No shopping done yet. Not even stuff I have to mail.
Need to get oil changed in car and SMOG test and registration done by early January.
Tree is up and decorated. Spare decorations around the house. Need to do outside lights.
Need to bake Xmas cookies for cookie exchange.
Need to bake banana bread next Thursday for both kids' classes.
Need to get holiday presents for teachers. If I want anything shipped, I have to get BUSY. (right. ordered t-shirts for 2 of the 3. Not sure what to get for the last one)
And I swear if DS2 gets any more wound up about Xmas, he is going to spend it in... in... in the North Pole.
Showing posts with label car. Show all posts
Showing posts with label car. Show all posts
Wednesday, December 8, 2010
Friday, April 2, 2010
Snowboarding, DUDE.
I took all three kids up to the snow with the intention of letting the boys try snowboarding.
Well, I forgot my camera when we went to the snow. I was going to buy a disposable one, but ended up never thinking of it anywhere that I could get one. I'm just organized that way, I guess.
It's supposed to be about a two hour drive. HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!
So we drove up on Tuesday in a snow storm. It was crazy. And it cost me double the price for tire chains because I was buying them almost up to the snow line during a snow storm. Then it cost me $30 for the guy in a yellow jumpsuit to put them on at the side of the road. But they work, so fine.
It was insane. Totally insane. If I hadn't had hotel reservations, I would have turned around and tried again the next day. With all the stops and the slow going, it took almost 4 hours.
We checked into the hotel that afternoon and relaxed for a bit and then went out for a walk and threw snowballs at each other (there was about a foot of fine powder). Then i got DD to sleep and let the boys go to the sauna by themselves for a bit. No hot tub, which they would have liked better, but hey, now they've tried it.
We went out for pizza that night and by bedtime, DD was throwing a screaming tantrum so we all went to bed early. I was awake half the night for no apparent reason - I fell asleep and then woke up at 1:30 then was awake until almost 5. Yeah, it stunk.
So the next morning, there was another foot or more of snow everywhere, so we cleaned off the car and set out for the ski place, only to discover that the road between the side of Donner Lake and Donner Ski Ranch was closed. So the hotel I chose because it was 3 miles from the mountain? Yeah, not so great. So I drove out to the highway and made the loop back to the next exit and it turned out to be the wrong exit and we drove aimlessly and finally went and got bagels in Truckee and then back to the hotel to call the Ski Ranch how the h*** to find them. I had to go one MORE exit back, making it a 12+ mile loop instead of the intended 3 miles.
So we got there a bit after 11 to discover that all the lessons at 12:30 were full. Since I have no clue as to snowboarding, we then bought lunch in the overpriced greasy cafeteria and sat around until the 2:00 lesson. It turned out to be a good choice anyway, because there were only 2 or 3 other kids in their lesson group and 2 instructors. They went down the smaller hill 4 or 5 times with the lesson and then DS1 had enough. DS2 went down a couple more time and then we turned in their rented gear and called it a day.
DD and I wandered around the restaurant/lounge area and got snacks and put her snow pants and coat on and off and on and off to go out and back in and out and back in.
The roads were basically dry by then, though the pass road was still closed, so I went around by the highway with the chains still on, which is not a good idea with everyone else going 65. DS2 and I got them off when we got back to the hotel.
We ordered in pizza. Mmmmm pizza! And went to bed sort of early.
Thursday morning, we packed up and left - the pass road was finally open, so we made good time on the little, twisting road with steep rock faces covered with snow. No habitation or businesses along there, so they saved it for last, I guess.
DS1 didn't want to snowboard again and didn't want to ski, so I signed DS2 up for lessons and rented his gear and he went down the slope alone a couple of times. I got them hot chocolate and he drank it quickly before his 10:30 lesson.
DD and DS1 and I wandered around the restaurant/lounge area and got snacks and put her snow pants and coat on and off and on and off to go out and back in and out and back in. DS1 took DS2's scarf thing out to him part of the way through the lesson and helped him out it on. What a nice big brother. There were a lot more people there the second day and it was packed, so less amusing than when it was a little more open.
It was a lot colder on Thursday and had started to snow again, so when the lesson was over, I got him another cup of chocolate. He looked so completely tired and I couldn't stomach eating expensive grease again, so we left. He cried and cried.
Oh, did you notice something? I forgot to check out of the hotel and my pay-as-you-go phone was out of money, so DS1 and DD and I drove back to the hotel and checked out and then came back. Probably illegal to leave a seven year-old behind even for that half an hour and even though he was supervised in his lesson.
So the roads were wet, but not yet snowy again, though snow was coming down and blowing like crazy even down below 4000 feet. And my wiper fluid nozzles had frozen up, so i couldn't get the windshield clean from the spray from other cars. Yet another driving delight!
