Saturday, July 13, 2013

Second Trip to Schaffer's Mill

What I could see from my car without being too obvious.

From my car window, I could see that the windows were being installed.

Glare from my car window but you can see the roof line and some of the windows.

This is the front of the house with the big glass windows that face the street.

A view of the golf course which is behind the house.

This is the Donner Monument in the town of Truckee. 

A view of Donner Lake from the Old Highway, The mountains behind are in the east.

This is a shot of the bridge on the Old Highway. I hear that it is a pretty famous bridge even though I have never seen it and I have never travelled on the Old Highway before.

Some of the granite that you see everywhere in this area. It is quite impressive!

More of the same granite formations farther up the road.

In this shot you can see the covered train tunnels that protect the train and tracks in the winter when the mountains are covered in snow.

Some wildflowers I saw by the side of the road.

Another shot looking east where you can see the size of the lake. Schaffer's Mill would be at the far end of the lake in the valley before you go over the mountains in the distance.

Another shot of the granite cliffs where you can see how small the automobiles appear at the bottom of the picture.

A wonderful shot of the bridge with Donner Lake in the background. This is some beautiful country and to think that it is only about an hour away from my home! How lucky I am to live in such a beautiful place. Truly spectacular!
"LOOK DEEP INTO NATURE, AND THEN YOU WILL UNDERSTAND EVERYTHING BETTER."

                                                        Albert Einstein

Tuesday, July 9, 2013

NEW BEGINNINGS AND DREAMS

 On June 21st I had the opportunity to attend a retreat in the Lake Tahoe area for the weekend. I had just seen a post regarding the new HGTV home that was being built for 2014 and saw that it was being built in the Tahoe/Truckee area known as Schaffer's Mill. So, being the curious person that I am I thought that I would make a side-trip out of it and see if I could find and photograph the home. I think that I found it based on the drawings that they posted of the floor plan. If I photographed the wrong house, well then...I guess I goofed but I really think this is the one based on what I saw.


 There is a distinct "bridge" in the floor plan and also in this structure so I'm assuming it is "the one". I love this area of California. It is located over the mountain from Donner Lake on one side and on the other side Lake Tahoe is situated. There are many really high-end golf courses really close by this location as well as the towns of Truckee and Reno. Great for flying in and out and also close by is a small airport for small aircraft.

 I loved the street sign I saw when I was leaving. Heartwood: what could be better?
These are a few of the homes that are located in the community. The community sits right on a golf course and it looks like most of the homes have this "woodsy" craftsman-style type of architecture. Very natural looking and the area is very, very quiet. Next time I go there I am going to go to the sales office and ask to see a model. This is really an area that would appeal to everyone. Level roads for bike riding, a golf course right in your backyard, snow in the winter with lots of skiing opportunities at places like Northstar and Squaw Valley (known for the Olympics), and so much more.

I am a firm believer in the premise that there are unlimited possibilities in this world of ours. If you can imagine it, it can happen. We create our own destinies. I am the co-creator of my world and so are you. I lay aside any belief in limitation and realize the truth of abundant life and health. I imagine myself living in this wonderful home, surrounded by close family and friends, sharing many long hours and days with those that I love.

This area in California has a very spiritual feeling to me. I have loved the smells in the air in the Autumn, the smells of the pine in the warm summer sun, the crisp air fresh with a new blanket of snow in the Winter and the glorious wildflowers in the Spring. In my estimation, there is nothing better.

"What I see in Nature is a magnificent structure that we can comprehend only very imperfectly, and that must fill a thinking person with a feeling of humility. This is a genuinely religious feeling that has nothing to do with mysticism."   Albert Einstein