California Dreamin'...

Where has the time gone... October 14-15 was my 40th reunion from North Tahoe High School in Tahoe City, California. With the lake as our backdrop, we posed for photos at Sunnyside Resort.

It was a fun weekend of reuniting with friends I rarely see, and hanging out with friends I see often.

We share a New Year's Day birthday! Hadn't seen DannyB in decades! He reminded me that we went sneaking into bars before we turned 21. I had completely forgotten but as soon as he said it, I remembered how much fun that was! Decades ago...

One of my all time favs.. . Quiet, a loner but the sweetest. Never ventured far from home, still in the same town actually.

We brought our spouses which made it fun! Catching up on forty years takes some time :-)

Sunday morning,  we jumped in the car and headed for Marin County. My longtime friend from Kauai was getting married minutes from where Barry grew up. We got to stay with his sister. Fun to visit before  heading off to the wedding. The first thing I noticed when we arrived was this cute idea for the cocktail menu. I stuck to the wine but should have tried something else.

Situated in the backyard of a beautiful San Rafael estate, this cozy setting was one of several seating areas. Gorgeous day! Through there were fires relatively nearby, the winds had mercy and kept the smoke away.

The last few moments of being single... my friend is finally marrying the man she's fought hard for!

It's a done deal... Mr and Mrs! Such an elegant bride!

The looks on all of their faces exuded so much love and respect. I couldn't resist this shot!

Clowning around. We had to get a silly photo together... one not planned and staged by the photographer.

First dance... Soulful Etta James singing "At Last" which was so appropriate! Brought tears to my eyes...

Shoes again... this time a pair that seemed to perfectly match the flowers. Seemed so artistic :-)

After the wedding, we drove back to Tahoe. Continuing on with my jam packed weekend, we headed toward South Tahoe on Hiway 28. Lake Tahoe glistens as the sun sets. Wispy clouds paint the sky.

As we neared to turn on Hiway 50, we passed these tall trees. They are stately. One of my favoite things is to hike in the trees... no sound but the birds and the breeze.

It's that time of year... fall. When the leaves of Tahoe turn color. The Aspen start yellow and end up a fiery red and orange.

There are someimes fields of color, which I love! The only downside to the fall colors... winter is not far behind.

Farewell dinner for Scott... after a completely miserable winter of 2017, Scott decided to head south to warmer lands. I can't say I blame him! More time for Harley riding! We had sushi at Montbleu Casino. We ate our fill at Fortune. Barry doesn't eat sushi, but he is always able to find something amazing!

Tuesday was my semi-annual Reno trip with my friend Val. We've known each other for 37 years... hard to believe! Every spring and fall, we have a little girls trip to Reno to catch a show and have dinner. Oh... and Roxy's. Happy hour 4:30-6:30, they serve $5 martinis. Their menu has 102 varieties to choose from. My favorite is the Chocolate Raspberry!

We always stay at El Dorado. This year, there wasn't a show, for some reason. So, we started out with Asian Chicken Salads and a beer at Brew Brothers, moved on to the martinis and ended up going all out with room service!

Ordinarily, we choose El Dorado because their room service menu has a taco bar. It comes with all the fixings for six tacos and a pitcher of margaritas. This year, however, we decided to do it up right with steak and lobster! It was amazing and we got to enjoy it in such a relaxing atmosphere. After everything with Harvey, it was just what the doctor ordered!

After Reno, it was the serious drive. It was time to drive the car to Houston. Sound fun? Ya, not really. It's our second time... we drove Barry's brother's truck full of supplies from Reno to Houston. With the motorcycle flooded, we needed a second vehicle. So off we go, on another 27+ hour journey.

Though the trip to southern Texas isn't the most scenic, there are always interesting things to see. This mountain reminded me of a chocolate kiss! The area was completely flat except for this protrusion.

Best driver in the world. I did a few house but Barry power drove! Not sure how he does it!

Nothing but flat land and billboards. But we had the radio blaring classic rock, snacks to nibble on and each other. That's all we needed!

Looking back where we just came from, the mountains are stand out. They are almost billowy, like clouds. So much flat land... it gets monotonous.

... and then the show begins... The clouds build up. As the sun sets, it reflects off the clouds. Color and shadows create a piece of art. Nature. Beauty. America.

Trying to catch the setting sun in the rear view mirror. I can see where we're going and see where we've been. It's hard realizing we are heading back to the mess left by Harvey!

End of day one... we continued driving for hours. Spent the night in El Paso. We found a little motel on the side of the freeway. Grabbed a bite to eat and headed for bed. We were exhausted! It would be our last night of sleep away from the dust and destruction left by that hurricane. Suddenly, El Paso didn't look so bad