DATELINE: SOUTH LAKE TAHOE

DATELINE SOUTH LAKE TAHOE.  Weather Update:  The sun is out, shining down on about 3 feet of newly fallen snow in the Heavenly Ski Resort Village in the past 48 hours.

After driving 2 long days to get here, through stretches of horrifying ice and snow on I-5 from Portland to Cottage Grove, Oregon on Day 1 then through raging winds, pouring rains, and alongside threatening to overrun the highway flood stage rivers on Day 2,  we got here late Sunday afternoon to discover that "Heavenly", the mountain, was closed to snow sports due to power outages and high winds.  And remained closed until this morning.  (Worst storm in a decade!  Yay timing!)  Imagine the mood of my snowboarding-fanatic husband.  Not good.  But to his credit and newfound "mindfulness" and acceptance of the present moment, he did not rant or pout (much) and substituted snowboarding with snowshoeing yesterday and seemed relatively (very relatively) content-ish.  But this morning, he was out the door with high hopes and it looks like he might be having a great day up there in the powder.  I hope so.

As for me, my vacation week is much as I expected it to be regardless of snow conditions.  I brought my snowshoes along, but that was just an "idea" more than a plan.  He went out in a blizzard yesterday, and admitted he was happy I didn't go.  He was rather miserable on his return trek along the lakeshore as the wind blew pellets of wet snow in his face.  He came back soaked!  He knew I'd have hated it.  So, I've been hanging out in our sweet cozy condo with my computer, my books and magazines, a fridge full of food, and my coloring books.  I am sort of compulsively addicted to coloring right now.  I got two new books for Christmas and a new 100 pack of watercolor brush pens.  That's MY idea of Heavenly!  They also offer yoga here at the resort.  I'm all set.

We've explored the Village here and I was left feeling a bit disappointed at the limited number of little shops close by -- I expected more diversity.   Lots of ski gear and clothing shops, tons of restaurants, a couple of coffee places (yes, Starbucks, of course), a real estate office, a donut shop...and one cute little boutique called "What a Girl Wants" (they were right) where I bought two overpriced shirts (one for yoga and one lightweight hoodie) that are super cute!

We wandered over the state line (we are currently in California -- a block away is Nevada) to Harrah's Casino, a behemoth of a drab gray reflective building that looks a bit like a high security prison with its no window aesthetic.  Of course that's to confuse the gamblers into losing track of time passing...hours, days, weeks.  We are not casino people.  We walked in and saw all the slots (that don't even spit out money anymore!), roulette tables,  21 tables and the sad looking people staring like zombies at the games, smelled the stale cigarette odor, used the restroom, walked to the next closest exit, and left.  Casinos are soul-deadening places, in my judgement.  Vegas has a certain attraction because it's so iconic and it has a vibrancy with lots of shows and people-watching, but as a rule, the actual casino part of Vegas is also sort of awful.  Haven't been there in many years; no desire to go.  So, no, the casino wasn't a distraction choice for us while waiting for the mountain to open.

Instead we went to another Marriott sales presentation and bought some more Destination Points.  That's their thing now instead of "timeshare".  You buy points and "spend" them on various vacation options -- resorts, airfare, guided tours, hotels, luxury home rentals,  cruises, "experiences" like the Kentucky Derby, Grand Prix, etc.  Of course we had NO intention of buying anything, but we'd been talking about taking one of the European River cruises and spending some time in the British Isles.  (HaHa!!! I say this like a seasoned traveler.  We've never left the North American Continent!)  And we have an idea of doing a family vacation with our adult children and grandchildren.  We have many ideas for modest (by some standards), comfortable (by any standard) travel and this will help us realize some of them.  Hub has always wanted to travel more than I, but I'm starting to come around.  A little.  On my own terms.  Will keep you posted.

