So we lucked out. Behind the condo was a great hill, perfect for sledding. So Chris created a couple of runs and the kids (which includes Chris and Kevin) hit the powder for a rip-roarin' time which was sooo much better than what we would have paid for at the ski resort.
So we arrived in Tahoe late yesterday. Chris didn't actually get to the condo, though, until early this morning. Yes, this was probably the wort experience we've had getting to Tahoe, including traffic delays, chains that fell off en route, and an icy, uphill last stretch (the road where the condo is) that can barely be attempted with chains.
However, the nightmare evening was followed by a beautiful morning. We didn't hit the slopes but enjoyed the day just hanging around the condo. And, in Parker's case, eating snow...of course.
We arrived in San Francisco super early in the morning, which could explain why Parker was the last to wake up. But early birds and late risers alike have to agree that there's nothing better than Cbristmas morning. Even better when Santa can find you no matter where you are...right Parker?
By the way, lessons learned this Christmas:
Today was my last day of work. Then, we headed up to Tehachapi to meet up with the rest of the Trillos. Think a family of 6 kids and their families intersecting and, as you can probably expect, chaos ensues. However, the craziness is fun, as always. And, to add to the frenzy, we have to leave early so we can start our trip up north to San Francisco. Tally ho!
Finally! Visible dirt thanks to our neighbor. But Parker brought his shovel anyway to help the clearing process along. Looks like Chris will try to come home tonight. Hopefully, there's enough of the white stuff around for him and Parker to play around in.
In the meantime, we get in our last snow ball fights and snow angels...just in case. Lucky for Momma, she's a much better aim than lil' P.
Wow! Who needs to go to Tahoe for the holidays when you've got this much snow at home?! And I thought we had a lot of snow yesterday! But that won't stop Frankie and his fetch fetish. Nor will that keep Parker from eating the snow.
Then again, maybe it's time for a little intervention for ol' Parker. Especially when he wanted a bowl of it after our first morning outing. Actually, it was three bowls of the cold stuff. Of course, by the third bowl, his interest was waning as he start to bring out the power tools to address the remaining snow.
So in the afternoon I figured I'd get a better idea of our situation and take a walk to the mail box to the mail. Normal, the just under one mile round trip takes about 30 minutes. However, we hit the two hour mark and we hadn't even reached the mailbox. Yes, the snow was deep in places but the main culprit was Parker who...yes...couldn't resist all the snow and insisted on carrying gigantic snowballs to eat on the way. Midway through our neighbor's property, he eventually set down his snowball, converting it to what he called his snow chair.
I tried to abort the mission but Parker would hear nothing of it. So we continued forward only to discover that while "neither rain, nor sleet, nor snow would stop the mail" the postal services didn't consider the laziness of their contractors who they hire to work our rural route.
Luckily for us, though, our 18 year old neighbor stopped by on his ATV to drop his friend off at the main road and offered us a ride back. So, while I had a tinge of worry about riding an off-road vehicle in the snow while 30+ weeks pregnant, I also knew I didn't want to take another 2 hours to trudge back up to our house. So go ahead a close your eyes to image the three of us. Parker in the front and I'm bring up the rear. Not to mention Frankie keep up with us on foot.
One other piece of luck, we saw another neighbor who offered to plow our road, allowing the snow to melt away faster and giving Chris a fighting chance to make it home. (Oh, I didn't mention this but Chris has been rained/snowed out since Monday. Luckily, Andy and Page have been gracious hosts, allowing him to stay with them for the week.)
BTW, you know it's a good day for Frankie when he contently crashes out.
So, while Monday proved to be a sopping wet day, today it was cold enough to turn that moisture into full-fledged snow and not just a dusting, either. I thought the snow would eventually stop coming down mid-day...like it's always done in the past but it just kept coming and coming and coming. Looks like today won't be the only day we get snowed in.
