Two Views

When we got off the gondola at the observation deck before heading up to one of the ski lodges higher on Heavenly (for some reason this mountain always goes by the one-word) I grabbed this look back down at the western half of S. Lake Tahoe:

From the top we have clouds, snowy mountains, tall trees, then water + civilization which was a ritzy neighborhood and attached marina.
Quite by accident the next day I wandered into that 'hood and marina and found a delicious nature preserve, which would be the brown grass with reddish foliage right below.
In the arrowhead-shaped field there's a prominant tree, and if you're a little OCD like me that green spot jumps right out at you.
(At the time I noticed none of this--just living in the moment and only editing/blogging pictures that enhanced whatever narrative struck me when my companions started drifting off).

Going through what I shot, my visit to the nature preserve has some of my favorites.
Here's one--a look back in the other direction:


Turns out it was a small stand of pines instead of a single, but then it's hard to tell from 5 miles away.
You can see one of Heavenly's lower ski trails on the far left--in the first photo I was probably on the edge of the frame and 1200 feet higher.
It's funny that while I was enjoying the low clouds, cold temps, and sporadic ground fog, my girls were above the murk stashing their coats in lockers and skiing in the warm sun--and yet none of us could see the lake!





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Anyone remember "NetBooks"?
Those small and cheap laptops with reduced specs were all the rage for about 18 months, and I was sure it was a brilliant solution for travellers who wanted to update their MySpace and check email.
Then came tablets and serious smartphones, a flood of apps, and finally Facebook's desire to stuff your RAM to the brim and encourage your processor to heat up enough to make Cup O Soup.

Glad I decided on a laptop.