A week at Tahoe - April 07

We're having a really nice and quiet week at Lake Tahoe. As another winter comes to a close, we see the blending of seasons. The staff at the Olympic Village Inn are cleaning the grounds and getting ready for summer visitors. The few of us here are here mostly for the snow and the last skiing experience of the year.

When we drove up on Sunday, we were warned that Donner Pass would require chains. Although that didn't turn out to be the case, we did have snow flurries and overcast skies all the way into Tahoe and into the night.


Monday morning greeted us with sunny skies and hopes of a good day of skiing for Lauren.

Our condo at the Olympic Village Inn is comfortable, but very small. The builders used the space very efficiently, and we have all we need, including a TV in the bedroom and the living room. We get along well together in small, as well as large, spaces, and that's in our favor.

The location is perfect. Although we drive Lauren over to the lift in the mornings, I can then walk back easily; and I can watch the lift from the living room window throughout the day.

When we visit Tahoe, I usually go with Lauren to the ski area and then enjoy a day sitting in the sun (no matter how cold) and enjoy watching the skiiers while knitting or reading a book. Although I haven't done that this trip, my days have been well spent walking around the area (nice and flat), catching up on e-mail, and other quiet enjoyments.

Before we left, I picked up The Incas by Daniel Peters - it's a thick volume, the kind of book I haven't read for a long time. My current tastes are generally books about contemporary societies different from my own - mostly the new author type. I wondered if I would pick up this book and actually read it, and I'm pleasantly surprised that I'm enjoying it! And it was only $3 from the Friends of the Library at home!


We have literally watched spring come while we were here; the snow melt is fast and furious. Even the huge puddles on the ground are shrinking now. Each day as I walk, I have to avoid fewer places in the road.


Having grown up in WV, a land of streams and rivers, flowing water always attracts my attention. This stream flows just at the base of the Squaw Valley ski area. I don't believe it's the Truckee river, because the Truckee seems to run down Route 89 and we're slightly off that route. The Truckee is a beautiful rambling river, resembling many I knew as a child.


I believe the Olympic Village Inn is a difficult place to get in to as an exchange. This is the first time we've managed it. I'm not sure what it costs as a hotel, but the location is just perfect for skiing at Squaw. If we weren't exchanging, we would certainly give this place heavy consideration each year. This is a picture of the property at the Olympic Village - very lovely and very geared to families, with loads of places to play, swim, or just hang out.

Next year, we'll be back at Club Tahoe. We've been there at least three other times and really like it. It's very large, with two bedrooms, a full kitchen and living room with a fire place, plus a loft. For the two of us, it's more than enough room to stetch out.

Catching up

It's time to catch up before I forget where I've been and what I've done. Memory isn't what it used to be; instant recall is no longer readily available. Over the years, I have learned a few tricks, though - working with Den, Dad, and Mom: Take notes, take notes, take notes. I find that having a note here and there triggers a recollection, and that's good. More about memory and tricks in my other blog - maybe.

Here's a rambling.

During the two weeks at home, after my very satisfying trip to the Philippines and before this trip to Tahoe, I sewed and sewed and sewed. It had been a long time since I had sewn for a toddler (or for one just past toddlerhood), and sewing for Erica has been a learning and relearning experience. I found a pattern - Simplicity 3810 - that has a two-tiered skirt, gauchos, and a cute little sleeveless top, and I was able to make two sets of semi-interchangeable outfits for her. The skirt has an elastic waist, and I used 1/4" elastic and added a draw string so that it will be adjustable for her. The idea is to make the elastic just a little loose, and then she can adjust the fit with the draw string. Hopefully "loose" turns out to be loose. Although Donna can adjust the elastic by hand, I don't want to purposely make that necessary.

I used the same technique - drawstring plus elastic - for two pairs of slacks for me. The pattern called only for a drawstring, but the elastic is a good addition, just as the drawstring for Erica's gauchos and skirts will hopefully be a good addition to that pattern.

Except that I need slacks (not jeans) for traveling, with pockets where things won't fall out, I certainly need no new clothes. Slacks that meet all the criteria of good travel slacks are hard to find. It's good to know how to sew - even though I don't sew nearly as much as I used to, it's good to be able to create something for a special need when you can't easily find it in the retail market.

I didn't take pictures of Erica's new clothes - wish I had - but the outfits are so cute. I used a fabric called Tutti-Fruti - a sort of seer sucker - light weight, very colorful, and very much little-girl like.

Over the last two weeks, I actually caught up on my sewing list and got back to my bedspread quilt; so I was very pleased with the results of just sticking with sewing. When I begin again, maybe I can finally finish that quilt! Maybe!

We are on pins and needles waiting for our visas for Russia and Belarus. According to Lindsay, at Passport Visa Express, the Belarus embassy was unexpectedly closed last Thursday and Friday, but she was able to get our applications submitted yesterday. She said the embassy said they will be completed on May 2 and we should have them on May 3. We're crossing our fingers. Not only do we really want to go on this trip, but we've invested a chunk of change for it and we're not sure what our rights are if for some reason we fail to get those visas. Lindsay has been a good communicator - we will talk with her early next week just to make sure things still look good!

This week, we are watching the snow melt at Lake Tahoe - Squaw Valley, to be exact. Only Squaw and Heavenly are open for skiing now, but their service is very limited during weekdays.

Lauren went skiing yesterday and had a great time, but he said there was a lot of powder (like, you could bury yourself in it) and much of the area wasn't groomed. That didn't stop him, though - and I'm glad. It's great exercise for him, and it's something he's very proud of being able to do - probably because he learned to ski later in life. Good things can come out of bad events.

