Sunshine ... at last! Monday, 3/19/18

Oh, joy, how happy we were to see the sun this morning.  No clouds or snow or rain, just a clear blue sky.  Having been stuck indoors because of the wet, lousy weather (sorry folks, I realize we need the rain, but I didn't want the whole week ruined), we were ready to play outside today, but where?

I knew the Buttermilk Bend Trail wasn't too steep, too flat, not too long or too short, a just-right, scenic place to suck in fresh air.  With all the rain, and add snow melt, I was sure the South Yuba River would be chugging along, and we all like being near a water feature on a hike.  That settled it.  We dressed for warmth since we still have lots o' snow on the ground at our house, then pulled off the jackets and vests as we walked along at this lower and warmer elevation and we were walking on the sun-side.  The sun really felt good.

Butterflies!  Pipevine Swallowtails were fluttering everywhere -- they were our greeters as we neared the trail.  There must have been a new "hatching," and they all but landed on us as we moseyed along, dancing from flower to flower.  Did we see thousands or only hundreds?  A lot is the answer.

Pipevine Swallowtails on posies -- Clockwise from top left: on a native Blue Dicks (Dichelostemma capitatum), alone, on Fiddleneck (Amsinckia menziesii), another Blue Dicks, and ZigZag Larkspur (Delphinium patens).

Not only does Buttermilk Bend trail offers spectacular views of the river, in spring -- from mid-March to the first weekend in May -- docents lead guided wildflower walks on Saturday and Sunday.  It's still a tad early for wildflowers, but they're beginning to show.  Above, the Tufted Poppies and Miniature Lupines add color in this shot.  I'll give a shout out to the park for providing tiny flower identification signs during spring (so I don't have to look them up!), though I was already familiar with most.

Tiny Bowl-tubed Iris are popping up.

The only "wildlife" we saw was a lizard, top,

and a Blue-lined Skink near the river.

River's rising ....

Busy bee on a Caterpillar Phacelia.

Nannie and Bubba, photo op!

Left: Pretty face (Triteleia ixioides) also grows in my yard,  but not the Tufted Poppy, right.  We glimpsed quite a few more wildflowers than I'll put in this post.  Give the hillsides a couple more weeks and you'd be seeing a profusion of blooms!

The wild So Yuba River was the color of green marble, pretty, but opaque, similar to a river of glacial melt.  We climbed down to the rocks at river's edge and I stuck a couple of fingers in the water and pulled them out just as quickly.  COLD water.  Fun being close to the river, clambering over the rocks.

Definitely green.

Whoa, we even saw a couple of nekkid ladies!

Jimmy leads the way on a side trail returning to the car,

and talk about green!  The grass glows.  

One more picture of the four of us.

Buttermilk Bend was a hit with my sis and bro-in-law.  Seeing the majestic Yuba was a highlight.  I'm glad we chose this spot for today.  Tomorrow they'll pack up and we'll head down the hill to SMF (Sacramento's airport) for their Noon flight home to Louisiana.  It's been a great week; we've been able to go and do despite a week's worth of crummy weather (excepting today, and isn't it terrific that their last day in NorCal is sunny and fine?).  Oooh, I'll miss my sister!  Thanks for the visit and have a great spring!

Let's do it Again! Sunday, 3/18/18

My immediate family is scattered across the US and it isn't easy for all of us to get together ... every few years we'll make a concerted reunion effort, and we'll meet up somewhere ... east, west, south.  Time is short -- two of my brothers are already gone (much too soon) -- and the rest of us aren't getting any younger.  We like each other, which I hope is not an anomaly, and we simply don't want a lot of grass growing under our feet before we see each other again.

As Nannie and Bubba were still visiting, we made a date with Matt and family to meet in Truckee (where we're assured of big piles of snow) for lunch on Sunday.  Who knows when we'll have this opportunity again!  Enjoy life today; time wasted being silly or having fun is never wasted!  Heaven knows we can pass a good time!

We've driven Hwy 20 from Nevada City to I-80/Truckee many times, but today's drive had to be the most stunning we've ever experienced.  The road was clear, not icy and postcard perfect.  I was driving, with Nannie manning my camera in the passenger seat since she forgot to bring her phone (camera).  Jimmy and Bubba were watching from the back seat.  For miles, the heavily-laden tall trees lining the road turned it into a cathedral-like canopy, eliciting many ooohs and wows.

We stopped at the Jefferson Creek Scenic Overlook on Hwy 20 for a photo op and to admire the landscape.  On a clear day, you can see the Sierra Buttes poking up far in the distance (below).

