Song: Come Saturday Morning
Group: The Sandpipers
Although it was snowing in the Sierra Nevada Mountains...
it was still a nice Saturday morning.
I wanted to get my mother out of the house and into the mountains
for just a little while.
I wanted her to experience how refreshing a short mountain drive can be...
even in inclement weather.
The Lake Tahoe lookout point is just 45 minutes from her house.
We are going up Mt. Rose.
This is just 20 minutes or so from her house.
Although Mt. Rose gets over 33 feet (over 10 meters) of snow every season...
and the Hwy. has a pass at over 9,000 ft in elevation...
the Hwy. is kept open all year long.
It is the highest all year long open Hwy. in the Sierra Nevada mountain range.
As it was snowing...
Lake Tahoe was difficult to see from the lookout.
This man had just reached his turn around point on his run.
He was stopping to drink some water and to take in the views before heading back down.
This is a hard core runner.
Lake Tahoe is already above 6,000 feet in elevation.
This lookout point is at 7,500 feet in elevation.
I had much respect for him as soon as I had seen him running up to this point.
His starting point was down at Lake Tahoe.
My mother asked him where his jacket was :)
He was very friendly.
He explained that because he was running, he was sweating.
After a few minutes of talking with him...
he started his run back down the mountain.
I remarked to my mother on our way back that he was so friendly
because he was so happy in life.
Anyone who lives in such a place...
had his life together...
and so, had no worries...
and had nothing but good things to experience.
He had planned out his life properly.
On our way to the lookout point...
I had told my mother that we would stop at our favorite steakhouse on the way home.
My mother said she was very hungry...
and that she was looking forwards to eating.
Just as we were leaving the mountains...
I parked on the side of the road...
and then took this photo.
My mother's and my favorite steakhouse in Reno is Ruby River Steakhouse.
They know how to properly season and cook steaks.
The beer we drink is non-alcoholic...O'Doul's (we had two each).
Their fresh and hot sourdough and creamy rich butter starts every meal off right.
We always get the Jalapeno Poppers as an appetizer.
They come with this delicious sweet Jalapeno jelly.
The red Jalapenos are full flavored...
with just enough heat to make eating them a pleasure...
instead of an ordeal.
We then ate a Caesar salad.
We also always get the 16 ounce Rib Eye steak...done medium well.
Some may balk at this...
as most places dry out the meat when cooked medium well.
Not Ruby River.
Their steaks are very juicy inside...
seared properly on the outside...
and well spiced...
making for a full flavored and mouth watering...
truly memorable meal.
If the steakhouse you go to does not do medium well in such a manner...
you are going to the wrong steakhouse.
The humongous potato is first baked...
then dipped in a batter...
and deep fried just to crisp the batter.
It is light and fluffy on the inside.
My mother had eaten all of her steak...
except for the last two bites...
which I then readily ate for her :)
We both left fully satisfied...
and, well...
full :)
We took Hana back the fat trimmings.
The snow cats are now into their 2nd generation.
The adolescent cat was their first generation.
The 2nd generation are just babies.
You can see two of them on top of the black rock like structure.
The Red Cherry Shrimp are in their 4th or 5th generation now.
Some of the babies are difficult to see...
as they are so small.
My mother loves her hobby of raising Red Cherry Shrimp and fish.
I will be getting her some Red Coral Platys to raise soon.
My mother spends many hours a day in her relaxation room...
just watching her fish tanks.
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When the weather warms some...
we are going to resume our mountain walks near her home.
We will walk Hana at the same time...
and our goal is to reach the top of the first hill.
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We are also going to picnic near one of the local reservoirs soon.
Hana loves the mountains.
We are still having some snow storms in the mountains.
Soon...
we are heading out to some new areas in the mountains to enjoy.
As I have told my mother...
life is nothing without thoroughly enjoying the simple pleasures
which are abundant in it.
You simply have to go out and enjoy it...
and then end the day with a mouth watering feast.
Before our trip on this last Saturday morning...
my mother wanted to stop and eat something first.
I said for her to wait.
It is not enough to fill your belly.
In order to fully enjoy your meals...
you must first develop a gnawing hunger.
It is the magical memories in life which give it meaning.
If you take the time to plan on an outing...
it should be a place where magical memories are expected to happen.
If you wish to honor that experience fully...
you must end the day with a perfect meal.
If you are to do the meal justice...
you must have a deep craving for that particular meal.
Whenever you are eating out...
you should always skip at least one meal prior to the feast.
You should always sit at the table
as would a ravenous tiger lie before his feast.
This is the only way to do it justice...
and the only way to leave fully sated...
not just with your belly full...
is to have a truly memorable meal...with your very soul sated...
as if you had just dined with the gods.
If your mind does not summon up images of what it most desires to feast upon...
if your mouth does not salivate heavily at those images...
and if your whole body does not ache
for the one and only meal which would satisfy it...
you are not truly hungry...
and you should wait to eat out.
If you have these cravings...
yet...
you leave the restaurant without knowing it was a meal
long to be cherished with great satisfaction...
you had eaten at the wrong place.
Life is simply too short...
and too important...
to not ensure you are fully prepared to enjoy the full depth of each simple pleasure...
and to not go out enough to do so.
The mountains should always beckon you with the call of sweet solitude...
the sunsets should cry out to you to experience them with a song in your heart.
These are just some of what flavor life so deeply...
and are ours for free.
Life's simple pleasures...
an important part of the great feast that is life.
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