We stopped for McDonald's halfway back, just below the snow. DS2 was still mad at me and wouldn't get out of the car, so we got our food to go.
We did make really good time, though: just over 2 hours.
And boy, I'm still totally wiped out, 24 hours after we got home.
Well, I forgot my camera when we went to the snow. I was going to buy a disposable one, but ended up never thinking of it anywhere that I could get one. I'm just organized that way, I guess.
It's supposed to be about a two hour drive. HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!
So we drove up on Tuesday in a snow storm. It was crazy. And it cost me double the price for tire chains because I was buying them almost up to the snow line during a snow storm. Then it cost me $30 for the guy in a yellow jumpsuit to put them on at the side of the road. But they work, so fine.
It was insane. Totally insane. If I hadn't had hotel reservations, I would have turned around and tried again the next day. With all the stops and the slow going, it took almost 4 hours.
We checked into the hotel that afternoon and relaxed for a bit and then went out for a walk and threw snowballs at each other (there was about a foot of fine powder). Then i got DD to sleep and let the boys go to the sauna by themselves for a bit. No hot tub, which they would have liked better, but hey, now they've tried it.
We went out for pizza that night and by bedtime, DD was throwing a screaming tantrum so we all went to bed early. I was awake half the night for no apparent reason - I fell asleep and then woke up at 1:30 then was awake until almost 5. Yeah, it stunk.
So the next morning, there was another foot or more of snow everywhere, so we cleaned off the car and set out for the ski place, only to discover that the road between the side of Donner Lake and Donner Ski Ranch was closed. So the hotel I chose because it was 3 miles from the mountain? Yeah, not so great. So I drove out to the highway and made the loop back to the next exit and it turned out to be the wrong exit and we drove aimlessly and finally went and got bagels in Truckee and then back to the hotel to call the Ski Ranch how the h*** to find them. I had to go one MORE exit back, making it a 12+ mile loop instead of the intended 3 miles.
So we got there a bit after 11 to discover that all the lessons at 12:30 were full. Since I have no clue as to snowboarding, we then bought lunch in the overpriced greasy cafeteria and sat around until the 2:00 lesson. It turned out to be a good choice anyway, because there were only 2 or 3 other kids in their lesson group and 2 instructors. They went down the smaller hill 4 or 5 times with the lesson and then DS1 had enough. DS2 went down a couple more time and then we turned in their rented gear and called it a day.
DD and I wandered around the restaurant/lounge area and got snacks and put her snow pants and coat on and off and on and off to go out and back in and out and back in.
The roads were basically dry by then, though the pass road was still closed, so I went around by the highway with the chains still on, which is not a good idea with everyone else going 65. DS2 and I got them off when we got back to the hotel.
We ordered in pizza. Mmmmm pizza! And went to bed sort of early.
Thursday morning, we packed up and left - the pass road was finally open, so we made good time on the little, twisting road with steep rock faces covered with snow. No habitation or businesses along there, so they saved it for last, I guess.
DS1 didn't want to snowboard again and didn't want to ski, so I signed DS2 up for lessons and rented his gear and he went down the slope alone a couple of times. I got them hot chocolate and he drank it quickly before his 10:30 lesson.
DD and DS1 and I wandered around the restaurant/lounge area and got snacks and put her snow pants and coat on and off and on and off to go out and back in and out and back in. DS1 took DS2's scarf thing out to him part of the way through the lesson and helped him out it on. What a nice big brother. There were a lot more people there the second day and it was packed, so less amusing than when it was a little more open.
It was a lot colder on Thursday and had started to snow again, so when the lesson was over, I got him another cup of chocolate. He looked so completely tired and I couldn't stomach eating expensive grease again, so we left. He cried and cried.
Oh, did you notice something? I forgot to check out of the hotel and my pay-as-you-go phone was out of money, so DS1 and DD and I drove back to the hotel and checked out and then came back. Probably illegal to leave a seven year-old behind even for that half an hour and even though he was supervised in his lesson.
So the roads were wet, but not yet snowy again, though snow was coming down and blowing like crazy even down below 4000 feet. And my wiper fluid nozzles had frozen up, so i couldn't get the windshield clean from the spray from other cars. Yet another driving delight!
We stopped for McDonald's halfway back, just below the snow. DS2 was still mad at me and wouldn't get out of the car, so we got our food to go.
We did make really good time, though: just over 2 hours.
And boy, I'm still totally wiped out, 24 hours after we got home.
Friday, November 7, 2008
The usual car repair SNAFU sort of thing
The starter has been acting a bit odd lately when the car is cold. I have needed to turn it three or four times before the engine catches. So I figure no big deal, I'll take the car in and have it looked at so that I can at least be sure that I can start the car in the morning.
So I drop the boys at school and drive over to the Midas where I've been taking it for a few years. So they look it over and tell me that it's the starter. And the battery connections. And the battery. And the wires. And maybe the spark plugs. Oh, and while you're here, how about tires and alignment? They're awful worn out. (And I got them at a place with a long warranty.... but the place has closed down.)
