Great powder at Squaw

Though unfortunately it rained on Sunday. We need a bit colder weather to keep the snow coming.

Saturday at Squaw Valley USA

Ice Cream Anyone?

Father and son ice cream sales team on the main square in Antigua, Guatemala.

Delicious fresh OJ for under $1

On the streets in Antigua, Guatemala, you will see many of these mobile fresh OJ carts that squeeze on the spot.

How many people can you pack in a pick-up truck?

Spotted on the streets in Antigua, Guatemala, this pick-up truck with so many kids that I lost count.

Antigua Market

Market in Antigua, Guatemala

Powder day at Northstar=long lines

The Economy

Unless you've been living under a rock, you know that the economy is in serious trouble. Over the last week more ominous headlines have appeared, but the government of Barack Obama is also trying to come up with a fix.

U.S. companies slashed nearly 600,000 jobs in January, underscoring the deepening recession. The jobless rate has risen to 7.6%. A growing number of states are running out of cash to pay unemployment benefits, a sign of how far social-welfare systems are being stretched by the swelling ranks of the jobless in the deteriorating U.S. economy.

In California the state government has been struggling for months to come to agreement on a budget. There is a multibillion dollar deficit. On Friday the government forced more than 200,000 employees, or about 90% of its work force, to take an unpaid day off as the state, the nation's most populous, tries to save money amid the fiscal crisis.

Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger has ordered most state agencies, such as the Department of Motor Vehicles and Department of Corporations, to shut down on the first and third Fridays of each month. The unpaid furloughs will cost affected workers about 10% of their pay.

Meanwhile, Senate Democratic leaders struck a deal late Friday with three moderate Republicans on an economic-recovery package. The deal came after days of gridlock and is valued at $780 billion. It may bring some air to the economy.

While all this is going on, I am out in Truckee, CA, carving on the slopes and am readying for a whirlwind tour around the globe to Europe and Central America. I have told myself to keep spending, while also building a rainy day fund.