breaking the record for most posts in a day

Tao doesn't have the only prolific email mother. Here is a story my mother just sent me:

(REMEMBER?) OUR TRIP "TO" BUCK'S LAKE

A true story about being in the right place at (more or less;-) the right time.

Alternate title: ARE YOU SURE YOU STILL WANT A MINI COOPER?!?

It was a bright & sunny day. Middle April, not yet May, yet the temperature was pushing 80 degrees-not too uncommon for this area though. Court was adjourned (more on this in a future reference), chores had been dealt with or delegated, bills paid by Dad. What to do now? First things first, of course, delivering paid bills here and there. We drove around in circles a few times; forgetting to post at the P.O., doubling back; forgetting in the midst of conversation about a passionate issue to stop at PG&E and, you guessed it, doubling back. Finally, we were on our way to the "Dry Dock Marina" to pay our next month's trailer space rent. Except for taking a slight wrong turn on the back route and doubling back a bit, we arrived just in time to be met with a welcoming committee of 3 in a golf cart. The mood was upbeat as changes for the better were/are underway. We chatted about this and that, until Dad got restless to put into action the rest of our plan-head to Buck's Lake, see how far we could get (given the time, as it were, not too concerned about the weather). "Let's see how far we can get!" Driving in silence for a while, enjoying the lake view, the trees, the gorgeous blue sky. I commented once that there didn't seem to be much traffic on the road at all, especially for a Friday afternoon.

We traveled up the road and through the town of Mountain House, both beginning to reminisce about last winter, the snow long gone. As if with one mind, we began to try to pick out the place where we'd had to turn around on our last trip up the same hill. Looking for the wide spot where we had seen many snow bunnies, some of them perhaps seeing the stuff for the first time. Some lingering patches of snow began to appear as we reached the higher elevations. Mere remnants of what had been.. Then a bit more, and some that had actually drifted out into the road. Not a problem whatsoever for us in our Ranger pick-up. Then, around the next bend, what to our wondering eyes should appear but a miniature car with two very stuck old(er) people! Trying to muscle through an unusually large snowdrift across the road, their little car had just become positively snow bound. She was sitting practically terrified inside, he was outside trying to pick the snow away from the tires with some sort of crow bar. When we pulled up and quickly decided to assist, he simply said, "I'm stuck!" Well, the Mini Cooper came with a rope (mike's note: i still want one if it comes with a rope) and a little place to attach it at the back. Though he couldn't hear very well at all, we managed, after turning our truck around to hook up and tow them far enough out to turn around themselves. In trying to calm the wife a bit, I tromped through the snow (in sneakers, hehe) to ask where they were from-Paradise-and where they were headed, "..just out for a day trip". After thanking us profusely (and possibly their lucky stars, too), they headed back down the hill at a pace that we could barely keep up with. Since it was past 1'0'clock, and it seemed that we had served our purpose, it was time for us to head home too. Until the next time!