Oh, and then an hour later, after closer inspection, there's a leak in your water pump.
I'm holding off on the tires for the moment, but the rest is almost $1500.
And, oh we forgot to mention when we told you about it, but the water pump thing? That'll take 3 more hours on top of what we're already doing.
So they gave me a ride home and I called friends to get the boys from school, because unless the garage takes fewer than 3 hours, we'll be cutting it pretty fine to pick them up on time.
And there aren't any visible exhaust issues, but who knows. My SMOG test is coming up and we'll just have to see if it passes.
So once again I am asking myself: just how long do I go on fixing a ten year old car?
BUT Isabelle was really happy and calm for the whole time. We went to Target and she was enjoying herself. I fed her a bit and then let her crawl on the floor, where she managed to not pick up too much stuff to put in her mouth or crack her head on the tiles, though her sleeves and hands were filthy black from their floors. She played in the water in the sink when I went to wash her hands. It was only then that they told me three MORE hours. I would've come home about an hour sooner if I had known.
So I drop the boys at school and drive over to the Midas where I've been taking it for a few years. So they look it over and tell me that it's the starter. And the battery connections. And the battery. And the wires. And maybe the spark plugs. Oh, and while you're here, how about tires and alignment? They're awful worn out. (And I got them at a place with a long warranty.... but the place has closed down.)
Oh, and then an hour later, after closer inspection, there's a leak in your water pump.
I'm holding off on the tires for the moment, but the rest is almost $1500.
And, oh we forgot to mention when we told you about it, but the water pump thing? That'll take 3 more hours on top of what we're already doing.
So they gave me a ride home and I called friends to get the boys from school, because unless the garage takes fewer than 3 hours, we'll be cutting it pretty fine to pick them up on time.
And there aren't any visible exhaust issues, but who knows. My SMOG test is coming up and we'll just have to see if it passes.
So once again I am asking myself: just how long do I go on fixing a ten year old car?
BUT Isabelle was really happy and calm for the whole time. We went to Target and she was enjoying herself. I fed her a bit and then let her crawl on the floor, where she managed to not pick up too much stuff to put in her mouth or crack her head on the tiles, though her sleeves and hands were filthy black from their floors. She played in the water in the sink when I went to wash her hands. It was only then that they told me three MORE hours. I would've come home about an hour sooner if I had known.
Thursday, January 24, 2008
Sigh
So it was about 40 degrees out this morning, not raining right then, but everything was wet. I was standing in the house and realized I could hear the recycling truck coming (it sounds like the garbage one, of course, but it comes between 6 and 8 am while garbage comes later. I just heard it and it's almost 11). Luckily, I was dressed, though only had socks on my feet. I peeked out the window and the recycling bin was not out at the curb, only the garbage one. So I whipped my socks off and took off out the door and rolled the bin down.
Barefoot, pregnant and in the driveway. T-shirt and pants, no bra, feet rapidly icing over. Very glad the driveway's so short. I waved cheerily to the garbage woman and took off. Brrrrrr.
I guess DH thought it was a green waste week and didn't put the can out.
So I get the kids ready for school, drive them in, and head for the dentist. Teeth cleaned, no x-rays obviously, gums are sore but he said they look pretty good, actually, considering hormone levels and the fact that brushing and flossing make me gag.
I decide to stop for gas on the way home. I am in a pretty good mood, thinking that DH filled the tank the last time, maybe even the last two times. I put some cash in the machine, pull the lever inside the car and pop the little door open and discover --- no gas cap. Sigh. So I fill the tank and head for the auto parts place. Only $6 for the gas cap, but the guy at the parts store had to search around in the back for one because our car is so old.
I told Dh when I got home and he said, "Oops". People drive off without them all the time. I've made it to the edge of the station lot a few times myself. Never actually lost one before, though.
Unless you count the one from the car we borrowed from a friend of DH's when we lived in France. The door locks weren't working properly, so the friend and DH changed them. We found out a week or so later, while out driving in the countryside (lovely spring flowers, big brown and white Montbeliarde cows) with my mom that they had taken the keys to the gas cap, too. We were already hard-pressed to find a gas station and then the guy had to drill the cap off. A few days before our wedding and I was a ball of stress and didn't handle it well.
Barefoot, pregnant and in the driveway. T-shirt and pants, no bra, feet rapidly icing over. Very glad the driveway's so short. I waved cheerily to the garbage woman and took off. Brrrrrr.
I guess DH thought it was a green waste week and didn't put the can out.
So I get the kids ready for school, drive them in, and head for the dentist. Teeth cleaned, no x-rays obviously, gums are sore but he said they look pretty good, actually, considering hormone levels and the fact that brushing and flossing make me gag.
