Month: January 2018

Carson City , Nevada

by Sue, posted in Uncategorized

I am staying in a cute little Air BNB in Carson city for a few nights on my way to the Reno airport to fly out to San Miguel de Allende , Mexico which is where my next house sit is . It will be for 2 months and taking care of 2 dogs. I am excited. Have never been to SMA although have been to other parts of Mexico many times.

So, just wanted to post about Carson city. Another one of those towns that was not that far from my hometown of Truckee, California.

I have come to Carson city before for a day here and there but have to say I really enjoyed my 3 night stay. It is winter so kind of quite however I do know there are a lot of events and music going on here in the summer months.

Carson city is the capitol of Nevada. Here is a little something from the Carson city visitor site.

“Carson City, Nevada boasts an array of outdoor adventures, fine restaurants, challenging golf courses, historical attractions, museums, gaming opportunities and a plethora of events and entertainment. Visitors will find plenty of exciting activities and experiences to choose from. The heart of the action–Carson City is nestled just minutes from world famous Lake Tahoe, electrifying Reno, historic Virginia City and the majestic Sierra Nevada mountain range.”

I stayed in the nicest little AirBNB for a super reasonable price and just around the corner from the downtown. Very comfy little place. Photo Editor-20180120_160730one of my favorite things about Carson city, besides the mountainous views, is the Carson Hot springs. Wow ! I love this place. You can  soak outside in a large pool and 2 jacuzzi tubs or you can get a private room. The think I like about the rooms is that you get super hot water !! The temps in the rooms range from 102 to 109. I chose 107 for the last two nights. I have been fighting off a cold or flu bug so wanted to sweat it out of me. You can also wander outside to use the Hammer ( a very strong fast moving jet of hot water that comes out of a pipe above the pool and pounds your achy muscles). All this for only $15 for a room for 2 hours (senior price ! Yup, I am a senior !) or $20 for younger folks. If you only want to use the outside it is $10 or $15. The place was packed on the weekend. They have a fire pit outside and families come and bring all kinds of food and hang out all day. But, today , Monday was very quite. Photo Editor-20180121_191431.jpg

Carson is a cute little town with some nice restaurants , breweries, wine shops, antique stores, coffee shops,  funky bars and even a couple casinos. Lake Tahoe is not far away with hiking trails all around .  A bit laid back this time of year. But, fun stuff happening here in summer. Free outdoor music once a week, Bluegrass festival,   Mountain man event, and much more.

I plan to spend a couple nights again on my way back from Mexico in the same AirBNB cause it was such a bargain !!! And I love the Hot springs.

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Meanwhile , Adios and see you in Mexico !!pexels-photo-745271.jpeg

New Years ,walking the dog in Truckee, California, and some New Year reflections.

by Sue, posted in Uncategorized

Photo Editor-20171231_145541This photo is of New Years eve day . I am currently house and pet sitting with Cody the Husky. Isn’t he pretty ?? He is sweet to. A fairly easy dog to take care of. I am here in my hometown Truckee for another 2 weeks. Then I leave for San Miguel De Allende, Mexico for a 2 month house sit. Woohoo. Looking forward to that.  Back to this photo. These are some of my dear friends in Truckee who I spent the NYEve day with . What a nice day. Walking the dogs with  lunch and a Bloody Mary after to celebrate the new year !! No better way to spend the end of the year then with friends in a beautiful location.

Some friends may wonder and think that I am looking for a new place to live. Like last summer when I was up in Washington and  Montana all summer and saying I like this place or that. One friend would say. I see re location in store ? Actually, I Love Truckee, California. It is one of the most beautiful areas in the world with Lake Tahoe, mountains, lakes, rivers.  And of course great people !! It is not a matter of wanting to move. It is a matter of loving to travel and see new places ! Truckee will most likely always be my home base and always be the place I come back to and spend a lot of time at. Of course my friends in Truckee make it home as well !

I moved to Truckee in 1975 with my friend Sandy (seen in this photo holding the little dog). I came from L.A and she from San Diego. We met while working at Sequoia National park. Thus the wandering started. I always knew I wanted to get out of L.A. Doesn’t seem at all like home to me especially now since I left there 42 years ago. So , after a few summers in Sequoia  Sandy and I ended up in Truckee, Ca.

In 1989 I moved to Santa Cruz , Ca. Lovely beach town. Lived there for 6 years . I did enjoy it. Whats not to enjoy. The beach, the weather, the music. However, I got restless and then moved into an RV for 2 years and wandered the country as a traveling vendor. Fun times for sure !!! Would have kept doing that longer had I not been struck down by Cancer. yes, the big C . Had to stop my wandering ways for awhile and take care of myself. I then ended up back in Truckee. I think for me it was because I had friends there  who I had known for quite some time. Once back in Truckee, I got settled in, started a cleaning business, acquired pets, had another round of cancer  and yada yada. I have always wanted to wander but its hard to do at some times in our lives. So, a little over a year ago my pets all got old and died one by one. Here are photos of the last group of pets I had. I miss them so much !!!

