McKenna And Spot In The Vaccine Line

TAHOE HERALD 

News Flash

Byline: Glenda Gorman

A reliable witness reports seeing a tall man with a giant Harlequin Great Dane in the vaccination line. This reporter suggests that the overwhelming likelihood is that their identities were local detective Owen McKenna and his 170-pound dog Spot. The witness said that Spot dutifully followed McKenna up to the booth where the shots were being administered. 

After McKenna received his vaccination, apparently Spot showed substantial disappointment at not being allowed to get his own shot. As McKenna pulled Spot away by the collar, Spot kept turning and pulling as if to go back. The witness said that Spot's brow was furrowed. 

Later, the witness allowed that it may not have been the vaccination that seemed enticing to the dog as much as the charming nurse who administered the shot to McKenna and then whispered something in Spot's ear, which made the dog wag with vigor.

Subsequently, another person saw McKenna and Spot over at an ice cream stand, where McKenna bought his dog a vanilla cone, perhaps as a consolation for not being able to spend more time in the vaccination booth. McKenna reportedly held the cone so his dog could lick the ice cream and enjoy it at a leisurely pace. But Spot opened his mouth - described by the onlooker as a yawning chasm reminiscent of the size and pink color of the canyons near Sedona, Arizona - took the entire cone in his mouth, and chomped down on it. McKenna tried to intervene, but Spot would have none of it. He quickly ate the treat, then shook his head as if he had an ice cream headache. 

When this reporter called McKenna and asked if the vaccination hurt, McKenna said he'd hadn't felt a thing and that the cost of his dog's ice cream was many times more painful. 

Don't Despair, Ski Resorts Are Open As Late As May

 

Here ski resort closing dates as reported in several places. The list moves roughly from the South Shore to the North Shore.

Kirkwood         April 11

Sierra                April 11

Heavenly          April 18

Homewood       May 5          

Diamond Peak  April 11

Northstar           April 18

Mt. Rose           May 5

Squaw-Alpine   May 1

Sugar Bowl       April 25

Tahoe Donner   April 4

Donner Ski Ranch April 1

Soda Springs      April 18

Boreal               April 11

As always, check before you go. Make sure the resort is still open, and make sure you have reservations if they are required.

Enjoy!!!

 

Does Tahoe Get The Most Snow In The Sierra?

 Here's an interesting bit of trivia (to me, anyway) about snowfall in the Tahoe region.

Everyone knows that Tahoe gets tons of snow. Does more snow fall because Tahoe is at 6,250 feet above sea level? How about nearby areas like Kirkwood at 8000 feet?

Yes, but not for the reason you probably think!

When storms push off the Pacific and rise up the Sierra, the clouds cool, and they can't hold as much water vapor. So they drop their moisture as precipitation. Here comes the surprise trivia. 

By the time the storms have come up over the Sierra crest at 8000 to 10,000 feet, they've already dropped the majority of their moisture!

This moisture generally falls as rain on the West Slope of the Sierra. As the storms get to the higher mountains, the air has cooled enough that the remaining precipitation usually falls as snow. And because Tahoe is colder, that snow usually sticks around and accumulates into a deep snow pack.

Once in awhile, the storms stay cold enough that the foothill precipitation comes as snow down to 3000 feet or even lower. When that happens, the greater total moisture in the foothills means that the higher foothills can actually get more snow than Tahoe! 

Tonight, we are supposed to get a moderate storm. It will be cold. As I write this, Tahoe is expected to get up to 8 inches at 7000 feet and up to 12 inches on the Sierra crest. But the higher foothills are expected to get up to 18 inches!

Because foothill temperatures are generally warmer, their snow will melt and Tahoe's snow will remain, adding to the perception that Tahoe gets all the snow. The bottom line is that the foothills get more total moisture than Tahoe. When it's very cold, that occasionally translates into more snow.

This happens a couple of times a year. 

Phew! You probably couldn't get through the day without knowing that, huh?

Chicken Ice Cream

 I've learned to pay attention to ideas I get in the middle of the night when I can't sleep. 

If I've got the energy, I get up and write my idea down. If I don't, I often won't remember it come morning. Sometimes, I just mouth the idea to myself as a memory help so I don't have to get up. That trick often helps me remember the great idea.

Last night, I had a truly great idea that I knew would solve a particular problem in the scene I'm writing. I could have my character eat chicken ice cream.

Of course, come morning, I realized it was idiotic. I guess I wasn't so awake after all!

Ah, another revealing look into the lofty world of writers.