Our Idyllwild Trip

Here's our cabin from the back hill. When we got here it was pouring rain, 35 degrees and dropping, and the property mgmt. company who had our keys was closed for some unknown reason. After an emergency call, we finally got the keys, careened to the cabin on icy patches, and unloaded the car in the freezing rain up 2 flights of icy stairs. That's when we found out that the groceries that were supposed to be in the cabin, were not there and we basically had no food. Thank God I packed I. dinner but poor V. had to make a quick, scary trip to the closest store to get anything he could find to eat. Good thing because we were iced in for another day and a half - lots of pasta and sauce with turkey hotdogs. I don't think I'll ever eat a turkey hotdog again.


There was a chest of costumes upstairs in the loft so the next day, we rummaged around and this is what we came up with.

What would an Idyllwild trip be without some twilight and sunset pictures? I hiked up the back snow covered hill until I was high enough to almost see the horizon.

I just stood still and watched the sky go from dark blue to lavender with brilliant yellows, pinks, and oranges. It was so quiet. All I could hear was the sound of snow falling off the pine trees.

Gorgeous!

Icicles are cool until you're trying to walk down these stairs. Solid sheets of ice but they were fun to break off, I have to admit.

I really wanted one fire while we were up in Idyllwild. I mean, that's part of the experience. Problem was that we didn't have any little wood for kindling. So I took the first shift and split logs with the claw of a hammer until I couldn't and V. took over. We should have probably stopped now.


Here's the result of our hard work and we actually kept it going for a few hours. I had forgotten how much work it takes to keep a fire going though. Makes me enjoy our gas fireplace at home but you can't beat the smell of real wood burning.

Here's the reason we should have stopped with the hammer. V. took a chunk out of his palm and there was blood everywhere. No first aid kit, no bandaids, no Bactine. We had to make do with dishwashing soap, cold water and an artfully tied kitchen towel around the wound. Poor V.!

The trip had its good moments. It was great to hang out as a family. It was fantastic for I. and V. to see so much of each other. It was so nice to read something at night and be able to share it with V. right then - it was nice to have company at night. I got time to play with I. which was fun. What was probably best was after I got I. in bed, I didn't have a list of things I needed to do/should be doing/staring at me. You know what I mean and that was a huge freeing, emotionally good thing for me.

The hardest part was that the altitude took a lot out of me and from about 10 to 5 I really didn't feel good. I was also trying not to worry about the lackluster reception I had gotten at the doctor's office and the impending ultrasound to verifty that everything was okay. Then I have a bad problem with insomnia made worse with my inability to take any herbs or vodka and I have to make sure I really relax before I go to bed. So the first night there, I pull down the sheets to jump in the bed and there is this mother f*in huge black spider in the sheets running around. Exactly what I did not need before trying to relax and fall asleep. Somehow I still was able to fall asleep and not obsess about the creature (which was deposited into the toilet).

So I do think that we were vacation challenged in 2010 and am hoping for a turn of luck this year. I've got to get busy planning some travelling before August, some trips for just V. and I and some for the 3 of us, while it's just the 3 of us. That topic of the 3 of us is a whole 'nother topic that I am not getting into now, not when I'm going to be heading to bed soon. After a big bowl of cereal and berries - did I mention how hungry I get these days??