Big Bear Fun Revisited

My daughter and I saw this truck driving in front of us on the way to Big Bear.  Can you see what’s hanging from the trailer hitch?  A sign on the back windshield said BALZ in case you were confused.  Maybe we’re just easily amused, but we guffawed over this for at least an hour.

It’s been our long standing tradition to spend a few days in Big Bear right before Thanksgiving. The crisp, cool mountain air gets us in the holiday mood.  We have been doing this ever since the kids were little.  Somewhere along the way, my ex dropped out when he lost his mind and decided he didn’t want to be with me any more.  (so rude)  I know what you’re thinking – how could anyone not want to be with someone as beautiful, fun, and talented as me.  That IS what you were thinking, right?  OK, just checking. 

Any-who, I have kept the tradition going lo these many years and am happy that my kids still enjoy it.  So, my son, Kyle, his friend, Troy, my daughter, Krista, plus three dogs and three birds, all trekked up there last week.  Alas, the cabin we usually rent which we have become quite fond of and attached to (despite the head bump incident and the fireplace blowing up – see previous blogs) was already booked, so I was forced to scrounge desperately through the internet for a replacement.  We have been disappointed with other places we've stayed in the past, but this time I scored a great find.  In fact, this may become our new favorite  cabin.  It had everything the previous cabin had – but wait – there’s more – it also had a GAME ROOM with pool table, fussball, and air hockey.  There was a nice deck off the living room and master bedroom with a sweeping view and a barbecue.  Hey, that rhymed.  There were two bedrooms downstairs, and another room with a POKER TABLE and a WET BAR!  You could even walk to Snow Summit, which was just up the street.  What more could you possibly want??  Well, the kids wanted it to snow.  Can’t please everybody.  

There was a ghost on the cabin roof.  I heard him every night around 2 AM.   It sounded like heavy footsteps marching back and forth above my head.  I wasn't scared, just wished he would be a little quieter because he was keeping me awake.  Apparently he decided to possess my dog one evening - you will see proof in the picture at the end of this blog - Skeptic.
 

My favorite Big Bear activities are taking long walks in the afore mentioned cool, mountain air, shopping in town and chilling by the fireplace with a nice bottle I mean glass of wine.  Heck, I even enjoy shopping in the local Vons for firewood and food items, just because it’s different than home.  It’s a small town so all the shop people are friendly and easy to strike up a conversation with.  I have been visiting Lorraine at Charleze’s Unique Boutique for years.  She always spends time with me, filling me in on the latest goings on in town.

Kyle, Troy, Krista

  

Krista and Pepper, Big Bear Lake

Snow Summit

As per our tradition, I cooked a turkey for an early Thanksgiving dinner in our cozy cabin.  The oven didn't catch on fire, the fireplace didn't blow up and we didn't put the turkey in too early.  Yay!  Krista and Pepper and I went for a long walk afterwards and were excited to see Snow Summit all lit up for night skiing.  The stars were especially bright in this altitude, hanging like diamonds above our heads.  Walking back down the street, we discovered we could see our breath from the flashlight on our iphones.  It looked like we were smoking.  We could also make giant shadow puppets on the trees and houses we passed by.  We hoped nobody was watching us because it looked like we were smoking and acting like retards.  Don’t say it.

 Big Bear is extremely dog friendly.  When my big dogs were puppies, people oohed and aahed over them as we were walking through town and they were allowed in all the shops and even some outdoor restaurants.  This year my daughter brought her puppy, Pepper, an adorable Siberian Husky, and we couldn’t walk more than two feet without being accosted by someone wanting to pet her.  Hmm, maybe we should have charged people to get their puppy fixes...

My sister and her family joined us for an evening.  We girls snuck away into town for shopping and lunch.  We sat on the outside patio at Trolls which conveniently provided a dog dish filled with water.  Pepper even got to romp with another dog who was conveniently helping its owners eat their lunch.  Then Pepper passed out, exhausted, under the table.

AWWWWWW

"It's good, it's good"

Krista & Calli

It wasn't even Thanksgiving yet but the tree in the center of town was already decorated and Christmas music played in all the shops.

 In the evening, the kids hung out in the game room and my sister and her husband played poker with their Basset Hound, Sadie.  Who knew Sadie was such a card shark?

I think my lab, Chester, was a little jealous of all the money Sadie raked in playing cards.  He watched her from the stairs above, giving her evil Carrie eyes.

Sometimes he pretended he wasn't looking...

But then something weird happened and he was either really angry or possessed by the cabin ghost.  Prepared to be frightened - I'm not kidding....Wait for it.....

Is it Chester or the Cabin Ghost??

I tried to warn you!