Down the mountain

It was a brilliant comeback, my triumphant return to the slopes took place this weekend in Lake Tahoe in the Sierra Nevadas. I had not skiied since an 8th grade ski trip, so was hesitant but feeling a bit fearless when Sara asked if I wanted to include that on our list of activities for my trip to the greater Reno/Tahoe/Carson City.

I hung out a bit on the bunny hill and then Sara assured me I could do the "real" ski run right next to it, a "green" level run. We went down that green a couple of times, and then she assured me I could do the "blue" run. And I could, but not without a bit of shakiness and a couple of pre-emptive falls into the snow. Note: no official "wipe-outs" occured. And what a great feeling to just cruise down the hill, wind blowing, big green trees, snowboarders whizzing by. The view from that ski lift and the top of the mountain, breath-taking. You can see the blue of Lake Tahoe across the trees. And you can see me in action, I think maybe I need to bend my knees a bit more?






So, the skiing was a major highlight of my time with Sara and her fiancee, Pat. Another highlight was Nevada's oldest Thirst Parlor. Straight outta 1860, this bar was frozen in time, except thankfully no one got shot over a poker game or stealing a horse or anything. Johnny Cash and Willy Nelson played on the jukebox, dustry bric-a-brac cluttered the tall walls, and the whiskey was cheap. Sara and I pose outside the Thirst Parlor.



Another highlight: the Project Runway Marathon! I'm all caught up and revved for the season finale tomorrow night.

I think my food highlight was the Chicken Tenders and Cheese Quesadillas at the restaurant at the Fandango Casino in Carson City. And so it goes, Juan the blackjack dealer who robbed me very quickly of $18, has a son in Sydney. and his son has told him he needs to move there to start a Mexican restaurant. I think my destiny is to bring chipotle and habenero to the Aussies.

I arrived in Madison yesterday, there's a nice white blanket of snow on the ground, and I'm hanging out at the Extreme Pizza/Ancora Coffee near my old middle school, enjoying the wifi. With NPR being piped in here, I'm thinking I could become a regular...

xo
tara