The crew at the house for the weekend became complete on Friday morning when Dacia, Miller, Tayva, and Makai arrived early hoping not to become entangled in any traffic having to do with President Biden’s visit. We had plenty of time for some of us to walk to the beach and the Truckee marsh, accompanied by Makai on his trusty Strider bike. Kyle and Miller used the scooters, and Dick and Laura explored on foot and found the Lakeview Social, with its live music and cozy firepits, the last very welcome in this cooler weather.
We went as a group to the The Idle Hour Wine Bar, where we took over the garden area. Some had wine, others small plates shared around, and we had a blustery walk back with occasional raindrops, big clouds over the mountains and ominous distant lightning and thunder.
Once home, the sky was changeable, ranging from cloudy with shafts of sunlight to threatening and spitting rain. At dinner time, as Kyle was smoking two kinds of marinated chicken on the grill, a hailstorm blew up, alarming Makai, and covering the deck, grounds and cars with pea-sized hailstones. It lasted about 15 minutes and then melted. The clouds then yielded enough to light up two amazing rainbows, one of which can be seen behind our smiling faces in the awesome selfie that serves as our featured picture. Dinner was unaffected and great with the smoked/grilled chicken, Dacia’s awesome potato salad and waffle fries. Just in case we didn’t have enough potatoes!
This hailstorm was a first for us at the lake. We never saw it coming.
Saturday, we packed lunch, drinks, and snacks and proceeded to Ski Run Marina where we had arranged to rent a pontoon boat. It was sunny. Clouds and rain were forecasted for after 5 pm, long after we would have returned to the dock. We headed straight for Emerald Bay. The boat traffic was reasonable, and we soon were anchored in the Bay, behind the island, along with a million other boats of all sizes and shapes. Those that wished to float bobbed happily in tethered rafts and enjoyed the sun, clear water, and chatter/music from other boats.
Makai was in heaven driving the boat and asking a million questions about it.
Eventually, the sun went behind clouds, our signal to head home. As often happens, the forecast was off by a few hours and we raced for home, barely beating the rain that was pouring down behind us. We had a truly delicious and tender Tri-tip dinner, expertly prepared by Kyle. After dinner, poker ensued. Lots of fun! We even had a little wildlife action after dusk. Dacia was briefly trapped in the yard (after taking sunset photos) by a territorial raccoon who claimed the deck. Tom warded him off by clapping his Croc shoes loudly together.
Sunday was cold (mid 50’s) and rainy, so we relaxed with cornbread, fruit salad and bacon for breakfast, and played a game called Headbanz, a “what is depicted on the card on my headband, which everyone but me can see?” challenge. Then we set off two confetti cannons inside to Makai’s delight. We had all the confetti up before Tommy returned from his run. All too soon it was time for our guests to pack and leave. We all stopped on the way out of town to have a last communal lunch at My Thai, a great Thai restaurant.
Yes – the confetti cannon.
Monday was another cool rainy day and the cabin felt really empty. We cleaned and did laundry and then drove to Minden, Nevada (in the Carson Valley) to a cinema and saw The Sound of Freedom which we very much enjoyed. Dinner was a salad topped with the smoked chicken and Tri-tip leftovers.
Tuesday, we braved the e-bike challenge and rode them all over the path through the campgrounds and the neighborhoods around the cabin. They made short work of the Hills on El Dorado Street, which are a real challenge when we are running. Dinner was salmon and roasted vegetables.
Wednesday, we hiked the Warr trail, which ascended fairly steeply for the first two miles and then moderated. The area had been decimated by wildfire, but ample low greenery was returning.
We saw tons of low wildflowers, fields of red chickweed, and of course, the accompanying clicking grasshoppers and butterflies. All this growth surrounded the blackened burned-out tree trunks. Life is tenacious. We also saw a group of about a dozen Forest Service men coming towards us from further up the trail; all in hardhats and carrying foldable shovels. We asked if there was any problem on the trail. The leader said, “No, all’s well, this is just a little PT exercise. And there’s one more behind us.” Sure enough, another quarter mile later, the last guy appeared, flushed and sweaty, trying to catch up to his buddies.
Stirring up Grasshoppers and butterflies.
About halfway around the trail’s circumference, we sat among some big boulders and had a lunch of salmon salad wraps, sliced fresh peaches, almonds and dried pineapple bits. Once we’d traversed the whole loop, we’d had a total elevation gain of 1400 feet. And we weren’t totally exhausted! It has taken 7 weeks to fully acclimate and build up wind and strength. Just one week shy of leaving Lake Tahoe! We hope to do a few more hikes before we head home.
5 Responses
WHO WAS JOHN THAT SHOWED UP FOR DINNER?
John is a friend of Kyle and Glennis who lives near them in Folsom. He was also in attendance for the bridal shower weekend festivities.
Best post of all the weeks. Felt like I was there since I actually know everyone!! The scenery, the smiles, the activities, the food, the family and friends. You are both so very blessed ❤️❤️
Thanks K. I really do think Kyle managed to get one of the best selfies ever taken for the featured picture. You hit the nail on the head, we are very blessed. And one of the best parts this year is that during the long drive back we can look forward to meeting grandchild number 2 upon our return (or shortly thereafter). The time absolutely flew by this summer. We will see you soon!
Great feature picture. And, I liked that cute racoon! Safe travels on your return.