Honeymooning in the Hills

Your mom and I spent the night in South Lake Tahoe as part of an impromptu honeymoon thanks to our great friends Marshall and Laura. After the wedding, when Marshall texted me asking if we were on our way to Mexico, I broke the news that my dad fell through on that plan and we intended to enjoy some time off from work winding down from the wedding festivities at home. Well, he and Laura offered up a night at one of their timeshare-type places near us, near beautiful Lake Tahoe. Who could turn that down? The next day we were on our way!

It had been a while since we were up in the mountains, so this was going to be a treat. This picturesque road ended up being the wrong way to our first stop, but it was the path we ended up on and it seemed to fit the adventurous mood.

We stopped for a beer tasting at a "farm brewery," Jack Russel Brewing, a really neat place in the rural hills surrounded by vegetable plots and grazing sheep and llamas. We were there right when it opened, so it was beautifully peaceful and silent. A good way to enjoy a beer. 

This was our view approaching the lake. The last time we visited it was Winter time, so this was our first sight of the area during Spring. The weather was beautifully cool and sunny. 

We had some time to kill before the hotel check-in, so your mom joined me in another beer sampling at a cute little brewery in South Lake Tahoe. 

Then we drove across the Nevada state line and up some winding roads to the hotel, way up at 7,400 feet! We could feel the thin air, but that's where the views are!

You could see all the way to the lake on one side and this view to Carson City on the other. Once we spotted that partially covered hot tub, we knew that'd be our first stop. 

Your gorgeous mother. The only woman I'll ever call my wife.

We committed to staying in for the evening and enjoying the comfy accommodations at this suite treated to us by our friends. So, we got fixings for a classy meal and got to cooking. 

Then we stayed up late playing the latest Nancy Drew mystery game, one we'd been waiting for a long time. We made some good progress, and it was fun enjoying some of our home comforts in a far off place. 

The sunset on a wonderfully long day, our first trip together as husband and wife. 

The next morning, misty weather treated us to a rainbow over the lake which we could see from our window! 

Mimicking our last visit to this area, we found a cute place to have a big breakfast. 

We just had to see the water up close. Both of us always appreciate the rhythmic calm generated by a lapping coastline. It's not still, it's just calm.  

She is so drawn to the water...

Your mom maintained her tradition of documenting our presence on the beach, our first one as Mr. and Mrs. 

The weather turned as we got in the car to head back down the mountain, and we reminisced about our last visit, when snow nearly trapped us just as we were planning to leave. 

Your mom discovered a really nice used bookstore in Placerville, another small town in the hills with a cute "old town" main street where this store fit in quite well. 

She added some older publishings to her collection. 

Halfway home we stopped at this pretty winery which is also home to a brewery, so yet again I was able to taste some new and delicious beers while soaking up the serene foothills covered in vineyards. 

It's only been a few days since the wedding, but I'm filled with confidence that the fun we have will last a lifetime. One day, you'll be with us, and I hope you get to feel the same joyful adventurousness that burns in us on these little trips of ours.