Lake Tahoe: Part 1
This is one of the casualties from the winter of 2017 in the Lake Tahoe area. After a long winter, Tahoe was excited to celebrate summer! Several storms dumped more than four feet... the final total for snowfall for Mt Rose (near where I work) was 761 inches!!!
Summer started with rude neighbors. They moved in over the winter and had trouble understanding the rule of "two vehicles in front of unit". Believe it or not, they were irritated when I asked if they could move their car so I could get into mine..
This is the season of mountain apples! By the end of summer there is a sweetness to them but normally they are quite tart. This is my parents tree. We have one outside our condo too!
With summer season, comes bears. They wake up after a long winter's sleep. They go for the mountain apples, but when they've all been eaten... trash. These dumpsters are locked down but the bears squeeze their paws in the timy gap and pull out trash to eat. They NEVER clean up after themselves!
The summer of 2017, we had visitors from Hawaii. After a day of hiking through the train tunnels (see previous blogpost: Train Tunnels), visiting restaurants and Emerald Bay, it is apparent how happy these two from my Kauai ohana are!
Finally, after a long winter, Lake Tahoe was full again and ready for boating! Twenty two miles long and twelve miles wide, the drought had made most of the launches inaccessible. One harsh winter, filled it back up and boats were ready to go!
Often Tahoe has the most beautiful wildflowers. After the snow melts, colorful gems come up... sometimes a single flower and sometimes fields. In a future post, I will share some of the amazing flowers from this area!
On Sunday afternoons, all summer long, there is Concerts at Commons Beach in Tahoe City. Here is a link to their website: http://www.concertsatcommonsbeach.com/ It currently shows last year's lineup but will be updated as summer nears. Always great entertainment, concertgoers bring blankets, chairs and picnics. Over the years, we have stepped up our game. We bring a variety of Napa wines, charcuterie boards with prosciutto, salami, cheeses, olives.
There are many restaurants in the North Tahoe area. When the weather is warm, raspberry margaritas at Hacienda del Lago hit the spot. Located in the Boatworks Mall, looking over the Tahoe City Marina, you can also find the scrumptous restaurant Jake's on the Lake. http://www.hacdellago.com/
In the seasons I work, I'm on the road to my job at sunset. Ordinarily, I leave early because I can't help but stop at a vantage point to take photos. The colors are like a work of art!
Fireworks displays begin at dusk On the third of July, Michael Milken puts on a fantastic show. On the fourth of July, Incline Village puts on an equally thrilling show.
Sometimes I end up working overtime and drive home as the sun is rising. This photo was taken at dawn, it was still dark and lights were still glowing on the Garwood's Pier. Tahoe is a photographers paradise... different angles and incredible lighting.
Stay tuned for Part Two tomorrow :-)