Vacations do provide one thing, regardless of unexpected snafus.  They get us out of the normal routine.  An unintended consequence of our slowed down trip due to the driving conditions over the weekend was more time in the car together to talk.  We love to either be totally silent in the car, or to talk for hours.  Sunday was talk day.  We did sort of a review of our lives together and talked about what may have happened had we made different choices along the way; what we'd have missed and what we might have gained -- or not.  It was a time of deep sharing and reflection and helped us both know ourselves and each other better.  We love that kind of thing.  Introspection, teasing out with questions to each other the next layer of thought and feeling about our perceptions, our decisions, our hopes and dreads.  We always end up feeling closer.  And for that, even a trip that is less than perfectly meeting our expectations is actually an opportunity for growth and connection that would have been lost in the routines of home.  A good thing.

At least, that's the view from here...©

IF THIS IS THE PLAGUE....

Have I mentioned I'm currently in Hawai'i?  Kaua'i to be exact.  The Marriott Beach Club to be even more precise.  A place a (former) friend once exclaimed, "That's the kind of place I avoid like the plague!"  Well, I guess.  But as plagues go, this isn't so bad.

I do, however, "get" what she meant.  Most of my friends, then and now, are not into corporate-owned timeshare lodging. And I didn't think I was either.  But, damn, this place is beautiful and I feel great here!

We came on a family vacation a dozen or so (maybe 14 already???) years ago when our boys were in the throes of middle school (and puberty).  It was a time when I was depressed on some days and overwhelmed on most, my husband was deep into a career that had become more frustrating by the year, and our house was undergoing a major remodel.  You could say we were ripe for the picking when we showed up to the timeshare presentation on the 12th floor of the oceanfront condo complex, plied with macadamia nut cookies and icy glasses of guava juice.

Plus, they were pretty "low pressure".  The place sells itself.  You either fall in love or you don't, cuz the next person will.  We did.  We have NEVER bought anything without considerable research, pro and con lists, a lot of stewing and soul searching....and multiple readings of Consumer Reports.  But this time we signed on the dotted line within 24 hours.  And laughed about it!  And never regretted it.

This has become an annual respite from the rain and gray of the Pacific Northwest where we live.  I love that when we check in, the staff says, "Welcome Home!"  Ahhh.....  When the boys were younger it was a family time of adventures that they and my husband loved -- boogie boarding, surfing, strenuous hikes, helicopter rides, zip lines, snorkeling, scuba diving, even a round of golf now and then.  In high school we let them each bring friends along, and I hope they remember that fondly.  I felt quite generous about it, truth be told, because it did get a little crowded at times.  But fun too.

When they went off to college, Hub and I started coming alone.  At first we missed the boys terribly and spent considerable time reminiscing about our family vacations.  But eventually those memories were replaced by our own, as a twosome, here on a different kind of vacation.  And when Hub retired, we began to stay for two weeks instead of one.  Then we really started to feel like we were "home" here.  There was time to "see and do" and time to "be" all in the course of one long stay.

Last year we had the opportunity to stay for three weeks.  Son-Two joined us for the last 5 days.  At 24 he noted that the average age during that week was about 65 (I think he was exaggerating...what about those families with young children?), but it was apparent that this isn't the "party place" he might prefer at this stage of his life.  Still, for us it is perfect.  Beautiful setting, quiet, and well-appointed without being "stuffy";  I feel pampered and safe and relaxed.

And Hub has stopped trying to get me to "adventure" with him.  He's the outdoors type who is happiest when doing something "active".  So he tackles the waves on his boogie board, takes the stand-up paddle board out on the bay and surfs on the gentle break, goes snorkeling, goes for long walks (and a long, difficult hike with Son-Two last year), and makes lists of the "see and do's" for each trip, now taking my less than adventurous nature into consideration.  I enjoy a shorter, less strenuous hike, a kayak trip up the Hanalei River (and the aquamarine beauty of Hanalei Bay on a calm day), a float/walk around the largest pool in Hawai'i right here at our Marriott, and Yoga on the beach.  I mostly love to share the daily NYT crossword puzzle with Hub, read, write, take photos, watch people, and meditate on the beauty that is Kaua'i, and on my deep appreciation for the sweet opportunity to embrace this Aloha on a regular basis.

It's a plague of sensuous delight.

At least that's the view from here....©