February 2006 The Sierra Mountains, CA

For a weekend getaway, my sister and I drove north with our families. Some kids were playing in the snow, when my son Samuel, 2, ran over to plant a big wet one on a newly built snowman. This was Sam’s first time seeing snow and he was ecstatic. He was stuffing snow in his clothes, lying in it, chewing on it—to this day, Sam loves snow. I grew up in San Francisco, where snow was scarce. My parents would drive so I could play in the snow. I remember how excited I was. Sam reminded me how wonderful it is to be a kid and experience something for the first time. Snow is still a big deal for me. Some things you never outgrow.