Christmas

This year I was in charge of hosting Christmas. So the family flew out to Reno and stayed in the Peppermill casino. I was surprised how much they liked it, but at 30 bucks a night, it's hard not to appreciate. I don't have any pictures from there since casinos get a little concerned about photos. So the photos are from our trip up to Tahoe and Clair Tappan.



Here are my dad's pictures with some great ones from the casino and the lodge.

We drove up and around the north part of Lake Tahoe. It's always impressive how large and blue it is. The snow on the rocks and mountains around the lake is a nice touch. The best part was being able to brag how close it all was.




We stayed at the Clair Tappaan lodge which was created by the Sierra Club in the 1930s. It is quaint communal living with meals together and small living arrangements. It attracts all types, but it is never boring. It's also in a great place just two miles from Sugar Bowl and some of the best cross country skiing.




Blake and I spent two days skiing at Sugar Bowl. The snow from the other week made a base of 55 - 70 inches. The weather was perfect in the mid-30s with a light breeze and full sun. Best of all, the crowds weren't supposed to show up till Saturday, after we left. The skiing was great and they had a promotion of free rentals and lessons with a 66 dollar lift ticket.





At night at Clair Tappaan we would hang out in the main room and drink wine and enjoy the fire. It was a great place to people watch and make new friends. For Christmas someone brought a cow pinata filled with candy. We didn't see it broken, but the cow head candy bowl was very amusing.





We left saturday and had more fun at the casino and hanging out as a family. It was fun to have everyone in the same town for a week without many distractions.

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SNOW

After a fairly dry winter, we got hit with major snow today. It started last night about 7 and I don't think it's stopped since. There is at least 6 inches and it's supposed to continue throughout the day. Work was canceled and it's like the world stopped. I haven't had a snow day in years. I got out and took a few pictures and might try cross country skiing around town later and update with more shots.




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Thanksgiving

For Thanksgiving, I went up to Portland to stay with Kristina and Aaron who were also having Kyle come up. I didn't take pictures of the eating, drinking and football watching. Most of my pictures were of the dogs. Kyle brought Kobe and Kristina and Aaron had Paco and Penny. All three labs. Lets just say there was a lot of panting.



Friday after Thanksgiving, we went up for some cross country skiing. We did about 3 miles each way on the PCT. There was tons of snow and it was snowing on us while we were out there. The dogs loved it. There aren't any pictures from my numerous falls, but I think I did alright.





We also went to several dog parks. I only took pictures at one, it was hard not to.





I took the camera out one night when we went to "The World Famous Kenton Club." Apparently they were mentioned in some Roller Derby movie from the 70s. It was an empty night, but we played some darts.




As usual Portland was amazing.


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Homecoming

Last weekend I went to Texas for Southwesterns Homecoming. I think I've gone every year since I graduated and each one has been a blast. It is great to see tons of old friends and make some new ones to see next year. Unfortunately this year, my camera died after a few shots, so this album will be brief.




I got in Friday and the first big event was a Bob Schneider concert. I thought he put on a pretty good. He played a couple new ones and a lot of old ones. It was great to see a show with tons of people I know, but small enough the front of the stage was easy to get to.






As I said I saw more people then I could mention here, and many more I missed. I'm really sorry I don't have more pictures with more people, but proof is floating around out there somewhere.

Red Rocks Las Vegas

Last week I had a training for Visual Resources in Las Vegas, NV. Our primary area of study was in the Red Rocks NCA which is actually BLM land. We stayed at the Red Rocks Casino which had a great view.




Sunrise was the most dramatic, but it didn't last very long. The view out my window was perfect. It was great to watch while I got up.




One odd thing in the room. There was a TV in the bathroom that was placed in the mirror. It was a little strange to have it floating in my reflection. My room also overlooked the neat pool. Really there were about 11 pools in the complex. On Friday we got out early and I relaxed by it, but it was a little cold to get in.




The Red Rocks themselves were amazing. I took my own driving tour through them on Saturday before leaving town and it was beautiful. I couldn't believe how many people were out there. Every parking lot was full and crowded. I wish I could have done a hike myself but I enjoyed the view from the car.





Then it was a long drive back to Reno.


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Treasure Island

For my birthday Jessica got us VIP tickets to the treasure island music festival on treasure island, CA. The highlight was the Flaming Lips were closing.



The show wasn't till sunday so we made a weekend of it and went apple picking Saturday. It really made it seem like fall. We picked apples, drank cider and ate doughnuts. It was a little warm, but I'll take that over raining.







Sunday we got to the event early and had a great time looking around the grounds. There was a lot more there then just the music. There was a whole carnival.







I got to see a lot of acts I've always wanted to see. Beirut was great, the Decemberists did a rock opera and the best was the Flaming Lips. It was really our primary reason for going and it did not disappoint. I want to go again.






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