The Daily News
1 And...Friday!
2 I can't tell if this was a fast week or if it was a slow one.
3 Technically it was just as long for me as it was for anyone else.
4 Ah, who knows?
5 It's 3 p.m. yesterday. We just got in from a nice three-mile hike with the babies. They loved it, and returned home pretty mellowed out, and with St. Patrick's Day smiles.
6 I'll take pleasant afternoons. So no, it is WAY harder for a lot of other people. I just lucked out.
7 I hope you all were able to find your heads this morning.
8 If you went bowling, you might check the lane next to you.
9 If you had a barbecue, you may need to check to see if you left it on the grill, with a cooked apple in its mouth.
10 If you were messing with green fireworks, check your assets.
11
12 Anybody looking'?
13 I fancy you could have gone all day without hearing that one.
14 And the trouble is, it is still only Friday.
15 Why there oughta be a law.
16 AND we're watching old episodes of House, so you can just imagine our ability to remain polite.
17 Did you ever wonder if Hugh Laurie is like that in real life?
18 <looking around>
19 Gawd.
20 I sure hope my doctor isn't like that.
21 Moving On, Part One: I stand amazed at how much TV can remain in the background when there are babies around.
22 Ambient noise. Hugh Laurie and Winnie the Pooh.
23 And a nice, long three-mile-plus hike through the park.
24 And for the remainder of the afternoon the babies smiled, cooed, and occasionally screeched.
25 We planned a trip to Mars.
26 Sort of.
27 This required secret meetings. For a while, I felt we were in an episode of House of Cards.
28 I have always had a cloak of secrecy involving Mars, which is my euphemism for Lake Tahoe.
29 That secret has been out for a while, but just where in Tahoe has been kept in wraps, some of which have leaked over the years.
30 We need to leave our digs this year. Real estate got real, and the place has supposedly sold.
31 Not the first time. Over the years we have gone through these sorts of changes and always managed.
32 So yesterday afternoon we began our search.
33 I never realized how much I know about most major areas around the Lake. I always enjoyed driving completely around the Lake, getting out of the car, and familiarizing myself with different areas. That's the easy way.
My sister Gayle and her husband Chris bicycle the Lake each year for good causes. Joining them this year will be me old mate Jeff, who happens to be, among other things, me cousin-in-law AND mischief-maker extraordinaire. Going around Tahoe on a bicycle is a real butt-thumper. I admire these guys for all their training. I thought of going a couple of times, but sadly, I'm a realist when it comes to my limits. Plus, at my age, a bicycle seat sits way too close to the stratosphere for my liking. I prefer ground control. But I do drive it every other year or so.
34 We always bring along a specific trail guide, this small blue pamphlet that is well-written, and handy. It contains some great info about the different hiking trails in the Desolation Wilderness, as well as surrounding areas.You can get them in most stores, or even at a 7-11 if you are in the area. I haven't a picture of one, but they are way thin, and just a little bigger than a larger gift card. And then we drive.
35 Names like D.L. Bliss, Meeks Bay, Homewood, Squaw Valley, Kirkwood, Tahoe Donner, Incline, Sand Harbor, Mt. Rose, Stateline, and Heavenly Valley come immediately to mind (I probably left out your fave, sorry!) but regardless, we have a fun time looking around for "new" places.
36 I like the South Shore only because it is where I first experienced the Lake, as a young teen. We began as Reno sorts, but opened up a few years later.
37 Anyway, I have always been comfortable with the familiar.
38 Sitting down last night tossing the topic of Tahoe around was great fun, and as breezy as a game of badminton in the sand and wind.
39 As for Mars...that's where the fun lies.
40 Mars. I like to say I can't be reached, nor found by the civilians when I am up there. School caused that, as much as I loved teaching. By the end of the school year, I would be beyond exhausted. School days never ended when the bell rang at three.
41 Grading papers began each day and would often go 'til late in the evening, and often through the weekend, ten to fifteen hours sometimes, on an easier weekend.
42 Directing shows also added long hours. I look back over all that today and wonder how I ever made it. Truth.
43 A. Here was how: June, July, and August. It's a classic teacher response, but it is also true. Even when we had weeks "off" during the school year, we still worked hard. Not working hard on weekends meant piles of assignments stacking up.
44 Literally.
45 The word is overworked, but in that case, I feel it is an accurate concept.
46 I'm glad I somehow swam to the sandy shores of retirement. I officially love retirement, even though I was serious about the babies exhausting us with their smiles and love. I must have fallen asleep lying with a baby on my chest at least four or five times yesterday.
