December 23, 2025 - January 2, 2026 - Kelly's Birthday - Christmas Day - Trip to Lake Tahoe for Family Gathering

My Blog Reflection

Remember, no man is a failure who has friends.

Clarence Odbody in "It's a Wonderful Life"

December 23, 2025:

The above reflection is a quote from my favorite movie of all time, "It's a Wonderful Life." To this day my daughters bemoan the fact that I made them watch it every Christmas season. 

Today was Kelly's birthday. Bob and Ronnie invited us over for "Pennsylvania Dutch Waffles and Chicken with Gravy". We had never had it before and really enjoyed it. Bob is a great cook and enjoyed sharing this dish with us. For dessert Bob had Alexa help him make Fruit Pies. These were enjoyed as well. They were nothing at all like those grease wraps they serve at the fast food joints.

In the evening we had a Birthday Party with cake and presents. Alexa found two candles - one for the double digits and one for the single digits. LOL

Alexa bought Kelly rechargeable hand warmers. These will come in handy this week in Lake Tahoe so they immediately went on the charger.  It is nice feature that both plug into one USB port.

We have crows in the backyard on a regular basis, which delights Alexa for some reason. She gave Kelly a "Crow Caller". I'm not crazy about having the crows around so I hope Kelly doesn't become proficient at calling them. LOL

My gift was a rock polishing kit. Kelly had one when we were first married and loved it. Recently she has talked about polishing rocks again so I got online and found a nice kit.

Kelly's birthday is close to Christmas. She doesn't like her "birthday" present wrapped in Christmas paper. We had no birthday paper so I used the only thing we had left - a plastic graduation table cloth. It wasn't birthday paper but she let me slide.

The rock polisher turns 24/7 and makes a lot of noise as the rocks tumble. When Kelly got the rock polishing kit when we were first married, we lived in a shotgun three-room apartment. We put it in our bedroom closet to try and muffle the noise. It was still loud. At this house we have a lot of places to set up the tumbler far away from our sleeping area. 

The tumbler kit came with three polishing grits, two tubs of rocks to get started, and lots of directions for successfully polishing.  Upon unboxing it Kelly was anxious to get started but she can't do that until we get back from California because it has to be attended to on a regular basis.

You all may be getting polished rocks in the coming months.

December 24, 2025:

We did little other than pack for our trip to Lake Tahoe on December 26th. Two of our daughters and all of our grandkids live in California. Some like to ski so Annie and Adam rented a house that is large enough for all ten of us. We will leave St. Louis on the 26th and be back on January 2nd. Our only time being near Lake Tahoe was when we were on an RV trip to California to see our new granddaughter, Violet. Snowfall on the Donner Pass caused us to have to spend four days in a Reno RV park waiting for the highway department to take the chains requirement off all vehicles going over the pass. When we were able to cross it was beautiful seeing all the snow on the trees and in the ski resorts. We ended up getting a closer look of the area because there was a mudslide which closed I-80. We were diverted to a highway that ran on the edge of Lake Tahoe. Spending some quality time there will be nice.

December 25, 2025:

Kelly, Alexa, and I had a nice, relaxed Christmas watching Christmas movies and videoing with the grandkids to see what all they got for Christmas.

December 26, 2025:

At 7:00 a.m. the three of us headed to the St. Louis airport.  We flew into Reno, Nevada, with no issues. The two California families were driving in, one from Mountain View, California, and one from Tracy, California. The plan was for Adam to pick us up at the airport but things didn’t go as planned.

As we arrived it was predicted that Tahoe would get up to six feet of snow and it started coming down as predicted. The snow was great for the ski resorts but not so much for our traveling. Adam and Annie were stuck in major traffic with the snow and could not pick us up at the airport. At the Reno airport Alexa called for an Uber. It was about an hour drive to the rented house. The first driver said he wouldn’t go because he didn’t have tire chains. The next driver said he would take us. He arrived with a small Honda SUV. The three of us and our three large suitcases barely fit. We were on our way.

Driving was fine until we got close to our I-80 exit on to California 267. In the higher elevation it was now dark and had obviously been snowing heavily for some time. The roads had been plowed but were basically ice-packed, traffic was moving slowly. Driving was extremely hazardous.

Once we turned off I-80 we hadn’t gone far on California 267 when there was a checkpoint. I assumed this was to check for chains or studded snow tires. Our driver had no chains nor studded snow tires. I thought we would surely get turned back. We approached the highway crewman and after pointing his flashlight at our tires waived us on. Whew! We continued on the ice-packed highway to our subdivision turnoff. Our driver had just moved to Nevada from LA and had never driven in snow. He clearly didn’t know what he was in for.

The road through the subdivision was plowed but curvy and ice-packed. Our driver got us to the address and dropped us and our luggage off in the icy street. It was dark and cold. Annie had messaged Alexa the house number and the code to get inside. Alexa walked up the icy driveway to the house and the code worked so she motioned for Kelly to get inside.

We had to drag our suitcases across the icy street and up the icy driveway.

