A busy Saturday

Today the kids were at their grandmothers so we did some chores around the neighborhood

• Made a tray of biscuits
• Switched winter wardrobe out and put it back in the attic
• Pet related tasks
• Took bike in for servicing
• Returned books to library
• CVS prescriptions
• Post Office packages

Then we went to pick them up and my mom took us for dinner at a local Thai place, that was surprisingly good.  We had pumpkin curry, various kinds noodles, eggplant saute, and chicken plus mango sticky rice for dessert. The kids needed a bath upon getting home, and that's where they are splashing around now.

More (professional) pictures

If you click on the above you can see the best pictures the mountain photographers took all season.  They are working with Nikon and zoom lens, and seem to have some skill in terms of composition/framing etc, so they are much nicer than my point & shoot or camera phone efforts.  That being said, my Canon S90 is very small, and takes quite good pictures, enough so that if it's important, I'd much rather have that lens/sensor than a smartphone camera.  One can clean up the pictures in post-production -- the key is to have a good lens and get enough light.  Everything else is fixable.

Great day, fresh snow, no crowds!

Despite the parking lots being full, and village condos being scarce, there were not many people actually skiing on Northstar, despite all the fresh snow.  Here are some of the trails off the east ridge.  Even though it's not a popular area to ski, because it does not have its own dedicated fast lift, you can see that's empty.  Even at 2pm in the afternoon you could still see the corduroy tracks laid down by the grooming machines.

The top of the mountain was colder than the base area, and at times of the day, also had some fog covering the area.  Click on the photo below to see a slide show of all the pictures we took of the kids.  

The mountain photographers took great pictures of us as well, which we'll get in a few days.  Since we didn't have a full kitchen, we took the kids out for dinner twice: once to the 50/50 and another time to the classic Truckee Diner.  Both were good and recommended for children, and we were able get in/out quickly without any tantrums or meltdowns.  For the first time, we stayed in Truckee rather than at the mountain, at the Larkspur, which graciously upgraded us to a king suite.  Unfortunately, the girls were getting the sniffles and insisted on clambering up with us on the featherbed and poofy pillows, rather than their more spartan kids camping tents, in the other room.

Snowy morning

We were lucky on the drive up, and didn't have to install chains, having spotted a two hour gap where the weather was a little lighter than the rest of day.  That let us get a little time on the mountain on Friday that we did not expect.  

Last Run

We got two feet of wet spring snow in tahoe so we are making a long weekend of northstars closing weekend. I was lucky that I was able to drive up without chaining up the car.

Day at the museum!

Easter Egg Hunt

After we got home from Easter services, the girls had their promised egg hunt.  With a little help, they found all dozen colored treats, and the (minimal) treats inside.  But they still got to wear their fancy pink bonnets ($1 each at Target!) for the day, which was their favorite part of the celebration.

Supper was mustard & minted leg of lamb, with lemony potatoes and a chevre/pear salad.  The kids helped with that too.



If you click on the photo above, you can see their egg hunt.

We miss you mom

Today marked one year since we lost J's mom.  To mark the day, we went to the small park across the street and released a bouquet of balloons for her.  The girls were amazed that we allowed balloons out of their clutches.  Earlier they had helped me make elderflower stuffed French toast for breakfast for their mom.  Yummy, although sticky...

Afterwards we went to the supermarket, where they sampled a little bit of everything, and then we came home.  Earlier we had taken some pictures of them in their new birthday tu-tu's which they love dancing and prancing around in.  Unfortunately those get glitter all over the house, along with little bits of fluttery toile.  After that they helped me roast a trussed up and brined chicken for supper.  While that popped and spattered away on the rottisserie, we watched a ski movie, during which they howled in glee when the saw all the snowy mountains.

Tomorrow is Easter, and the kids have put out carrots for the Easter bunny, and pink bonnets for themselves.  We will have some pictures of their new outfits as well tomorrow.  If you click the photo, you can see a slide show from today.

Snacking with the monkies

The girls at the zoo, enjoying a snack outside the monkey's compound

One giant step for man...

At FairyTaleTown

Birthday Party!

The girls had their 2nd birthday party at the park today.  They

• Played on the swings and slides with all their friends and family
• Ran around the bubble machine which generates a massive amount of bubbles
• Stuffed their faces with cupcakes, making sure to get lots of frosting all over their new clothes
• Drank their juice with crazy straws

They didn't even realize they had presents to open.  We'll get to those later. Upon coming home, they were so tired from all the excitement that they fell asleep for a couple of hours.  If you click on the photo above, you can see a long slideshow.