the golden state

We made our way through Nevada and crossed in to California six days after starting our trek.  On Friday, we dropped in to the beautiful Lake Tahoe area, situated high in the Sierra Nevada mountain range.

Charlie and I went on one of our first dates to Lake Tahoe - a ski trip in 1991 - when I was so smitten with my geology club president future husband, that I literally flipped head over heals on my skis and wound up on crutches for 10 days.   He was so darn cute.  He still is ... especially when he gets to enjoy a California chicken burrito, his number one all-time favorite food.

We traversed the infamous Donner Pass and tried to imagine the brutality of conditions that those early settlers - migrating from Springfield, Illinois experienced in the winter of 1846-1847.  See the ledge that the statue is perched upon?  That's how much snow fell in that fateful October that they wound up getting trapped in this area.  Of the 81 that began the journey, only 45 survived.  It's incomprehensible, really.   This stop was a very good reminder to count our blessings for being born in this space - and time.

Our arrival in California was impeccable and fortuitously coincided with Charlie's sister, Susan's birthday.  From Lake Tahoe, it was a short drive to her and her husband, Jeff's, home in Auburn.

We got there just in time for cake ... well played Captain Charlie - well played!

This was our first experience in close proximity to any one outside of our family since we've been quarantined in March, and there was definite concern about being close to each other.

We conducted our own internal risk assessments and determined that since we've been extremely careful - and they've been extremely careful, the potential for exposure was low.  In fact - this was our first interaction with anyone outside of our immediate family since February, aside from grocery clerks.  Since it's now been three weeks since we've seen each other, and everyone is still doing well, I believe we're thankfully, still in the clear.

We also saw Charlie's best friend from high school.  Roger was the best man in our wedding in 1994 and whenever the two of them get together - regardless of how much time has passed - they pick up from where they last left off.  It's really awesome to have an old friend with so much history.

The kids are more dialed in to the news than I have been on this trip, and are keen to tell us everyday the current statistics of COVID.   Its almost hard to remember that we're in the middle of a pandemic, but when I hear that the numbers are trending in the wrong direction - especially in Texas - it reminds us that this is not something to be taken lightly.

So we're doing our best to be very careful - limit our exposure to others - keep our hands clean - don't touch our face - and wear our masks whenever we're out and about. 

Including when we stop by In-N-Out!