With the winter weather forecast Erin had decided to wait until the next day to head to Tahoe from Tracy, California, particularly since she only has a two wheel drive vehicle. This ended up being a very wise decision.

We were in phone contact with Adam and Anne. They had been on I-80 for hours with horrific traffic and snow. It was now about 8:00 p.m. They were only about twenty miles from the Tahoe exit when the highway department shut down the highway. They had to turn around on the overpass and head back to search for a motel. Annie and a friend both immediately got online to find a motel. Annie found a room, which was twenty miles off of I-80, but she snatched it up because all closer places had already filled up. They arrived at the motel and were safe for the night. We relaxed, they crashed. Their six hour trip had turned into eleven hours and they weren't even in Tahoe yet.

The rental house was close to Donner Ski Ranch, which got 57 inches of snow, other places got more. We were at a lower elevation and there was a lot of snow at the house but it was quickly plowed and piled up everywhere.

December 27, 2025:

The three of us were the only ones at the house and we had no food and no vehicle to go purchase anything. I did find a box of "Malt-O-Meal" someone had left behind and made us each a bowl. Kelly and I hadn't eaten Malt-O-Meal since we were kids. We hadn't eaten anything since noon the day before so it tasted great.

 

The Wiseman family got up early, left their motel room, and headed to the house. By morning the roads had been cleared considerably. They arrived at the house about noon and stressed about the trip. We were so glad to see them arrive safely.

Erin and the boys left Tracy early in the morning. Due to heavy traffic they didn't arrive until about 2:00 p.m. Once they were at the house everyone was accounted for ane we could all relax.

After chilling for a while the kids went outside and played in the snow, first in the driveway, then in the backyard. They had a great time with the saucers they brought. I don't think Free had ever been in the snow before.

The metal box in the pictures is the bear-proof trash bin. Every house has one and all trash must be put in it. You can't even leave trash in your garage or you face a large fine. The trash is placed in barrels inside the box and locked with a key that hangs on the side. It is heavy duty.

I asked the folks across the street how collection worked and she said a guy walks along, unlocks the box at each residence, and dumps the barrels inside into a dumpster on the back of a pickup truck. It has to take forever to collect the trash this way. Obviously it is a necessary procedure due to the bear population all around.

The rental house was great but the first two days the Great Room was cold. The thermostat was cranked up but the heat just wasn’t getting up there. I looked around the Great Room and found a heat vent under a cabinet in the dining area and another behind the TV. The vent behind the TV was totally blocked with cables, drapes, the TV cabinet, and the TV. I pulled the cabinet out about three inches to allow for more air flow. I pulled back the drapes and rested them on the window sills. Here I am try to get the heat vent cleared.

It helped some but we still had to bundle up to sit around or watch TV for the first two days.

December 28, 2025:

This was Christmas morning for the family. The little ones waited patiently for the presents to be passed out.

I volunteered to be Santa and passed out the presents. At times I wasn't fast enough for the four and five year olds. LOL

Kellen got all money. Just what an eighteen year wants. LOL

After all the gifts were all opened we cooked a big breakfast of eggs, bacon, and bagels. Freedom and Wren wanted to help with the eggs, some boiled and some scrambled eggs.

About noon we drove down to see Lake Tahoe, which was only about two miles away.  Lake Tahoe is a natural Alpine lake. It is 1645 feet deep. The second deepest lake in the U.S. behind Crader Lake. For perspective, the Empire State Building, with its spire, is 1454 tall. The lake has an average depth of 1,000 feet and it is twenty-two miles long. The water is so clear you can see down seventy feet. Crazy cool.  

We were staying at the Northern end of the lake and took a driving tour along the lake in that area. We drove in one direction and after a couple of miles we were in Nevada. We turned around and headed to Tahoe City, California, about fifteen miles away. There we wanted to see the "Penny Bear".

Parking is always an issue because there is just a single highway running through the commercial area and there are no back streets in this mountainous area. We had to park behind some shops and walk from there. The sidewalks had been cleared with a snow blower on tracks. It came by us at one point making a second pass. While it cleared the snow, it left an icy walking surface. Walking was slow.

Once at Penny Bear Park we found lots of snow everywhere. It was not cleared. The bear is a large momma bear and her cub all made out of pennies. Free was into throwing snowballs the entire time. Great fun for a four year old.

As you can see the bear is pretty large. Our heavy winter coats and boots were just the thing for this excursion.

Here are a couple of shots of Lake Tahoe from Penny Bear Park.

From there we walked to a Thrift Shop Kelly had spied nearby. There was nothing of interest to us so back to the car. Here are a couple of pictures of the lake taken as we drove along. Mountains surround the entire lake.

Once back at the house the kids all suited up to play in the snow. After playing in the snow for a while they headed for the hot tub. They were busy little bees.

Where you got out of the hot tub there was a giant electric heater hanging from the porch ceiling. It helped when you got out but you didn't hang around long in the area with your wet swimming suits.

