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| a walk with the dogs |
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| christmas tree in big bear village |
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| snow!! |
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| come in the waters fine! |
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| BBQ maestro |
It has been our family tradition for many years now to take a little vacation in Big Bear the weekend before Thanksgiving . The chilly mountain air puts me in the holiday mood more than our normal 80 degree weather here in Escondido. We rent a pet friendly cabin and load our Suburban with dogs, birds, kids, firewood, ice chest, and bags of food and drink. No matter how hard I try to pack lightly, there is barely room left over for the kids. They are squeezed in among grocery bags and bird cages. The poor dogs have a small space in the back carved out for them amid the suitcases and ice chest. Invariably, once we start driving the curvy mountain roads, suitcases slide around, crowding the dogs even more. Our nervous, claustrophobic Golden Retriever requires Dramamine for the ride!
I always travel the back roads because it has less traffic and is more scenic. This route takes us through Yukaipa, a cute little town in the hills, about an hour before Big Bear. We always stop there to let the dogs out and stretch our legs. Leaving Yukaipa, the road climbs along a river with red and gold leafed trees on the hillside. Once in the mountains, we glimpsed little patches of snow here and there and a heavy fog covering the valleys like a beautiful white blanket.
We arrived just before dark, quickly unloaded the car (it was cold!) and built a roaring fire in the cabin’s fireplace. I encouraged my daughters to brave the icy mountain air and take advantage of the Jacuzzi on the back deck. I waved and smiled at them from the warmth of the fireplace with my glass of wine.
We pretended it was Thanksgiving that weekend and the aroma from the roasting turkey filled the cabin while we made gratitude wreaths. Each person wrote eight things they were grateful for on strips of colored paper and these were looped and taped together in a decorative wreath for our table. We built a fire and watched the snow begin to fall outside the window. It snowed all afternoon and into the night. We pulled the dining table in front of the fireplace for a cozy dinner. Later that night, after everyone had fallen asleep, I was treated to the sight of a winter wonderland. The moon and stars shone from a clear, black sky onto the pristine snow covering the yard. The tall, majestic pine trees appeared to be covered with fluffy white frosting. It was so beautiful it took my breath away and I wanted to share it with someone. So I shook my slumbering son awake and marched him to the open door commanding him to view this splendor. He looked at me, bleary eyed, mumbled, “yeah, great”, and shuffled back to the sofa.
The next day we went to Snow Summit. The kids snow boarded and I skied. This was the second time I had skied in over 30 years so I was very cautious. I know I looked ridiculous as I snow plowed ever so stiffly and slowly down the bunny hill but at the end of the day I was a lot faster and more confident. I decided to ride the ski lift with my son to the top of the mountain. It was a really long ride up and I started to worry what I had gotten myself into. As soon as I got off the lift, I knew I was in trouble. The slopes were a lot steeper than my capabilities and my son quickly left me in the dust as he snowboarded skillfully past me. I was dressed for the cold mountain air but it was a warm, sunny day and I was starting to sweat uncomfortably in my faux fur coat. Beads of moisture collected under my fashionable fur headband, threatening to drip into my eyes. The view sure was pretty though. The sun was shining on the freshly fallen snow and you could see the sparkling blue water of Big Bear Lake down below. I took my time, curling my feet in to snowplow and stopping to rest when my legs started to tire. I stopped at the top of the last slope which hadn’t seemed so steep from the ski lift but now looked menacing and unmanageable. A man skied up to me and said, “I would like to politely compliment you on your attire.” I laughed and said, “And on my skiing ability too, no doubt!” hahahaha I watched jealously as he and countless others wound their way down the steep slope before me with skill and ease. It was truly unfair how easy they made it look while I stood there hopelessly.
The sun had disappeared behind the hill and now I was getting cold and tired. Realizing I was out of my league, I gave up. I took off my skis and did the walk of shame, trudging down the hill, lugging my skis and poles. I heard people snickering from the ski lift. I told myself not to worry because nobody here knew me and why should I care anyway. I fought the urge to yell, “Stop looking at me”!
Oh well. At least I was fashionably dressed.
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