Even though I'd risen pretty late, the whiteness was still there for the seeing. Since Kim had to do some things for work, I volunteered to take Skylar on a drive to look for material for her homework assignment on life in the desert. By the time we got out of the house, it was nearly 1pm. Nevertheless, I held out hope of finding some snow for her to touch. Remembering that I'd seen cars driving down from the town of Oracle with snow on them in previous winters, I decided to head up that way.
Success! As we neared the turn-off, I could see snow pretty far down the hills on the outskirts of town. Soon there was white stuff on the side of the road. I snaked my way up towards the water tower until I found the perfect place to park. Soon, Skylar was tromping around in her sneakers, feeling that uniquely muffled crunch for the first time. And then she was throwing snowballs my way with enormous glee: