We were lucky enough to be invited to spend the weekend with the extended Evers family in a luxurious Big Bear Cabin that Lynn won in an online Tripoli tournament. Or maybe she rented it from somebody.

Either way, it was a great spot off Cienega on the west side of town.

As you can see, there was plenty of snow - more than I've ever seen at BB. Fortunately the roads were clear and the driveway was plowed.

Here we have Lynn & Lorri, Sara and her good friend Mary (with camera), Ashley, then Gregg, Ash & Lynn on the couch.

This would be Sara, Lorri, moi, The German (actually his name is Marius, an exchange student staying with Gregg's family, but the kids refer to him affectionately as "The German") and Steve.

Friday morning dawned sunny and bright so we walked down to the end of the street and out to the lake.

The lake was a frozen expanse of whiteness but we weren't quite sure how frozen and nobody seemed too anxious to find out.

As I said, there was a whole lot of snow, but it was quite comfortable in the sun.

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Here we have Mary & Sara doing the "Sunbird", that was the name of the boat behind them. On the right is Gregg. He was shoveling off the back deck in the area surrounding the bbq which was pretty much buried. The snow was five feet deep but, in anticipation of bbq'd teriyaki tri-tips, Gregg persisted and eventually liberated the bbq.

 Snow Shoeing

Lorri and I rented snow shoes and for the first time for either of us, went snow shoeing!

We followed a trail from a parking lot near the camp ground, I think it's called Pine Knot Trail, until we got to a point where the trail ended and then we kept going. The snow was sparkling, pristine and beautiful, as was Lorri. (Just checking to see if she actually reads this stuff.)

The trail was not so steep that we got worn out but the going was a little slow. We took our time and enjoyed the surroundings.

Later, back at the cabin...

Sara and Mary borrowed the snow shoes and traipsed around the neighborhood.

The snow was so deep that fences were no obstacle, they just stepped over them.

Later we drove by our old cabin in Moonridge and then stopped by Bear Mountain for refreshments and to watch the skiers/boarders for a while.

The bar on the deck is called the Beach Bar and the beer prices are now about the same as at Petco Park for a Padres game.

In other words, a rip-off, for the birds...

So we spent the evening back at the cabin drinking our own (cheap) beer and eating lasagna, and so on. Mary and Sara are into Scrabble.

Everyone was pretty worn out so it was a fairly early night.

Saturday

We went for a walk in the neighborhood.

Then I took a couple photos of Steve's feet on the snow outside the house on the back deck.

Then we went in to town. That's Lorri's car at the far end on the left, and that's Lynn & Lorri on Pine Knot Road in town. Steve And I went to Chad's to wait for the girls, so... no more photos from town.

Steve and I enjoyed a late afternoon cigar and a beverage or two on the front porch.

Later, cousin Nick, the one on the left, (Nick=Steve's sister Susie's kid) and three of his friends stopped by to say hello. The were up for the day and had met up with Ash, Sara, et al, on the slopes earlier.

Here Lynn and I are posing for pictures. It appears I was making cocktails. I'm not sure what Lynn was doing. Rumor has it that we (Lynn, Steve, Lorri and I) went to dinner at Captain's Anchorage on Saturday night. We took a cab and had a great time!

Sunday, another beautiful day! The temperatures at night got down into the low twenties but during the day it was bright and warm and sunny.

The five kids...

The lake. The house & Lorri

Off on another walk around the neighborhood... I liked this political message. I think I'll print out an 8 x 10 and hang it in my office. Oh, that's right, I don't have an office.

Lorri and her snow dwarf being spied upon by the peaking bear.

The kids went shopping and Sara bought a, um, bird cage?

Steve and Lorri. Mary and Sara.

My snow man with Ashley.

The snowball fight.

Well, that's about it. We finally got around to grilling those tri-tips on Sunday night and had a great dinner with a great family. It was a great weekend!!!!