessed it, garlic... VERY GOOD. Not for Vampires or those who do not like garlic, obviously. Beers were 6 dollars each and not too big, we only had one. We wandered the grounds and checked out the booths and exhibits. There is a lot of garlic themed stuff as well as the usual crap they sell at the state fair and any other festival.

After the festval we drove over to the coast to the beach. Seacliff State Beach - Aptos, CA
was where we went and the beach was nice. James enjoyed the water and met a little girl he played with in a deep pit she had dug. They ran around in in the water and played for a couple hours and then we headed home.


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21/22 July

On Saturday we drove down to Sutter Creek to the farmers market there. It was very small and had limited produce. The Placerville one is much better. On the way home we stopped at Andrae's Backery in and got breakfast and some items for lunch. We planned on stopping at a winery on the way home. The drive was very nice and beautiful countryside, rolling hills covered in golden grass and green trees. We stopped at MonteVino winery Plymouth, Amador County, CA www.montevina.com It was very nice and they had a tour at noon so we took the tour, it was interesting seeing the different areas of a winery that are behind the scenes. At the end of the tour you go to the tasting room and they offer you any of the wines they have available. We tried a few wines and then went out to the courtyard to have our lunch.

Sunday was a day of rest. we didnt go anywhere. Jaimie organised the house and put away the last few boxes from the move. I think we are officially settled now.


On Monday I drove Jaimie to the Reno Airport to catch a flight to Chicago. On the way back I attempted to make a few sales calls and had no luck. One place was a house, two were out of business, and the last one was not in the phone book nor could I find an address online. James was napping in the car while I drove around Lake Tahoe looking for these places so it was perfect. By this time it was almost 5 pm so we drove to the south along the shore of Lake Tahoe. I had promised James an ice cream if he was good for my calls and stayed in the car so when we passed an ice cream shop we stopped and got him his treat. We then went on to the beach and played in the sand and swam a bit. It was very nice and the water was crystal clear and very refreshing (ICE COLD).

(More photos)

Camping in July

On Friday night, 13 July we went east towards Tahoe to go camping in the Eldorado National Forest. We had reconoitered the area in the past and knew an area that looked good. We east from our house on 50 to Kyburz and took the Silver Fork Road towards Mormon Immigrant Trail. We passed a few campgrounds and finally found a spot that looked nice. In the National Forest, you can camp anywhere you want so we found a place along the river that looked nice and just pitched our tent.

On Saturday we went for a hike to Lake Margaret. It was a nice hike through lots of different types of flora and biospheres. We started out in the pine forest, headed through a boggy area, walked through Aspen forest along the creek and then finally reached the lake. It was a beautiful day and the lake was crystal clear. James took a little swim in the water and we had a break to relax for a while. We hiked back to the car and headed towards our camp. James did very well on the hike and some of the other hikers on the trail even noted how good he was for hiking that trail. The trail is 5 miles round trip, so not the longest we have done, but still a good hike for a 5 year old.

When we got back to camp James and I went fishing in one of the pools of water near the camp. We caught a couple trout and James wanted to keep them, as usual, but they were too small. While we were walking along the river, I had heard a rumble and looked for James, he was ahead and just behind some rocks. I thought he had knocked some rocks down the cliff into the river but that was not the case. About 300 yards down the river there was a tree that was falling and it had twisted off its trunk and started to fall. It was a 100 to 120 foot tall tree and it made a terrible sound when if fell. It was quite rotten and when it hit the ground it made a huge crash. The top section exploded apart in a huge cloud of dust and small chunks and the pieces floated away down the river. The lower section of the trunk was still intact and we went down to examine the tree. It was a massive tree and was quite impressive to watch fall. We were glad to not be any closer to it than we were. It may not look impressive from this side of the river but these trees are so big that it takes two or three people to put their arms around the trunks. (More photos)

July 4th 2007 - Lake Tahoe, CA

On Tuesday evening we went to the North Tahoe Fireworks display last night. It was very pleasant. We went to Kings Beach on Lake Tahoe’s North Shore Tuesday, July 3 where we were able to sit right on the beach and watch the fireworks that were shot off from a barge in the lake. We set off from Pollock Pines around 6 to take a leisurely drive up to Tahoe. We stopped for dinner in a little cafe across the street from Kings Beach and had a nice dinner of fish and chips and veggie burgers. Then we wandered down the street to get James an ice cream and then back to the car to get our chairs, then across the street to the park. It was a great show and the reflection of the fireworks on the water was spectacular. There were many boats out in the water and the sparkling lights and the fireworks were just magical. All in all, a very nice way to celebrate the 4th. There were lots of people, but the crowd was very manageable, when the fireworks were over we were back to our car and on the road home in less than ten minutes.

