Archive for October 2013
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Roughing It
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Living at the Lake Tahoe basin, you’ll get no argument from me that we’re living in God’s Country. But every once in awhile, you just plain and simply need a little change of pace.
Towards that end, my parents own some property in Graeagle…and by property, I mean just that. Thirty acres of dirt and trees with no house on it. We use it as a sort of family ‘camping ground’. To create our personal, semi permanent yet private outdoor resort, a camper trailer complete with kitchen is hauled in for the season. It sits near more permanent and comfortable ‘fixtures’ on the property, (by which I mean bathroom facilities) of a rather dubious and unorthodox nature, but for which their installation makes for a much more pleasant camping experience. ( Ugh! Who can stomach port-o-potties first thing in the morning? No thank you…)
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A Room with a View?
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Outdoor kitchen/vanity
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Graeagle is about one hour from Truckee, and is perfect for a quick get away. The town is small but quaint, complete with golf courses, restaurants, shops and mill pond for swimming. Hiking and horseback riding is never far away, and there are historical sites in the area to explore as well.
This summer I invited some friends from my AAUW group (American Association of University Women) to spend the night at my family’s little hide-away for our monthly gourmet night. Now the main purpose of AAUW is to raise money to help young girls with academic scholarships and educational opportunities (which we do and support); but really – and who are we kidding here? – the gourmet group’s real reason for existence is just an excuse to get together once a month and cook some incredibly diverse and fantastic food, eat, drink and be merry. We just bring money along to donate to ‘the cause’ while we’re at it.
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Most of the gals slept in tents strewn around the parameter of the property. We cooked, we drank, we ate, we talked, we sat around the campfire, we ate some more…
And as often happens when there is that much good food and wine around, we never did get around to playing on the campsite’s woodland version of a bocce ball court…although in all fairness, I do believe someone’s cot was straddling the middle of it.
That’s my story and I’m sticking to it…
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To learn more about Graeagle and the surrounding area, click on the links below.
http://www.playgraeagle.com/
http://www.graeagle.com/
http://graeagleplumas.com/
To learn more about AAUW and/or to find a chapter in your area, click below:
http://www.aauw.org/
If you would like to join the Truckee Chapter of AAUW, contact me at: lynn.richardson@camoves.com
Share this: Lynn Richardson, Your Friend in High Places
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Recently I was speaking with a client of mine about the migration of the Monarch Butterfly. He asked if I had seen them this year since he was hoping to time their migration over the Sierras. Several times I have seen the Monarch Butterfly’s migration here at Tahoe/Truckee, a path that seems to run right along the Hwy 267 corridor and over the Sierras. Although catching them in the act is often a catch as catch can scenario, I have been fortunate enough to witness this phenomenon while I was traversing between Truckee and Lake Tahoe. Sometimes it’s a few here and there flitting amongst the plants at Northstar, and sometimes it feels like a blizzard of butterflies swirling around my car in a thick, ethereal dance of black and orange gossamer wings.
The Monarch Butterfly migrates back to its wintering grounds in Mexico, where it will spend winter’s frigid months. Recent reports claim that the Monarch is having a rough year of it, with their numbers not what they normally are. I haven’t been traversing Hwy 267 recently, so I couldn’t tell you if that claim seems true or not, and like I said, it’s a catch as catch can thing anyway. But for those of you out and about enjoying the fall colors, be sure to be on the look out for these beautiful creatures. Who doesn’t feel pleasantly serene when a butterfly crosses your path?
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Arrival at wintering grounds in Mexico
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For more images of the Monarch butterfly migration or to read more about the plight of the Monarch butterfly, and what you can do to help, go to these links:
http://www.pri.org/stories/2013-09-30/monarchs-were-missing-summer-and-we-and-weather-were-blame
National Geographic
http://www.learner.org/jnorth/tm/monarch/gallery_mx.html
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Living at Truckee/Tahoe, we’re usually not in short supply for places to find a lovely, sit down meal. For a quick bite, however, our choices are often more slim. A quick bite with lovely ambiance is even more rare.
Recently arrived, located in what used to be the old outlet mall, is Whole Treats Bakery. Not only does it sport an eclectic menu that’s not the same old, same old, but it’s Organic and most items are gluten free. (With ingredients so good for you, no doubt they are guilt free as well!)
Here’s a description from their menu:
French Toast Casserole: A Whole Treats signature.
We take our gluten free buns, chunk them up and soak them overnight with organic eggs, coconut milk, unsweetened vanilla almond milk, pure vanilla, cinnamon and a touch of nutmeg.
Baked fresh every morning, we top off our casserole with a mouth watering cinnamon crumble. Served with our house whipped basil mint butter and pure organic maple syrup. We are pretty sure your taste buds won’t be left disappointed.
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I don’t know about you, but that tasty sounding treat sure makes me hungry!
I also really enjoyed the decor. That isn’t the same old, same old either. How refreshing to have a fashion forward environment that is simple, tasteful and even a little elegant. It almost makes your morning coffee with muffin fix feel like a special event.
Whole Treats Bakery is open Monday-Saturday, 7am-5pm. Or call 530-582-1554 for more information.
And be sure to ‘like’ her facebook page!
https://www.facebook.com/WholeTreats
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Owner Liz Weir chats with a friend.
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