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A Much-Needed Big Bear Break

After the past week, this little excursion was almost too-perfectly timed.  Maj had proposed this trip about a month or two ago and when this was the only date available, both Nicki and I knew that was following directly after what was going to be the end of our NBCU time.  So this vacation would be a nice capper to all that nonsense, and sure enough, it was.  I feel very lucky that I have such great friends in my life!  My only complaint would be that I wish we all could have stayed longer, but what can you do?

Anyway, Larry & I rode up with Brian & Nicki in his cool Toyota FJ Cruiser on Friday afternoon, heading up to Big Bear via the 210 and then the 330.  It had been a bit rainy that day (appropriate, it seems, considering what was happening) so the drive up was a bit stressful, even if I was sitting in the backseat.  But there was an amazing sunset and we had some prime viewing seats as we were on our way up the mountain at the time.  I also learned that Nicki hadn’t heard Mark Ronson/Bruno Mars’ latest radio mega-hit, “Uptown Funk.”  Nicki was smitten and we ended up having that as a soundtrack to the weekend!

We didn’t get in until it was dark and Drew, Tawny, Paras and Carey were awaiting us.  Maj and Claudia were leaving later in the day so we decided to get some dinner then, so off we went to the Big Bear Village.  We found a good restaurant in 527 Social, surprisingly.  The weather forecast proved right too, as there was constant precipitation falling by that point although it was mostly drizzle and rain.  But that next morning, things changed a bit!!!

January 30, 2015 – Getting up to Big Bear

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30-Jan-2015 16:37, Canon Canon PowerShot SX600 HS, 3.8, 4.5mm, 0.033 sec, ISO 250
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30-Jan-2015 16:37, Canon Canon PowerShot SX600 HS, 3.8, 4.5mm, 0.033 sec, ISO 200
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30-Jan-2015 16:38, Canon Canon PowerShot SX600 HS, 5.0, 16.453mm, 0.017 sec, ISO 400
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30-Jan-2015 16:38, Canon Canon PowerShot SX600 HS, 4.0, 5.645mm, 0.033 sec, ISO 800
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30-Jan-2015 16:38, Canon Canon PowerShot SX600 HS, 4.0, 5.645mm, 0.033 sec, ISO 500
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30-Jan-2015 16:38, Canon Canon PowerShot SX600 HS, 3.8, 4.5mm, 0.01 sec, ISO 320
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30-Jan-2015 16:38, Canon Canon PowerShot SX600 HS, 3.8, 4.5mm, 0.033 sec, ISO 800
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30-Jan-2015 16:41, Canon Canon PowerShot SX600 HS, 3.8, 4.5mm, 0.017 sec, ISO 500
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30-Jan-2015 16:41, Canon Canon PowerShot SX600 HS, 3.8, 4.5mm, 0.033 sec, ISO 200
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30-Jan-2015 16:42, Canon Canon PowerShot SX600 HS, 5.6, 18.691mm, 0.017 sec, ISO 500
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30-Jan-2015 16:42, Canon Canon PowerShot SX600 HS, 3.8, 4.5mm, 0.05 sec, ISO 1000
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30-Jan-2015 16:42, Canon Canon PowerShot SX600 HS, 3.8, 4.5mm, 0.05 sec, ISO 1250
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30-Jan-2015 16:42, Canon Canon PowerShot SX600 HS, 3.8, 4.5mm, 0.025 sec, ISO 800
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30-Jan-2015 16:43, Canon Canon PowerShot SX600 HS, 5.6, 26.519mm, 0.067 sec, ISO 1600
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30-Jan-2015 16:46, Canon Canon PowerShot SX600 HS, 3.8, 4.5mm, 0.033 sec, ISO 250
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It was snowing when we woke up!!!  It looked like it was snowing a lot but the temperature was actually too warm for it to stick and accumulate.  I think it would have been nice to see snow pile up IF we didn’t plan on going out that day.  But since we did plan to leave the house, the fact that the snow was going to melt away and no roads needed plowing was a good thing.  It did mean that it was quite cold and it was a nice reminder of how it could feel back east….even if back east it was way colder than that recently.  Anyway, the day didn’t involve any kind of snow sports – none of us were planning that as an activity this trip, although it certainly could have been as we were right near Snow Summit.  We could see a lot of people coming there for the slopes though.  What we DID do though was eat, which was started off splendidly with a brunch at the Teddy Bear Cafe.  They made some excellent breakfast and had fantastic service – in fact, we all liked it so much we went back the next day!  Some of us headed back home afterwards to relax and play games and of course, drink some tasty beverages.  We even took a nice walk around the neighborhood and enjoyed the great views of the Big Bear Lake before then going out to dinner.  Tonight we went to the Brewery and had some pretty great grub there too.  We definitely ate pretty good on this trip.

That night, more games!  Played some of my Hollywood Tower of Terror Jenga as well as an epic round of Bang! which finally ended up being a head-to-head match between Nicki (the Sheriff) and Claudia (the Renegade).  I had been eliminated earlier after taking Brian out (my real only goal) as Nicki unleashed hell on me for that.  I guess he was her Deputy, but damn!  Claudia ended up winning after what felt like an endless stalemate.  Bang! is quite a fun game.  And no, that isn’t a euphemism!