I decide to stop for gas on the way home. I am in a pretty good mood, thinking that DH filled the tank the last time, maybe even the last two times. I put some cash in the machine, pull the lever inside the car and pop the little door open and discover --- no gas cap. Sigh. So I fill the tank and head for the auto parts place. Only $6 for the gas cap, but the guy at the parts store had to search around in the back for one because our car is so old.
I told Dh when I got home and he said, "Oops". People drive off without them all the time. I've made it to the edge of the station lot a few times myself. Never actually lost one before, though.
Unless you count the one from the car we borrowed from a friend of DH's when we lived in France. The door locks weren't working properly, so the friend and DH changed them. We found out a week or so later, while out driving in the countryside (lovely spring flowers, big brown and white Montbeliarde cows) with my mom that they had taken the keys to the gas cap, too. We were already hard-pressed to find a gas station and then the guy had to drill the cap off. A few days before our wedding and I was a ball of stress and didn't handle it well.
Tuesday, October 16, 2007
a-vee-oh correction
My mom points out that I shouldn't make fun of the Aveo, because it had really cool window openers. The kids were excited and fascinated. They'd never seen anything so wild and cool. Windows were opened and closed constantly at all times of day and night, in all weather.
You turned a little handle and your window went up and down! Yes way! Believe it! Who'd-a-thunk!
I suspect that the best part was that Mommy couldn't close your window and lock it to keep you from playing with it.
You turned a little handle and your window went up and down! Yes way! Believe it! Who'd-a-thunk!
I suspect that the best part was that Mommy couldn't close your window and lock it to keep you from playing with it.
Monday, October 15, 2007
Wedding, foppies, and you say A-vee-oh
First off, apologies to various friends who, though I mentioned my brother's wedding several times, didn't realize I was going to be out of town this weekend and were worried about me and/or the baby. Apology also, to my supervisor/coworker at the store who called Sunday morning because I hadn't shown up for work. Apology to my coworkers who scrambled to get someone in to cover my hours. No apology to my manager who took my requests for time off and didn't put it on the office calendar and didn't refer to it when making this week's schedule.
The moment I was supposed to be clocking in? I was in my brother's house in Louisiana having scrambled eggs from his free-range chickens. Right before having to go outside and help put those same chickens (Breakfast, Dinner, and Buffet - Lunch died) back in their run because the kids thought they should let them out as usual, even though my brother wasn't there to catch them.
It was a really great weekend. I got to meet my brother's fiancee/wife and spend some time with her, hang out with my parents, sister (and her kids), and aunt. My nephews are 4 and 2 1/2 and were very excited to play with their "big" cousins. It took a couple of days, but the 4 yo and my 5 yo ended up being really good buddies by the end.
Oh, and the kids made a couple of new friends - hyper boys, meet hyper dogs. Bliss. My brother said over and over that he didn't understand where all that energy came from. It's kid energy. It comes from the fourth dimension or something. They had never seen their dogs that worn out before. The cats, though, only came out from under the daybed in the guest room when my 2 year old nephew thought he should get to know them by crawling up under there. And then they only came out long enough to run and hide behind the toilet. Poor things.
I swear we all still smell like dog. Maybe it's my shoes that I smell on me, because the rest of my clothes are clean and didn't even go along with us.
The wedding itself was fabulous. Oh yeah, that WAS why we went there, wasn't it? It was informal and just sappy enough, but short and sweet. And slightly late, because the officiant and half the guests were inside watching the LSU-Kentucky football game. Triple overtime and finally someone wised up and turned the stinkin' TV off. Probably for the best, since LSU went on to lose.
They had candles all over the place and the only problems came right at the beginning when they were first lighting them and discovering that the pretty, clear, plastic beads were highly flammable. Not many had beads where flames would touch them, but we put out a couple. Then they encouraged the kids to blow them out at the end of the evening and my 5 year old wasn't the only one to blow too hard and end up with wax spattered on his face - no burns, luckily!
The food was fabulous. Bayou-something caterers put on a great spread with some fabulous dishes. DS1 even tried a bunch of things and liked some of them. DS2 had fruit and rolls and cheese cubes and then petit-fours, but hey he had plenty to eat. I also made the mistake of letting him have a Sprite (and a Fanta the night before). He's never had his own can of soda before, so now he wants one all the time. DS1 doesn't like fizzy stuff (though didn't say no to a can of orange Fanta, either, the night before the wedding), so it's never been a question with him.
Photo-palooza coming soon. I must've taken 150 or 200 digital shots over the weekend. I got one of my brother's larger insane dog, who runs away when you pull out a camera - she apparently hears the high-pitched whine of the flash warming up or the digital camera being on.
