Christmas Cookies

One of my favorite Christmas traditions is decorating gingerbread cookies to hang on the tree. Our grandkids were willling helpers in the decorating process.

This year everyone could decorate without too much help and they made wonderful cookies.

And now our tree decorating is complete and it looks like Christmas.

Finding the perfect tree 2020

 We once again enjoyed a family outing to find the perfect Christmas tree. This was not a Smith family tradition or a Roehr family tradition, but started with our own family. Over the years the outing has changed, the family has grown up and we have become very efficient in the hunt, but it is still a great outing on a sunny winter day.

Calvin and I arrived first and had already chopped our tree before the rest of the gang arrived about 10 minutes later. This is a fake photo of me with the axe. It was heavier than the one we usually use and I couldn't actually swing it at the tree, so Calvin had to chop it all by himself.

The other families were just as efficient, but no one got a tree quite as big as ours.

Just for comparison, this is our first Christmas tree in 1976

And this is our tree in 2020

Obsidian Dome and LaQuinta

On our last morning in Mammoth we took some family pictures and then headed to Obsidian Dome to look at some really big rocks.

Then Calvin and I drove south to La Quinta, CA for a few more days of summer weather.

La Quinta is a resort community where Calvin had to share his bike lane with golf carts.

While Calvin rode I walked the neighborhood.  One morning I walked around the "Old Town." Since the first resort of the city was built in 1926, the old town isn't all that old, but the library square has a beautiful park area for strolling.

Another day I walked along a giant wash, which was quite a contrast.

On our last day, Calvin rode his bike through a box canyon that he had ridden once before and I met him at the south entrance to Joshua Tree National Park. Once there we took a short hike to Cottonwood Springs. The majority of the surrounding are looks like this.

And then you suddenly stumble across this grove of giant fan palms and a spring. It took a brave person to try and cross this desert.

Nevada Day in Mammoth

We celebrated Nevada Day with a family hike around Convict Lake in the morning. The hike was decribed as a 2 1/2 mile loop, which would be a challenge to the younger hikers, but my watch said we traveled closer to 3 1/2 miles before we got back to the car. Peter, Rachel and Ingrid did an out and back hike, but the rest of the gang walked the whole way. I think it is a beautiful location, just a little fall color left and no smoke!

The "buddy stick" was in use.  I though Sylvan's shadow made it look like he was riding a broom.

Welcome refreshments at the end of the trail

In the afternoon the kids went to the Mammoth Police Department for a little Trick or Treating and then had a second round Trick or Treating from room to room in the condo.  Not the biggest candy haul, but everyone seemed content with their stash. 

Nick organized by color

Garrett sorted by brand

Another successful Nevada Day celebration

Friday in Mammoth Lakes

Peter organized a weekend in Mammoth Lakes over the Nevada Day holiday a few months ago, and then the massive Creek Fire started just to the west of Mammoth.  We watched for days as the AQI hovered between Very Unhealthy and off the chart extremely dangerous.  Now and then the air quality would pop up into the Good range depending on which way the wind was blowing.  We decided to take a chance on a favorable wind and drove to Mammoth on Thursday afternoon.  The air quality was decent when we arrived, but by the time Peter's family arrived later in the evening it was getting worse.  Amazingly, when we woke Friday morning it was a beautiful clear day. 

We drove up the mountain and took a walk along one of the many lakes in the area. We saw some bear prints and found all kinds of intersting things to do along the shore.

After the walk, while we waited for the Bordelons to arrive, there was time for a little mountain bike riding. This is the viewfrom the Minaret viewpoint on Thursday. The smoke was hanging just behind the mountain tops, but didn't spill into the valley

This is the same view on Friday

On Friday you could actually see where the fire was burning just ten miles away

After the Bordlons arrived we did a little pumpkin cookies frosting

Ingrid got right down to business, frosted one cookie, put another  cookie on top and took a bite.

The rest of the crew took a little more time with their creations