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FOR BELLE - LIFE AT THE RIVER ..... A REPOST FROM LAST YEAR ..... WITH PICTURES
August 27, 2007 10:38 AM | Edit this entry
Updated with photos at end of post ......
Home from a great time at the river / claim. We were both so tired yesterday that we were actually ready to come home .... can't say that too often.
We got a late start on Thursday .... nothing new there .... I was actually hoping to be gone by noon but we pulled out around 2:00 p.m. and arrived at the claim around 4:00. I'm sure we look like a couple of old backwood folks with our beat up truck and trailer but its home at the river. In fact one of the girls at the gas station we stopped at to fill up on the way out of town asked me "where ya movin to?". We both about peed our pants .... cause it was a very funny sight. We also had to take Stashmo with us (diabetic cat) which was a whole new experience for not only him but us. He actually did so well I was amazed. We almost killed him the first day by accident (another animal issue I'll feel guilty about the rest of my life) but he survived and we learned a valuable lesson about cat camping.
Anyway off subject here .... after setting up camp and a naked jump into the river (which was very cold) we ate dinner and crawled into bed (us and three dogs and one cat) and anticipated the new day. Upon waking Dave was up and gone hauling all the gold mining supplies down to river to get set up. I got the trailer put back together .... made the bed and turned it back into a table .... swept the trailer floor, did dishes from the night before and ate some cereal. I finally got Dave to stop and eat something and then we both headed down for some serious (yeah right) mining. It was hot and jumps in the river were well worth it. The dogs swam and played and Petey chased stick. The dogs are in heaven at the river. Joe still hasn't woke up this morning .... he ate and back to bed. Too much fun. We didn't find anything to speak of gold wise this day but just being there is enough for me. It's worth its weight in gold just to be there. Night fell and we all slept much more comfortable the second night.
The second full day we were expecting some company to join us. This would be Dave's friend with Alzheimer's (which they tell us now is propane poisoning) and his son Shane. John loved mining and timber falling. And Dave asked Shane to bring John up to spend the day ..... hoping to maybe get a spark out of him. They showed up around noon on Saturday and it was not only Shane and John but the other son as well "Big John" ..... who ain't so big .... neither here nor there .... but not my favorite person regardless. They sat and had lunch with us and then we carefully led John to the river .... his footing is not so good .... and he fell .... scared me to death .... but was ok. He has no recognition of me at all. And I'm not sure he really knows Dave. It was sad .... to see this man who would have been fighting with Dave about how he pans his gold (usually a very funny conversation) just sit and stare not even really acknowledging anything or anyone. Shane put on his wet suit and did some diving for Dave to check out some bottom spots in the river. They left after a few hours and our mood was dampened somewhat but we did find some flakes and that was the highlight of the day.
Yesterday I spent cooking breakfast and cleaning up getting things put away for the journey home. Dave just had to go for a few more buckets of sand in a certain spot he was feeling really good about. And it payed off .... a good amount of gold in what little he panned .... we now know were to start digging. Spurred us on to make plans to get back up there this Thursday for another few days. Hopefully ..... we'll see.
Ok.... while my pic's upload I'll tell my very scary cat story. We put up our tent thinking that it would be a nice big area for the cat with plenty of windows and ventilation. Put a big pan of water and even a sleeping bag so he's have something soft to sleep on. I put him in the tent and head down to the river with Dave. We come back up for lunch and there is foam pouring from Stash's mouth and he is shaking and panting like nothing I'd ever seen. He was being baked alive in the tent. I panicked and Dave got a tub .... filled it with ice water from the cooler got his little feet in it and I proceeded to take a washcloth dip in the ice water and rub him all over with it. Took water from the end of my finger and dropped down his throat. It took over an hour but he finally started breathing normally. I never dreamed it would get that hot in the tent .... it was partially shaded at all times .... but ..... damn.
Also the second night there I went down to jump in the river and for some reason put on my swimsuit. Not normal for me. But as I was leaving the swimming hole two guys came around the bend ..... the dogs scared the living shit out of them and they scared the living shit out of me. They said they were counting Salmon. Hate to break it to those boys .... its been awhile since Salmon have been that far up the Salmon River ..... like maybe .... never. I just smiled and said sure .... ok, have a good time and returned to camp. Salmon my ass ..... more like prospecting and knowing they were on someone else's claim. Whatever. We've been claim jumped before .... and it was a battle to get it back.