Oh, and if you are offered a Chevy Aveo? (A-vee-oh? A-vay-oh? Let's call the whole thing off.) Don't. Seats are hard as rocks and I never did find a position that I was even vaguely comfortable to drive in - and the passenger seat was almost worse because there was no comfortable position even though you didn't have to hold the steering wheel. Back seat has no legroom. Back seat belts are so closely set that DS2 had a really hard time every time to fasten it around his booster seat. The thing had only about 6000 miles and shuddered at idle worse than my 103K Corolla. I don't know what gas mileage we got because I didn't pay much attention to starting and ending odometer readings. Um, let's see.... the trunk was pretty big, that was nice.
The moment I was supposed to be clocking in? I was in my brother's house in Louisiana having scrambled eggs from his free-range chickens. Right before having to go outside and help put those same chickens (Breakfast, Dinner, and Buffet - Lunch died) back in their run because the kids thought they should let them out as usual, even though my brother wasn't there to catch them.
It was a really great weekend. I got to meet my brother's fiancee/wife and spend some time with her, hang out with my parents, sister (and her kids), and aunt. My nephews are 4 and 2 1/2 and were very excited to play with their "big" cousins. It took a couple of days, but the 4 yo and my 5 yo ended up being really good buddies by the end.
Oh, and the kids made a couple of new friends - hyper boys, meet hyper dogs. Bliss. My brother said over and over that he didn't understand where all that energy came from. It's kid energy. It comes from the fourth dimension or something. They had never seen their dogs that worn out before. The cats, though, only came out from under the daybed in the guest room when my 2 year old nephew thought he should get to know them by crawling up under there. And then they only came out long enough to run and hide behind the toilet. Poor things.
I swear we all still smell like dog. Maybe it's my shoes that I smell on me, because the rest of my clothes are clean and didn't even go along with us.
The wedding itself was fabulous. Oh yeah, that WAS why we went there, wasn't it? It was informal and just sappy enough, but short and sweet. And slightly late, because the officiant and half the guests were inside watching the LSU-Kentucky football game. Triple overtime and finally someone wised up and turned the stinkin' TV off. Probably for the best, since LSU went on to lose.
They had candles all over the place and the only problems came right at the beginning when they were first lighting them and discovering that the pretty, clear, plastic beads were highly flammable. Not many had beads where flames would touch them, but we put out a couple. Then they encouraged the kids to blow them out at the end of the evening and my 5 year old wasn't the only one to blow too hard and end up with wax spattered on his face - no burns, luckily!
The food was fabulous. Bayou-something caterers put on a great spread with some fabulous dishes. DS1 even tried a bunch of things and liked some of them. DS2 had fruit and rolls and cheese cubes and then petit-fours, but hey he had plenty to eat. I also made the mistake of letting him have a Sprite (and a Fanta the night before). He's never had his own can of soda before, so now he wants one all the time. DS1 doesn't like fizzy stuff (though didn't say no to a can of orange Fanta, either, the night before the wedding), so it's never been a question with him.
Photo-palooza coming soon. I must've taken 150 or 200 digital shots over the weekend. I got one of my brother's larger insane dog, who runs away when you pull out a camera - she apparently hears the high-pitched whine of the flash warming up or the digital camera being on.
Oh, and if you are offered a Chevy Aveo? (A-vee-oh? A-vay-oh? Let's call the whole thing off.) Don't. Seats are hard as rocks and I never did find a position that I was even vaguely comfortable to drive in - and the passenger seat was almost worse because there was no comfortable position even though you didn't have to hold the steering wheel. Back seat has no legroom. Back seat belts are so closely set that DS2 had a really hard time every time to fasten it around his booster seat. The thing had only about 6000 miles and shuddered at idle worse than my 103K Corolla. I don't know what gas mileage we got because I didn't pay much attention to starting and ending odometer readings. Um, let's see.... the trunk was pretty big, that was nice.
Tuesday, August 7, 2007
When you stay in a hotel, never open your door to....
your children.
Not if they are 5 and 7 and are already in an ongoing tussle/debate about whose turn it is to open the door with the key card. Oh, the heavenly joy and excitement of it being one's turn to use the key card! Oh the dashed hopes when someone hears them coming and opens the door unthinkingly, unfeelingly, unlovingly before they get there. Even if she did open it because she heard her five-year-old crying and wailing and thought that someone had been hurt. Turns out he was just really really mad because Daddy said he couldn't use the key card.
So anyway, we had a really good trip to Lake Tahoe this weekend. We drove up I-80 on Saturday and spent the afternoon at the infamous Donner Pass - including watching the movie at the museum, which had my 5 yo worried about being snowed in and my 7 yo wondering why they didn't pick up the cows that died in the desert and take them along to use for food later. Because it's August and not even remotely cold, and because they already had to abandon a lot of their stuff including some wagons because they didn't have enough oxen anymore to pull it all. Oh, and we played in and around Donner Lake for a while.
