Archive for the ‘North Lake Tahoe’ Tag
Seeing as winter is a longer and much more severe season here in the mountains, we’ve done several posts on the ‘To Do’ Checklists to get you winter ready.
But today, I ran across this GREAT article on Houzz on items you should be doing while the weather is nice. Summer’s here are glorious, but brief. There are just some things that need to be done when the weather is warm.
From both a maintenance and real estate standpoint, a few of the suggested House Maintenance Items really rung especially true for our neck of the woods, which I’ll elaborate about here on the blog, but for the rest of the Houzz suggestions, go here:
Click on photo to go to the Houzz website for more summer ideas
1) Paint your house! Whether you’re intending to list your home, or are already living in it, if the exterior is starting to look a little weather worn, a fresh coat of paint or stain not only will give your exterior a freshening up that ads curb appeal, but will also protect the materials from drying out and falling apart. An ounce of prevention and all…
2) Check your foundation. It’s near impossible to do this when there is 6 feet of snow covering it, unless you really just get off on doing some extra shoveling. Do it now while it’s easy to see. Given our vast freeze/thaw temperature issues, nipping this one in the bud and fixing it now can save you a world of heartache and expense later. Open vents to allow air circulation.
3) Clean the gutters. Reattach broken ones that may have pulled away from the house. And check into other options to keep them that way. Houzz had some good suggestions.
4) Change the direction of your ceiling fans. Not all fans have this feature, most people don’t even know about it when they do. In winter you want the fan to push warm air down, but in the summer, you want the fan to pull warm air up. This is a must have feature if you’re currently thinking about adding ceiling fans to your home. We don’t usually need to install air conditioners here, as ceiling fans do a good job of circulating air and controlling indoor temperatures in our cooler summer climate.
5) Install new screens or replace broken screens on windows and doors. If you can create some cross ventilation, screens allow Mother Nature to move the air for you without letting all the bugs in. One caveat though. In bear country, never leave open doors and windows while you’re out unless you want to come home to a fury beast in your pantry, or a demolished one thereof. They laugh in the face of screens as a deterrent for entrance, especially if they smell something tasty. Bear-1, Screen-0.
6) Resurface your driveway. Winter is not only hard on our roads. Snowplows and ice tend to disintegrate your driveways and walkways as well. Think about a fresh coat before next winter.
7) Clean out the garage. Admit it! We ALL just hate doing this! Trudging through the detritus of belongings that just seems to get thrown in the garage in a haphazard heap is no fun for anyone. But summer is the time to get this area organized! Put all tools back where they belong. If you don’t have a dedicated tool chest or bench, consider installing one. Invest in metal shelving to store paints and solvents, holiday decorations, winter and summer gear, garden tools and any other items that accumulate in the garage. Throw out broken items you have no intention of ever fixing or have a garage sale and/or donate anything you will never use again. Pat yourself on the back when you’re finally able to actually park the car in the garage again!
How about you? Do you have any tips for summer to do lists or summer must haves? Let us know in the Comments section. And we’ll keep you posted on all the fun happenings at Lake Tahoe, Truckee and the surrounding area.
Coming up next: Your Summer Checklist, Part 2: Fun in the Sun. Getting all of your summer gear ready and fun things to do, places to go, events to see in Tahoe, Truckee and the surrounding areas.
Share this: Lynn Richardson, Your Friend in High Places
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The Deck Heads . Truckee Regional Park
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Summer season at North Lake Tahoe and Truckee means music concerts – mostly free – throughout the basin. With musical styles running the gamut, you can sit back and enjoy as the band is ‘Singing the Blues’ or you can ‘Listen to a Country Song’, rock out to the ‘Rock of Ages’ and get down with your bad self when they ‘Play That Funky Music’. (Ten points if you can name all the artists who sang those…)
Most of these venues encourage you to bring a picnic along with your low backed chairs and blankets. Sip a glass of wine while you relax for an evening of open air entertainment. (decant beverages into plastic bottles if you can. Broken glass on the beach is a real buzz kill). Don’t feel like cooking or packing picnics? Some venues offer food and beverage vendors on site that can sate your hunger pangs and wet your whistle.