Dave is turning our little camping spot into a park .... it is just turning out so cute. He made an awesome trail from camp all the way to the river so that I would have less of a chance turning my already messed up ankle. Now I just hope the damn "flatliners" or "flatlanders" just stay the hell out.
Well issues with photobucket today for some reason and I can't get my pictures to upload. I'll do another post later but need to get some serious stuff done today. Once that is done I'll feel better about sitting here fighting with my computer.
So you will be inundated with pictures .... trust me .... just now now.
Have a great Monday all .... pic's to come later ..... off and running (somewhat) now. Foot is better but still swells quite a bit after use of it all day. Stiff at night but better in the morning.
Now updated with photos ...... ! Here we go ...
Camp. It no longer really looks like this ... the log in front of the trailer has been cut and moved .... and a very nice "patio" that overlooks the river is out the front door. Will take more pic's this weekend ...
Me doing something .... and Petey on watch. Our trailer is 10' from tongue to tail light ..... and just over 7' wide ..... perfect for the two of us .... but rough on the six of us .....
Dave moving rocks and building steps down to the river so that I wouldn't fall and hurt my self even worse ..... LOL .... nice try .... I fell later in the day .... further down river .... and my arm is scratched and bloodied to prove it ..... then while he was coming to rescue me from my fall ..... Dave fell ..... he has a huge bump / bruise down the side of his leg ..... it was a sad sight with both of us laying on the ground licking our wounds.
More rock moving and step building .... yes that is a generator behind Dave. The first time I've ever allowed one near me camping. I have never been so grateful for a generator in my life. It ran the fan that helped cool down the cat. And the evening porch light was kind of nice to for middle of the night pee runs.
Petey playing stick. The only time he will jump into water is when there is a stick/ball/Frisbee involved .... then water is a good thing.
Shane up from down under .... and checking out a few more spots from above before he heads down for another look.
Where the river feeds into the swimming hole. Saw some nice trout swimming around but here in good old California .... we can't fish the river ..... a river I fished as a child growing up ..... fucking Sierra Club .... !
Joe Joe ..... daydreaming of his good buddy Jen .... "will I ever see her again?"
Kickin' it with a beer and the dogs after an afternoon river dip.
Lola and Petey .... watching as their "dad" moves rock and dirt.
Just another look ....
I think I must have overlooked a couple pic's in my uploading .... but will have actual pic's of the mining operation next weekend .... took the freaking camera down every time I went down to work with Dave and then would forget to get pic's. So .... next week ..... cat camping pic's & mining operation pic's.
Peace. J.
Some Days At The River - Updated Pictures Added
Home from a great time at the river / claim. We were both so tired yesterday that we were actually ready to come home .... can't say that too often.
We got a late start on Thursday .... nothing new there .... I was actually hoping to be gone by noon but we pulled out around 2:00 p.m. and arrived at the claim around 4:00. I'm sure we look like a couple of old backwood folks with our beat up truck and trailer but its home at the river. In fact one of the girls at the gas station we stopped at to fill up on the way out of town asked me "where ya movin to?". We both about peed our pants .... cause it was a very funny sight. We also had to take Stashmo with us (diabetic cat) which was a whole new experience for not only him but us. He actually did so well I was amazed. We almost killed him the first day by accident (another animal issue I'll feel guilty about the rest of my life) but he survived and we learned a valuable lesson about cat camping.
Anyway off subject here .... after setting up camp and a naked jump into the river (which was very cold) we ate dinner and crawled into bed (us and three dogs and one cat) and anticipated the new day. Upon waking Dave was up and gone hauling all the gold mining supplies down to river to get set up. I got the trailer put back together .... made the bed and turned it back into a table .... swept the trailer floor, did dishes from the night before and ate some cereal. I finally got Dave to stop and eat something and then we both headed down for some serious (yeah right) mining. It was hot and jumps in the river were well worth it. The dogs swam and played and Petey chased stick. The dogs are in heaven at the river. Joe still hasn't woke up this morning .... he ate and back to bed. Too much fun. We didn't find anything to speak of gold wise this day but just being there is enough for me. It's worth its weight in gold just to be there. Night fell and we all slept much more comfortable the second night.
