it is like christmas!

would you believe it if i told you that it snowed a half a foot during the night?
in 48 hours it went from 76 degrees to 34 degrees. wow! we wore our down jackets one last time this season. it is hard to imagine that two days ago we were in t-shirts!?

we found yet another amazing hot tub. todd thought he hallucinated it, but we found it to be quite real and warm.

it snowed on us while we relaxed.
or rather, while todd tried to relax and i bothered him.
driving back home the dark clouds gathered all around us. it seems that we are in for some winter weather, this last week in may!

You are the only person who's completely certain

we drove ten minutes down the 395 to convict lake.
convict lake is named after a gang that busted out of the carson city jail and fled into the mountains in 1871. they were caught by the local sheriff, (who they shot and killed, and who the big mountain is named after), and were caught and hanged... apparently back in the day the eastern sierras were quite lawless. it was the wild west!!
we got wild and hid like bandits in the trees!
it is crystal clear and amazing. i am afraid we are becoming spoiled with beautiful scenery.
we are also becoming spoiled with relaxation and enjoyment of magical experiences out of doors.
of course i'm joking. we shall never become spoiled by majestic mountain scenery! look at todd giving thanks for the mountain spring crystal lake!
and what foray into the mountains would be complete without a stop at another natural hot spring??
we have become experts in the hot springs of the owens valley. this one is our new favorite, super hot, with benches!
thank you eastern sierras! we love you.

folks up here know what they've got

look who came to visit us on this fine may weekend?
the weather is unbelievable. it has been 75 on the mountain, thus necessitating that we get up there early and wear t-shirts. it feels quite right to spend the last few days of the season riding with my parents. snowboarding, and mammoth really, has been a family tradition forever. all through highschool we spent the weekends driving up in our red jeep, doing homework by flashlight on the way home. once it became summer, we would add bikes and tents to the car, snowboarding in the morning and riding bikes and hiking in the afternoon. we have annual summer photos at the top, in t-shirts, just like the one above.
the lakes are thawing out too. in a few weeks they will be filled with campers.

there is a similar photo to this hanging in the hallway in our condo in mammoth. my grandpa took it. he, along with my grandma, are the reason we love mammoth so much. my grandpa loved the mountains and rivers and streams, and he loved mammoth. my first memories here are of him, he used to babysit all the grandkids while our parents went skiing. he was a photographer, amongst other things, and for a while he went by theo, (instead of tedd.) i think he is happy i am here, taking photos of what he took photos of, remembering him.
i salute the rivers and lakes!
my scabs are healing nicely, thanks to my mom the nurse and belle and brandy. their love heals all wounds. that also is a proven fact.

i want to walk down the other side of the mountain

we have been taking advantage of our free time to learn some new tricks. todd and i rented skis the other day and then todd took me skateboarding. now todd and i are both accomplished snowboarders, and todd shreds on a skateboard. i haven't been on skis since the 5th grade, todd never. my skateboarding skills mostly involve pushing around.

i am learning that putting yourself outside of your comfort zone is all part of growth. it is fun to have to think about how to do something and to accomplish it, especially if it is getting yourself down a mountain. to figure out for yourself how to get your skis to not cross and how to turn without falling. you take things like this for granted when you are really good at doing it.
check out this form!
now skateboarding. todd loves skateboarding. i love skateboarding. on our big trip we will be visiting many skateparks and i like the idea of being capable of rolling around in them while todd does rad tricks.
i am pretty good at pushing around, but i learned my limits while going down a hill.
i will not be skateboarding down hills anytime soon. you should have heard my mom when i told her that i fell!! if you know anything about my family, you will know we have a history of falling off things like skateboards.
rainbow sherbert makes scabs heal faster. it is a proven fact.

high on a mountain top

back in mammoth. it is truly magnificent here right now. there is no one in town, it is sunny and warm, we wear hoodies while snowboarding... it also means that all is better in santa cruz. todd's dad is taking walks, eating burritos, pretty much anything but laying in a coma-like state. we are very thankful. hospitals are surreal, especially once they become familiar. but i digress.

mammoth. we are unemployed, so there isn't much we have to do. this kind of freedom is pretty scary to me, i have to be honest. my mom, who is wise beyond her years, keeps reminding me that this will be over before we know it and i must embrace all this free time. to that i say. . .

how was i so lucky that the universe gave me my mother as my mother?????????????? someone my mom and i both admire would say that i chose her to be my mom and i definitely know why: she is wise and accepting and caring and beautiful and full to the brim with love and wonder. my grandma often refers to her as her little angel and it is kind of true. my heart bursts when i think about her. really. again i digress.

today the wind blew so hard that instead of attempting to snowboard we went hiking.

there is still so much snow, especially when you get way back in the mountains.
actually, there is so much snow, there wasn't a hiking trail at all, just snow and up.
my dad rides his mountain bike back here. there was no one at all for miles and miles.
and then, out of the blue blue skies, came snow. snow!!!
so we called it a day at a natural hot tub we found on the way home. and some tecates too.

we are considering moving to mammoth once our round the country tour is over. it has captured our imaginations. we feel more alive here than anywhere.
but we are just playing real life, we don't have to make any decisions yet.

it's hard to make the good things last

what a whirlwind few weeks. after 1 month in the hospital, todd's dad has finally been moved to a rehabilitation center where he is planning to make a break for it. this is good news, stewart is getting himself back to normal. old friends were married in the park, we laughed and cried a lot, swam with the best babies in the universe. we are ready to get back on track.

in theory we will be leaving in the beginning of june to drive around the usa for 3 months. it is daunting and exciting and magical all at once. our plans hit the snag that is life: taking care of your family, being there for those who need you, it is all part of being a human being. so we are grateful that we have the time to hug each other and clean up the messy stuff and chase stewart who has just unplugged his IV and is tearing down the halls.

santa cruz you're not that far

aww, old friends.






we are leaving for mammoth tomorrow. goodbye santa cruz!