For supper Adam made a delicious pot of pea soup which we enjoyed with French bread and butter. A couple of store bought pizzas were cooked in case the kids didn’t like the soup. Surprisingly Free and Wren loved the soup. As I said, it was delicious. Adam loves to cook and is quite good at it.

After supper we watched football as the kids ran around the house playing with their presents.

December 29, 2025:

This was a lazy day. After a big breakfast of eggs, fried potatoes, and bacon, we played games and enjoyed family time. A relaxing time for everyone.

December 30, 2025:

This was another relaxing day. The kids played in the snow with Alexa and Annie supervising. The rest of us stayed inside where it was warm. We went to supper at a local Italian restaurant and it was a hit. Free was really into his spaghetti and Kellen into his pizza. I had a house salad and two giant meatballs. They were delicious, just like mom used to make. I hadn't had meatballs in ages, we just have meat sauce with our spaghetti.

Adam took a great picture all of us enjoying the meal. Look at that food! Nobody went home hungry.

December 31, 2025:

Today was skiing day. Adam and Annie had never been to these particular slopes. They didn't know if there was a lodge where Kelly and I could sit to watch the kids and grandkids ski. That being the case we opted to stay home. As it turned out this was a good decision. There were only a few tables available and they didn't provide good viewing. The grownups took some pictures for us.

Kellen took a snowboarding lesson and here he is headed for the slopes. He is always so SERIOUS!

The two little ones took a skiing lesson and immediately enjoyed the bunny slope.

Here is a picture of Violet starting her run. She is quite good for a nine year old.

Annie and Violet headed down the main slope together. 

After a few runs Annie twisted her knee and was out of the running. 

Once they were all tired out they turned in their gear and found a nice place for lunch before heading back to the house. Nothing else was planned for the day. Later in the day I bought Annie a brace for her knee until she could get home and get it looked at. 

All the grownups stayed up to watch the ball drop in New York. It was 9:00 p.m. in California but that was late enough for me. LOL

January 1, 2026:

Living 2,000 miles apart, as you can imagine, it is hard to get all of us together much less get nice family pictures. Erin had planned to have Adam take a lot of "posed" family pictures this week. She had all the guys purchase black shirts and black plaid pajamas, the girls red shirts and black pajamas, and the three little ones green Christmas pajamas.

Adam ended up taking 180 pictures inside the house, on the hot tub deck, and on the deck off the master bedroom. The little ones were to be commended for their patience in this hour-long endeavor.  Here are a few of the pictures.   

Kelly and I and the grandkids.

Kelly and I, our girls, and the grandkids.

This is of everyone, including Adam, who used the camera timer to get in the picture. Pretty cool. He does a great job positioning everyone.

My girls wanted some outside pictures to capture a little of the winter ambiance we were experiencing. 

The first is of us, our kids, and our grandkids.

Annie, Kelly, Erin, Alexa, and Mike - the Bullerdiecks.

Kelly and Mike, the ones who started this amazing clan.

Freedom, Kellen, and Erin - the Tracy, California, family.

The grandsons - Kellen and Freedom.

The Mountain View, California, granddaughters, Violet and Wren.

Adam and Annie, who had the idea and put this enjoyable time together.

The Wiseman Family - Annie, Adam, Wren, and Violet.

The four grandkids - Violet, Kellen, Wren, and Freedom. We so enjoyed being with them this week. They were such a joy to be around.

The Bullerdieck girls who kept us busy all week with activities.

The other three boys in our family.

It was great fun taking all of the photographs and a great way to end our time together. 

After picture taking Adam, Annie, Alexa, Kelly, and I, went for a ride to Palisades, formerly called "Squaw Valley", where the 1960 Winter Olympics were held. Here is a picture of the entrance where the Olympic Torch has been burning continuously since 1960. It is a busy intersection and with all of the snow piled up everywhere there was no getting out to get a better picture. You can barely see the flame just to the right of the sign poles and even with bottom row of signs.

As you drive toward the ski area there are hundreds of apartments and housing units which were built for the competitors, news media, spectators, etc. Here are a couple of pictures of the ski runs behind Olympic Village. It was raining a little and quite cloudy so the pictures aren't that great but great fun to see.

The residential and support buildings throughout the area have all been sold off to companies and individuals. It struck me as that process eliminates the possibility of ever having another Olympic games here. Too bad.

January 2, 2026:

We reserved an Uber for 6:20 a.m. to get us to the Reno Airport. The entire family got up to see us off, which was wonderful and much appreciated. The driver was right on time, the roads were clear, thus making it a less stressful trip than getting here. The sun coming up over the mountains as we drove into Reno was beautiful. I couldn't get any pictures. I was on the wrong side of the back seat. We arrived at the airport in plenty of time to catch our first flight. The entire trip back to Perryville went like clockwork. We arrived home about 8:30 p.m. After about an hour we headed to bed. It had been a long day.

After we left the rental house the California crew cleaned up and then all headed home. No travel issues this trip. 

This was such a memorable time with family. Hope you enjoy this glimpse of it.