Stiglu.com - Journal

Duane and I did an overnight hike in Desolation Wilderness to Gilmore Lake. The weather turned out great even though it was reported to be a chance of rain on Sunday. I was a little surprised to see the leaves were already starting to change colors. After lounging around camp and reading, I hiked to the top of Mt Tallac to cook dinner and watch the sun set. I also got a great view of Lake Tahoe from the top of Tallac too. After the sun set, I hiked back to Gilmore in the dark. It was only 24 degrees out when we woke up the next morning. I wasn’t expecting it to get that cold; luckily I had my 5 degree bag and down jacket.

View the Gilmore Lake Photo Album

I decided to begin cycling to work in an effort to stay physically active. This doesn’t have anything to do with the record gas prices, although the money saved is a nice side effect. It’s only 9.8 miles each way, but the killer is the 650 foot elevation gain. I enjoy the exercise.

Today I met Laura Fitzpatrick and her family for the first time. Laura is my 38 year old step-sister and nobody in the family even knew she existed until recently. This is actually quite an amazing story. Basically my step-father, John, lost contact with a woman after she was unknowingly pregnant with their daughter. The woman gave the girl up for adoption and Laura never got the chance to know her birth parents. Laura was determined to meet her birth parents and with the help of the internet, Laura was able to find John and told him her story. DNA test revealed that she was indeed John’s daughter.

We officially welcomed them to the Lustig family with a BBQ party and I finally got to meet Laura and her husband Mike along with their three kids, Anthony-21, Alia-19, and Kiefer-13. Anthony’s girlfriend, Kristie, was also here with her two kids, Billy and Hailee.

The ice was broken quickly with stories about family pets and the topics continued from there. It was a casual occasion as we shared stories and watched Kiefer and Billy water fight in the pool. We all got along and I am thankful that Laura and her family were able to orchestrate their busy schedules to visit us.

View the Fitzpatrick Family Photos