KTKE 101.5 Black Box Party

This afternoon, KTKE 101.5 FM celebrated their listeners with the “Endless Summer” party at Common’s Beach.  The title was a bit ironic since the temperature high today was 50 degrees.  Throughout the summer, 100 lucky listeners won keys to try to open the Big Black Box for a prize of $3000.

Despite the cool temperatures, 89 of the 100 key winner plus guests, friends and families gathered at Common’s Beach to enjoy a free lunch provided by Smokey’s Kitchen.  Food options included hamburgers, hotdog, pulled pork and pulled chicken, with sides of potato salad and cole slaw.

After lunch and a brief introduction of each of the radio hosts, all key winners gathered on the beach to try their luck at the Big Black Box.  All non-money winners still received consolation prizes of ice scrapers, candy and flashlights from The Auto & Tire Doctor.  Due to the cold weather and wind, I did not stay to find out the winner, but I will post once I find out.

What is NEW?

After an extended absence, I’ve decided to return to working on TaHaps.  I feel the community really needs a website with solid news and information about what is happening in North Lake Tahoe.  I  plan to do a few things differently…

1. I want to get people to submit entries including photos, videos, music, etc.
2. I plan to add my own videos, slideshows, audio, etc.
3. Get more readers!  This will be supplemented with a printed community newsletter.
4. Figure out a calendar, even if it involves a custom plug-in install.

While I was gone, I produce and wrote multiple posts in two other blogs.  I do hope you will check them out to find out what I’ve been up to.  I will add some of the Tahoe-related posts to TaHaps as well.

nv green biz

Build A Biz Blog

Thank you for your continued readership and support.

Tahoe-Truckee Gets Blasted by Blizzard-like Conditions

Driving west on I-80 where the rain line met the snow line, a white SUV lay upside down surrounded by the flashing lights of a police car.  Dozens of tractor trailers crisscrossed diagonally across the highway as drivers crouched on their knees in the snow fiddling with rusty snow chains.

There was a snow chain check point, but I was motioned to keep moving although numerous coupes and two-wheel drives were pulled over for chain control.  Although my Honda CR-V is an all-wheel drive, only minutes later I found the back end slipping on the ice and ended up on the side of the freeway.  SUVs continued to whiz on by.  Luckily, shortly afterwards, two snow plows cleared two lanes, and I returned on my journey.

 As I continued westward, the snow begin to fall harder until it began to accumulate on my windshield wipers and side view mirrors causing increasing less and less visibility.   I kept moving forward very slowly, hoping for the best.

 Finally I made it to the Truckee 89 South exit, but as I began to turn into the exit, once again the back tires slipped out.  I found myself struggling for control of the vehicle.  I drove down following the two-lane road following the Truckee River, staying as far away from the edge of the road as possible as to not end up in the Truckee River.

 I know the cars behind me must have been annoyed at my consistently slow 25 mph in a 55 mph speed limit, but I kept in mind that I was really being a good citizen by encouraging everyone to slow down.

 At 4:05 p.m., I turned into my driveway with an extremely crooked parking job and took a huge sigh of relief as I exited the car.  There is probably already a half foot of snow at my house which is a lake level, so I’d predict that the tops of the mountains have probably already received a foot in the last two hours.

It’s about to SNOW, Snow, snow.

Tuesday Night SnowLo 31 °F

Wednesday Chance Snow Hi 36 °F

Wednesday Night Slight Chc Snow Lo 26 °F

Thursday Chance Snow Hi 40 °F

Thursday Night SnowLo 29 °F

Word’s out on the street – it’s bout to snow down this week.  Now, some people are saying it’s going to snow a foot or so at lake level, and I’d say – that’s a little hard to say, but when the NOAA says 100% chance of precip – I’m imagining some snow will fall from the sky, and yes, we can hope it’s a foot at lake level which would give us 3-4 feet on the mountain tops.

It actually snowed a little on Tuesday.  I woke up and looked out my window and low-and-behold saw:

But it was mostly melted by the late afternoon – some snowy spots remain in the shadiness.  I’m ready for the snow, really.  Autumn has mostly dwindled and now, we are all just waiting for snow, so the Tahoe economy will pick itself up some.  The streets are empty; stores close early – it’s just boring. 

I’m ready to take my snowboard out of the closet.

