soaking at 8,200 feet

While I do miss my beloved Colorado ski resorts, one thing Vail does not have is a pool and hot tub at the top of the mountain. Squaw Valley does, and that’s how we spent last Saturday. The conditions were too icy to ski, but the sun was out and the hot tub was warm. Beautiful!

the boat house

Last weekend was Seb’s annual work ski trip, and similar to last year’s trip, we were lucky enough to stay in a gorgeous Lake Tahoe home. This time, however, instead of a hillside perch with outstanding lake views, we enjoyed a perfect location right on the water. The Boat House, as the 5,000-square-foot home is called, was, in a word, amazing, mainly for its awesome multi-tier deck, luxuriously cozy features and private dock. While I was hoping for bright sun and a clear sky to give the lake a deep blue sparkle (the morning started off with a small break in the clouds), it snowed consistently all weekend, making the air so dense and gray that we couldn’t even see the other side of the lake at times. I wasn’t complaining.


Above: The Boat House in Sunnyside, California. Below, from left to right: a snow-covered deck; a mini fireplace in the kitchen…brilliant; a shiny black Aga that came with a 10-page instruction manual – love it!; a color-coded bookcase in the living room; waking up to a hint of blue sky (it didn’t last long); the snow rolls back in, obscuring the
view of the lake. 

let it snow

We finally got our winter wonderland at Lake Tahoe, just in time for my brother’s visit from Vail. It snowed for about three days straight and dumped about 5 feet of snow. Hurray! The bridge across the Truckee River that leads to our house looked quite magical, and when the sun finally came out, the views of the lake from the top of Squaw Valley were pretty great, too.

scenes from squaw

A sunny day at Squaw Valley last month: views from the tram and après on the mountain.

 

finally!

A few weeks ago we finally got what we’d been praying for since December 1st. Snow! It was a true winter wonderland…for about a week…before it all melted and the sky dried up again. We all enjoyed it while we could, including our mascot and favorite dog, Kai.

2012 so far…

Happy belated new year from SF! Not much going on but work and praying for snow. A random selection of photos from New Year’s Eve and the 18 days since (from my phone – excuse the not-so-great quality)…


From the top: a beautiful sunny New Year’s Eve day in San Francisco!; happy 2012; our NYE party was a “hats and mustaches” fiesta – Seb really mastered the look; my mustache ticked less on my glass; New Year’s Eve with our friend Jon; New Year’s Eve concert at the Fillmore – Trombone Shorty (a fabulous musician from New Orleans); grilling hot dogs and veggies on the fire pit at Lake Tahoe; a gigantic pine cone found on a Tahoe hike; Dine About Town party at City View at the Metron; glistening view of Yerba Buena Park and downtown

where is the snow?

We have been snowless all month in Lake Tahoe. The skiing is not great, but that hasn’t stopped us from going up every weekend anyway. In lieu of doing laps on the single open run, over and over, we spent one afternoon hiking. The landscape changed from dry, desert-like conditions to a snow-covered path leading to a frozen lake. Winter is not in full swing, but we are hopeful, and until then, we will enjoy the mountains any way we can.

and another winter begins…

I am very happy to say we have secured another ski lease in Lake Tahoe for the 2011-2012 ski season, and it’s even better than last year’s. This year’s house, just down the road from Squaw Valley ski resort, is a cozy A-frame cabin that’s been home to the same family since the 1950s. It’s truly well-loved and well-used, and it reminds me of another family weekend home on a lake far, far away… 

With updated kitchens and bathrooms, the house has maintained its rustic, retro charm while allowing us modern conveniences. It’s pretty perfect, and we're going to have a fabulous winter. There’s not much snow yet, but I know it will come.


The exterior of our A-frame ski lease (above left); our first night, hanging around the wood-burning stove – talking, just talking…there’s no cable or internet (above right); another outside shot (below left); our first day on the mountain this winter – it’s pretty bare (below right).

 

30 in tahoe

Lake Tahoe is one of my very favorite places on Earth, so it was fitting that my amazing boyfriend and amazing family and friends surprised me with a weekend there to celebrate my 30th birthday. Not only was the weekend in Tahoe a surprise, but the appearances of my little brother and best friend, who accompanied my other brother and other best friend, were also huge surprises. Best surprise and best birthday I’ve ever had.

We enjoyed three awesome days in a house near Tahoe City, with a detour on the way to the seriously delicious Fremont Diner in Sonoma. The weekend was very relaxing, mostly spent watching Cardinals baseball (world champs!), drinking wine, eating BBQ ribs and enjoying the gorgeous fall weather, complete with the golden leaves of the aspen trees. We did make it out to one very brief hike to the top of Eagle Rock for an awesome view of the lake, and one leisurely walk in Tahoe City to get ice cream and bask in the autumn sunshine.

In all…perfection.