The second full day we were expecting some company to join us. This would be Dave's friend with Alzheimer's (which they tell us now is propane poisoning) and his son Shane. John loved mining and timber falling. And Dave asked Shane to bring John up to spend the day ..... hoping to maybe get a spark out of him. They showed up around noon on Saturday and it was not only Shane and John but the other son as well "Big John" ..... who ain't so big .... neither here nor there .... but not my favorite person regardless. They sat and had lunch with us and then we carefully led John to the river .... his footing is not so good .... and he fell .... scared me to death .... but was ok. He has no recognition of me at all. And I'm not sure he really knows Dave. It was sad .... to see this man who would have been fighting with Dave about how he pans his gold (usually a very funny conversation) just sit and stare not even really acknowledging anything or anyone. Shane put on his wet suit and did some diving for Dave to check out some bottom spots in the river. They left after a few hours and our mood was dampened somewhat but we did find some flakes and that was the highlight of the day.
Yesterday I spent cooking breakfast and cleaning up getting things put away for the journey home. Dave just had to go for a few more buckets of sand in a certain spot he was feeling really good about. And it payed off .... a good amount of gold in what little he panned .... we now know were to start digging. Spurred us on to make plans to get back up there this Thursday for another few days. Hopefully ..... we'll see.
Ok.... while my pic's upload I'll tell my very scary cat story. We put up our tent thinking that it would be a nice big area for the cat with plenty of windows and ventilation. Put a big pan of water and even a sleeping bag so he's have something soft to sleep on. I put him in the tent and head down to the river with Dave. We come back up for lunch and there is foam pouring from Stash's mouth and he is shaking and panting like nothing I'd ever seen. He was being baked alive in the tent. I panicked and Dave got a tub .... filled it with ice water from the cooler got his little feet in it and I proceeded to take a washcloth dip in the ice water and rub him all over with it. Took water from the end of my finger and dropped down his throat. It took over an hour but he finally started breathing normally. I never dreamed it would get that hot in the tent .... it was partially shaded at all times .... but ..... damn.
Also the second night there I went down to jump in the river and for some reason put on my swimsuit. Not normal for me. But as I was leaving the swimming hole two guys came around the bend ..... the dogs scared the living shit out of them and they scared the living shit out of me. They said they were counting Salmon. Hate to break it to those boys .... its been awhile since Salmon have been that far up the Salmon River ..... like maybe .... never. I just smiled and said sure .... ok, have a good time and returned to camp. Salmon my ass ..... more like prospecting and knowing they were on someone else's claim. Whatever. We've been claim jumped before .... and it was a battle to get it back.
Dave is turning our little camping spot into a park .... it is just turning out so cute. He made an awesome trail from camp all the way to the river so that I would have less of a chance turning my already messed up ankle. Now I just hope the damn "flatliners" or "flatlanders" just stay the hell out.
Well issues with photobucket today for some reason and I can't get my pictures to upload. I'll do another post later but need to get some serious stuff done today. Once that is done I'll feel better about sitting here fighting with my computer.
So you will be inundated with pictures .... trust me .... just now now.
Have a great Monday all .... pic's to come later ..... off and running (somewhat) now. Foot is better but still swells quite a bit after use of it all day. Stiff at night but better in the morning.
Now updated with photos ...... ! Here we go ...
Camp. It no longer really looks like this ... the log in front of the trailer has been cut and moved .... and a very nice "patio" that overlooks the river is out the front door. Will take more pic's this weekend ...
Me doing something .... and Petey on watch. Our trailer is 10' from tongue to tail light ..... and just over 7' wide ..... perfect for the two of us .... but rough on the six of us .....
Dave moving rocks and building steps down to the river so that I wouldn't fall and hurt my self even worse ..... LOL .... nice try .... I fell later in the day .... further down river .... and my arm is scratched and bloodied to prove it ..... then while he was coming to rescue me from my fall ..... Dave fell ..... he has a huge bump / bruise down the side of his leg ..... it was a sad sight with both of us laying on the ground licking our wounds.
More rock moving and step building .... yes that is a generator behind Dave. The first time I've ever allowed one near me camping. I have never been so grateful for a generator in my life. It ran the fan that helped cool down the cat. And the evening porch light was kind of nice to for middle of the night pee runs.
Petey playing stick. The only time he will jump into water is when there is a stick/ball/Frisbee involved .... then water is a good thing.
Shane up from down under .... and checking out a few more spots from above before he heads down for another look.
Where the river feeds into the swimming hole. Saw some nice trout swimming around but here in good old California .... we can't fish the river ..... a river I fished as a child growing up ..... fucking Sierra Club .... !