CSA: Mountain Bounty Farms

Following the Produce:  A Tour of Mountain Bounty Farm

Joining a Community Supported Agriculture Program

 Last May, I joined a Community Supported Agriculture (CSA) vegetable cooperative.  Basically, you pay upfront and receive boxes full of vegetables all summer long.  The vegetables are grown locally at Mountain Bounty Farm in Nevada City, CA and pick-up locations are available every Thursday in Truckee and Glenshire.

 Since the boxes of vegetables are quite large, I shared the program with some co-workers to reduce the expense and the amount of produce.  A large family could probably go through a box in a week, but it’s also fun to share with a group of friends or roommates.

 The vegetables are delicious and fresh.  Although this week is the last vegetable box of the season, I decided to go find out exactly where my vegetables were coming from and how they were grown. 

 Touring the Farm

 Down a winding road 10 miles north of Nevada City, I found Mountain Bounty Farms.  The area was rich with native trees and plant life.  Tucked away down a dirt path, the interns brushed their teeth in the outdoor kitchen.

 They greeted me with a friendly smile and showed me the fields.

 “We’re standing on two acres right here,” said farmer John Tecklin.  “We have ten acres total.  It’s a very small scale farm.”

 Twelve years ago, John decided he wanted to start his own Community Supported Agriculture farm.  He leased some land in Nevada City, California and got to work.  He was originally in a partnership on a CSA farm in Portland, Oregon.  He became very interested in gardening and moved on to farming from there.

 “A CSA type program is really the only way to go with a small farm like this,” he explains. 

 In 1998, there were 48 families participating in the program.  This year, 270 boxes went out to people around Nevada City and Truckee.  The farmers also participated in a farmer’s market in Nevada City once a week.

 This year there were 280 varieties of plants on the farm.  That’s a lot of vegetables!  Boxes were full of a variety of people’s very favorites to the slightly unusual. 

 What is this thing?  It’s amusing to participate in the CSA program because receiving each box is like opening a special gift, a fun surprise.  The vegetables vary weekly and remain seasonal and organic.  Most of the seeds are sprouted right on the farm in the greenhouses located in the back of the property. 

 “We have heirlooms, bred-varieties and hybrid crops,” said John.  “We have absolutely no genetically modified crops, and we don’t want them.”

 Fresh Produce 

Produce received in this summer’s vegetable boxes included red and green lettuces, carrots, broccoli, spinach, cilantro, kale, Tokyo turnips, beets, radishes, potatoes, tomatoes, bok choy, cabbage, basil, fennel, squash, onions, garlic, pumpkins and more.

 The farm now has fruit shares and citrus shares.  Fruit boxes included cherries, peaches, plums, nectarines, pears, grapes, apples and pomegranates.   

 Mountain Bounty Farm offers winter vegetable and citrus shares from November 24 through May 19.  Summer vegetables are offered from May through November and summer fruits from June to October.

 Sustainably Organic

 The farm is totally organic, although not certified organic.  They use all natural fertilizers, composting and alternative energy sources.  Big industrial farms use a lot of nitrogen or natural gas based products in their fertilizers.

 “These vegetables are cleaned right here at the farm,” notes farmer John.  “They are probably cleaner than the ones you buy at the store.”

 Beneficial plants that attract insects away from the vegetables are also used around the farm, instead of chemical pesticides.

 The choices of vegetables for the next season are based on experience of how the vegetables grew on the farm, as well as surveys of the customers.

 “We do what we can do, what we want to do, what we like, what we didn’t like and what tastes good,” explains John.

 One of the most popular crops is sweet corn, so the farm tries to maximize the numbers grown by using various sustainable techniques.  They also rotate the produce grown in each crop bed. 

 Working the Farm

 Interns live in tiny huts stacked next to one another down a tree-lined grassy pathway of the farm.  Although the houses were tiny, I wished I had worked on the farm for a summer in college, like many of my friends did.

 The farm also offers work exchange programs where customers can work 4 hours a week on the farm in order to receive their boxes.  John said that one of his best volunteers drives from Truckee to work on the farm.  The farm provides him with a great release, a hard working day on the farm.

 Find Out More 

Mountain Bounty Farms has a very useful and informative Web Site at www.mountainbountyfarms.com.  The site has numerous pictures of the farms produce with a weekly description of “What’s in my box this week?” with a photo of each box.  The site also enables people to sign up for the CSA online.  They can also be reached by phone at Mountain Bounty Farm at 530-292-3776 or by email at info@mountainbountyfarm.com.

