Archive for the ‘Lynn Richardson Lake Tahoe Truckee Real Estate’ Tag
By Tim Hauserman
Amtrak’s California Zephyr train on its way to Reno from the Truckee train station
For many of us, Truckee’s trains are the frequent background sounds of life in town. They are a chance to simplify our lives as we watch the cars rhythmically clatter down the tracks. Or they are the thrill of the roaring locomotive drowning out the raucous sounds of Truckee Thursday. But Truckee’s rail line is more then just a blast from the past, or a brief interlude in our day, it is one of the things that makes Truckee the place that it is. Truckee is a railroad town, with well over a dozen trains a day rolling through. And trains are also an important part of how Truckee became more then just a blip on the radar.
Truckee Railroad Museum in a vintage train car at the Truckee Train Station
The Transcontinental Railroad made its way through Truckee in 1867 on it’s way to its’ eventual completion in Utah in 1869. Building the first railroad all the way across the country was an impressive feat at the time, especially the section just to the west of Truckee over Donner Summit. There Chinese laborers took two years to build the routes longest tunnel through solid granite.
Vintage safe inside the Truckee Train Station
Truckee’s position as the last stop before the climb over the Sierra crest was key to it’s development as a town. Once the line was complete, the railroads quickly went to work transporting logs to feed the immense silver mines of Virginia City. By 1900, the railroad dipped its toes into tourism, with a new railroad station that is still standing, and a narrow gauge railroad to Tahoe City. Visitors would transfer to the Lake Tahoe Railroad in Truckee, and take the 13 mile line to the shores of Lake Tahoe and the swank Tahoe Tavern. Both the railroad to Tahoe City and the hotel are gone, but for awhile, tourists prime mode of transit to Tahoe was via train. Now, there are just two Amtrak trains a day through Truckee, the rest are freight trains providing the materials needed to keep America moving.
The Truckee Train Station also is home to the Truckee Visitors Center, Chamber of Commerce and a variety of local craftsmen
For more information on the impact of trains on Truckee and the development of the Sierra, visit the Truckee Railroad Museum in the caboose next to the Amtrak Station in downtown Truckee. The newly opened Donner Memorial Visitor Center also has an exhibit on the Chinese workers who built the railroad.
Train tracks in downtown Truckee going west
THINK OF ME, LYNN RICHARDSON, FOR ALL OF YOUR LAKE TAHOE AND TRUCKEE REAL ESTATE NEEDS!
http://www.lynnrichardson.net
Share this: Lynn Richardson, Your Friend in High Places
By Michelle Portesi
This will be the first in a series of articles dealing with getting your yard ready for summer: controlling garden pests (today), planning a drought tolerant yard for our current water restrictions, putting in some inexpensive curb appeal to wow potential buyers and growing plants in shade and vegetables in sun in your high country garden.
Spring is a relative term here in the mountains. Teasingly warm, sunny days quickly followed by snow and sleet. I suddenly have hail in my yard even as I write this. (Where was this in February when we actually wanted it???) But hey, we need the water, so we’ll take it!
That being said, our growing season is precariously short, and if we want a glorious summer garden, we have to start preparing those areas now.
Today, we’re focused on controlling garden pests while still being good stewards of our fragile forest environment.
For the first time ever, I’m battling moles/voles. They’ve managed to eat almost everything I’ve planted in the last two years. A thriving potted plant from the nursery would be a wilted mass once in the ground. Close inspection revealed a new series of tunnels in the entire planter and the roots of everything completely eaten away, leaving behind dieing, shriveled, soon to be brown tufts above ground. Being not too wild about providing an expensive outdoor buffet for the little beasts, this year I declared war!
Most suggestions however on how to combat moles, voles and gophers involved poisons, but in our wildlife rich environment, using them has some tragic and unexpected consequences:
This is from Dave Rees’ post on Facebook~
I died today.
I was found by a kind, sweet woman who does wildlife rescue.
I was so sick, I could barely open my eyes.
She took me inside, cradling me in her warm arms, and made me warm and comfortable.
I opened my eyes and looked at her and thanked her for making my last few minutes as comfortable as possible.
