I came to Reno for a two-month “help out”. Meaning that while EPI-USE was short in resources I will fill-in, but during the two months they will find a new resource to take over on the project.

At first I didn’t even want to come, but after much convincing I agreed on the two months. After all I didn’t even want to do SAP consulting.

But, the big but…

After only a week or two Ben and I decided we would do the full year here. Partly because the people here were so friendly and warm, and partly because Reno is a great place to spend a year. So here we are doing another SAP project, public sector this time and having a ball.

Reno itself is not really a diamond, but a very rough stone. The place really reminds you of those old cowboy movies where the tumbleweed comes rolling down the street. Its in the Northern part of Nevada and they call it "high desert". Its a little like the Klein Karoo: very dry, rolling hills and small bushes, mostly sage bushes everywhere. There is however a twist - on the horizon you see the Sierra Nevada mountains, and even today they're still snowcapped. And on the other side of the mountains lies Lake Tahoe, a beautiful glacier lake with emerald water.

The first couple of weeks after Ben arrived, he was on the ski-slopes every weekend. He just can’t get enough of it, and is already talking about the skiing he is going to do next winter, and spring is not even over yet! Since I am not that fond of skiing, I tried a couple of other things, snowshoeing proved to be a lot of fun. Original snowshoes looked like tennis rackets, but now you get high-tech aluminum ones. And you can rent them cheaply. You just tie them to you hiking boots and you hardly notice the difference. Its quite an experience walking in the snow: its very quiet and there is no trail since everything is equally covered. I can understand why people walk in circles in the snow when lost. But there is peace to be found in the snow.

I also convinced Ben to join me on a Cross-Country ski lesson; this was not a peaceful experience. I found it much easier than skiing and a very natural thing, while poor Ben on the other hand found it quite hard. He ploughed quite a number of times and I would giggle and utter a very tactful ‘See, now you know how I felt when I had to learn how to ski’. Needless to say he didn’t appreciate it at all, but he kept his sense of humor. Hopefully next winter we’ll enjoy some more of it, and will have the opportunity to go into the back-country.

The moment it started to get warmer we ventured out to do mountain biking in the nearby hills.

We bought a car after renting one for two months. We calculated it would be cheaper if we get a good deal on a second hand car. I thought it good that we should get a mini-bus type of vehicle, since we are so close to the West Coast we would fit in. Ben wasn’t planning to be noticed dead in it, he wanted a SUV. So we settle for a minivan; yes I know, its completely un-cool, but we can easily load our bikes in the back and it is more environmentally friendly than the other big cars with great fuel consumption. So as planned, we loaded the bikes and of we went into the hills. We didn’t quite cater for the difference in altitude and we froze our fingers off, but still had lots of fun.

Every weekend so far was just packed with fun. Lake Tahoe is only half an hour's drive and is really gorgeous. We are taking boat rides, barbecuing on the beaches and just lazing in the sun.

San Francisco is also only 3 hour's drive, so when Ben flew back from a business trip to London, I met him and Anke there for the long-weekend. We drove down to Monterey bay, a beautiful piece of coastline. The drive from Monterey to Carmel is called the "17-mile drive", and each piece has its own treasure and beauty. A visit to the aquarium is also great value for money. They show you all the animal life in the bay, from the floating otters to outer space jellyfish.

The next day we went North into the wine-country. A very relaxing thing, stopping at the different wineries, enjoying good snacks and just appreciating the green rolling hills, the well sculptured gardens and general good-life quality of it all.

The cherry so far has been Yosemite, which makes all the other sceneries look insignificant. Every person that has the opportunity to visit the Western United States and has a little appreciation for the grandeur of nature should visit Yosemite. It is absolutely breathtaking. Huge granite walls, waterfall upon waterfall and luscious green trees in the valleys. And that’s not even close to describing the magnificence of it all. You just realize around every bend how great an Architect designed our earth, it can’t possibly be coincidence. I kept repeating to myself “How Great Thou Are”.

You can all see the big advantages of staying in Reno. We are close to a lot of wonderful places and have nice outdoor things to do. There are many of the advantages the Californians have, but not the high living cost and extreme taxes.

London, however, is still calling, and most of all I miss the Church and Bible Study group. I believe that God has a plan with our lives and we need to trust Him on our road and where He leads us. But there is a part of my heart that hopes He will lead me back there…