We spent one night in a hotel in Truckee, which had a "cuzzi" which was too hot. The next day, we drove a ways down the Nevada side of Lake Tahoe and stopped in the state park and went swimming. It was cold (OK, 70's) and really windy and the waves were big. Can I tell you how big an advance it is for my 7 yo who has always hated having his face get wet or to feel out of control to wear a scuba mask and hold my hand and jump through waves that are way over his head?
Then we drove the rest of the way to South Lake Tahoe and stayed in a Days Inn close to the Nevada border, which meant that it was in a crowded area with few trees. But it had a pool and an "a-cuzzi" (building a word, syllable by syllable), the former was freezing, the later was lukewarm, but enough to keep one from freezing. We were also within walking distance of Chaat's Cafe where we had decent Indian food that night (DS1 had a hot dog and DS2 had some naan bread) and a sushi place (can't remember the name) that was quite good (and the kids had plain white rice and DS1 had shrimp tempura).
The next day, Monday, we dropped my mom off at a laundromat while we were going to take a quick drive to Emerald Bay. Well, it took longer than I thought to drive there, the kids were on some really awful loud behavior, and then there was nowhere at all to park in the lots, so we stopped for a bit at the scenic overlook and went back for Granny. I dropped everyone at the hotel and went to the grocery store and got fruit and bagels and cream cheese.
After that, we headed back out to Emerald Bay and found a parking spot and hiked the mile down the Vikingsholm trail. The kids and DH played in the water a bit, but there weren't enough waves for DS1's taste. Then we went up to see the Lower Eagle Falls, then back down, then all the way up the Vikingsholm trail again. It's a fairly gently slope and very wide and smooth, just looooooong.
Emerald Bay has only a narrow opening onto the rest of the lake and is very calm and beautiful. Vikingsholm is a big house in a Nordic style commissioned by a woman with more money than sense in the 1920's. That's not fair, because it's a cool-looking house (from the outside - we didn't go on the tour) and the setting is fabulous. She also had a tea house built on the island in the bay - the only island in all of Lake Tahoe, the third deepest lake in the US, though only 20-ish miles long and 12-ish miles wide.
So after our Japanese restaurant (see above), I was ready to collapse and my mom and I stayed in the hotel room and chatted while DH took the kids out to the pool where they played and screamed for almost two hours. I finally went out and said they should come in and they barely dried off and put on their PJ's and lay down and WHAM they were asleep.
DS2 woke up this morning and asked if it were tomorrow, then was cross because it was morning and the night had gone too quickly. Ah, a sign of a day well spent!
This morning after Denny's, we went to Pope's Beach which is closer to South Lake Tahoe. It was chilly and windy, so the kids got wet, but spent much more time playing in the sand. After lunch of leftover cheese and bread and fruit, we piled in the car and headed out on I-50. We stopped not far over the pass because there's a trail to a waterfall. Turns out, it's a couple of miles and you end up still about a half mile away from the big falls. We just went the qurter mile to the small cascades lower down, because I am a grumpy spoilsport and climbing a mile over a barely-visible trail of rough boulders seemed a bit much after a busy weekend - especially with two young children, an out-of-shape tired wife, and a 60+ year old mother-in-law with a pinched nerve in her hip - just to relive the glory days of the one time DH hiked up a mountain with his dad when he was a teenager.
So grumpy old meany won and I drove the rest of the way home. I was thinking of stopping at Sutter's Mill just north of Placerville, but DS2 was asleep, I don't know what time they close for the day, and we were 45 minutes from home at that point. So here we are.
Pictures to come, um, soonish. We forgot the digital cameras and so I bought the one-use ones (a pack of two that was on sale at Long's drugs) and I will need to get them developed and then scan some pics....
Oh, and the bark of Ponderosa pines smells like vanilla. I had to get that in there. Especially since DS2 still has a patch of sap on his right cheek from two days ago due to sniffing trees.
Other stuff I found out: Lake Tahoe doesn't drain to the ocean, it goes down the Truckee River and through Reno and to another lake which then evaporates.
The lake was originally a low place among mountains, but volcanoes blocked the Truckee River and it filled up to some really deep depth (ah, numbers elude me), which is why it doesn't have islands.
The water going in is mainly from small creeks and swamps and is filtered before it gets there, which is why the lake is clear to an amazing depth.
Not if they are 5 and 7 and are already in an ongoing tussle/debate about whose turn it is to open the door with the key card. Oh, the heavenly joy and excitement of it being one's turn to use the key card! Oh the dashed hopes when someone hears them coming and opens the door unthinkingly, unfeelingly, unlovingly before they get there. Even if she did open it because she heard her five-year-old crying and wailing and thought that someone had been hurt. Turns out he was just really really mad because Daddy said he couldn't use the key card.