47 Anyway, I'm glad we have reached Friday. We even hinted at hitting Tahoe later today. It's reasonably quick from Sacramento, one of the major incentives for making the move up here in the first place. It is all beginning to pay off.
48 I gottago. Love your weekend. Enjoy any time off you can, because any time you have is precious. Many know that early; others wait too, too long to appreciate its importance.
49 Love it all.
50 Have a GREAT weekend, and stay safe, will ya? Listen to the birds. Play catch with a kid. Listen to the music. It's all around.
51 Meanwhile, I've a summit to attend tomorrow.
52 It will be held on Mars.
53 See you again.
54 Peace.
fin.
22 Ambient noise. Hugh Laurie and Winnie the Pooh.
23 And a nice, long three-mile-plus hike through the park.
24 And for the remainder of the afternoon the babies smiled, cooed, and occasionally screeched.
25 We planned a trip to Mars.
26 Sort of.
27 This required secret meetings. For a while, I felt we were in an episode of House of Cards.
28 I have always had a cloak of secrecy involving Mars, which is my euphemism for Lake Tahoe.
29 That secret has been out for a while, but just where in Tahoe has been kept in wraps, some of which have leaked over the years.
30 We need to leave our digs this year. Real estate got real, and the place has supposedly sold.
31 Not the first time. Over the years we have gone through these sorts of changes and always managed.
32 So yesterday afternoon we began our search.
33 I never realized how much I know about most major areas around the Lake. I always enjoyed driving completely around the Lake, getting out of the car, and familiarizing myself with different areas. That's the easy way.
My sister Gayle and her husband Chris bicycle the Lake each year for good causes. Joining them this year will be me old mate Jeff, who happens to be, among other things, me cousin-in-law AND mischief-maker extraordinaire. Going around Tahoe on a bicycle is a real butt-thumper. I admire these guys for all their training. I thought of going a couple of times, but sadly, I'm a realist when it comes to my limits. Plus, at my age, a bicycle seat sits way too close to the stratosphere for my liking. I prefer ground control. But I do drive it every other year or so.
34 We always bring along a specific trail guide, this small blue pamphlet that is well-written, and handy. It contains some great info about the different hiking trails in the Desolation Wilderness, as well as surrounding areas.You can get them in most stores, or even at a 7-11 if you are in the area. I haven't a picture of one, but they are way thin, and just a little bigger than a larger gift card. And then we drive.
35 Names like D.L. Bliss, Meeks Bay, Homewood, Squaw Valley, Kirkwood, Tahoe Donner, Incline, Sand Harbor, Mt. Rose, Stateline, and Heavenly Valley come immediately to mind (I probably left out your fave, sorry!) but regardless, we have a fun time looking around for "new" places.
36 I like the South Shore only because it is where I first experienced the Lake, as a young teen. We began as Reno sorts, but opened up a few years later.
37 Anyway, I have always been comfortable with the familiar.
38 Sitting down last night tossing the topic of Tahoe around was great fun, and as breezy as a game of badminton in the sand and wind.
39 As for Mars...that's where the fun lies.
40 Mars. I like to say I can't be reached, nor found by the civilians when I am up there. School caused that, as much as I loved teaching. By the end of the school year, I would be beyond exhausted. School days never ended when the bell rang at three.
41 Grading papers began each day and would often go 'til late in the evening, and often through the weekend, ten to fifteen hours sometimes, on an easier weekend.
42 Directing shows also added long hours. I look back over all that today and wonder how I ever made it. Truth.
43 A. Here was how: June, July, and August. It's a classic teacher response, but it is also true. Even when we had weeks "off" during the school year, we still worked hard. Not working hard on weekends meant piles of assignments stacking up.
44 Literally.
45 The word is overworked, but in that case, I feel it is an accurate concept.
46 I'm glad I somehow swam to the sandy shores of retirement. I officially love retirement, even though I was serious about the babies exhausting us with their smiles and love. I must have fallen asleep lying with a baby on my chest at least four or five times yesterday.
47 Anyway, I'm glad we have reached Friday. We even hinted at hitting Tahoe later today. It's reasonably quick from Sacramento, one of the major incentives for making the move up here in the first place. It is all beginning to pay off.
48 I gottago. Love your weekend. Enjoy any time off you can, because any time you have is precious. Many know that early; others wait too, too long to appreciate its importance.
49 Love it all.
50 Have a GREAT weekend, and stay safe, will ya? Listen to the birds. Play catch with a kid. Listen to the music. It's all around.
51 Meanwhile, I've a summit to attend tomorrow.
52 It will be held on Mars.
53 See you again.
54 Peace.
~H~
fin.
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