Grandma Sam's Sugar Cookies!

Maggie made sugar cookies with mom this morning. They bought a Noah's Ark cookie cutter set...but Maggie only wanted to use the elephants...big surprise!

Yacht Cruise

Maggie went on a 2 hour yacht cruise across the lake to Emerald Bay and back with my parents and had a great time. It was crazy windy and the first day since our trip smoke wasn't a real issue. A steak and lobster dinner afterwards was a great way to end our day.

Quiet Day

Today was still quite a bit smoky on the lake so we went bowling in Carson City and Grandpa Howard took Maggie to the Children's Museum. The great thing about living so close to the water...you can go to the beach for just an hour!

Sacred Sunday

Italian Street Painting

The Tahoe Arts Festival was holding it's 10th annual Italian Street Painting festival today at the Tahoe Biltmore in Crystal Bay. We saw a lot of beautiful artwork...my washed out photos don't do it justice so I didn't include them! Maggie had fun creating her own artwork but it got too hot. We may continue later on mom's driveway!

Pioneer Days

Throughout our trips to Nevada each summer I am constantly being reminded of how much of a struggle it must have been for those first wagon trains making their way out West... not truly knowing the hardships and struggles they would endure. The mountains are so steep, boulders are everywhere, the temperature is so hot, the winters are so harsh...how did they do it? On our way to Virginia City we stopped at a roadside historical marker to find that it was dedicated to the pioneer road builders of long ago. If only many years ago those that were part of the Donner Party had the opportunity to use roads...

Candylicious!

Can you believe there were 4 huge old-fashioned candy stores and ice cream parlors on 1 little street? The temptation finally got to us and we decided to indulge on a caramel apple and rainbow swirl lollipops! Simple pleasures.

Switchboard

We were able to see the 1st switchboard ever used in Nevada...Maggie couldn't help remembering the episode of Little House on the Prairie where nosy Mrs. Olson was eavesdropping on all the townspeople causing a lot of mischief! We later saw a much larger switchboard in the 4th Ward School down the street.

Mark Twain Museum

Visiting one of the MANY Mark Twain historic spots in the area was a big treat considering Maggie is a student and I am a teacher at Mark Twain Elementary in Houston, Texas! Maggie is sitting in front of the desk used by Samuel Clemens 145 years ago when he was a reporter in Virginia City where he first used the name, Mark Twain. Cool.

Comstock Cemetary

As morbid as this sounds...the Comstock Cemetery in Virginia City was VERY interesting! It was founded in the early 1900's and many of the tombstones were weathered away and couldn't be read because they were so old! Being huge pioneer buffs, Maggie and I were able to piece together realistic explanations for shortened lives, lonely graves, families buried together, infant graves, etc. The cemetery has seen better days but we could still envision how grand it must have once been.

We Struck Gold!

Maggie got a chance to learn how to pan for gold

using real panning techniques

and was lucky enough to bring home 6 real gold nuggets!

Virginia City Trolley

The 20 minute narrated tour on the Virginia City Trolley was a fun addition to our day and gave us a chance to catch our breath, learn some interesting facts about the town and enjoy the cool breeze!

V & T Railroad

Today we rode on the the Virginia & Truckee Railroad. Maggie was a bit nervous...and actually tried to back out. She had mistakenly envisioned riding open car barely hanging off the edge of the mountain...but in the end loved it! We were hoping to catch a glimpse of the wild mustangs that are known to roam the mountains but weren't so lucky. The ride was a 35 minute steam train ride through the historic Comstock mining region and Maggie agreed that this was one of the highlights of our day!

Historic 4th Ward School

The Historic 4th Ward School educated all children grades 1-12 in Virginia City from 1876-1939. Maggie and I LOVED roaming the halls happily imagining what it must have been like to be a student and teach there. We sat in the desks, wore the Dunce cap, and even rang the school bell like Miss Wilder on Little House on the Prairie...what could be better than that?

St. Mary's Catholic Church

St. Mary's in the Mountains is the oldest active

Catholic Church in Nevada.

A plaque inside read,

"...it still stands as that beautiful jewel,

a light set on a mountaintop

for all to see."

We agree...the church was a glorious sight to see!