Joe Joe ..... daydreaming of his good buddy Jen .... "will I ever see her again?"
Kickin' it with a beer and the dogs after an afternoon river dip.
Lola and Petey .... watching as their "dad" moves rock and dirt.
Just another look ....
I think I must have overlooked a couple pic's in my uploading .... but will have actual pic's of the mining operation next weekend .... took the freaking camera down every time I went down to work with Dave and then would forget to get pic's. So .... next week ..... cat camping pic's & mining operation pic's.
Peace. J.
Old Wounds Remembered
July 10, 2007 9:43 AM # | Edit this entry
I've been suspended from work for an indefinite amount of time. I knew it would happen after this weekends nightmare.
No guarantee I'll be going back. Just a lot of confusion and and fact getting going on right now. My usual co-worker will be calling anytime now I'm sure.
I was sent home from the staff meeting before everyone else arrived. And now I sit waiting once again to see what the future will bring.
Peace. J.
I've been suspended from work for an indefinite amount of time. I knew it would happen after this weekends nightmare.
No guarantee I'll be going back. Just a lot of confusion and and fact getting going on right now. My usual co-worker will be calling anytime now I'm sure.
I was sent home from the staff meeting before everyone else arrived. And now I sit waiting once again to see what the future will bring.
Peace. J.
Coincidentally I ran into my ex-coworker today. Anna. I've lived each day of that weekend over in my mind ...... day by day ...... finding it hard to believe a year has passed. I still carry pain in my heart. A very big loss. I can't expect anyone to understand. Its better today than it has been in a long time ..... but the longing to help is still there, the yearning for that second chance still there. I loved my job. I loved the girls. One original girl left now. The rest are gone. They have moved on ..... and I seriously need to too. And I am. Slowly but surely ..... moving on. Time heals all wounds ..... right?
Peace. J.
Peace. J.
Sometimes Not Much Changes In A Year
So I'm attempting to put this bummer mood behind me. Up half the night thinking about some things that should not be occupying my mind like they are. In any case I decided to check back and see what I was up to a year ago ..... amazing, not to much changes in a year, eh? So ..... why not make a repost of a repost ..... it would be better than listening to me rant right now ..... hopefully this aggravation will leave me soon ..... and forever .....
So here it is ..... the repost of a repost .....
April 25, 2007 5:34 PM
This is a repost ..... mainly because I don't really have much to talk about today .... so because music has been on my mind a lot lately I thought this appropriate ....
October 7, 2006 3:13 PM
Music Memories
Thanks to and eariler blog by tattoedjen my mind has been flooded with music memories.
"Inagodadivida" by Iron Butterfly. I can remember at a dance in the fifth grade they played this song and it seemed like it went on forever. It would be like a contest to see who would last through the whole song. Makes me laugh to think about it.
"Moon Dance" by Van Morrison. Ahhhh yes .....
"Changes" by David Bowie. Fell in love with Ziggy Stardust first .... but this song has some serious memories attached. Loved anything Bowie.
"Stairway to Heaven" by Led Zepplin. Wow .... this song pretty much dominated my high school years. It was played over and over again at dances. Led Zepplin is by far my favorite band of all time. Hands down. They knew how to rock. Robert Plant .... no one else like him. Lost my virginity to Zepplin. Think I better put some on ....
"Wish You Were Here" by Pink Floyd. Next to Zepplin - Pink Floyd was right up there with my all time favorite. I can remember when they used to have laser light shows at the Griffith Observatory Planetarium back in the mid to late 70's. Pink Floyd was the chosen music for this show. We partied hard in those days and used to love to drop some acid or do some lines/smoke some pot and sit back and enjoy the show. What a rush ....
"Baba O'Riley" by the Who. Next to Zepplin & Pink Floyd .... what can I say. This song represents so much to me. It brings home hard the happenings of the time. The Who ... CLASSIC .... nothing more needs to be said.
"California Girls" by the Beach Boys. Growing up in Southern California you couldn't help but love the Beach Boys. We had "Surfin' Safari" dances in High School and of course the Beach Boys dominated the music choice of the night. This is my favorite tune of theirs although it really is hard to chose one to call my favorite. So wasted at their concert that all I can remember is pink and blue lights. Think I had fun though.
"Lola" by the Kinks. "She walked up to me and she asked me to dance. I asked her her name and in a dark brown voice she said Lola .... Lo Lo Lo Lo Lola .... " My dog Lola is named for this song. The Kinks would be proud.
