On The Water At Lake Tahoe's Emerald Bay; Hedonism Is So Wonderful

  This is where we had lunch on Sunday with our friends Einar and Susan aboard our 20-foot speedboat (we rented it for four hours for $390 US). Emerald Bay is one of the most beautiful spots on the lake. I have to admit, however, that it looks better from the perspective of the photograph than from the water. We motored slowly into the bay, circled the island, cut the engine and proceeded to have a wonderful lunch: blueberries, Elena Zinfandel, stilton cheese with apricots (Trader Joes and yummy), vegetable chips (so we would feel virtuous and healthy all at the same time), Cambazola cheese (camembert and gorgonzola cheese), sesame crackers, bits of barbecued boneless ribs, and homegrown tomatoes cut into bite-sized pieces. We bobbed in the water under the shelter of the boat cover and nibbled our repast. It was wonderful.

I was done driving so Einar took over the helm. We headed across the lake to the Nevada side. Yes, California is forced to share this beautiful lake with the folks in Nevada. Susan wasn't ready to take the helm but the rest of us were. The speedometer was broken so we have no idea how fast we went, but it felt great.

The big trick is finding the spot from which you started your journey on the lake. The boat rental company told us to look back as we were leaving the dock so we could figure it out. Well, there was a difference of opinion on what each person saw when we left the dock. I was busy driving to didn't look. But eventually we found our way.

We didn't go far, despite our best intentions. The porch of a local bar, just a stones throw from where we docked, beckoned us. There we gazed at the lake and tried out the local libations and a few tasty treats like crab cakes, popcorn shrimp and calamari.

Finally we headed to our accomodations: The Cottages at Sunnyside. It looked like a place that Hansel and Gretel and the Little Red Riding Hood sans wolf might have once lived. We stayed in the Fishing Hole room, which faced the lake. Einar and Susan were next door, but I don't remember the name of their room.

Einar and Susan had to go home early Monday morning but we didn't. Our trip home took us to Sierraville (huge open valley surrounded by mountains), Downieville, which vied with Sacramento to be the state capitol many years ago (lost by one vote; this is before L.A. registered on anyones radar) and then down through Nevada City and Grass Valley.

We love being the only people on the road. It's like the earth is ours and no one elses. We picnicked next to the north fork of the Yuba River which even now has a lot of water. Gold miners spent a lot of time back in the mid to late 1800s on the Yuba. We stopped at the musem in Downieville. There is a photo of a 39 pound gold nugget. The best part about the museum is the volunteer who staffs it. She had the keys to the community center where there was a bathroom, which was as clean as any McDonalds I've stopped at.

So now we are home. Kerry spent the last couple of hours doing some leveling of our land with his tractor. He just walked into my office covered with dust and heading for the shower but grinning from ear to ear. Tractors make men smile.

My lungs don't do well when they experience lots of change in altitude and humidity so I've had a hard day when it comes to breathing. Most people don't think about breathing, but asthmatics do. But, thanks to lots of inhalers and some herbs (nettles) I'm doing well. I feel like we were a million miles away for a couple of days. We came home to a glorious sunset and the promise of temperatures in the mid-80s. Fall is just about here. Time to plant winter vegetables.