But i was too sick to keep fighting anymore.
I had eaten a mouse that was poisoned, and it made me very sick.
I closed my yellow eyes for the last time and went somewhere else.
Please, all I ask is never use poison to kill the mice.
Poison kills owls, like me.
All I wanted was a mouse for dinner.
I died today….
Please SHARE this for poison awareness.
Stop the use of poison for rats or mice. Live traps are the best to use. Catch and release. Please.
Save a precious life today, because all life is precious.
* * *
While using poisons my seem expedient, it’s important to keep in mind what else along the food chain you’re also killing once the poisoned critter is ingested. In addition to owls, the list includes bald eagles and hawks, the rarely seen red fox, coyotes and even your own feline pets. In addition, these poisons can seep into the ground water and wash into creeks, rivers and lakes. Bad idea all around.
So I was thrilled to find this suggestion. Lining your plants or even whole planters with hardware wire. Your plants get protected, the environment is safe from poisons, and the critters we share this lovely area with get to live another day to hunt your garden pests. Win, Win all around!
Hardware wire. Try chewing through this vermin!
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In short order, I had dug out the planter and boxed it in with the hardware wire. In addition, this allowed me to mix in some much needed compost with the excavated dirt as I filled the planter back in. (Most of our soil is decomposed pine needles and is way too acidic, nutrient deficient and has very poor drainage and/or water retention ability.) The area is now ready for new plants to thrive in once our weather becomes more consistently warm.
Be aware. Be kind. There are almost always better solutions to combat common garden pests than using poisons.
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THINK OF ME, LYNN RICHARDSON, FOR ALL OF YOUR LAKE TAHOE AND TRUCKEE REAL ESTATE NEEDS!
www.lynnrichardson.net
Share this: Lynn Richardson, Your Friend in High Places
By Michelle Portesi
We’ve talked about this subject before, but as pictures say a thousand words, we thought we’d show you what we’re talking about! So many folks, especially second homeowners, just want to sell and be done with it, preferably without sinking any time or money into the property to do it. To be appealing to potential buyers and to sell your home quickly, a little elbow grease and a few well spent dollars can make a world of difference. The home below sold in a matter of days!
Staging your home can take a mediocre property from ok to Wow! … and a nicer property from Wow! to Spectacular!!!
BEFORE
Living Room – BEFORE
Living Room – BEFORE
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AFTER
Living Room – After
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As we’ve written previously, a house with too much furniture and clutter not only is uninviting, but makes a house seem smaller than it actually is. Inversely, a house with rundown furnishings or no furnishings makes a home feel cold and unappealing as well. Buyers often have a hard time envisioning themselves living in what is currently someone else’s home. Do them (and yourself) a favor and help them see themselves in the home you are selling. There are a number of Lake Tahoe and Truckee local Interior Design businesses and retail shops that specialize in staging, often drawing from some of their showroom pieces as temporary rentals.
Think of it like choosing a restaurant. You certainly want to be there for the quality of the food, but ambiance can play a big part in your enjoyment of the meal. In fact, ambiance can turn a restaurant with OK fare into something special. And so it is with a house. Staging can make it appear better than it may actually be. Playing up your home’s strengths will help distract from some of its shortcomings.
Kitchen – BEFORE
Kitchen – AFTER
Not only does adding accessories and little pops of color add visual interest to a drab, lifeless room, don’t negate the power of good, professional photography to bring a space to life. Note that the only thing done to the dated kitchen above is the addition of tasteful and current yellow accessories and great lighting.
For more tips and tricks on getting your home ready to sell, read our previous article on preparing your home to enter the real estate market:
https://yourfriendinhighplaces.net/2014/09/16/setting-the-stage-for-selling-your-lake-tahoe-or-truckee-house/
THINK OF ME, LYNN RICHARDSON, FOR ALL OF YOUR LAKE TAHOE AND TRUCKEE REAL ESTATE NEEDS!
www.lynnrichardson.net
Share this: Lynn Richardson, Your Friend in High Places
YOUR FRIEND IN HIGH PLACES 