Loved just about anything the Kinks put out.
"School's Out" by Alice Cooper. By far one of the strangest concerts I've been to. Also one of the most theatrical. Boy would we rock this song come June ..... Alice will always have a place in my heart! Anyone remember "Cold Ethel"?
"Hard Days Night" by The Beatles. Anything and everthing Beatles. I must have seen this movie a billion times. The Beatles. I loved Paul (back in the day) .... how about you? Of couse ... John became my all time Beatle hero. He was a genius.
Geez .... I know I could go on forever. So I won't. These were just a minor few bands/songs that were a major part of my growing up. These have particular memories for one reason or another which makes them special for me. But again there are soooo many more ... to say that these were it would be soooo wrong. These just are the ones that popped in my head today at this moment in time. As I am trying to end this more songs just keep popping in my head so I am ending it now. Before I sit here for hours.
Thanks for putting up with me here.
Peace. J.
So here it is ..... the repost of a repost .....
April 25, 2007 5:34 PM
This is a repost ..... mainly because I don't really have much to talk about today .... so because music has been on my mind a lot lately I thought this appropriate ....
October 7, 2006 3:13 PM
Music Memories
"Inagodadivida" by Iron Butterfly. I can remember at a dance in the fifth grade they played this song and it seemed like it went on forever. It would be like a contest to see who would last through the whole song. Makes me laugh to think about it.
"Moon Dance" by Van Morrison. Ahhhh yes .....
"Changes" by David Bowie. Fell in love with Ziggy Stardust first .... but this song has some serious memories attached. Loved anything Bowie.
"Stairway to Heaven" by Led Zepplin. Wow .... this song pretty much dominated my high school years. It was played over and over again at dances. Led Zepplin is by far my favorite band of all time. Hands down. They knew how to rock. Robert Plant .... no one else like him. Lost my virginity to Zepplin. Think I better put some on ....
"Wish You Were Here" by Pink Floyd. Next to Zepplin - Pink Floyd was right up there with my all time favorite. I can remember when they used to have laser light shows at the Griffith Observatory Planetarium back in the mid to late 70's. Pink Floyd was the chosen music for this show. We partied hard in those days and used to love to drop some acid or do some lines/smoke some pot and sit back and enjoy the show. What a rush ....
"Baba O'Riley" by the Who. Next to Zepplin & Pink Floyd .... what can I say. This song represents so much to me. It brings home hard the happenings of the time. The Who ... CLASSIC .... nothing more needs to be said.
"California Girls" by the Beach Boys. Growing up in Southern California you couldn't help but love the Beach Boys. We had "Surfin' Safari" dances in High School and of course the Beach Boys dominated the music choice of the night. This is my favorite tune of theirs although it really is hard to chose one to call my favorite. So wasted at their concert that all I can remember is pink and blue lights. Think I had fun though.
"Lola" by the Kinks. "She walked up to me and she asked me to dance. I asked her her name and in a dark brown voice she said Lola .... Lo Lo Lo Lo Lola .... " My dog Lola is named for this song. The Kinks would be proud.
Loved just about anything the Kinks put out. "School's Out" by Alice Cooper. By far one of the strangest concerts I've been to. Also one of the most theatrical. Boy would we rock this song come June ..... Alice will always have a place in my heart! Anyone remember "Cold Ethel"?
"Hard Days Night" by The Beatles. Anything and everthing Beatles. I must have seen this movie a billion times. The Beatles. I loved Paul (back in the day) .... how about you? Of couse ... John became my all time Beatle hero. He was a genius.
Geez .... I know I could go on forever. So I won't. These were just a minor few bands/songs that were a major part of my growing up. These have particular memories for one reason or another which makes them special for me. But again there are soooo many more ... to say that these were it would be soooo wrong. These just are the ones that popped in my head today at this moment in time. As I am trying to end this more songs just keep popping in my head so I am ending it now. Before I sit here for hours.
Thanks for putting up with me here.
Peace. J.
A MAN, HIS DOG & A MARBLE - A REPOST Tags: 
dog shit poop man eat vegetables corn veggies marble harvest marbles
My husband collects marbles. Old marbles. And we have a house full of them. This is a hobby he started about seven years ago. He also loves to show off this collection to whoever shows interest in it. I just want to make clear that these are the same marbles that we played with as children and the children today still play with.
