Our New Office

September 6th and 7th, 2008. Saturday the 6th was spent traveling around Lake Tahoe. We drove down to Emerald Bay and then hiked down to the shore to see Vikingsholm. It’s a home that was constructed in 1929, and it was built to look sort of like a castle. Or an old home. Or a Viking palace. Or something.

Honestly, I don’t get it. Sod on the roof? An odd mix of architecture? While the house is interesting, it’s a mess. A great example of someone with more money than sense. Maybe I’m just bitter about my injury.

An unfortunate accident.

While Saturday was spent hiking and watching more episodes of Entourage, Sunday was a work day. Sara and I have been swamped with work.

September 1st – 3rd, 2008. I’ve been feeling the pressure to get something done for a few days now. Last week was mostly consumed by travel, so I’ve felt like I’ve done “nothing.” “Nothing” isn’t really nothing of course – I’ve found a way to stay on top of most things despite traveling – but it’s frustrating to work for only a few hours a day. Monday, Tuesday, and Wednesday were full fledged work days. I couldn’t be happier.

In addition to finally working, Sara and I have also had a chance to spend some quality time with newlyweds Kim and Kevin. They entertained us, gave us some good tips for our own upcoming wedding, and gave Sara and I a chance to interact with other people. Not that we don’t like all the one-on-one time, but it’s nice to have a break.

Sara, Kevin, and Kim relaxing and having fun.

The house we’re staying at belongs to Kim and Kevin’s family, and it’s awesome. We’re super comfortable here. It’s huge, everything is nice, and there’s lots of food left over from the wedding. Lots of cheese especially. Very good – very good indeed.

The house we’re lucky enough to stay in for 2 weeks. It’s just outside of Tahoe City, CA.

Working in Tahoe City has been easy. Syd’s Bagel Shop is great – free wi-fi, great coffee, and bagel sandwiches. There’s a place called Gears and Grind that’s nice too – just make sure you don’t talk on your phone when you’re inside the place.

My impression of the Lake Tahoe area – it’s a lot like the Evergreen/Conifer area of Colorado (except for the big lake of course). It’s very dry here (just like CO), and there is a very mountain feel to everything.

In any case, we’re very happy here. This is nicer than our old home at 909 Logan for sure.

August 29, 2008. On the way to Tahoe this morning, we had a slight incident. Less than 10 miles from Reno (and about an hour from our final destination in Tahoe), one of the studs on the right rear broke.

See the two holes that don’t have lug nuts? Both of those studs broke.

For those of you that don’t know, the stud is a “bolt” about a half an inch in diameter that the lugnut spins onto. It’s rare that this happens – in fact it’s extremely unlikely. The person who installed my wheels a few weeks ago must have cross-threaded the lugnut and weakened the stud. Once one of the studs broke, it was only a matter of time before a second one gave way. Since the wheels only have four studs a piece, losing one is kind of a big deal, and losing two is cause to stop driving. Sara and I heard a thump-thumping once the second stud broke (we had no idea one was already broken) and we pulled off to the side of I-80.

We called a tow truck and after about an hour we were towed to a service facility in downtown Reno, Nevada known as Generator Exchange. The shop manager was named Dodger, and even though it was lunch time when were towed in, he worked hard to get us back on the road. He has our thanks.

Next we headed for the Cal-Neva Resort which straddles the California-Nevada border. The joke is that you can swim from Nevada to California and back in the hotel pool. Back in the day, Sinatra owned this resort, and it doesn’t look like it’s changed much since the 60’s. Mirrored ceilings in all the hallways, a sort of “swinging 60’s” feeling, you can definitely see the Rat Pack strolling through. Learn more about the Cal-Neva Resort’s history (it’s a quick read and definitely interesting).

The Indian Room of the Cal-Neva Resort with the border lines colorfully emphasized.

I gambled tonight and had no luck. All I won at the casino is a free drink for Sara – not very cost effective. Evidently I’ve already done all the winning I’m going to do two weeks ago in Aruba.

Soon we’ll be attending Kim and Kevin’s wedding. Sara is excited to be a bridesmaid, and I know she’s eager to hang out with her friends after spending so much quality time with me this past month.