Ava & Bettina - Serene Lakes' Parade Queens
Well, we spent the last week up at my sister's house in Tahoe. It was a big week for them as Patrick (my brother-in-law) transitioned from being a Donner Summit fireman to Truckee. The merge has been an idea for years and means that Patrick (as well as the others absorbed) will have better benefits and pay. Patrick was elated to learn that he was reassigned to the "main" station in Truckee which means he'll have more "toys" to play with and a larger scale of call types. At Donner Summit, he got a lot of I-80 traffic accidents and ski calls from the 3 nearby ski resorts (Sugar Bowl, Donner, and Soda Springs). Now, he gets a ladder truck, a river rescue truck and boat and a Care Flight helicopter with whom he can work.
There was a grand pinning ceremony to mark the transition and firemen and representative came from miles and miles to attend. There must have been 40-something firetrucks out in the parking lot. Everyone from CDF (California Dept. of Fire), Reno, Truckee, Squaw Valley, Northstar, etc. were there. It was very touching and even Patrick got emotional.
That was followed by a giant celebration and reunion for all who ever worked for Donner Summit Fire before the station was retired and changed to Truckee Fire. Again, firemen both current and of yore gathered at Sugar Bowl Resort for a top-notch bar-b-que with memorabilia and toasts and stories that were told throughout the night.
Saturday was the big Serene Lakes neighborhood parade and the local firemen (Patrick and Dennis) brought up the fire trucks to make the scene all patriotic and complete. And, who but his only nieces, Ava and Bettina got to ride in the truck right up front with him!! They didn't seem to be bothered by the noise, which is actually much muted while inside the cab rather than standing out in front. They donned their most patriotic, star-studded dresses and leaned out the windows to watch all who were watching them. Definitely the queens of the parade.
Daddy came up on the train to visit over the weekend and joined us on the Homeowners' Beach and to do some more hiking. To see a whole mess of photos, click here. We had a lot of fun on our long trip and it gave me the practice of figuring out what to pack for our next long trip - a month up north in Oregon & Washington.
Posting to the blog may be difficult up there. I think most everyone I'm visiting is on dial up - not the easiest and I may just wait and save myself some frustration. We'll see...
Ava and Tina are teething again, I think. They are working on teeth numbers 7 and 8. Funny, they have the same number of teeth and they come in just about the same time. However, they aren't the same teeth. Ava's got more on top and Tina on the bottom! Funny...
