Jun 27, 2013

Lake Tahoe, the Second

Virginia City, Nevada

There we were in the delightful old town of Virginia City, Nevada.  The day was cool, quite a change from the last time I visited when the word "desert" described the atmosphere exactly.  




The Wild West show was more about startling unsuspecting victims by shooting blanks than it was true western history.  We did eventually get used to the loud bangs, though Lindsay spent the entire show with ears covered and one eye peering out for danger.


Kimberly and Lindsay met the cowboy and the sheriff


All aboard! About to embark on the Virginia and Truckee Railroad steam engine.




Kimberly photographs the sights.


And a little treat to curb the afternoon appetite!


Squaw Valley, USA

Riding the tram car to the top of Squaw Valley offered an interesting surprise.  Of course we knew the view would be spectacular, but we didn't expect the fields of wildflowers or the patches of snow we would find there.













Dad tries his hand at snow "boarding"

And Lindsay and Kimberly did too.

Definitely was not counting on snow





Magic Carpet Mini Golf

There is a reason why I have never played real golf... I have terrible aim.  So playing mini golf with my two daughters is right up my ally.  No schedule, no scorecard, many laughs, some wild shots, and a hole-in-two make the game just my speed.








The Lake

Here are just a few more photos of Lake Tahoe.  We were blessed beyond measure to be able to enjoy God's creation in such a magnificent fashion.  












Goodnight!











Jun 26, 2013

Lake Tahoe, the First

Summer is here.  And summer means vacation, right?  This year we were blessed to be able to take a longer vacation than normal, and it worked out that we could go just as soon as school was out.

There's something about water, just about any body of water, that speaks to my soul.  Perhaps it's the peaceful movement or the reflection of light, the sound of lapping waves or the sense of cooling refreshment. Whatever it is, there was plenty of it to be had at Lake Tahoe.










The place we stayed was on the northwest shore of the lake in a little town called Homewood.







See that chair there in the corner?  Great place to curl up with a book or take a nap.  
Ask me how I know...




Kimberly and Lindsay enjoyed some quiet reading time in the evenings.



And we never saw a bear on the back patio, though we were warned they like to stroll through that part of the woods.

One of our first excursions was hiking down a mile long trail to visit Vikingsholm.
It has probably been twenty years since I have been there, and I commented to Kimberly and Lindsay that the estate had seemed so much bigger when I was a little girl.  It is still an amazing piece of architecture, built in six months!








After our tour we enjoyed the beach at Emerald Bay...


fought off the geese so we could eat our lunch...


watched the ferry come around the island...


then enjoyed our hike back to the top.






The scenery was so breathtaking, so awe-inspiring, so vividly reminiscent of our God. 
We have an amazing Creator!