A Halloween Trip to Yosemite Valley

I took a drive this weekend down 395 S to Yosemite Valley – luckily the 120 Tioga Pass is still open, so it saved some drive time.  Although still in the Sierras, the Valley offers several types of deciduous trees that are not seen in Tahoe – dogwoods, maples, oaks – the trees were colorful and the air was crisp as we welcomed the time change and the almost full moon.

 

Halloween was fairly mellow – we went to dinner and a scary movie even though I swore I wasn’t going to watch this movie – Paranormal Activity – I did and it was scary, but not the “scariest movie ever” or anything like that.  It was still a good watch to celebrate Halloween. 

I also went spelunking earlier in the week and saw a bat hanging in the cave, so that was a pretty awesome way to celebrate Halloween also.

Happy November.

Interview with a Bear

While living in or visiting the mountainous region of the Sierra Nevada, humans must learn to share our environment with a variety of wildlife, including coyotes, raccoons, mice and bears.  As bears search for food, they sometimes find residential and commercial dumpsters which can turn a wild bear into a trash bear.  This is a serious issue, and the bears sometimes will break into cars, garages and houses in search of their addiction to trash and their instinctual hunger.  It is important for humans to strive to be bear aware to protect themselves and the wildlife that inhabit this area.

Betty Bear is a female black bear.  Despite the name black bear, Betty’s fur is actually dark brown in color, and she has a brown muzzle.  Betty weighs just over 200 pounds.  (Adult female black bears generally weigh between 100 and 200 pounds; adult males typically weigh between 150 and 350 pounds, but they can be larger).  Betty enjoys living in the Lake Tahoe area as it provides her and her cubs with abundant sources of water and food and dense forested mountainous terrain, which offers certain elements of protection from weather and prey.  Her favorite foods include ants and other insects, nuts, acorns and Manzanita berries.  However, black bears are omnivores (like humans), which means they may eat whatever appears to be edible.  Like her fellow bears, when Betty cannot find natural food, she’s drawn to the houses and campgrounds of humans, drawn by the powerful aroma of human garbage.

Understanding that living with wildlife is an important part of living at Lake Tahoe, I decided to hear what the bears have to say about sharing their environment with humans.

Ta-Haps: Why have so many black bears been in and around the human population of Lake Tahoe this year?

Betty Bear:  The last couple of years have been difficult for us due to the dry conditions in our area.  Our instinct is for survival, which brings us into contact with humans and their garbage as we search for food.

Ta-Haps:  Is it okay for people to give you and your cubs food?

Betty Bear:  Lake Tahoe is not a zoo.  It’s our home too.  When people leave their food or garbage out, we can quickly become reliant on this as a source of food.  It’s very bad for us to eat what isn’t natural.  We forget about foraging in the forest and expect humans to provide our lunch.  The more we interact with humans, the more we lose our instincts for fear and caution.  We return to your sources of food.  If we don’t find food in your house, we will check with your neighbors

Ta-Haps:  What should people do if they see you or another black bear?

Betty Bear:  When you see a bear, you should raise your arms high and growl.  Try to look big and tough.  By nature, bears are afraid of humans.  Don’t overdo the aggression, however, as we are protective of our cubs.

Ta-Haps:  Do you think that bears and humans can live in harmony at Lake Tahoe?

Betty Bear:  Yes, but we need to respect each other.  The best thing that humans can do to protect bears is to make sure they never leave food or garbage out where it may attract us.  Eating and becoming reliant on humans for our food is typically a death sentence for bears.  If you care about us and want to ensure our survival, bear proof your house and garbage system.  We can live in harmony, but the less direct interaction we have, the better.  We are not here for human entertainment.  We are a part of the delicate balance of Lake Tahoe’s natural ecosystem.  Humans who live and visit here should try to be a part of that harmonious balance.

Interview with a Bear was created with the help of publications written by the BEAR League, (530)525-PAWS (7297) and savebears.org and the California Department of Fish and Game, keepmewild.org. 

LINKS: savebears.org, keepmewild.org

Everything is Connected

Everything is connected from time to space,

As we move forward, we always leave a trace.

Must we always leave a trace?

Behind our paths in the shape of a spiral

Oh this whole earth is going viral,

And as I speak and write these words,

A billion voices can be heard –

In lands and cities all around this sphere,

Oh we have to love, but we innately fear –

the future, the unknown – what lies ahead?

Will we have homes?  Will we be fed?

