Cat Tales and Other Truths: California-bound

After switching planes in Denver on our way to Sacramento, Jeff and I took off to a magnificent sight!

We assumed we were flying over Vail, but after checking the Internet, I discovered that the scene below was most likely the Continental Divide, and quite possibly the Loveland Ski area, which opened the very next day on October 7, the earliest opening day in 40 years!

Just as suddenly we came upon Lake Tahoe, a gorgeous alpine jewel shared by Nevada and California. Photos from the air can't capture the size and breathtaking beauty of the lake and its environs.

Tahoe is one of my most favorite places, winter or summer, and a place we used to visit often when we lived out west. My first glimpse of Tahoe came in winter 1976. Jeff and I drove there after Christmas from his family's home in Woodland. He bought me a plane ticket from Phoenix to Sacramento so I could meet his parents. My father didn't want me to go. My mother encouraged me to go. She thought I would come home with a ring. I didn't - but we were still married the following July.

The last time we were by the lake was in Summer, 1999. We drove over to King's Beach from our Donner Lake vacation house. Nick and Katie played in the sand and water with their cousins Jared, Chase and Bryant.

We visited Squaw Valley with Anne Marie and Tom in February 1987 when Nicholas and Samantha were toddlers. There were many great times before that at Cousins Dotty and Dwain's cabin. But one of the most unexpected trips was when we drove Jeff's new Mustang convertible up from Southern California because the car came with, of all things, three days and two nights in Lake Tahoe. How did they know?

Writing this blog has made me view the world with photographic eyes. Sights that appeared ordinary before are taking on a new glamour, simply because I may want to write about them. How many times have we flown into Sacramento? I can't begin to count! How many pictures have I taken? None!