About four years ago we had some friends over for dinner. They had noticed the marbles displayed on our mantle and the next thing you know they are getting a full blown tour. Upon taking out one of his little treasures (actually this marble isn't worth big money around $6 - $10) he decides to show our friends how our dog Petey likes to roll marbles around in his mouth and spit them out. Not a trick obviously - he just makes a funny face when he does this and we found this out when dropping a marble once and Petey got to it before us. Worried he might swallow it, he instead rolled and spit. So....he hands Petey this marble and guess what he did? Probably not to hard of a guess. Yep, he swallowed it. With one big gulp it was gone.
The next week was rather comical. Every time the husband thought Petey might be taking a shit he would be right there waiting to see if his beloved marble showed up. But it's kinda hard to follow a dog around 24/7. After about a week of serious hunting and a month of looking here and there, the husband gave up. He chalked it up to a loss.
Last night we harvested our corn crop. We grew the corn in an area that we don't normally plant anything. This was more or less an experimental crop - testing soil and nutrients needed for next years crop. While going through the rows picking the corn my husband looks down and at his feet is the marble. Yes, the poop marble. He was thrilled. His marble had returned home.
This is the marble. Dave took the picture. He liked the way it looked sitting the freshly shucked corn. If you let your imagination go you can actually see the shape of a dog in the marble (look at orange line). The marble is back home again with his other marble buddies on our mantle now. Living happily ever after.
A repost of an old entry ...... call me a sick puppy ..... but I love this story and was in need of a smile ..... this brought me one .....
The original entry was in August of 2006.
The original entry was in August of 2006.
A Man, His Dog & A Marble
dog shit poop man eat vegetables corn veggies marble harvest marbles About four years ago we had some friends over for dinner. They had noticed the marbles displayed on our mantle and the next thing you know they are getting a full blown tour. Upon taking out one of his little treasures (actually this marble isn't worth big money around $6 - $10) he decides to show our friends how our dog Petey likes to roll marbles around in his mouth and spit them out. Not a trick obviously - he just makes a funny face when he does this and we found this out when dropping a marble once and Petey got to it before us. Worried he might swallow it, he instead rolled and spit. So....he hands Petey this marble and guess what he did? Probably not to hard of a guess. Yep, he swallowed it. With one big gulp it was gone.
The next week was rather comical. Every time the husband thought Petey might be taking a shit he would be right there waiting to see if his beloved marble showed up. But it's kinda hard to follow a dog around 24/7. After about a week of serious hunting and a month of looking here and there, the husband gave up. He chalked it up to a loss.
Last night we harvested our corn crop. We grew the corn in an area that we don't normally plant anything. This was more or less an experimental crop - testing soil and nutrients needed for next years crop. While going through the rows picking the corn my husband looks down and at his feet is the marble. Yes, the poop marble. He was thrilled. His marble had returned home.
This is the marble. Dave took the picture. He liked the way it looked sitting the freshly shucked corn. If you let your imagination go you can actually see the shape of a dog in the marble (look at orange line). The marble is back home again with his other marble buddies on our mantle now. Living happily ever after.
REPOST - FOR LACK OF ANYTHING BETTER
Our Life At 7100 Feet November 14, 2006 11:34 AM
Tags:home story mountains snowmobiling bear valley
From the years 1988 - 2000 Dave and I lived in a remote mountain community called Bear Valley in California. Dave had always been an extreme outdoorsman involved in any and all snow and water sports. He snow ski'd and water ski'd for many years .... until the old knees finally gave out. Then he took up snowmobiling. Not casual snowmobiling but crazy nuts extreme cross country lucky if you don't die in an avalanche snowmobiling. It's just not fun it you don't tempt death .... ya know? Anyway .... when he was layed off from his job in 1988 he had a job offer from a snowmobile shop in Bear Valley ..... he really really wanted to go. I had been with him for about 4 years ... maybe 5 years at the time and although I had taken up snowmobiling and enjoyed it ... the thought of living in the snow was not my idea of fun. So .... I told him I would not move without a commitment on his part (marrying my ass) and he gave me one. I quit my job .... we got married .... and off to 7100 feet in the Sierras .... to live.
The first few years were fun and different for this "city" girl. After that it just seemed like a heck of alot of work. But I would not trade this time in my life for anything. There were approximately 150 of us that lived there 365 days a year. And a whole lot more non-resident homeowners .... rich folk with a second home. For us that lived there .... our survival definitely depended on these people. They were the money that made our town tick. Still are.
