And we're all home in one piece. I'm sorry I can't say the same about the snowman.We had a truly grand time in Lake Tahoe. Although the weather report called for an enormous storm to hit during the 10-hour drive up, we had clear skies all the way. Our old Ford Expedition handled the drive perfectly, which was a miracle in itself. Not that it's unreliable. Aside from a few idiosyncrasies (random lights going on and off, gauges that don't seem to have any bearing on what's actually happening in the engine, a suspension that has a mind of its own), it's served us well for many years. But about halfway up the mountain, we got a new warning light. It was for the oil, but since we had the oil changed only a few days before we left, we didn't worry about it. We drove all the way to Lake Tahoe (more than 500 miles), and then spent a week more driving around before we finally decided we'd better actually check the oil before heading home. And guess what? There was not a drop of oil in the reservoir. Apparently, the repair shop emptied the old oil but didn't put any new oil in! Of course, we can't possibly prove it, but there is no other explanation. We put five quarts of oil in before it even registered on the dipstick, and there is no oil leaking or burning. I am astounded that the engine doesn't seem to have suffered any damage and took us home again as smoothly as ever. Go Ford! But I'll tell you what: in the future, I'll check the oil myself before leaving the repair shop.
We stayed in a great house with a big fenced yard that was perfect for snowball fights:
And there was a beautiful sledding hill only a couple of blocks away:
The skiing was fantastic; lots of fresh powder, and warm, sunny skies:
This was the second year the boys went snowboarding, and they're almost able to keep up with us now, so it was a lot of fun...
...and a little tiring.