Bad events? Our personal tragedies are nothing like the tragedies of last week at Virginia Tech, but we have had our own personal tragedies throughout our life. A minor one, in the grand scheme of life in general, Lauren had to move to Denver in 1995 in order to work his final 12 plus months and earn a decent retirement (and keep our health insurance) from the aerospace company he had worked for all of his career. We didn't accompany him because we had other personal tragedies happening on our own home front. But one of the good things that came of the temporary move was that Lauren was in ski country, and he took to downhill skiing like a duck to water. So every year, we try to hit the slopes at least once (and hopefully twice) a year! Even though he skis alone these days, he still enjoys it to the hilt.


So, while he skis, we watch the snow melt. The snow on the roof of our condo melts and drips in large tablespoon-size drops - a good rain would produce the same results. By the end of the week, we expect a lot of the snow at the lower elevations will be in the rivers and streams here.


Londa and Luther came up and spent the afternoon with us yesterday. They are such a fun couple, just full of life and stories. We always enjoy them immensely.

While Lauren skis this week, I will take some walks down here in the valley, catch up on my blog (at least this post), put my Philippine pictures on flicker, do some sudoku, knit, watch the birds outdoors, and watch TV. So, here goes - the start of our second day here!

Philippines - April 3 - April 6, 2007

When time goes fast, you know you are enjoying life. These two + weeks went by so fast. I am now home, catching up on odds and ends before I turn the page and begin looking forward. Right now, I'm happy to look backward and bask in the glow of my memories of the past two weeks.

It's the week before easter, and the the people of the Philippines are remembering the events of the season. One of the customs is to hang Judas, so we went in search of a Judas Todd remembered seeing near CCTC. The fellows there didn't mind that we stopped to take a picture.


There were also groups of people who would walk through various areas of town, reciting the stations of the cross. The largest group must have been about 200 people, which I saw from our hotel room in Cebu the morning I left. They were lead by a priest and several others who were in white robes, followed by many others - men, women, and children, accompanied by a van with speakers on it, broadcasting both word and music.



Nathan went to Kids' Camp, an annual camp sponsored by Calvary Chapel. Here he is with Ken, Pastor Jo's son. They're best buds. It's good that they were to be gone only a couple days because I'm sure they didn't sleep more than one tiny bit the whole time.

We drove out to see Nathan Thursday morning before we left for Cebu to I could catch my plane home. Nate was beginning to show the effects of no sleep. We're not sure he slept the night before he went to camp, either. Of course, some of the droopy-eye look may have something to do with the angle of the camera - looks like there's a little fish-eye distortion in the picture. But then, again, maybe that's all Nate.

The grounds at the camp are absolutely beautiful, with the back facing the water. The kids met in small study groups. There may have been about 50 children altogether.

Erica enjoyed running around the grounds while we were there.

Todd and Mandi took Donna, Erica, and me to the ferry Thursday afternoon. We managed to find the right place to secure our boarding passes, and then we sat in the crowded waiting room. There are more ferries coming to Dumaguete now than there were in years past. Todd and Donna believe the tourist trade is picking up some. While we were in the waiting room, one of the boats blew his departing horn, and Erica immediately jumped up from where she was sitting, ran to the window to see, and jumped up and down, flapping her arms, laughing and screaming "Do it!! Do it!!" She got the attention of everyone in the room, and we all stopped our conversations and watched her, enraptured at her glee to hear such a sound. It was funny - so spontaneous.

Because I left Dumaguete on Good Friday and the country nearly shuts down on this one important religious holiday, Donna and Erica stayed an additional night in Dumaguete. After flying nearly 24 hours, I arrived at home in the states before they arrived back in Dumaguete - a four-hour ferry ride away.

Still feeling the glow of being with my lovely and loving family for a little more than two weeks, I went to the fabric store today and found some really cute fabric called Tutti Frutti to make Erica a few more outfits. I can't wait to get started. That will be for next week ... for now, I'm just going to sit and remember...

Philippines - March 27 - April 2, 2007

Each morning, we rise early and walk for about a mile. My walking, in this short period, has become so much better. I am so encouraged. We are only a few blocks from the water, and as we round that final bend in the lane, we are delighted to see the sun rise over the water.

Nathan has come with us many mornings; and this weekend, Todd joined us. Today, Donna brought Liddy with us, the senior dog. This walk is definitely a family affair!


When we visited CCTC, where Todd works, I caught a picture of Erica - pink on pink - peeking through the beautiful flowers. Sewing for Erica has been fun, but I decided I'd never be able to make all the things I wanted to while I was here; so we took a day and went shopping so Grandma could buy her some pretty new clothes. It's been a very long time since I've interacted with a three-year-old. So much fun. She is delightful.


Todd lead devotions for the students and staff the morning we were at CCTC, and Amanda helped lead the singing. That's the back of Nathan's head on the left - before the haircut.


Morning devotions, as well as a lot of the class meetings, are held in open shelters. In a climate as tropical as this one, there is no need to be inside so much of the time - unless inside is air conditioned and you just need to be cool. One of the staff at CCTC painted a mural - strikingly beautiful. It seemed the perfect place to pose the family.


Every family album must have pictures of Dad at work, and I coaxed Todd into posing for me in his office!


On Saturday, March 31, we spent the morning and part of the early afternoon at the beach. Todd brought a "granny" chair for me, and I lounged comfortably in the shade and thoroughly enjoyed watching the family. Todd, Mandi, and Nathan went snorkling, while Donna and Erica enjoyed playing at the water's edge.


On Palm Sunday, after church, we dined out at a local restaurant and had a really great time.


And then late Sunday afternoon, I accompanied Todd as he took Nathan and his friends to play badmitton - the latest craze here. It's been years since I played. The boys really enjoyed their time at the Court.