farmers markets

I was happy to discover 2 local farmers markets near our new home, and I made sure to check both of them out this week.




Tuesday, the market was held on a cool old-timey street that had an antique store packed with goodies and an art gallery next door. There were even live musicians creating a fun atmosphere while you browsed the fabulous local produce. I picked up some beans (they're fuzzy like peaches), a lemon cucumber, a couple peaches, and a variety of tomatoes.



Yesterday's market was set in a park and had a larger variety of both produce and vendors. I sampled an apricot (though I forget what kind), some yummy homemade bread, honey butter, and raspberry preserves. We walked away with a cross-bred melon that smelled soooo good and an expensive yet beautiful mini peach pie. Of course, we picked up a carton of vanilla ice cream on the way home.

purple peppers

I can't wait to try it all!

Ace's baseball game

Our friends had extra tickets to the Ace's baseball game so we drove to Reno yesterday for some sporty fun. The seats were incredible. We were sitting just 3 rows back right behind the Ace's dugout.


We partook in concession food. I got tacos and Nick tried the Reno dog which was like a hotdog taco.


It was a hot sunny day, but very enjoyable thanks to sunscreen and seat-backs.
Oh yeah, and they won :)

he closed

Nick finally closed on the house this week. He is officially a home owner. Pretty exciting, yet quite unceremonial. He received a text message telling him he closed and that the key was left under a rock. haha. So we ran down there with our first load from storage and he got to unlock his door for the first time.

Welcome HOME :)

view looking west from the driveway

view looking south

Ah, it's good to be back

We made it back to Tahoe on Monday morning and wasted no time getting out and enjoying the weather. We went to the beach in the afternoon.

Isn't this the cutest umbrella?! I see one in my future :)

And then for dinner we tried a new place called Freshies. We have heard good things about it, but it was the roof-top seating that drew us in. I was tickled to find this little guy as we waited to be seated.




There was a beautiful view of the lake from our table.





Tuesday night we jumped on our bikes and rode to the outdoor amphitheater where Phish was performing. We weren't able to get tickets, but ended up not needing them. We went exploring, checking out the sound from all sides, and then parked the bikes beside a wall we climbed up on to enjoy the show.

Yesterday, I worked at the Art Center Gallery and attended our monthly meeting. Every month after the meeting, there is an artist who speaks and often does a demonstration. Last night, Erik Holland demonstrated his painting process while sharing some fun little tidbits. He was 30 years old painting on the sidewalks of San Francisco when he sold his first painting to a passerby...who just so happened to be Rosemary Clooney. Ok, so I didn't know who she was either so I looked her up. enjoy :)

Tuesday Travels - Kansas to Tahoe

Got to see many friends and family on my trip back to Kansas this year. I hadn't seen these girls in ages. Seriously, I hadn't seen Liz in 10 years!

me, Tamara, and Liz

my goddaughter Brittney is now 13!

She is even taller than her mom now.

We enjoyed some pool time to cool off from the 100+ temperatures. (It got up to 111 one day.)



And they introduced me to Margarita iceys. So good on a hot day




Oh, yeah. We also enjoyed an adult night out. We indulged in swirls at On the Border. Those girls put me to shame. haha. Then we went to a late movie and saw "Bridesmaids". Yay for girls night!


I went to a cousin's wedding in Wichita and saw my closest living relative (I'm talking proximity here). She lives near Yosemite National Park, but we meet up in the midwest. Go figure. It was great to see her and we managed to stay out of trouble. ;)

Janna and I

I then spent a week in Kansas City. The highlights were having dinner with my aunt and cousin, learning a few things about my car (tip: if your check engine light comes on, go to an auto parts store and borrow the code reader to find out why. it's free! then do a little research online.), and a trip to Hobby Lobby for a few necessities and some inspiration. If only they'd build one near Tahoe.

From Kansas City, I drove to Sabetha, KS for a family reunion. I had been really missing my grandparents for the last few months and was so happy to get to visit with them.

There was food galore as always. I even snagged a couple recipes to try!


The reunion was actually held at my grandparents assisted living facility. Dude! They have shuffle board.




And a paddle boat.



Everyone who came this year.


My more immediate family.

Saturday night around 9pm, Nick and I hit the road. We decided to head north to Lincoln, Nebraska and catch i80. There was an awesome lightning storm that kept him entertained while I drove the first leg of the trip. We both got sleepy about the same time, but he tried to drive. He drove an hour then pulled over for an hour. Then repeated the sequence again. After the second time, I was ready to drive again.




Around 8:30am we made it to Cheyenne, Wyoming and stopped at a diner for breakfast.



We stopped at this little tourist trap for a 50 cent ice cream cone.



We saw so many trains on this trip. This was my favorite, taken in Utah.



We arrived in Reno around 1am yesterday morning. Slept in the car for a couple hours and then drove the last 1hour and an half to South Lake Tahoe. So happy to be back.