Nimue, as captured by the spooky phone

Oh, and my spooky phone decided to make this all on its own.

More adventures with the kiddo

More adventures exploring the cusp between seasons:

Nim and I went skiing weekend before last, since Chad wasn't yet back from DC.  This is what the parking lot looked like at lunch.  (Yay powder!)

Last weekend was time for a long bike ride.  Nim rode a new record length of 38 miles on the nice warm mid-70's day. She's getting ready both for the Delta (metric) century on May 1, and for a bike tour along the Danube this summer when we go to Budapest to visit Frosty. This strong 13-year-old stage is fun :)

Pi Day Commemorative Poem

3.14159
I like pies
I think they're fine.
My daughter says
Pie are square
But they are round
to be quite fair.
3.14159
Any ol' shape
Long as they's mine!

What season is it, anyway?

A mere two weeks after the giant snowstorm ski experience, I found myself drenched with sweat climbing far too many wildflower-covered steep hills on my mountain bike at Henry Coe State Park.  Springtime is fun, if a bit schizophrenic!

Sometimes ice cream is just the right thing (different bike ride, same lovely sunshine).  Nim rode 30 miles on her own bike in this instance, for a new record.

Skiing

We've also gotten a bit of skiing in over the last couple of months, since it decided to start precipitating in California again after dismal output of the last couple of years.  So far this year, we've hit a range of conditions.  All of them good :)

Backcountry skiing up near Yuba Pass.

Kiddo forgot her sunglasses and had to borrow my headband to use as an eye shield.  She thought I was nuts to suggest it until she put it on.

Good thing we recently replaced the worn-out truck tires; they were useful on the drive over to Sugarbowl.

Lots of snow at Stephan's cabin.

Enough powder in which to faceplant.

Completely protected from the elements.

 Chilly kid uses the sleeping bag to transform herself into a grub.

Speaking of grub, the traditional raclette feast.  Note the big plate of cheese on the right side of the table.

The sun came out!

The other vaguely amusing part of the most recent trip was that my downhill ski boot decided to fail after 19 years of faithful service.  I looked down at my foot after having an uncharacteristically uncoordinated set of turns, only to note that the outer plastic shell at the front of the boot had fractured all the way down the side.  Hmmm....there's the problem.  I never realized the exterior of the boot liner was bright red until I saw it peeking through the break in the purple outer shell.  Fortunately, the boot held together long enough to get down off the trail, and I had already been considering getting new boots from the shop next to where we were planning to have lunch.  Chad and Nimue got burritos; I got fancy new boots thermoformed to my feet.  I just have to keep telling myself that they will last for the next 20 years, lest I feel guilty.  (And yes, we did joke in the ski shop about just slapping on some duct tape...)

Another grandparental visit

A few weeks later, my mom came to visit too.  I took one solitary stealth shot with my phone, while she, as is her habit, took lots of pictures!

Grandparental Visit

It's raining again today, which reminds me of recent rainy weekends, which reminds me that I have a backlog of pictures and things that haven't been posted yet.  So here we go, back to January, when Bill and Faith came to visit.  We did find some sunshine on one day, so managed to get out for a short hike up on the flanks of Mt. Umunhum; the sky was dramatic (for around here) and Chad took somegood pictures.

Looking up toward the peak.  The trail to the top is supposed to open up towards the end of this year.

Chad spotted an appropriate carving on an old madrone.  I didn't see this until looking at the pictures this morning.

Grandad.

At the end of Bald Mountain Trail

 View down toward the reservoirs to the south

Grandad and Nim and the clouds

Wuuuuh!

Gran, with her most excellent cane.

We all enjoyed the January sunshine.