So anyway, we had a really good trip to Lake Tahoe this weekend. We drove up I-80 on Saturday and spent the afternoon at the infamous Donner Pass - including watching the movie at the museum, which had my 5 yo worried about being snowed in and my 7 yo wondering why they didn't pick up the cows that died in the desert and take them along to use for food later. Because it's August and not even remotely cold, and because they already had to abandon a lot of their stuff including some wagons because they didn't have enough oxen anymore to pull it all. Oh, and we played in and around Donner Lake for a while.
We spent one night in a hotel in Truckee, which had a "cuzzi" which was too hot. The next day, we drove a ways down the Nevada side of Lake Tahoe and stopped in the state park and went swimming. It was cold (OK, 70's) and really windy and the waves were big. Can I tell you how big an advance it is for my 7 yo who has always hated having his face get wet or to feel out of control to wear a scuba mask and hold my hand and jump through waves that are way over his head?
Then we drove the rest of the way to South Lake Tahoe and stayed in a Days Inn close to the Nevada border, which meant that it was in a crowded area with few trees. But it had a pool and an "a-cuzzi" (building a word, syllable by syllable), the former was freezing, the later was lukewarm, but enough to keep one from freezing. We were also within walking distance of Chaat's Cafe where we had decent Indian food that night (DS1 had a hot dog and DS2 had some naan bread) and a sushi place (can't remember the name) that was quite good (and the kids had plain white rice and DS1 had shrimp tempura).
The next day, Monday, we dropped my mom off at a laundromat while we were going to take a quick drive to Emerald Bay. Well, it took longer than I thought to drive there, the kids were on some really awful loud behavior, and then there was nowhere at all to park in the lots, so we stopped for a bit at the scenic overlook and went back for Granny. I dropped everyone at the hotel and went to the grocery store and got fruit and bagels and cream cheese.
After that, we headed back out to Emerald Bay and found a parking spot and hiked the mile down the Vikingsholm trail. The kids and DH played in the water a bit, but there weren't enough waves for DS1's taste. Then we went up to see the Lower Eagle Falls, then back down, then all the way up the Vikingsholm trail again. It's a fairly gently slope and very wide and smooth, just looooooong.
Emerald Bay has only a narrow opening onto the rest of the lake and is very calm and beautiful. Vikingsholm is a big house in a Nordic style commissioned by a woman with more money than sense in the 1920's. That's not fair, because it's a cool-looking house (from the outside - we didn't go on the tour) and the setting is fabulous. She also had a tea house built on the island in the bay - the only island in all of Lake Tahoe, the third deepest lake in the US, though only 20-ish miles long and 12-ish miles wide.
So after our Japanese restaurant (see above), I was ready to collapse and my mom and I stayed in the hotel room and chatted while DH took the kids out to the pool where they played and screamed for almost two hours. I finally went out and said they should come in and they barely dried off and put on their PJ's and lay down and WHAM they were asleep.
DS2 woke up this morning and asked if it were tomorrow, then was cross because it was morning and the night had gone too quickly. Ah, a sign of a day well spent!
This morning after Denny's, we went to Pope's Beach which is closer to South Lake Tahoe. It was chilly and windy, so the kids got wet, but spent much more time playing in the sand. After lunch of leftover cheese and bread and fruit, we piled in the car and headed out on I-50. We stopped not far over the pass because there's a trail to a waterfall. Turns out, it's a couple of miles and you end up still about a half mile away from the big falls. We just went the qurter mile to the small cascades lower down, because I am a grumpy spoilsport and climbing a mile over a barely-visible trail of rough boulders seemed a bit much after a busy weekend - especially with two young children, an out-of-shape tired wife, and a 60+ year old mother-in-law with a pinched nerve in her hip - just to relive the glory days of the one time DH hiked up a mountain with his dad when he was a teenager.
So grumpy old meany won and I drove the rest of the way home. I was thinking of stopping at Sutter's Mill just north of Placerville, but DS2 was asleep, I don't know what time they close for the day, and we were 45 minutes from home at that point. So here we are.
Pictures to come, um, soonish. We forgot the digital cameras and so I bought the one-use ones (a pack of two that was on sale at Long's drugs) and I will need to get them developed and then scan some pics....
Oh, and the bark of Ponderosa pines smells like vanilla. I had to get that in there. Especially since DS2 still has a patch of sap on his right cheek from two days ago due to sniffing trees.
Other stuff I found out: Lake Tahoe doesn't drain to the ocean, it goes down the Truckee River and through Reno and to another lake which then evaporates.
The lake was originally a low place among mountains, but volcanoes blocked the Truckee River and it filled up to some really deep depth (ah, numbers elude me), which is why it doesn't have islands.
The water going in is mainly from small creeks and swamps and is filtered before it gets there, which is why the lake is clear to an amazing depth.
Thursday, July 12, 2007
ARG!
Locked my keys in my car today. I was in the Target parking lot and wanted to jot down the blenders recommended by Consumer Reports instead of taking the whole magazine in.
