Tuesday, April 17, 2012

snow day so cal style

Well you already know my stance on traditions. I am a freak, yes, I know. Along with my list of major traditions falls the "must visit snow once a year" tradition. The good thing about living in North San Diego County, is that we are within a 2 hour drive to the mountains, Los Angeles, Palm Springs, and less than 30 minutes from the beach.

We are spoiled rotten and we don't take it for granted. But, we also know that we trade open space, slow pace, and cheaper housing as a result.

Julian is a very small mountain town within a short driving distance. We go up every fall to pick apples and usually once a year to have a snow day. It is at a lower elevation so when there is a storm we know we have to get up there within a couple of days before the snow melts.

We made plans with friends and headed up the mountain.

 You have to love the contrast of palm trees and snow.




 Am I the only one who has flashes of Ma and Pa shopping at the general store when I pass old buildings?


Once we found our spot, which was clearly marked "no trespassing" we jumped out of the cars and went for it. We figured a ticket for trespassing would be worth the fun. We live dangerously like that. Speaking of living dangerously, we go sans appropriate snow clothes. Much like the logic of using an umbrella in Southern California, if you only have to use it once in awhile, they really are not worth purchasing. So we let our kids freeze. It's okay, it builds up good character. Or something like that.



 You may notice that we don't invest in sleds either when boogie boards work perfectly fine.





Something tells me that this is how I'll always remember my guys.










FYI: soccer shoes are an excellent snow shoe replacement.

And the day would not be complete without a snowball fight.




While there were a few bumps and bruises, a kid who didn't care to participate, and complaints of frozen hands, it was still a day to add to out family tradition bank. Days like that are priceless.



Much love,
Katie

17 comments:

Erin said...

The boogie boards, soccer shoes and cactus are my favorite! Looks like a great day.

Betsi* said...

Hmm, let me guess which kid opted out of participation...
;)

Mamasita said...

Ohhhh I love this!!!!!! What incredible memories!
LOVE the boogie boards and soccer shoes! ha! :)

Karen said...

Love the pic of Charlie checking his frozen hands out. We bought tire tubes at a garage sale this year but never used them. If there is more snow and you guys go again, stop by and get them. Our neighbors used them and said they worked great. One year we used a snow board and took the bindings off. This year we prefer the beach, much warmer :) p.s Saw Kevin and the kids at the Avo fest. Bummed you were working.

Laurie J said...

love this, katie. esp the boogie boards in the snow....looks like such fun! thanks for giving this WI girl a good laugh :)
<3 <3 <3

Susan said...

These pics are so great!
I would do just about anything to live in California...the best of all worlds in one fabulous place.
Here...snow is not that exciting since it is in place for almost 6 loooong months. You could always visit??

carissa said...

i lived in North Lake Tahoe for five years. i really miss the snow! thanks for letting me enjoy it with you through these shots. your fam is super cute! : )

Rebecca said...

These pictures are so cool. Where else can you have snow and palm trees? Love it

Anonymous said...

Great pictures! And what great memories these will be! I live in the Monadnock region of NH so I am all too familiar with snow days ;)
New follower from the "that Friday" hop!
-Desiree'
Life with our Family

Ricki @ Rogue Baby said...

New follower from "that friday blog hop." I secretly wanna be Martha Stewart too! =)

www.roguebaby.blogspot.com

Ricki @ Rogue Baby said...

New follower from "that friday blog hop." I secretly wanna be Martha Stewart too! =)

www.roguebaby.blogspot.com

Alicia Seeley said...

Too fun!!! I live in Utah and that is how our New Years Day sledding looked like, minus the boogie boards!!! LOL Not coats, and lots of sun!!! Visiting from the blog hop, newest follower!!! :)

Heather @ we.are.the.holdens said...

Love that you live in CA but still can get to the snow! Priceless for sure. Glad ya'll had a great day.:)

katrina adams said...

so fun! i love the soccer cleats and boogie boards.

Unknown said...

i grew up with too much snow (which I hated) and my boyfriend grew up with NO snow (in cali) and i hope if we wind up in california i can do trips like these with our kids. i love the warm but i think its great you do this once in a while.

and i totally agree - buying snow gear is SO not worth it and it definitely builds character haha. ;)

bailey j

No(dot dot)el said...

So fantastic. A bit different than the snow we get here in the PNW but amazing the contrast is so cool.

Brooke said...

As much as we grumble about it... snow does have a MAGICAL quality to it, no!?! And I love the soccer/snow shoe idea. Hey, they have good traction, right? :D Glad you have a new tradition. Love that!