You better be relying on the exit number,

not the exit name to get off the freeway!

Looks like March is creating a good snow pack.

We stopped again at the scenic overlook near Donner Lake (behind Bubba).  Nannie enjoyed hiking the Chinese Wall and snow sheds with us last summer, and I know she was happy to see the snowy view of where she'd hiked.  Below, Rainbow Bridge is visible if you look closely (or enlarge the pic, using your back arrow to return to this post).  Everything looks new and different covered in white.

Going into Jax at the Trax for lunch, we gave these lethal weapons wide berth.   One snapped off just after Nannie passed, making a horrendous noise when it crashed.  When we came out, some wise person had knocked them all to the ground.

Matt, Jen, and Everly Rose met us at Jax for lunch.  This little miss entertained us, per usual, with her smiles and actions.  Above she's snacking on faux Cheerios.  Below she's nibbling on her plastic bib!  The girl has some teeth!  And she's working on more.

Together again for a group photo.

Jimmy, me, Matt and opposite:  Bubba, Nannie, Jen.

Everly Rose, looking away, in the middle.

Out and About for a walk through Truckee.

Mesmerizing.  Will it fall now?  Should we wait?

When will it tumble to the ground?

A wagon piled with, uh, snow.

A re-creation, if you will.  Matt and Jen posed at this spot a year-plus ago, with Jen very pregnant.  They wanted an "after" shot, with baby Everly Rose one year later.  We trudged through high snow at Northstar Resort to get this pic, at the edge of a ski run, trying not to get flattened by a skier flying by!

Now it was time to say farewell.  Kisses and hugs all 'round.  Good for the kids above to visit one more time with Nannie and Bubba before they fly home on Tuesday.  Good for us, too!

You never know ... March 2018

When my sister, Nannie, made flight arrangements to Nevada City a month or two ago, she obviously never imagined she and her hubby, "Bubba" would spend the entire week surrounded by snow!  Of course neither did we.  Catapulted into winter, these Louisianans were out of their element, for sure, since spring has already sprung in their neck of the woods.  They had a special reason to pay us a visit at this time -- sweet Everly Rose, Nannie's great-niece, would be celebrating her one-year-old birthday and they wanted to be a part of it.

It became clear as the time for their visit grew closer that they'd need to pack warm duds and be prepared for snowy conditions.  I apologized for the lousy, weather -- freezing cold, wet, rainy, snowy, with hail and sleet interspersed -- but really, nobody seemed to mind being stuck indoors.  Nannie and I grew up in the snow belt (Niagara Falls NY), but we both left that area many years ago.  I'm getting used to winter again here in Nevada City, but it was a treat for Nannie and Bubba to experience our area this way!  That's Nannie, above, and me, below.  My Bro-in-law got a video of us in a snowball "fight" after these pics were taken -- shades of our long-gone youth.  We laughed so hard we nearly peed our pants!

More snow fell while they were here.  Several times!  Yet, each of us moved to a sliding glass door or a window to watch the big wet flakes float lazily to the ground; pictures and videos were taken.  It was magical.  A Currier and Ives scene was mentioned several times.  We parked the Prius at the top of the driveway in case we wanted to escape.  Jimmy and I kept a walkway cleared to the car, shoveling our way out as needed.  

Nannie and Bubba, always on their hand-held devices!  I think our living room gas fireplace was on all day, every day of their stay, to keep us toasty.  We found other things to do, too:  Jimmy and I taught Nannie how to play Hands and Feet and the three of us played a couple of times (we "let" her win), and Bubba introduced us to the Doc Martin series on Netflix.  Popcorn and TV, what could be better?  Yes?  Well, we went to the movies one afternoon to see the flick "Red Sparrow," or maybe it was to eat more popcorn!  And then, on Saturday, the 17th, the four of us hit the road early for Everly Rose's party in Sacramento.

I was going to say Love at First Sight, but Nannie met Everly Rose last summer, yet love it is!  Cradled in her Great Aunt Phyllis' arm, Nannie and ER were playing a peek-a-boo game, with much laughter.  There were ten adults, all relatives, at the party ... and this little girl in her pink tutu.  She was on overload or overwhelm at times.

She wasn't sure about wearing the little sequined birthday hat ...

... but she found something to clap about.

On the move with her go cart walker thingee ....

Lined up on a dining room wall were brightly colored packages, all begging to be looked at.  Kids this age are so funny ... they'll look at the toy that came out of the box, but they'll spend as much time playing with the box or the ribbon as they do the toy!  At least initially.