One guy from Midas tried with lock picks, but they were for older cars, apparently. They don't sell jimmy-doohickeys at the auto parts store (or in Target). A good friend of mine loaded her kids in the car and valiantly drove 20+ minutes each way on highway and surface roads that were probably getting tangled in traffic by then to DH's office to get his car key.
What would I do without my friends?
One guy from Midas tried with lock picks, but they were for older cars, apparently. They don't sell jimmy-doohickeys at the auto parts store (or in Target). A good friend of mine loaded her kids in the car and valiantly drove 20+ minutes each way on highway and surface roads that were probably getting tangled in traffic by then to DH's office to get his car key.
What would I do without my friends?
Sunday, June 17, 2007
Little Boy Blue is officially old
My blue Corolla got to 100,000 miles just before we pulled into the driveway Friday evening. I was excited, the kids not so much. I've really been itching lately to get a new car (well, probably a used one), and this makes me want to even more. BUT it's such a good car and is likely to last another few years. Besides that I just poured another $1,400 into it. Sigh.
Tuesday, June 5, 2007
*stall* whoops! *stall* whoops!
Got my Baby Blue back from Midas. The clutch pedal works like a hot knife through butter. The gears engage right away, no slipping, no waiting until the top of the pedal's range. So I keep stalling, as I am used to the pedal pushing back a bit and the sound and feel of a spring sproinging and then the gears not engaging.
It's a thing of beauty. :)
I had to turn in the Camry at Enterprise. *sniff*
My chiropractor says that they just got a Hyundai sedan for their daughters and love it, so that's another option - especially since it's a lot cheaper than a Toyota. I'll get out my Consumer Reports and geek out.
It's a thing of beauty. :)
I had to turn in the Camry at Enterprise. *sniff*
My chiropractor says that they just got a Hyundai sedan for their daughters and love it, so that's another option - especially since it's a lot cheaper than a Toyota. I'll get out my Consumer Reports and geek out.
Monday, June 4, 2007
My new car!
I took Baby Blue, who is a Corolla just shy of 100K miles (like 300 miles shy!), to the shop this morning because while it had been revving sometimes when we accelerated lately, a certain husband of mine was feeling lead-footesque this weekend on some big hills and the smell of the burning rubber was not so happy. Then it became hard to go up hills at all and we were slowing, slowing, slowing.
So they're putting in a new clutch. Plus the brake light was on because the rear brakes were pretty much toast. $1100+ for the clutch, $250+ for the brakes. Better than I figured it would be. Considering I haven't had any brake work done on it at all since we bought it 40K miles and 4 1/2 years ago, it was due.
But it won't be ready until this evening and I have those pesky kids to pick up from school and haul to and from karate and no other vehicle, so I rented a car for about 24 hours. It's a brand spanking new Camry - smells new, even - with so many buttons and levers to adjust the seats that I had to go back into the rental place so someone could show me how to scoot the seat back so I could even drive it. It then took me a few miles to figure out how to lower it so my head wasn't scraping the ceiling. I'm still not positive about the angle of the windshield and how it feels like it's obscuring the top part of my field of vision. That would only be a problem for a very few stop lights and for spotting low-flying aircraft.
Anyway, gimme one of these, maybe in a hybrid. Definitely in a more exciting color than Standard Silver - though if it's used, then silver's fine, too. In a couple of years this specific car will be up for grabs, I am sure. By then, Baby Blue will be ready for more major repairs which will cost more than the trade-in value.
DH seems to think he's going to need his own car in the not too distant future. I am thinking he can have mine and I get the Camry ;)
So they're putting in a new clutch. Plus the brake light was on because the rear brakes were pretty much toast. $1100+ for the clutch, $250+ for the brakes. Better than I figured it would be. Considering I haven't had any brake work done on it at all since we bought it 40K miles and 4 1/2 years ago, it was due.
But it won't be ready until this evening and I have those pesky kids to pick up from school and haul to and from karate and no other vehicle, so I rented a car for about 24 hours. It's a brand spanking new Camry - smells new, even - with so many buttons and levers to adjust the seats that I had to go back into the rental place so someone could show me how to scoot the seat back so I could even drive it. It then took me a few miles to figure out how to lower it so my head wasn't scraping the ceiling. I'm still not positive about the angle of the windshield and how it feels like it's obscuring the top part of my field of vision. That would only be a problem for a very few stop lights and for spotting low-flying aircraft.
Anyway, gimme one of these, maybe in a hybrid. Definitely in a more exciting color than Standard Silver - though if it's used, then silver's fine, too. In a couple of years this specific car will be up for grabs, I am sure. By then, Baby Blue will be ready for more major repairs which will cost more than the trade-in value.
DH seems to think he's going to need his own car in the not too distant future. I am thinking he can have mine and I get the Camry ;)
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