… and there’s a time for splittin’.

We had a cold, rainy day yesterday that left a dusting of snow above 8000’.

Another Thursday of yard maintenance. The flowers are still blooming out at Donner Lake.

We got out in the afternoon for 13 holes of golf. I played great for about three holes—the other ten holes, not so much.

Goofing around on the putting green while checking doors at night.

Arriving home after midnight after riding home from work.

We had our last XC race of the year out at Northstar. The race started with good weather, but halfway in it turned into thunder, rain and darkness.

I did pretty good, actually managing to finish ahead of someone in my class. Nancy is just thrilled to be done with another season. This is her fifth year of racing, and she’s completed all eight races every year.

Pretty impressive.

Can you spot the swing flaw?

The Rim Fire is finally getting some containment. As a result, our air has gotten a lot more breathable.

I escorted a group of guests up the back roads of Northstar to Zephyr Lodge to clean up after their wedding.

While they were packing, I walked around the ski runs and found the wildflowers are still blooming.

We did our Thursday yard maintenance at clients in Sierra Meadows and Donner Lake, and then back home to do our lawn.

I’ve been trying to ride more to and from work to stay in shape for the XC races. Riding through the woods at night is a little spooky, but I haven’t run into any bears yet. I have been seeing glowing deer eyeballs from my headlamp as they graze in the spring just above Martis Dam.

I nearly walked into a bear at work tonight. I came down some stairs in the dark at the mid-mountain lodge, came around a corner and found a bear standing on the stairs. Fortunately, we’re both familiar with each other and she just scampered away.

The smoke from the Rim Fire came back with a vengeance. When I drove in I could barely see the mountain from the highway.

By the time I took this picture it had cleared up considerably. The whole area smells like a campfire.