January 31, 2015 – Full Day up on the Mountain

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It's snowing!
It's snowing!31-Jan-2015 08:36, Canon Canon PowerShot SX600 HS, 4.5, 9.07mm, 0.025 sec, ISO 200
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31-Jan-2015 08:36, Canon Canon PowerShot SX600 HS, 4.0, 4.96mm, 0.025 sec, ISO 200
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31-Jan-2015 10:30, Canon Canon PowerShot SX600 HS, 3.8, 4.5mm, 0.01 sec, ISO 200
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31-Jan-2015 10:30, Canon Canon PowerShot SX600 HS, 4.0, 6.319mm, 0.008 sec, ISO 200
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Looked at times way worse than it ever actually was
Looked at times way worse than it ever actually was31-Jan-2015 10:31, Canon Canon PowerShot SX600 HS, 5.6, 33.834mm, 0.013 sec, ISO 250
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31-Jan-2015 10:31, Canon Canon PowerShot SX600 HS, 5.6, 33.834mm, 0.01 sec, ISO 200
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31-Jan-2015 10:38, Canon Canon PowerShot SX600 HS, 3.8, 4.5mm, 0.05 sec, ISO 800
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31-Jan-2015 10:38, Canon Canon PowerShot SX600 HS, 3.8, 4.5mm, 0.05 sec, ISO 1250
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31-Jan-2015 10:39, Canon Canon PowerShot SX600 HS, 5.0, 11.63mm, 0.017 sec, ISO 800
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31-Jan-2015 10:39, Canon Canon PowerShot SX600 HS, 4.5, 9.354mm, 0.017 sec, ISO 800
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31-Jan-2015 10:40, Canon Canon PowerShot SX600 HS, 3.8, 4.5mm, 0.05 sec, ISO 800
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31-Jan-2015 10:40, Canon Canon PowerShot SX600 HS, 3.8, 4.5mm, 0.025 sec, ISO 800
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31-Jan-2015 10:40, Canon Canon PowerShot SX600 HS, 5.6, 31.883mm, 0.125 sec, ISO 1600
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feh
feh31-Jan-2015 11:23, Canon Canon PowerShot SX600 HS, 3.8, 4.5mm, 0.033 sec, ISO 800
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Our first brunch at Teddy Bear
Our first brunch at Teddy Bear31-Jan-2015 11:55, Apple iPhone 6, 2.2, 2.65mm, 0.067 sec, ISO 250
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All good things come to an end, of course, so today (Super Bowl Sunday) we all headed back to reality.  We had a great breakfast back at Teddy Bear Cafe in the Village first before starting the journey.  There was great weather and super-quick conditions on the freeways (unlike our trip up) and we were back home with plenty of time before the Super Bowl started.

Like I said, it was a lot of fun to get out of my head on this weekend of all weekends.  I easily could have stayed longer but now it’s time to hunker down and get shit done.  And believe me, shit will get done.  Alright, here’s the last batch of pics!

February 1, 2015 – Heading Home!

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Packing up
Packing up01-Feb-2015 09:31, Canon Canon PowerShot SX600 HS, 3.8, 4.5mm, 0.001 sec, ISO 160
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Nicki's Uptown Funk
Nicki's Uptown Funk01-Feb-2015 09:32, Canon Canon PowerShot SX600 HS, 3.8, 4.5mm, 0.002 sec, ISO 250
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01-Feb-2015 09:38, Canon Canon PowerShot SX600 HS, 4.0, 5.083mm, 0.006 sec, ISO 200
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01-Feb-2015 09:39, Canon Canon PowerShot SX600 HS, 5.0, 13.607mm, 0.01 sec, ISO 500
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01-Feb-2015 09:41, Canon Canon PowerShot SX600 HS, 3.8, 4.5mm, 0.002 sec, ISO 200
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01-Feb-2015 09:41, Canon Canon PowerShot SX600 HS, 3.8, 4.5mm, 0.002 sec, ISO 200
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01-Feb-2015 09:42, Canon Canon PowerShot SX600 HS, 4.0, 4.736mm, 0.002 sec, ISO 200
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01-Feb-2015 09:42, Canon Canon PowerShot SX600 HS, 4.5, 9.952mm, 0.001 sec, ISO 200
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01-Feb-2015 09:45, Canon Canon PowerShot SX600 HS, 3.8, 4.5mm, 0.017 sec, ISO 200
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01-Feb-2015 09:45, Canon Canon PowerShot SX600 HS, 5.0, 13.186mm, 0.02 sec, ISO 250
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01-Feb-2015 09:45, Canon Canon PowerShot SX600 HS, 5.0, 13.186mm, 0.02 sec, ISO 250
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01-Feb-2015 09:45, Canon Canon PowerShot SX600 HS, 4.0, 5.213mm, 0.025 sec, ISO 200
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Paras Pic 3: Teddy Bear Restaurant!
Paras Pic 3: Teddy Bear Restaurant!01-Feb-2015 10:02, Apple iPhone 6, 2.2, 4.15mm, ISO 32
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Wandering the Village for our last morning
Wandering the Village for our last morning01-Feb-2015 10:05, Canon Canon PowerShot SX600 HS, 3.8, 4.5mm, 0.001 sec, ISO 125
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01-Feb-2015 10:05, Canon Canon PowerShot SX600 HS, 3.8, 4.5mm, 0.002 sec, ISO 160
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