Tahoe Life: Friends, Family, Home.

Home. It's where the heart is, as they say. But what does that mean? I don't know exactly, but this is going to be my attempt to put it into words.  We all have someplace we idealize in the back of our mind as home. It's a place we think of that brings feelings of familiarity, comfort, belonging. For many of us, the place or places where we grew up and spent the most time of our lives growing, learning, and becoming who we are now, are what we think of as the idealized "home".

Anyone reading this knows by now that I was born and raised at Lake Tahoe. For those who are not familiar with Tahoe, here it is.

West Shore of Tahoe, view from Eagle Rock

Wow, right? What a beautiful place! Why would anyone ever want to leave this? Believe me, it really wasn't easy.

Kaspian Point, West Shore of Tahoe

West Shore of Tahoe, view from Rubicon Bay

North-East Shore of Tahoe,
view from above Incline Village

Sand Harbor, North-East Shore of Tahoe

Being a Tahoe kid is a badge I am extremely proud to wear. I love the memories I have of growing up in a place where everybody knows everybody, we all share the experiences of life in the mountains, and know that the joy of living in such a beautiful, idyllic place also comes with dealing with cold and snow in winter, road construction in summer, and tourists, high prices, and unpredictable wildlife year round. It's a lot of work to live at Tahoe, while it's easy to love it, it's not easy to live there. So, as much as we enjoy it, it happens that many of us who grow up at Tahoe still find ourselves moving on to lower elevations with higher populations. That moment came for me about 16 years ago. I had a job at the Lake, was making ends meet, then I got an offer to come down to Long Beach for a "temporary" gig as a live-in caretaker for a friend's mom. I remember when I got there, immediately I got excited that the nearest grocery store was a only few blocks away, the bus came more than once an hour, and the movie theaters had more than one screen. I loved the city right away because it is oh so much more convenient than living at Tahoe. And then there were the temperatures in Long Beach. It rarely gets colder than the 50's, and most of the time it's just right in the 70's.  So, even after that job ended, I stayed. It's been 16 years since I moved to Long Beach, and in that time I've never had to shovel or de-ice anything, ever. Life is good.

However, the life I enjoy in Southern California doesn't take anything away from the memories I have of the place I grew up. It's only 500 miles away, and I make a trip up there at least once a year, most years I make it up two or three times. My parents still live there (the true die-hards) so we can go any time. I take any chance I can to go back and visit, to see my parents and old friends. to bring my family and anyone else I can get to join us to see and experience the place that has such great meaning to me.

Whenever I make the drive to Tahoe, I always get the familiar feelings of home as soon as I begin to pass through the areas I knew growing up. In central CA, it's Fresno, Turlock, and Sacramento, places I spent visiting relatives as a kid. Not exciting places, but places with good memories. But the "home" feeling doesn't start to really hit until I begin to climb mountains. I know several completely different routes into Tahoe, each one beautiful, amazing and memorable. My FB friends know, they've seen the photos. Wait, here's another one now.

Emerald Bay, West Shore of Tahoe

Ahhhhh, Emerald Bay. Probably one of the most photographed places in the Tahoe Basin. And you can see why. But it has more than just scenic meaning for me. When the tourists see this place, they just see a photo op. When I see it, it means I'm almost home. Mom and Dad's house is just 10 minutes down the road from here.

Arriving at my parent's house is always a joy. Walking in, seeing that it looks pretty much the same as it did the day I left 16 years ago. The living room with the Morris Chair and the man-eater sofa. The front yard with Mom's tulips, peonies, and the trees that were a whole lot smaller when I was a kid. And the back yard with the picnic table my dad built, the fire pit and the big, green striped lawn swing.

big bash in the family back yard, our summertime tradition at Tahoe

  

The night is not complete without making S'mores

The next generation of Tahoe kids

While at the lake, it's hard to choose between staying at the house, resting, and enjoying the slow motion pace of Tahoe life, or going out to DO STUFF. Because there is so much to do! I've mentioned in my previous posts about my favorite Tahoe activities, now when I bring my family and guests along, I hope they will enjoy them as much as I did and still do. It's not just the activity and the place, it's the association that it has for me. Here is the creek I used to fish in. Here are the dirt roads I used to ride along with my dad. Here are the beaches my mom brought us to spend the day swimming, the pier my brother, our friends and I used to jump off of and tell the tourists that the water isn't cold. Here is the big rock you can hike to the top of for the most amazing view of the Lake you can imagine. Each place has so many memories, and every time I go back I find myself just a little lost in the past, hoping those that I brought along for the ride are making some good memories for themselves.

rafting on the Truckee River

getting stuck in the mud at Prosser Lake.
at least the tow truck guy got stuck worse than I did...

creek walking at General Creek, Sugar Pine Point St. Park

skipping rocks at Kaspian Point

As much as the scenery and fond memories of Tahoe places have for me, the main thing that keeps me coming back again and again are the people. Of course, my parents are there. As long as Mom and Dad are there, it's home. Then there are my old friends, former classmates, and the rest who, unlike me, found reason to stay up there. I have reconnected with many of them through various means, mostly FB, where I open my page every day to see all sorts of posts, comments, pictures and such about life at Tahoe. Every time I get ready to go back, I make sure everyone on FB knows, so they can plan accordingly for my arrival. Of course I joke about that, and yet I am surprised by how many people I end up reconnecting with every time I go back. Because no matter how many years pass, how much life has brought us, we are still connected, still the same deep down.

Former Big A Club kids!

High School Reunion!

Sunday morning at First Baptist Church of Tahoe City!

Going home to Tahoe is sweet. I look forward to every trip. But I still love my life in the city, and as much as I get the feelings of home on my way up to the Lake, I start to get them when I leave Tahoe, too, thinking about everything from looking forward to seeing my friends, co-workers and church family in So Cal to mundane everyday life: laundry, work, sleeping in my own bed. I know that I am very blessed to have so much to be thankful for, that I had a wonderful place to grow up, and now I have a great place to raise my own kids. The best part is, I get to have both! I get to live where I enjoy life the most, and still go back to relive some of the best parts of my past. And I think it probably can't get better than that.

In two weeks we'll be heading back to Tahoe for the last week of summer vacation.  We're making plans, getting ready, and looking forward to the trip. But for now, the laundry still calls.  Until then, I've got my memories to tide me over. And these pictures. Enjoy my parting shot...

Emerald Bay at Sunrise. I know, not again. I can't help myself....