INCLINE VILLAGE VACATION

Friday past, Doug, myself, and a lot of baggage loaded into Ken’s seven passenger Tahoe and headed for a rented condo at Incline Village. It has five bedrooms, four bathrooms, a hot tub, a foos ball table, books, television, and, plenty of room for our gang of 11. (Missing was grandson’s Mason and Alec.) Our first stop was the Great Basin Brewing Company for lunch, in Reno.

Ken is growing a mustache, and his son, Stewart lives in a house close to his campus at Univeristy of Nevada at Reno. All college kids like a free lunch, and it gave Stewart, who has facial hair, a chance to rib his dad on his “paltry” mustache.

After lunch, we picked up my oldest daughter, Kristanne and her son Austin at the Reno Airport and drove to the condo.

On Saturday morning, (Virginia and her gang have yet to arrive), Doug, who is known for his fabulous omelets was relaxing when his brother said, I’m hungry now, where is that omelet?  I love this, Doug, in pidgin English, said, “you-want-omelet-now? OK.” Ken got his plate of eggs in about one minute, including a do it yourself kit.

The omelets were full of veggies, cheese and ham, made to order, and delish.

Later Saturday morning, youngest daughter Virginia, her husband Cedric and their boys, Theo and Owen arrived. Theo and I started a jigsaw puzzle, all the while wondering if all the pieces are present. It was a challenging puzzle.

We are a games playing family, and soon Laurie and Kris were playing RummiKub. Virginia read her paper she brought from home.

Stewart drove up and he, Doug and Ken had a game of Elevator going at the other end of the table.

It was chit-chat, relaxation and games. Elevator, Thirteen, Phase 10. People jumped in and out of the games, as they changed throughout the day.

Theo and Austin went out, played in the snow, came in, jumped in the hot tub and came up to make their lunch before going back in the tub. Theo taught Austin to put the “right” kind of potato chips in his turkey and cheese sandwich.

Cedric tried a hand game Austin brought that is popular at his school. It is a Japanese game where you toss the ball on the end of the string and catch it in one of two cups and on a peg. I think it is Chandra? Much harder than it looks.

Cedric spent part of the afternoon baking pies for dinner. We all demand a pie fix. His are the best.

We play a lot of cards. Stewart laments that in his generation only a couple of his friends actually play cards. Virginia brings a card game she discovered in Mexico, an auction game we play only once. I think it is called Ah Fiance.

Laurie cooked Saturday night’s dinner. A big pot of Mexican chili with cilantro and cheese, her  home-made corn tortillas. A black bean and pepper coleslaw, a bowl of guacamole, and dipping chips. Hardly anyone was hungry enough for desert.

By bedtime, the puzzle was unfinished. Theo, Cedric, Laurie, myself and Owen all worked off and on during the day on the puzzle. More tomorrow.

 

 

 

INCLINE VILLAGE, MT. ROSE SKIING.

Incline Village, Nevada sits on the north side of Lake Tahoe. Living in the Sierra Nevadas we have a choice of what route to take over the passes. Laurie drove Ken, Doug and I up over Highway 88, which she considers the most scenic. Normally at this time of year, snow covered 88 would require chains and could have closures. Lakes were covered with thin ice, and dabs of snow looked painted on the mountain fissures.

Kris came up from Las Vegas. Virginia and Cedric took Highway 80 which is a fast four lane thoroughfare and serves the bigger populations from the Bay Area.

Highway 4 and 108 are my other two favs, but 88 is prettiest.

The first night, we played and noshed.

A little wine, games, and plenty of snacks.

Kris made the observation that Ken has lived at one time or another with all of his siblings. He is currently sharing an apartment with his youngest sister. Both are away from their respective homes for their jobs. Ken is extremely neat and Virginia likes to leave dishes in the sink and clothes hanging over the backs of chairs-til later.  Hmmm!

Virginia taught us this loud, raucous game she learned from her Italian brother-in-law. Fast moving, arms waving, card auctioning, gambling card game, a matter of luck, so the kids of any age have an equal chance of winning one of four pots. Everyone could put in a dollar, two dollars, a per-determined equal amount.  Kris, Theo, Myself, and Austin each won a pot. But the laughter was wonderful.

Laurie brought a pot of chili from home so we had and easy dinner and lots of time to catch up with each other. This was our family Christmas since we couldn’t all get together this past December.

On Saturday morning, everyone geared up for skiing, except Doug, Kristanne, Laurie and I. Kristanne is “Lodge Fluff.” I’m the photographer and Doug and Laurie stayed behind and played cards and rested. Ken hadn’t skiied in 13 years and all but Virginia and Ced had lesson packages that give a price break for skiing.

Laurie and I were thinking we might  do cross country, or maybe snowshoe since neither of us like downhill. There really wasn’t enough snow.

Owen gets fitted for his boots.

Virginia, Cedric, Theo and Owen all go at their own pace on different runs. Owen is boarding. Theo is skiing. Skis are shorter and rounder than any I’d ever seen.

 

Austin, who had never skiied wanted to snowboard because he likes his skate boarding.

The kids lessons were at station one. That bit about falling?

The instructor just came up to him and knocked him over numerous times. Taught him HOW to fall so he wouldn’t put his hands out and break a wrist. He had a two-hour morning lesson and a one hour afternoon private lesson. The instructor said Austin was the best student he ever worked with at that age. Kudos!

 

The “bunny hill” of station one has a tramway up the hill where everyone, kids and adults can practice their newly learned skills.

Ken decided he didn’t want to go back to work with a broken anything and Virginia went with him on the bunny slope.

She coached him for a few runs on cutting and stopping and turning before they headed for the lifts.

We all met around lunch time and then everyone went all out on the slopes. Kris and I kept track of spare gear as everyone shed jackets or pants, or whatever. Virginia referred to us as the “mules.”  The weather was amazingly warm.

Back at our condo, which sleeps 16 people, Cedric made the pies.

Laurie made a beautiful salad. She said she was always salad queen as a child at home.

Ken made kabobs.

I roasted a turkey breast and we toasted our good fortune and grand gathering.

Kris surprised Doug with a basket of goodies, as in Ben Gay, Anti Diarrheal meds, vitamin container, gas relief, all that over-the-hill stuff because his next birthday will be his 50th.

And we all decided Cedric should give up his science PHD and become a pie chef. I didn’t get a picture of his apple pie. Life is not only good but delicious.