Dazzling Tahoe Nights

Song - Graceland & You Can Call Me Al by Paul Simon

Mr. B and I returned from Britain 10 days ago to California and a major heatwave!  It has been in the 90's & 100's since we have been home.  This is normal weather for late summer but not in June!

On Saturday we headed up to Lake Tahoe....

Sunset on Saturday night was amazing.  That's Mt. Tallac in the background with the cross of snow.

 We had dinner across the street from this beach on the lake at 8:45pm so we got to enjoy a yummy Mediterranean meal and watch a glorious sunset from Jimmy's patio. 

 There was live music nearby at Basecamp

But the true reason we were in Tahoe was that three of my cousins 

had invited us to a concert on Sunday night.

It was a perfect evening and we could walk there from our hotel.

Yes....it was the legendary Paul Simon and once again that man can sing & play.  

And he has an amazing back up band.

And as I was cheering him on, he looked me straight in the eyes because
I think he remembered our magical night together.  (Click HERE for details!)

Two and a half hours of music under the stars - singing, dancing & whistling!

Monday we spent the day relaxing on Baldwin Beach at the base of Mt. Tallac

 enjoying how much water is in the lake this year!!!  

There is so much water still coming off of the snow pack that there will not be much beach in the next few months.  Even the swamp near the beach was full and I haven't seen that since my boys were young and would catch frogs and snakes there.

Everyone seemed to be enjoying the mountain air and crisp water!

"Still crazy after all these years." - Paul Simon

Soul Full

Last week Mr. B and our son Jon headed to Lily Lake which is above Fallen Leaf Lake and at the base of Mt. Tallac.

We had only been walking for a short while when we came across bear evidence!

Beaver evidence....

Much more fresh bear evidence....

and warnings.....

We decided to head out of the wilderness, have lunch on the deck at Fallen Leaf Lake and have a leisurely drive back to the cabin.

We spotted these beauties in a meadow....

Posted with Blogsy

Back in Paradise

For those of you that know me well, my home away from home is Lake Tahoe.  It is were I go to relax and rejuvenate!  It is a magical place for me and I dream about this special place weekly.

Upon arrival, I am greeted by a sweet little bear.  Must be the "year of the bear" for me!


Driving up the Forest Service road to the cabin, I delight in seeing this sign.

Because that is what I feel like when I am in the mountains!

And right next to the sign I see 8-10 rocks piled in a Zen like formation.

Perfect.

I unload the car and get the cabin all set up then head to the beach.  Still some snow on Mt. Tallac.

At the local bulletin board I check the annual bear sighting report.  There is one in the area....mmmm....

Glad Mr. B is joining me tonight!

There is a momma bird sitting on her nest right next to the deck.  Yesterday I was painting in that corner of the deck and she kept her eye on me the whole time.  Today I will set up farther away so as not to make her too anxious.

Mika likes to lay in the cool shady wildflowers and watch me paint.

Mr. B and I headed to the beach at stateline for breakfast yesterday and this was our view.

I'm in love....again!

Moving Mountains

Song - Mountain Music by Alabama

Why are mountains so important?  

The snow cross on Mt. Tallac

Guide posts while traveling?  

Viewpoints?  

Sacred energy?

Different ecosystems? 

Recreation? 

Safety from enemies?

"More than any other natural phenomenon, mountains suggest the soaring of the human spirit and its expansion into new worlds." - Revd Phillip Parker

Mt. Tallac from across the lake

Living in California all of my life, I am used to hills, valleys and mountains.  It just comes with earthquake country.  Land is always shifting around here.

I have always lived at the base of Mt. Diablo.  It is considered a sacred mountain to California
Indian people. Just about every California Indian community who viewed Mount Diablo would, at
one time or another, make a pilgrimage to the summit area for ceremonies and the reason is that it was the creation point for the Miwok people or genesis for some California Indian people.

Walnut Creek is located at the base of Mt. Diablo

I am sure it has something to do with some kind of "home base" for me.  I know when I have been traveling and I catch a glimpse of Mt. Diablo in the skyline and I know I am close to home.

Also, weather seems to gravitate around mountains.  When it rains near my home, I look to Mt. Diablo for the hills to turn green or for those rare snow storms.  

Clouds seem to "snag" on it.  It's also one of the first areas to go "golden" as the grasses seem to dry up there first. 

Mountains reflect beautiful sunsets and moon glow.

Mt. Tallac from across the lake

But lately I have been thinking about Mt. Tallac, located in Lake Tahoe.  It is 9,735' above sea level and there is Washoe Indian folklore that goes with it.