There was a downhill ski area as well as the 2nd largest (at least was at the time) cross country area in the U.S. And many many miles of snowmobiling. Legally ..... maintained trails were allocated for snowmobile to use. These boundries meant pretty much nothing to a rather large group of renagade snomobilers .... including myself and Dave. We could get to Tahoe quicker by snowmobile in the winter than by car in the summer. And it was one hell of a fun ride. I soon was able to keep up with just about any man on a snowmobile.
They would close the roads down to the subdivision after the first good dumping of snow. After that you relied on snowmobiles, skiis, snow shoes or good old fashioned walking to get you up and down the hill to your home. We would park our cars in designated parking areas which had alternate days for moving cars so that the lots could be cleared of snow. The average annual snowfall was 55 feet. We dealt with snow for a good 7 to 8 months out of every year. I soon got tired of snow.
The one thing that was unbelievable was the tightness of the community. You became "family" with those that lived there. For the most part it was a great thing .... but as in most small communities you deal with gossip and personality clashes. But no matter what .... we always had each others back. It was a good feeling. Didn't realize how much I would miss that when we left. But I do.
There are so many stories from these years spent there ..... I grew alot as a person there. Built self-confidence that I never knew I had. It stemmed from having people there who wanted you to succeed .... wanted to be a part of your success. When I decided to take the First Responder training, something I never would have thought of doing, I had a whole community cheering for me .... wishing me well and helping me study or whatever they could do to help. It was pretty unreal. When someone in the community was hurt or ill .... we would all chip in to help make sure they had what they needed ..... especially in winter.
I'll probably write stories from time to time about our life there .... just because it was such a huge part of making me what I am now (other than an emotional mess).
Another bad picture of a picture. Sorry. But anyway this is our house in Bear Valley. Taken in April of 1997. Hard to tell but it's about a 6' to 7' drop down to the front door. It was not unusual for us to go in through the second story when the times were such we could not keep up with the snowfall. And there were those times.
Peace. J.
*** hope everyone is having a good day today. its snowing here again.***
Peace. J.
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home story mountains snowmobiling bear valley The first few years were fun and different for this "city" girl. After that it just seemed like a heck of alot of work. But I would not trade this time in my life for anything. There were approximately 150 of us that lived there 365 days a year. And a whole lot more non-resident homeowners .... rich folk with a second home. For us that lived there .... our survival definitely depended on these people. They were the money that made our town tick. Still are.
There was a downhill ski area as well as the 2nd largest (at least was at the time) cross country area in the U.S. And many many miles of snowmobiling. Legally ..... maintained trails were allocated for snowmobile to use. These boundries meant pretty much nothing to a rather large group of renagade snomobilers .... including myself and Dave. We could get to Tahoe quicker by snowmobile in the winter than by car in the summer. And it was one hell of a fun ride. I soon was able to keep up with just about any man on a snowmobile.
They would close the roads down to the subdivision after the first good dumping of snow. After that you relied on snowmobiles, skiis, snow shoes or good old fashioned walking to get you up and down the hill to your home. We would park our cars in designated parking areas which had alternate days for moving cars so that the lots could be cleared of snow. The average annual snowfall was 55 feet. We dealt with snow for a good 7 to 8 months out of every year. I soon got tired of snow.
The one thing that was unbelievable was the tightness of the community. You became "family" with those that lived there. For the most part it was a great thing .... but as in most small communities you deal with gossip and personality clashes. But no matter what .... we always had each others back. It was a good feeling. Didn't realize how much I would miss that when we left. But I do.
There are so many stories from these years spent there ..... I grew alot as a person there. Built self-confidence that I never knew I had. It stemmed from having people there who wanted you to succeed .... wanted to be a part of your success. When I decided to take the First Responder training, something I never would have thought of doing, I had a whole community cheering for me .... wishing me well and helping me study or whatever they could do to help. It was pretty unreal. When someone in the community was hurt or ill .... we would all chip in to help make sure they had what they needed ..... especially in winter.
I'll probably write stories from time to time about our life there .... just because it was such a huge part of making me what I am now (other than an emotional mess).
Another bad picture of a picture. Sorry. But anyway this is our house in Bear Valley. Taken in April of 1997. Hard to tell but it's about a 6' to 7' drop down to the front door. It was not unusual for us to go in through the second story when the times were such we could not keep up with the snowfall. And there were those times.
Peace. J.
*** hope everyone is having a good day today. its snowing here again.***
Peace. J.
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