What I Did For My Summer Vacation

For my summer vacation, Denise and I are spending a long weekend with her brother, sisters and their families in South Lake Tahoe. Last night I scouted out a spot to “camp out” with all my gear and relax, doing what I like to do on a vacation — study The Apocalypse, write to our family in Uganda, people watch, read some news and blog. So, here I am at Alpen Sierra Mountain Roasted. It’s a very hospitable coffee hut with the following amenities:

  • The coffee is good. I would rate it an 8 on a scale from 1-10 with Flour Garden being a 1 and Java John’s right up there around a 9. I don’t know if I could really give anything a “10”, because that would be perfect.
  • The view is nice… there’s someone’s log home right across busy Hwy 50 (see photo)
  • They have free high-speed WIFI access.
  • The moment I walked in, I was greeted by the winsome face of a G4 iMac, which demonstrates the establishment has style (see photo)
  • The place has a nice ambience and the baristas (hip lingo for sales associates) are friendly and helpful.
  • A guy chased his son in the front door, calling him by name: “Sequoia!”
  • A young, GAP accessorized woman walked through the door announcing to the person on the other end of her cell phone (21st century version of a string with two tin cans at either end), “I just got out of the car and I’m going in.”
  • Some decent reggae… this could be a plus or a minus, depending upon the artist

Ah, yes… vacation in paradise South Lake Tahoe. So, what am I doing blogging on vacation in “God’s Country?” Well, this is what I like to do. Donna and Brian went off mountain biking and I really enjoyed that before my little misfortune. Now, the nerve damage to my right arm (and a little in the left, too) gets too painful with the jarring to the front fork and handlebars.

Well, then how about tennis? I literally loved tennis… it’s the closest thing to playing linebacker I’ve ever found. “Watch the eyes,” like you would watch a quarterback; nine times out of ten, where the eyes go, that’s where the ball will go. I also enjoyed sending the ball deep and then charging the net and set-up… just like looking for the running back to come through the line… all adrenaline and all raw reaction… no time for thinking. Anyway, I can barely hold the racket now and, with my shoulder muscle wasted, my backhand is non-existent.

Okay, so how about fishing? I actually got into fishing to be social with my buddies from work in Nevada City in the 1980s. I really enjoyed that. I like the strategy and skills… particularly using lures and feeling the spinners reach that perfect frequency, which tells a trout: “Hey, I’m a little fish and I’m running scared!” But, fishing requires patience and an expensive license. So, that’s one of about 100 hobbies I’ve tried and abandoned over a lifetime.

When you get to be my age it’s a good idea to narrow your focus and make the best of what you’ve got, especially when you’re on vacation. Right now, that’s studying The Apocalypse, writing to our families in Uganda, people watching, reading some news and blogging.

12 Comments

  1. Sweet. I miss Tahoe. Haven’t been there in a decade. I have warm (warm?) memories of swimming in Tahoe. We used to go up there at least once or twice a year. We used to go to Northstar a lot too.

    Hope you have a great rest of your vacation Bo.

    The moment I walked in, I was greeted by the winsome face of a G4 iMac, which demonstrates the establishment has style

    That automatically makes them okay in my book. 🙂

    August 28, 2005
    Reply
  2. Mel, as in "Mel and Joe" said:

    Okay, okay. But what, pray-tell is Denise doing with her time in tahoe? Inquiring minds want to know. Something useful and practical, naturally.

    August 28, 2005
    Reply
  3. Bo Salisbury said:

    Aha! Denise is actually down at Emerald Bay sunbathing, after paying $5 per car for parking. Then, she will be going to Vikingsholm (sp?) for the tour… she’s a wild woman this weekend!

    Tahoe… right own… right own! (like uncle Rico)

    August 28, 2005
    Reply
  4. suzyq said:

    Reading, Relaxing, and blogging…all at one of the most beautiful places on earth…sounds like the perfect vacation
    I hope you took the walk to Vikingsholm…its cool there.
    There’s a great nature museum there at south shore…you can see trout in a stream.
    enjoy!

    August 28, 2005
    Reply
  5. Michele said:

    Too cute to picture Denise and her little family.
    I hope you didn’t drink too much coffee and return depressed and bum out their serene scene, as they all ate honey-baked ham.

    August 29, 2005
    Reply
  6. Sadie Lou said:

    I love Lake Tahoe. I want to rent a little cabin up there and invite a bunch of hip NCCF couples to come along and hang with Dan and I. Doesn’t that sound like fun?
    I’m glad you’re having a relaxing getaway…
    …you deserve it. 🙂
    Love you guys! Hey, thanks again for doing that Triple A favor for us: I bet Denise didn’t bank on the fact that she’d be out past 10 that night.
    Good grief.

    August 29, 2005
    Reply
  7. I always thought vacations were supposed to be a relaxing time and no work involved. even blogging is considered as work. just kick off your shoes and relax bo!

    August 29, 2005
    Reply
  8. Sadie Lou said:

    Blogging IS relaxing…why else would so many people do it?
    If it feels like work–don’t do it!

    August 30, 2005
    Reply
  9. Sadie Lou or is it just Sadie? Blogging is work; you use your brain to write and put sentences together; it is work, unless your definition of work is different from my definition, which more than likely is. writing is work. i take it you’re not a real writer, are you?

    September 1, 2005
    Reply
  10. Sadie Lou said:

    i take it you’re not a real writer, are you?
    man, you waste no time in getting testy.
    😉
    I enjoy writting…
    …and no, it’s not work by my definition.
    work is washing dishes; which some people might find enjoyable compared to digging trenches!
    it’s all about perspective.

    September 3, 2005
    Reply
  11. Bo Salisbury said:

    Case in point; I do enjoy washing dishes, but like any other amusement, too much of a good thing can get old.

    September 3, 2005
    Reply
  12. testy, shmesty, you’re not a real writer, sadie…and that’s alright, i suppose. even stephen king’s not a real writer and yet people are taken in by his crap ;P

    September 6, 2005
    Reply

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