On Wednesday we went to the local Fire Department's Pancake Breakfast. It was a nice breakfast and we had a lot to eat. James really liked getting to talk to the firemen and seeing the fire trucks. Later we watched the parade and he got lots of candy and frozen treats from the folks on the floats.

June 23rd and 24th 2007

On Saturday, Jaimie and I went on a motorcycle ride called a Poker Run while Grandma watched James. The Poker Run was a fund raiser for the Snowline Hospice in Placerville. There were about 250 motorcycles in the run. You ride your motorcycle to 5 different sites and get a card. The person with the best hand wins something, I had a 3, 5, 8, 10 and an Ace, I don't think you win much with that kind of hand...


We normally we hike on Sunday but this weekend we had some kids over for Jamesy's birthday. We had a delicious home-made cake (Jaimie made an outstanding cake once again) and then went to the pool and swam a bit. He got a lot of great gifts and was very excited. He hauled a bag of his loot around all the next day. One of his favorite gifts was a wheelbarrow from his Grandparents Bill and Tina. Here is a photo of James eating his lunch in it.



James is in kindergarten camp this week and next. It is a way for the kids coming in to Kindergarten to get used to the school, make some friends, and learn how to behave before the school year starts. He seems to like it. This is a photo of James on his first day of Kindergarten Camp.

Hiking near Echo Lake 18 June 2007

We hiked out to the Echo Lake boat taxi on Father's Day. It is a beautiful area and it was quite comfortable with the temperature in the mid 60's when we started out just before noon. The 2.7 mile trip out to the dock took us about 3 hours. The whole hike is 8+ miles and would take about 8-9 hours so we did not go all the way up to Ralston Lake, maybe next time.


James likes to go on our weekly hikes but was a bit slow on this one. He stopped to poke at almost every rock, shrub, tree, stream, etc. that we came to. While it is part of the reason we are out there, it does add considerable time to a hike.


The Echo Lakes area is quite beautiful. Situated in a valley high above Lake Tahoe you have all the beauty of Tahoe with less crowds but more tree huggers...

17 June 2007

We went to the El Dorado County Fair on Saturday night. We had a great time watching the demolition derby, walking through the exhibits, watching the carnival rides, and seeing all the people. The demolition derby was the epitome of redneck fun. Too bad James didn't like it more.

June 10th. Hiking the Twin Lakes Trail

On Sunday, June 20th we drove up to Wrights Lake and went on the Twin Lakes Trail. It is 5.4 miles round trip and James hiked the whole trail except for about 5 minutes. On the way we encountered SNOW at about 7800' elevation. The temperature was in the low 60's but with the blazing sun it was very pleasant. We started out around 11 am and finished at 4pm, so about 1 mile per hour. That includes snowball fights, looking at every pool of water, poking sticks in each hole we see, sitting on any interesting rocks, etc.

The Twin Lakes trail (photos) heads up into the Desolation Wilderness and from the photos you can see why it is named so. We enjoyed the hike, but there were a lot of mosquitoes near the bog area. Need to bring a lot of spray the next time.

2nd and 3rd June 2007

2 June 2007



Breakfast at Sweetie Pie's in Placerville, CA on Saturday, 2 of June 2007. Very nice place and good food.

3 June 2007

We took a drive up Mormon Immigrant Trail NF-5 today. It leads over to 88 near Kirkwood CA. We saw snow on the flanks of some of the mountains.

I asked Jamesy if he want to pelt his daddy with a snowball and he just grinned... We stopped later on a small road and he got his chance.

Jamesy sledding down a small bank of snow. Heaven!

We then backtracked to Silver Fork Road NF-7 where we stopped and took some photos of the Silver Fork of the American River.

Last weekend on May 27th, we went up to Horsetail Falls near Twin Bridges, CA.

Jaimie and James.

Jamesy hiked all the way up to the falls and back. I carried him about 30 feet and he hiked the rest. he did so well on the 2.5 mile trip that we offered him a treat. Of course we told him he does not get a treat every time he hikes. I am sure he will remember the treat and nothing else. He does like hiking now, though. So that is good. And we did not buy him a treat till this weekend.

Horse Tail Falls

Looking across the valley towards Lovers Leap.

More photos