Sunrise, sunset

This time tomorrow, I will be snug as a bug in a rug, tucked away in a little castle near the shores of Lake Tahoe. I am headed for days of fun, sun, snow and relaxation.

By definition that means that I will not be seeing anything even remotely resembling the following for the entirety of my trip:



That is a picture of a beautiful Tahoe sunrise taken by my good friend, Rita.

Rita, who has a house up there, is the earliest early riser I know. She and I, in that respect, could not be any more different. That picture was probably taken at about 5:30 a.m., after she had already made scones, had her coffee, read the paper, reupholstered a chair or two, done a load of laundry, ironed it, and watched at least two episodes of the reality TV shows she had to record because she was asleep at about 7:59 p.m. the night before.

I, on the other hand, was still in bed for approximately another three hours, minimum, after she snapped the photo.

She has all my admiration for that -- as well as for being just an all-around terrific person, friend and fellow sushi-enthusiast -- but I think she's nuts. And she knows it. She thinks I'm nuts, too...just for other reasons. She's probably going to kill me for writing this post when I get back (nothing a little judiciously provided chocolate can't resolve, however), but it serves two three important functions.

First, to tell you that I'm leaving you all behind and going away for a few days.

Second, to make you positively green with envy. (See first item.)

And last, to formally introduce you to Rita who, if the stars align properly, you are going to want to impress. She has truly earned the title "Reality TV Queen" in my eyes, and now she gets to wield that title with purpose, with authority, and with...prizes? Hmm...the mystery of it all.

So, with that, I'm off. Well, not really, I still have to pack. (Rita would have had it done yesterday, but I'm just not that organized.) Oh, and I'm taking the laptop along because, please, would anyone really expect me to not check in once in a while? There are "greener" pastures for me to till while I'm off living the life of leisure so it wouldn't be fun for me not to amuse myself by sharing some of it with you. Consider it a test-run for when I'm on my sabbatical later this year.

If I'm lucky, there'll be a heartbreakingly beautiful sunset for me to take a picture of to post. But a sunrise? Only if I stay up all night in one of the casinos trying to work up the courage to actually play some blackjack, and come stumbling home at daybreak.

P.S. Look, Rita, a new time on the post, just for you!