Natalie is currently a student at the University of Michigan and is spending her summer up in Alpine Meadows. She has experience in being a dance teacher for Middle School-aged girls-holding private and group lessons, has been a counselor at a sports camp (for 5-12 year olds), and always loves spending time with kids, especially in Lake Tahoe. She is available to babysit any evening, and during some days (which are subject to change). She is also available to babysit any morning for parents who like to go on morning bike rides without their kids.

Natalie can be contacted by cell phone (415)-517-3502 or email: natamarc@umich.edu.

July 3rd – Kings Beach Fireworks Show & Deck Party – enjoy the fireworks a day early at Lake Tahoe’s North Shore! 6:00 – 10:00 p.m.

July 4th – Truckee 4th of July Parade – downtown Truckee on Donner Pass Road. Starts at 10:00 a.m. just East of Trucke High School and ends in historic downtown Truckee.

July 4th – Truckee Firecracker Mile – downtown Truckee just before the Truckee Parade. Starts at Tahoe Forest Hospital and ends at Train Depot. Suitable for all ages!

 July 4th – Run to the Beach – 5K or 10K from North Tahoe Regional Park to Kings Beach. Click here for more info.

July 4th – Truckee Town Picnic and Fireworks at Donner Lake – West End Beach at Donner Lake. $5 but must be Truckee resident. Picnic at 12:00 p.m. Purchase tickets in advance. Fireworks start at 9:00 p.m.

July 4th – Tahoe City Fireworks – fireworks show starts at 9:00 p.m.!

There will also be fireworks shows at Squaw Valley, Incline Village, South Shore, and West Shore Lake Tahoe.

RESERVATIONS: 530.546.3640
LOCATION: 7320 N. Lake Blvd., Tahoe Vista, CA
HOURS: Dinner – 5:30 to 9pm (Wednesday-Sunday)
Bar & Casual Menu – from 4pm (Wednesday-Friday); from 2pm (Saturday-Sunday)

Click on the link for more information about this great Tahoe Restaurant!

Click on the link for more information about this Lake Tahoe Deal of the Week!

Memorial Day Clean-Up:  They will be a few biomass dumpsters throughout the Valley over Memorial Day Weekend to encourage homeowners to work on their defensible space early this summer and clean up those yards!  In the past Bear Creek Association (BCA) has provided dumpsters for the neighborhood.  The Fire Safe Council is wondering if BCA would like to be involved in/considered for placement of a biomass dumpster this year through the Council? 

Community Work/Education Day:  On Saturday, July 10th there will be another community education and work day down near the stables.  More information will be sent to BCA owners as it becomes available.

Chipping:  North Tahoe Fire will be providing Free Chipping Services for all of Alpine Meadows!  Homeowners need to call the Chip Line at (530) 546-4347 to get their property on the schedule.  The North Tahoe Fire has split all its areas into zones (Alpine is zone 4 or 5) and each zone will have a week of chipping services provided at 4 different times throughout the summer (4 weeks total).

Defensible Space Inspections:  There will not be blanket inspections in Alpine this year but homeowners can request an inspection by calling (530) 546-2212.

Young and in love!

The drive to the Ritz from Alpine Meadows took much longer than anticipated; forty minutes in all. The best part about it, however, was that it got better with each mile.  The beautifully paved road, no potholes in sight, winds gently for a couple of miles and by the time we reached the Ritz, we felt like we were in the clouds!  The views of Martis Valley and Northstar were spectacular and the hotel itself was commanding, yet welcoming. We were greeted at the valet by a handful of handsome, young men with impeccable Ritz manners (I have thought, on occasion when the door is closed for the um-teenth time in my face, that it might be beneficial for my three boys to spend some time at the Ritz boot camp).

Upon arrival, we were escorted upstairs around one of the most massive granite fireplaces I have ever seen! Entering the restaurant was impressive…a big, very stainless steel, open kitchen. The restaurant was packed, with only a few vacant seats in sight, and this was the weekend after New Years weekend which is traditionally slow. The waitress mentioned that the hotel was 90 percent full.  I love to hear that in this economy!

Throughout the evening we were waited on no less than 7, count ‘em, 7, servers! The ever-present manager, Laurent Vasseur imported from France to make sure we Americans know what service is, even checked in on us a couple of times.  I guess Laurent is the guy that quizzes the servers back in the kitchen about the names of each of the restaurant patrons (again, is that Ritz boot camp available for young boys?).  We were very happy to learn that several of our servers were Truckee locals. The food/menu was outstanding! Renowned chef, Traci Des Jardins, was at the helm and left no stone unturned. 

The evening ended up with a tab of about $350, including tip, but not dessert (Megan saw a friend that bought our dessert). It was a fantastic, festive evening,leaving us all  with nothing but good memories.

The only disappointment of the evening occurred at the bitter end, when the valet graciously brought our car up and it hadn’t been washed. The nerve!

Here’s to a marriage full of enrichment, dinners at the Ritz (after kids and college expenses, of course), love and happiness for Jesse and Megan!

The Ritz touch for Jesse and Megan

Any idea where this is?

Following those exhausting skate skiing days, we recovered by enjoying some snowmobiling from Tahoe City to Northstar and relaxing on the deck in the sunshine with a hot chocolate. In the evenings, time was spent with close friends and family and then on New Years Eve we were treated as guests to the clean-cut, San Francisco band called Diegos Umbrella at the Plaza Bar at Squaw Valley USA.

In case the above forms of recreation and entertainment don’t do it for you, if you are in the know, you can follow the underground pond hockey players around in hopes of finding perfect skating ice.  The average Lake Tahoe or Truckee pond hockey player has played hockey as a child, but is of the age where they realize that they are not invincible and ‘no check’ hockey is no longer just for sissys; rather, it is now for the more intelligent, wise and experienced players. The other players usually on the ice are the up-and-coming children of the ‘no check’ players. 

Pond hockey at Donner Lake

The kids on the ice have been enjoying all day skate parties, roasting hot dogs out at the ice, and learning to skate by pushing  crates or chairs around the ice for hours, since they were 3 years old. When they become proficient enough, it is an honor to be asked by the pond hockey ‘organizer’ to join the game with the big dogs. At first they are advised to skate around the outside of the game, but as time goes on,

they are able to join in the play and look forward to the moments where they are able to steal the puck from Dad!

So, where are the secret spots? Well, it’s actually no secret…there are a few local private ponds, Prosser Reservoir, Boca Reservoir, the lakes in Coldstream Canyon and  Donner Lake. The secret is, which ponds have the human Zamboni’s cleared and flooded and on what day? I bet if you are serious about pond hockey, you’ll be in the know. If you’re not that serious, there’s always the charming, old-town outdoor ice rink in Truckee, the ice rink in the Village at Northstar and the, arguably, most majestic ice rink in the US at the Olympic Ice Pavilion in Squaw Valley. Here’s to sharp blades and taped sticks…!