Living in Reno

Just when we were sure no one remembered where we had gone, Alan, Cat, Mike, and Jackie showed up at our front door! The clouds parted for a few games of Monkey Tail golf, a trip to the driving range, the Monthly Beer Crawl (I know it sounds bad. Proceeds go to charity:-), and we squeezed in as many casinos as possible during their visit. (You've probably read how our state economy needs a boost.)


I know this doesn't look dangerous...

No visit would be complete with feasting on an Awful Awful at the Little Nugget.


We learned the hard way that no matter how big the Olympics might be, the sports books would be showing horse racing! And, in case you were wondering, never split threes...

Thanks for a great visit. It was so much fun! Rooms are now available. Book early:-) Art Town begins July 1st.

Finally, the ski resorts can rejoice!

After laboriously clearing a straight shot out to the culdesac,
Mona hopped into the car and backed directly into the snow bank
by the mailbox. Fortunately she had her cell phone to call for
help so I could come and dig her out:-)


We don't get the first runs of the snowplow living a bit away
from the city. You can see where I shoveled the walk after the
first wave of snow. Now I know to wait until it is really done snowing.


It didn't look too bad until I tried to walk out to the
shed to get my gloves and sank up to my knees!

Even though it doesn't show in the picture, the yellow paint was weather worn and the house was in need of painting.

Having a fondness for blue and the wonder of those little paint swatches in hand we picked out the blue combo.

The blue perfectly matched the cloudless high desert sky. The picture shows the second painting of blue after even Mona thought the first coat was too bright.

In the end, we decided to succumb to the desert tones of the neighborhood and blend into the community.

A White Christmas greeted us, and apparently the rest of the country, on Christmas morning.

The back yard looked just as snowy as the front.

Jessica and Alan were both here for Christmas:-)
Alan set his tent up to go along with the tree for an outdoor theme.

Jessi sports her scarves and new movie.

Alan does believe in Santa.

Mona models her new sweater.

Alan helped us build our presents he designed. How he got short sections of PVC pipe and piezo electric ignitors through the airport is beyond me.

The electrodes should have been a major red flag... He tried to divert our attention by bringing in a superfluous light bulb.

Do not try this without an engineering consultant! The cats are suffering from post traumatic shock. Other than that, the gizmo is a lot of fun. Add one more use for Binaca. (See Alan for details.)

Grandma Rosella dining out at the Eldorado.

And of course Grandma Rosella celebrated her way into the new year and her birthday at a gaming establishment:-)

We didn't want to rush right down on them after they moved. So we gave Ken and Becky about twenty years to settle in a bit before going south to visit them. We had a great time. They are a short hop from Huntington Beach... more water. What a great place to live. We also got to visit with their daughters, Heather and Katrina.

Mona thought she could walk back to Washington and I wouldn't notice. Fortunately, the tide was coming in so she had to come back.

We did bring Becky's car keys back with us. I thought we would hold the keys until they came up to visit us. Mona thought it would be too inconvenient for Becky to walk to work each day until then, even if it doesn't snow there:-) So, Mona made me send the keys back.

Out here in the high desert, you might not expect to find much water. Au Contraire ... (I know. I am supposed to be learning Spanish...)



Here is Pyramid Lake. One of the largest lakes in the US covering about 188 square miles of Nevada.

And of course just a short hop to the west you run into Lake Tahoe...







Our special education teacher, Carol, runs a summer camp (Camp Care) on the shores of Lake Tahoe. She's been doing this for about thirty years! After a visiting for the day, it was easy to see why she would keep coming back:-)

Click on a panel for a larger view:-)

You heard about it in the news. Here are pictures from the pioneers living in the wild west braving the storm of the century.

Looking north up the street. A few cars braved the road. Snowmowbiles were the vehicles of choice.


Looking south out our bedroom window to the backyard.


Looking out the kitchen slider to the backyard.


My first snow shoveling experience!


However, after a couple of hours, it appears it won't be my last.

After a brief hiatus in Washington, Sue and Tim returned to Reno, where they were married 20 years earlier, to celebrate their 20th Wedding Anniversary. We were able to catch up with them for dinner on Saturday after their visit to Virginia City. It was great fun getting to see them and visit with them.

Just in case Sue called in Sick on Monday, please disregard the above and refer to the photo below.

Mystery Couple Visit Reno