I love the cross that is almost always showing.

Old postcard from the Tahoe flea market

The Washoe Indians felt that if there was no snow in the cross, it would mean that there would be a season of drought. 

Over 55 years ago, my grandparents bought a cabin at the base of Mt. Tallac on Forest Service land.

There have been many years of fun up at Lake Tahoe.  As kids, every summer we would climb part way up the mountain to little Floating Island Lake.  When I had my own children, they went to the lake as well.

Andy pushing off from shore on an "island"

Floating Island Lake has these incredible bog islands that detach from the shore and we would climb on them with a big pole and float around the lake on our own little island.  Over the years there are fewer islands but what sweet memories.

Oh yeah....back to mountains.....

Mr. B has climbed up Mt. Tallac at least once.  My older brother Dave, climbed it many times.  My younger brother Tim has climbed it while I waved at him through binoculars from the Baldwin Beach.  I have not had the pleasure of the climb, but I enjoy the majestic sight and beauty of this incredible mountain. It is on my "bucket list"!

Mt. Tallac from the beach

Mt. Tallac reflecing in the swamp

A great day to paint the mountain in the early morning.

View from Baldwin Beach

There is a beautiful meadow near the cabin.  My friends and I have spent days painting from this wonderful viewpoint.  I always dreamed that I would get married in this meadow but that was before practicality came into being.

The wildflowers in the Springtime

Marcy Wheeler painting in the meadow

It amazes me that there is a cross on the mountain almost all of spring & summer and it usually remains until the first snowfall of the next season.

The cross of snow on Mt. Tallac

My cousin Billy and brother Dave with Mt. Tallac in the background - love those old cars! circa 1957

"Every time I have some moment on a seashore, or in the mountains, or sometimes in a quiet forest, I think this is why the environment has to be preserved." – Bill Bradley

100 Things to Do in My Life

Another project that I have been working on is coming up with a list of 100 things I would like to do in my lifetime.  I saw the idea at Karen Walrond's blog www.chookooloonks.com/blog  who was inspired by Mighty Girl (Maggie Mason)  http://www.mightygirl.com/  They both have incredible lists and plenty to say about how to come up with your own list. They were able to sit down and in 2 hours come up with their lists. For me, I need to spend some time mulling over all of the possibilities and see what fits.  You are not allowed to add things that if you don't accomplish, you will feel bad about (like clean the house or losing weight).  You also do not need to complete the list.  They are just ideas and once you write them down, you will find ways of making some if not all of them happen.  They also do not need to be things like going to the other side of the world and doing something outrageous.  Some can just be doing something you may have already done before but just with a different person  (fly fishing with my dad) or multiple times (taking 1,000 photo's of dogs).  I am only up to #16 on my list but everyday I get newly inspired by something and "Ah - that needs to go on my list!" Hope you have fun coming up with your list of 100+ ideas of exciting things to do in your lifetime!

 Here is my list so far -

1. Photograph 1,000 faces
2. Climb Mt. Tallac
3. Stand on the Great Wall of China
4. Eat a Crossant in Paris with my girlfriends
5. Bake cookies with my granddaughter or grandson(some day!)
6. Go to the Smithsonian as an adult
7. Fly fish with Jim in Montana
8. Go to all 50 states
9. Learn conversational French
10. Kiss Jim at the top of the Eiffel tower
11. See Maxfield Parish's Pied Piper at the SF Palace Hotel
12. Travel across the US in an Airstream
13. Go see Mt. Rushmore
14. Visit John Lennon's "Imagine" in Central Park
15. See the rose gardens in England
16 Live in another country for a month

Quite Solitude



"Winter Solitude"
by Jeanette Baird
Acrylic 15" x 30"

 Lake Tahoe has always been a special place for me and my family.  My grandparents bought a cabin there when I was about 3 and I have spent every summer up there since.  The cabin sits at the base of Mt. Tallac near a beautiful meadow and spring creek.  Fall is my favorite time to spend there as the crowds have all gone home, the days are still warm but the nights are crisp.  My good friend, Jill loves to ski, so we go to North Shore in the winter.  This painting was done from a balcony off our room while the sun was setting behind the mountains. A lonely kyaker sits on the icy lake and watches the day come to a beautiful end.

"It is only with one's heart that one can see clearly. What is essential is invisible to the eye."
"On  ne  voit  bien  qu' avec  le  coeur.  L' essentiel  est invisible  pour  les  yeux ." - Antoine de Saint-Exupery, The Little Prince