Is it too late to compensate for how we’ve destroyed our ecosystem-

this very important prism of right and wrong,

the weak and the strong –

can we continue to belong in the great equation of the universe?

No, we can’t go back, no we can’t rehearse.

We can’t turn back to another day,

We can’t just stop – we can’t just stay.

We capture memories inside our brains,

So even when it all feels insane –

we can hold onto another place,

another realm of all this space.

I can close my eyes and see your smile,

and hold onto that just for a while,

And if I try I can see your skin,

And then if I’m lucky my dreams will spin

and realign on a parallel line with the sweet dreams

taking place in your mind,

and then despite all that’s true,

we’ll be together if only for a few

milliseconds of this great divide

where the tides will roll and the guilty confide

and it’s not all just black and white,

but all these shades of gray.

Would you like to hear this poem as an original song?  CLICK HERE!

Delicious Incline Village Restaurant – Asian Noodles Too

This place is AWESOME! Let’s just say, I ordered takeout from Asian Noodles Too last night, and then I went again with a friend for dinner tonight. It MUST be good!

The place is really cute.  The atmosphere is very open and bright with plenty of tables with ample space between them.  The wall are adorned with photographs of Vietnam and Thailand from local artist Chris Talbot.  There is quiet music playing to give a nice background sound and increase the international feel of the restaurant.  And the food, oh the food is amazing.

Last night, I had the Charbroiled Beef with Lemon Grass. The beef was seasoned and cooked to perfection and was served on a bed of thin white noodles, sort of like ramen noodles, but less starchy. It came with a side of veggies: lettuce, bean sprouts and carrots that you choose how much you want on the dish (it really added a lot of freshness and made the dish feel very healthy). The serving to go came with a small container of a clear liquid sauce, not exactly sure what it was, but it was sweet, tangy and delicious.

Tonight, my friend and I went back again after he tried my leftover Beef with Lemon Grass. We decided to try the Pho since the place is a Vietnamese restaurant. I was a little weary to try some of the choices like rare beef or blood sausage. I decided to stick on the safer side with skirt steak and beef brisket. Wow! This soup was incredible, and I don’t usually like soup. It came in a huge bowl that could have easily served four people as an appetizer. The soup was rich with flavor and the beef was sliced thin and extremely tasty. This was served with a plate of bean sprouts, limes, fresh jalapenos and fresh basil. We also had another Vietnamese specialty charbroiled dish of shrimp and pork. The pork was so good; it tasted almost like southern barbecue with a sweet smoky taste, and the shrimp were tasty as well.

At the table, there were choices of all my favorite condiments: Siracha, Soy Sauce and yummy plum hoison sauce. Delightful.

The service was great; all the ladies who helped us were very nice and quick. I also had an Vietnamese iced tea which was like iced Jasmine tea – very good.  And all this great food including the tea and my friend’s Pepsi came out to a grand total of $20. Now, that’s a good deal, especially in Incline Village or any of Tahoe for that matter. I highly recommend Asian Noodles Too. If you are ever in Incline, go to Christmas Tree Village, go to Asian Noodles Too, you will be glad.

Oh by the way, this place has only been open for a month or so, and every single table was full!

Local Writer Publishes Thought-Provoking Book

The Complete Patriot’s Guide to Oligarchical Collectivism: its Theory and Practice by local author Ethan is now available for purchase.  This nonfiction work will enamor your mind and may cause your brain cells to do what they were formed to do: Think.

This book defines patriotism.  This book displays the modern and past worlds of politics and media in black and white and all the shades of gray in between and lays it out in front of you on the table to see for yourself.  Are you ready to open your eyes?

Ethan writes intensely explaining historical and present circumstances and thought processes in a way that all the three (or are there four?) monkeys can understand.  He even adds illustrations and diagrams to support his facts and stories.  He alludes to powerful symbolic works that have been present in the thoughts and minds of humankind for centuries.  He connects modern issues to issues of the past which opens the mind to look at things in an entirely different way.

The name of the book itself, The Complete Patriots’ Guide to Oligarchical Collectivism, alludes to Orwell’s classic dystopian fiction, 1984. Ethan explains what “Big Brother” has been up to since Orwell’s fictional piece was published in 1949. 

Americans are constantly defining themselves as being so patriotic to the American dream and American values, but do you understand the true definition of patriotism?  Do you believe everything you read or hear?  Are you actually a patriot?  Are you actually free?

Do you want to find out?  Click here.