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In Truckee, The Truckee-Donner Recreation & Park District hosts the Truckee Summer Music Series on Wednesdays from 6:30-8:00pm at the Truckee River Regional Park. For more information on their full schedule, the bands and the type of music they play, click their link above. Also note all the many local businesses that sponsor this event to bring this wonderful music to you. So shop local, these businesses will appreciate your support. Donations to help fund this event are also appreciated and donation boxes are available at the park.
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The Blues Monsters. Photo from the Concerts at Commons Beach website.
In Tahoe City, The Tahoe City Downtown Association and the Tahoe City Public Utility District hosts the Concerts at Commons Beach. Concerts are held on Sundays and start at 3 or 4 pm and go until 7pm. Once again, local businesses and community groups sponsor this event too. Click the link above for more information, and there is also a place for you to donate to ‘the cause’ on the website.
In Kings Beach, The North Tahoe Business Association hosts Music on the Beach every Friday from 6-8:30pm at the Kings Beach State Recreation Area. What makes this particular venue even more enjoyable is not only its vast sandy beach, but its sandy lake bottom and warmer water temperatures that make it perfect for a before concert afternoon swim. Kings Beach also has many restaurants and food purveyors in quick walking distance to the beach. Come early though, as there is road work being done in the area which can slow you down. Parking is available for a fee at the beach, but parking here can fill up early, so plan accordingly. As always, support your local sponsors of this event.
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If your tastes run more towards classical music and sumptuous orchestral arrangements, The Lake Tahoe Music Festival starts in July. Dubbed ‘Serenades at Sunset’, the locations, days and prices vary from venue to venue, so be sure to check out their website as to what is being played where and when and for how much. Links on the website allow you to buy tickets for these concerts in advance.
From the Lake Tahoe Summer Music Festival website. Venue: The West Shore Cafe
And if you still haven’t gotten enough of your groove on, many of the local ski areas like Squaw Valley and Northstar also often have free music and events. Be sure to peruse their websites for upcoming events. The links to their websites or in the column to the left.
Sing. Sing. Sing!
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Truckee River bike trail in Tahoe City
Even though the recent snow storms have given a late season boost to the ski season, the lower elevations of the Sierra are still either devoid of snow, or down to a pittance. So is there a good side to the mild winter we had?
This year, we’ve been given the opportunity to get out there and do our favorite outdoor activities earlier then ever. In fact, some great mountain biking and hiking trails will soon be ready for us to enjoy. Here are a few suggestions for places to go:
Bliss to Emerald Bay
Truckee Trails-All those wide open spaces north of Truckee are beginning to open up for mountain biking, hiking and running. The Emigrant Trail should be snow free soon, as well as the dirt roads between Prosser, Boca and Stampede Reservoirs. The Donner Rim trail is another sunny place to trek with views of the Sierra Crest and Donner Lake. If you haven’t tried one yet, this might be a good time to try a Fat Bike. These bruisers with super big tires, can roll right over any remaining packed down snow and mud.
Donner Lake Rim Trail
Emerald Bay-The trail to the Vikingsholm and along the south facing side of the bay is ready for hiking. Keep your eyes peeled for eagles and ospreys, and enjoy the quiet trails without the throngs of folks you will find there mid-summer.
Get on the lake-If you are treated to a warm day with no wind, grab your paddleboard or kayak and head to Donner Lake or Lake Tahoe. It’s beautiful, and probably free of boat wakes. But stay on your board and out of the water, because while the air temperature might be cozy, the water will be cold.
Donner Lake
Hit the TRT-The Tahoe Rim Trail section which heads north out of Tahoe City (from Fairway Drive) is south facing at a low elevation, the perfect combination for an early snowmelt. Climb for about a mile to a spectacular view of Lake Tahoe and the Truckee River canyon, and feel the joy of boots on dirt.
Walk the river-The Truckee River Bike trail from Tahoe City to Squaw Valley is mostly free of snow. Take a relaxing stroll along the river.
Share this: Lynn Richardson, Your Friend in High Places
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