Tweaking Minnie's nose, with a wind-up chick in her other hand, she didn't know which to examine.  I tell you true, that little chick was a hit with her, she squealed with delight every time one of us wound it up and set it loose on the floor.  Her shirt sez, "Toddler Vibes."  Born on March 15th, we were celebrating her birthday on St Patrick's Day, hence the green Mardi Gras beads.

Mom was a good helper.

Dinner was delicious.  Everyone brought something.  Matt, the-almost chef, did a bang-up job of cajun chix breasts and sliders and dogs.  I made a cabbage and kale salad and barbecued beans.  When everyone was finished eating, Jen looked at me and said, "Nickie, where are the beans you made?"  Oops, I'd put 'em in the microwave to reheat and forgot about them.  Kinda like the biscuits at Thanksgiving.  Haha.   Oh well.

Everly Rose had her own cake.  Her fingers squished into the frosting, getting all gooey, not sure about it, with ten adults watching her and cameras clicking.  She soon tired of it and wanted down.  The grown-ups feasted on a strawberry cake, as well as a lemon meringue pie from Marie Callender's.  Yum!

Mom and Dad and sweet Everly Rose.

They are a lovely and loving family.

"Our" cake.

Along about five/ish everyone was winding down and thinking of going home.  I don't know what time we finally left, somewhere between five and six, filled with good food and special memories.  We left warm/ish Sacramento for our Nevada City home still ringed by snow, which seemed weird to everyone.  The four of us were tired, but we loved every minute of the party.

We ran through a hefty rain squall out of Auburn on our way home, spying an auspicious birthday/St Patrick's day rainbow.  I think we all know where the pot o' gold is. 💕

In case you're wondering ... March 2018

I know I'm way behind on blogging, writing my own and reading others.  Today's gloomy, wild and wet weather seems like a good day for catching up on both.  So far, March has been one heckuva weathermaker (especially after mild, uneventful Jan/Feb), keeping us indoors at times when we'd rather be Out and About.  On the flip side, we also had big doings this month to keep us busy and entertained.

Two weeks ago, we ventured up to Truckee/Squaw Valley in our parkas and snow pants.  Though we still had snow on the ground at our house, we wanted to get in a walk at a higher elevation.  I know it sounds crazy, and maybe we are, but we were pretty sure the walkway at Squaw Valley (6,000+') would be cleared and we could get the exercise we wanted.

As we thought, the walkway had been cleared.  Squaw Valley received a goodly amount of snow in the storm, but nothing like last year's accumulation!  Easy trekking on asphalt with no ice.

I didn't make this snowman, just patting its head!

They look lethal. 

We took photos at this spot last year with snow piled three times higher, but this amount will do!  Look at the sky!  I wasn't aware of the wonderful striped pattern till I saw this picture.

Notwithstanding a recent avalanche at one of their ski runs, Squaw Valley Village had quite a number of visitors (skiers and snowboarders) for a Tuesday, all of them enjoying fresh powder.  You see Jimmy at a picnic table -- we stopped to rest (and use the restroom) before returning to the car at Squaw Valley Park (by Hwy 89).  In the bright sunshine, we warmed up fast and had to shuck our parkas.  Round trip is approx four-and-a-half miles, so I think we got a good workout walking here.

A scenic workout, too.

Jimmy is ahead of me as we make our way back to the car.  We always enjoy eating lunch at Jax at the Tracks in Truckee, and we were hungry today!  They serve up yummy and hearty fare, plus you can watch for trains zipping by.  Actually, they slow down on their way through town.

* * * * *

On the 9th, Jimmy had a project to oversee at home, so I drove to Sacramento alone to visit with Matt, Jen and Everly Rose.  Always a pleasure, as you may imagine!  Jen left to run necessary errands.  That left Matt and me to get lunch for Everly Rose (who will soon be one).  Above, Matt is trying to put a large bib on ER, which (much to my amusement) took a while.  First he had her foot in where the arm was supposed to be, and then he had to figure out front from back, etc.  She didn't seem to mind.

She looks tiny, parked in her high chair.  She has bits of fruit she can pick up with her fingers and a mixture of something out of a jar, with a spoon to use or "practice with."  I say that, because she hasn't mastered the art of using the spoon yet!  A grown-up has to help.

But, she is so darned cute!

After lunch it's play time, with Grandma a willing partner.

And she's so entertaining!

We had a fun afternoon.  I like to leave late afternoon, before the freeway gets clogged with commuters, and here I am saying goodbye.  Everly Rose can wave hi and goodbye, but right now she doesn't look happy!  That's okay; I gave 'em both a big smooch, and said, "I'll see you guys next week!"