 

Jasper
Levi
Sassy
Fannie
Cajun

However, I have decided to not get any pets at this time so as to fulfill the need to wander. Had thought about getting an RV and just taking off. But, then I started this house sitting thing and realized there is a true need for it. So, for now just getting around in my Subaru and house sitting. Still thinking about a small RV , class B or even a camper van.  I do like the house sitting but also want a bit of my own free time as well.

in any case I am feeling pretty happy with my current situation. it may not be for everyone to wander from house to house with no real base of your own but I am enjoying it ! And if I get a small RV then that will be my home. The Subaru is kind of small. But, I house sit so much, it seems to suffice for now.

Anyways, my New Year is a New Year in many ways!

Happy New Year to all of you and may you live the life you want and dream about.

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Technically challenged?

by Sue, posted in Uncategorized

I wish I were not so technically challenged. Or Maybe it is something else really. I am not great at reading instructions. I like to play around with things to figure out how they work , thus getting frustrated in the process. Never been a great learner because of this . However I have a lot of knowledge in the things I enjoy. So, maybe I have not decided yet if I really enjoy writing a blog. Ha Ha. Why do it? Well, I am traveling a bit now and leading  an alternative lifestyle which I thought might be fun to write about. One reason is to keep a  diary of sorts and another reason is  to share with people who may want to keep track of me. I’m not a great writer but learning by reading other blogs. I guess it is kind of fun.

So, as to this blog. I am not so sure I like the way it is laid out and may have to spend some time playing around with it to set it up differently . Only problem is that I seem to have a hard time sitting down for to long to do that. I get distracted easily and end up doing something else, like reading the latest article about what our distracted President Trump is up to  ( Ha Ha) , or reading other peoples blogs, or just looking at cute kitty videos on facebook. pexels-photo-374631.jpeg

In any case I will try to keep it going and am going to try to post more often . There are so many things that happened last summer while I was traveling up in the Northwest that I still have not posted about . So, maybe will go back and bring some of that into the blog.

Nevada city , California.

by Sue, posted in Uncategorized

I had the pleasure of doing a 2 week house sit in Nevada city , Ca. in Oct.  taking care of a sweet kitty named Mala .

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House in Nevada city that I house sat at was in a nice country setting.
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Mala was an adorable 1 year old kitty.

I really enjoyed that house sit. So much to see and do in and around Nevada city .

Nevada City is among the most interesting of California Gold Rush towns, attracting visitors from far and wide. The entire downtown district is a national historic landmark where guests enjoy quality dining, lodging, and shops, all flavored with old-fashioned Nevada City hospitality. And there is the Yuba River !

The Beautiful Yuba River. Originating in a bowl-shaped valley in Moscove Meadow, the 55.4-mile-long (89.2 km) Middle Yuba River flows north into Jackson Meadows Reservoir, then turns west, descending steeply into a gorge, defining over almost its entire length the boundary of Sierra County in the north and Nevada County in the south. I did quite a few walks along the Yuba while I was there. Here are a few shots.

Nevada city

I also went to Malakoff Diggings state park which is not far from Nevada city.  Malakoff Diggins State Historic Park is the site of California’s largest “hydraulic” mine. Visitors can see huge cliffs carved by mighty streams of water, results of the gold mining technique of washing away entire mountains to find the precious metal. Legal battles between mine owners and downstream farmers ended this method. The park also contains a 7,847 foot bedrock tunnel that served as a drain. The visitor center offers a short video on hydraulic mining and exhibits on life in the old mining town of North Bloomfield. North Bloomfield experienced its heyday from the late 1860’s to 1884, with nearly 1,500 inhabitants. Here are some photos.

 

 

Some scenes from driving around in the hills of Nevada city area below.

Nevada city is a town for music lovers too !! There is live music every night of the week in one of the many bars or restaurants. Coopers ale works, Crazy Horse saloon, The Golden Era , Friar Tucks, Mateos public, Crazy how much music there is in such a small town. One of the other reasons I loved it so much. I am a huge music lover . Saw Reggae one night. Bluegrass one night. Old Jazz Harlem style one night. 70’s one night. yes, I went out a bit for music while there. Why not? It was all in the small town and easy to walk from place to place.  I did happen to be there on Halloween weekend too which was quite an event in Nevada city. Here are some photos of that.

Another thing I did which was a highlight was going to the  Pickers get together at the Grange Hall in Rough and Ready. Rough and Ready is another small town a few miles from Nevada city and every Sunday the pickers get together at the grange hall to do a little socializing and picking. Here is what that looks like. So fun. Nice folks too.

Another stop I made while driving the country roads around Nevada city was in a speck of a town called North San Juan. North San Juan is a town of about 300 people and I would say most of them are involved in the growing and distribution of Marijuana. It was a super hot day when I was passing thru North San Juan and I saw this bar. I thought how nice a cold beer would taste and might be fun to meet some of the locals. I was right about both. Great icy cold beer and colorful locals . I even had my future read by the local phsycic fortune teller. 20171025_19472620171025_15155820171025_16423420171025_16435820171025_150811

Nevada city is only about 60 miles from my hometown Truckee, CA. But I never really got to know it till I did this 2 week house sit. I sure enjoyed it and would go back again to house sit if the opportunity arrises.