Love Thursday

Today was a very relaxing day...hanging out at Burnt Cedar Beach watching Maggie attempt to catch crayfish. She actually caught one but later dropped her pail...a bittersweet release! the beaches here have wonderful rocks and pebbles...very smooth...somehow each summer we come home with a truckload. I even incorporated them into the mosaic back splash I finished last year!

Look Familiar?

Doesn't this remind you of the horrible "stick piles" that indicated something terrible was about to happen in the movie Blair Witch? Ian's movie influence is not a good one...

These are actually brush piles the fire crews around here create when creating defensible space. They do a lot of controlled burns around here...everyone is VERY conscious of possible fire dangers.

Cucumber Party

Today we canned pickled cucumbers and spicy jalapeno garlic cloves. Mom, Maggie, Ian and I actually canned 60 jars! Ian and I can't wait to get started on our own when we return to Houston...when will we find the time?

Tallac Historical Site/Taylor Creek

We visited the Tallac Historical Site. First, we stopped inside to see a film on historic Lake Tahoe and looked around their museum. Maggie tried her luck with a drill the Washoe Indians used...

The sight of this Native American canoe does not get Maggie any closer to getting into a modern day canoe!
We saw (and smelled) beautiful flowers, gardens, and butterflies on our walk around the estates.

We visited the Pope and Baldwin estates. They were absolutely lovely. Unfortunately, we were unable to view the Valhalla estate due to a wedding on the site.

Can you believe this tree is 400 years old?

We visited Taylor Creek Visitor Center.

We hiked about half a mile on Rainbow Trail to the stream profile chamber.

We all had a fun day today...as you can see by Maggie's dirty feet (I had no idea feet could get THAT dirty)! I'll spare you by not showing you mine!

West Shore Excursion

Ehrman Mansion Estates in West Shore Lake Tahoe, California.

Phipps Cabin on West Lake Tahoe Beach.

Delightful picnic at Sugar Pine Point State Park.

Inspiration Point

Fannette Island

Emerald Bay

Maggie LOVED climbing the waterfalls and rocks at Eagle Falls.

The frigid waters

of Lake Tahoe numb the body

but awaken the soul!

Sand Point Nature Trail

Today Caroline and Kari left for Houston. We got to go on a quick hike along Sand Point Nature Trail before they left. The girls really enjoyed climbing on the gigantic boulders along the water. We had a wonderful time sharing Tahoe with them and hope they had a great vacation!

Ian is here. We were able to pick him up from the airport when we dropped off the O'Connors... perfect timing! When we got back to the lake the smoke from the fires had returned with a vengeance! We stopped off at Burnt Cedar Beach to play on the playground and check out the smoke on the lake after dinner at The Saloon. You can't even see the mountains!

Spooner Lake/4th of July

We saw a fabulous 1/2 hour fireworks show on the beach! Happy 4th of July!

We hiked 2 miles around Spooner Lake.

We saw evidence of the Washoe Indians!

We enjoyed a fried chicken and watermelon picnic under the shade of the pine trees.

Love Thursday

Tonight after dinner we took a hike to see the sunset and possibly some fireworks from King's Beach. Along the way, Maggie picked up a big rock from the ground and guess what? You guessed it...a hole in the ground shaped like a heart!

Truckee River/Gatekeeper's Museum

Today was a really fun day! We went whitewater rafting down the Truckee River and had a wonderful time. Despite Maggie's irrational fear of canoes (and any similar feeling boat), she had a great experience. The day was gorgeous and enjoyed every moment of the 2 1/2 hour ride down the river. We stopped along the way and had a picnic on one of the pebbled shores. This time I was more careful about protecting my camera (last year I ruined mine). Afterwards, we went to the Gatekeeper's Museum which is a wonderful little log cabin museum dedicated to the Washoe Indians and their basket making, pioneers and Lake Tahoe history. There was a nature trail behind the cabin that took us down to the lake. There were dandelion seeds floating everywhere...as if it were snowing. It was magnificent. We were able to view huge rainbow trout native to the Truckee River from the historic "Fanny Bridge"... I was tempted to put a photo of the fannies looking down at the river but instead chose a more tasteful one of Maggie!

