Wait, it's April? In 2007?

Where have I been? I think it was just yesterday that I was griping that winter would never end (this being the warmest winter I've experienced since leaving California, it was also one of the most difficult to get through, I think because the cold came so late in the season, just when I thought it never would).

But now it's a bright, sunny 80 degrees outside (27 degrees Celcius). Perfect weather for sharing this photo of the Sierra Nevada Mountains:

and this one (me on the left and my mother on the right):

and this one:

(Yes, after 11 or so years of skiing, I am still a beginner and use the "big, easy" skis. I tried using a different kind the next day, because the girl adjusting the bindings told me she thought I could try faster, more advanced skis, and my ego said, "Oh, yes, do it!" And then where was my ego when I was standing at the top of the mountain, breaking down into tears because the snow was pure ice and the skis were too much for me to handle in such conditions? Nowhere to be found.)

But the pain was soothed and the ego sent scurrying even further away by some good West Coast eating:

On my last visit to southern California, my uncle explained to me why I will likely never see an In-N-Out Burger in Virginia, to my chagrin: apparently, company policy insists that they don't build any restaurants more than a day's drive from their central warehouse. To keep the food fresh and all that. So Reno's about as far as it gets.

Well, I say, I'll take stale In-N-Out over most other food any day. Then again, it's probably for the best. It's hard enough eating healthy as it is. Maybe I'll get lucky and the food gods will bless me with El Pollo Loco out here instead. That's healthy, right? I mean, it's chicken and guacamole and rice and beans.

Haute Cuisine? Nah, just West Coast fast food for me, please.

We drove around a lot while I was in Reno, too. I never really noticed the interesting things when I lived there:

(This is where my brother works right now. They have fabulous carpet:)

It might be the most beautiful kitsch I've ever seen.

My only regret on this trip is that I didn't go visit my good friend Tessie at my favorite place on Earth (so far). If I had just been able to make it up the mountain to a more advanced run, as in, more advanced than the beginner run, I might have caught a glimpse of the lake over the mountain. But I was concentrating on staying upright. So maybe, next time.

Now that I'm back in Virginia, I'll just keep going East and jaunt on over to Paris, thanks to Corey, who is serving up an incredible selection of delicious photographs and allowing her readers to travel along with her. The funny thing is, I could have gone to Paris without even leaving Nevada. Somehow, though, I just don't think it would be the same.