The above title makes Cyprus sound like some kind of penal settlement. I can assure you; whilst Nicosia is not quite the northern beaches of Sydney, it's definitely an OK place to live. However, when I stop to think that we are living on an island much smaller than Tasmania then I start to wonder what is across the sea and perhaps what I'm missing out on. Fortunately, for me, a trip to Barcelona came at just the right time last November but for the kids, they hadn't managed a flight until we boarded for America to see my brother and his family. Needless to say, their excitement was overwhelming leading up to the day. In fact, I had to categorise it as 'abnormal' when Angus was on our first flight (of 3) and wanted to set to work on ALL the holiday maths homework that his teacher had set him. I did a quick temperature check on his forehead, didn't argue, and then went back to my book. WOW, reading on a long haul flight is something that I had given up hope of long ago but on this trip, with an 8 and 9yr old it was actually possible! Now I believe those older Mum friends of mine; life does move on.
After a hugs all-round good-bye and trying not to think about the 'splitting the family' concept, we were off and away with very little waiting time. In fact, the waiting time got less and less with each transition. A sprint to the gate at Heathrow was followed by another sprint at Phoenix hoping to catch our connecting flight to Reno. Alas, we missed it, but fate must have known we were totally knackered and that we needed a good night's sleep in a nice hotel with a huge American breakfast the next morning. Wish we'd got a shot of Jessie's 4 courses; she was lovin' it! Her first comment upon arriving in Phoenix was "Mum, they ALL speak English here and they're SO friendly and helpful!" Yes, it was quite a culture shock I must admit.
Anyway, getting on with the story, we finally arrived and brother Roger and 6yr old Bryce were there to pick us up. A quick shopping trip for ski gear and then we were all together in the house at South Lake Tahoe. Nice to go back after six and a half years. All was totally complete when we got our bags delivered about 12hrs later.
Couldn't wait to get on the slopes and, over the the course of their 5 days on the mountain, my hopes for my children learning to ski or snowboard eventuated. It certainly didn't take long; they were crazy for it after the first day. Gus' regular saying at the bottom of a run (despite numerous falls) was "THAT WAS AWESOME!" Whilst his fearlessness was no less than expected, Jessie's tendency for caution did not hold her back. After 5 days of ski school, she was moving about the mountain beautifully with a big smile on her face.
As for me, it's always great to ski at Tahoe with those spectacular views. Those first few runs after dropping off the kids were just glorious. However, as with most things in life, too much of a good thing isn't all it's cracked up to be and I decided that next time I would need to bring a ski buddy. Sounds a bit stupid but I felt a bit bored and lonely after a couple of days and so I took myself off to do other things like walk and shop and relax.
Other highlights of the trip included:
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Spending time with my bro Roger and watching him
teach Angus how to snowboard |
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Seeing Ben & Angus snowboard & generally have a
great time together. |
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| Angus turned 8 and had a great cake & presies thanks to Aunty Bonnie |
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The trip HAD to include a chopper flight
with Uncle Roger at the controls. AWESOME! |
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In which I forgot to take aerial photos and tried to make up
for it on the ground. Whoops - sorry Ross. |
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| American treats with J & A. Cold Stone ice cream. |
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Gus and his snowboard instructor, Carl, after a day cruising the
California side of Heavenly. |
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| Ben & Jessie playing in the snow outside the house |
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| A bush walk had us trekking across the Nevada-California border |
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| A Marguerita at the Mexican Restaurant El Charo's |
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