Roughing it easy

We've been roughing it easy in Cleveland for the past week as Snowmageddon descended on half the country.

Sunday we went out and enjoyed some sunshine. Here are Sam and his mule, kicking and gliding through the woods:

The two of us tried on Christmas presents too- Bill in new waders, Sam in a vest sent from his Aunt Teri. Now all we need is the trout. And clearly, I'm showing him the proper way to dress whilst angling: necktie and waders. Dry flies. Upstream only, please.

And early in the week, our aged refrigerator gave up the ghost. After a day or two of shopping we picked out a replacement... which won't be delivered until next week. So I've channeled my grandparents and converted the refrigerator into an ice box. Plenty of raw materials to be had outside, so every day or so I hack out a chunk from the driveway or an icicle from the eaves and it keeps the temperature in the mid-30s in the very large cooler.

Weekend Skiing with Sam

Today we finally had our first ski outing of the season, long overdue considering how much snow we've had. This time would be different though- Sam's first time out with his mom and dad.

Here is the quiver, or part of it anyhow. Left to right: Maggie, Anna, Kim, Bill. There are a couple other pair but these are the most frequently used.

It was a warm day, low 30s, so a good one to introduce the lad to gliding through the forest. We headed to the familiar paths of the large farm owned by the university. We got Sam loaded up in the backpack and headed off. It's been many years since his sisters were this size, so it took me a few moments to get my rhythm going, but did so without too much trouble. Here we are in the woods.

A group portrait taken by Kim.

We skied for about an hour and a half. Sam enjoyed himself and was awake for most of the time. The wind caught us on the way back to the car, a pretty strong one up on top of the ridge and that wasn't fun for any of us. It didn't take long to get back to the car though.

Here is some video Kim took:

Winter Weekend- Tahoe!

The Princeton ladies have an excellent annual tradition of winter weekend ski trips and this year Maggie and Dave Wooll did one heck of a job putting together a four day getaway to Lake Tahoe. We spent Thursday through Sunday catching up, eating, hot tub soaking, skiing, eating, birthday celebrating, eating and laughing. Here are a few pictures.

The welcoming committee. Poor lad was under the weather, but you could hardly tell.

This is the view from the upstairs porch (as opposed to the 2nd floor porch or entry patio) of the gargantuan condo we called home. I heard David speaking to the management company on the telephone, referring to the property as "the castle". I don't know if that name was his creation or theirs, but it is an apt description. This view is looking due west across Lake Tahoe.

Friday morning the ladies gathered for a baby shower for Kim.

The activity was creating customized onesies and diaper/burp towels with iron-on decals and fabric markers. Here are some of the results:

I escaped for part of the morning for dawn patrol on snowshoes, generously loaned to me by David. I drove up to Spooner Summit and followed the Tahoe Rim Trail to the north. I hiked for about two hours, out and back, up to an open knob well above Spooner Lake. One of my favorite things in the world is being in the woods in the winter, and when it also involves being in the mountains with beautiful views, deep snow, singing birds, and quiet solitude, all the better.

Here is a a self portrait:

The view through the trees. The snow was about 3 feet deep, at an elevation of 8000 feet or so.

This is at the highest point, at which I could see Lake Tahoe below, beyond the ridge to the west. The view is breathtaking!

On Saturday, the four Claspys drove north to the Royal Gorge Cross Country ski resort, the largest in the U.S. with over 180 km of trails. It was a fantastic day and conditions were wonderful. The snow was somewhere around 3 or 4 feet deep and beautifully groomed. The sky was overcast with snow falling all day, very lovely! We arrived around 11 am and got set up in rental gear. We skied for about an hour, then returned to the lodge for lunch, after which we followed a longer loop to the Wilderness warming hut and back. It was a great day out! The drive back to the condo was a bit dicey, however, with snow falling and the roads south of Incline Village pretty treacherous. The 50 mile drive took over 2 hours.

Here we are at the entrance to Summit Station. Those drifts are as high as the roof of the building.

Little Maggie and Mama Kim ready to kick and glide!

Kim and baby and Papa, love in the snow.

The Tigresses, happy for another mini-reunion!

Winter Sports Sunday, part 1

Round one of Winter Sports Sunday for us. Later today is our un-birthday party for the three ladies, ice skating at the city's recreation center. This morning their old man dragged them out to Squire Valleevue for cross country skiing. It was a great morning out. Mush!

Tea break.

The cookie provider.

The trail boss.

Rounding third and heading home.