Sand Harbor/Zephr Cove

Today we went to Sand Harbor State Park. We love it because of the wonderful rocks. Maggie likes to climb on them and I love photographing them...it looks very Caribbean to me. The girls had a delightful time while Kari and I enjoyed sitting in the sun doing nothing but soak in the rays and watch our girls play! Afterwards, we went to Zephyr Cove to take a ride on the Tahoe Queen paddle boat and totally missed it! We ended up taking a sailing cruise on the Woodwind II and had a nice time. Unfortunately, the air was extremely foggy from smoke due to the wildfires in northern California so the view wasn't as good as we are used to. We ate a yummy meal at Ciao/Mien and headed home...we were exhausted!

Summer is Here!

Today started off early...we had to be at the airport at 6:00am! We had a wonderful surprise waiting for us. The sweet couple that sat next to us on the same flight last summer was next to us again! What are the odds? They are grandparent aged and totally remembered us. They asked about my health, where was Zada (our foster child for those that don't know), how were my parents, etc. Anyway, catching up with them made our flight zoom by! When we got to Reno, we visited with my parents for a bit at the airport, went to Circus Circus to see a show and play midway games and then it was time to pick up Maggie's neighborhood friend Caroline and her mom, Kari. We drove over Mt. Rose to get to Lake Tahoe, dropped our stuff off at the house and went straight to Incline Beach! That night we ate a wonderful meal at Lone Eagle Grille. Yum.

Goodbye Jason

Today was the last day of summer school. It is a mixed blessing for me. Of course, I am thrilled to no end it's over...I'm exhausted and tired. On the other hand, I sort of got attached to many of the kiddos...especially Jason.

Let me explain. Jason is autistic and I first met him when he was in Maggie's kindergarten class. He walked right up to me and licked my arm! Wow...who are you? I quickly found out that Jason is a very smart and loving child...just as all children are. I got to know Jason over the years and he quickly became a favorite with many of the teachers on campus. The kids appear to be protective and supportive of Jason and all that he does. I was a bit nervous when I found out he would be in my summer school class.

Jason knows a lot. He can tell me what he likes and doesn't like...he can be very opinionated and brutally honest. He can also have a political conversation. He is a Democrat and very pro Obama but says his parents are Republicans! Sadly, he doesn't do any work in class and his mother makes him do it all at home. The only work he somewhat completes every once in a while is writing in his journal. The other day he told me his wish for himself is to have a friend, his wish for our school is to have a big slide, his wish for our city is to be clean and his wish for the world would be no more earthquakes. Very insightful.

Anyway, about a week ago he got stuck on the phrase, "I like hearts." I think he said it a hundred times. He pulled some scraps of colored tissue paper from our recycle box and started cutting. I didn't say anything because he was busy and I had a lot to do with the other kids. After a day of this I looked more closely and noticed his cutting mania was actually hundreds of hearts of all sizes...perfect hearts!

You know what a heart lover I am...especially unexpected ones. I hated to see his hearts get thrown away. He put so much heart into his project! They were scattered everywhere. Maggie glued a lot of them onto a poster board with his picture on it with a note from me on back. I presented it to Jason and the children gave Jason a standing ovation! He was so proud of his hard work and he felt appreciated.

Jason will be going to a new school next year. A special school. I will miss him as will everyone else. I heart you Jason.

Sacred Sunday

Maggie's coming home today! Ian and I had a wonderful day together...sleeping in and skipping church, which is a rare thing. We meandered to the Farmer's Market and picked up our veggie/fruit needs for the week as well as a bunch of fresh garlic! Mom, Maggie and I are going to pickle cucumbers when we get to Tahoe next week. Anyway, we also stopped at Wabash Feed Store and

promised to go back when we return from Tahoe to get a Satsuma tree for me, a new Meyer Lemon tree for Maggie and get my dad a lime tree for his birthday in August...sounds like a great plan!

Afterwards, we went to my 2 favorite stores Casa Ramirez and Tansu on 19th Street in the Heights. I almost got an antique school desk...I've always wanted one...but in the end, didn't. I couldn't figure out where I would put it! I think I will regret that decision...just like the day we passed up getting my dream car in Tahoe...the Jeep Wagoneer!

I love this picture because Maggie and I decorated these crosses one day when she was in pre-k and had a great time. I made the one with the tile mosaic and she made the one with the glass bead design. The glass beads were all clear...she painted underneath each bead to get the desired color...very clever. The crosses are lying on a quilt mom and I made for Maggie when she was in kindergarten. The picture captures a lot of family memories.