Winner Take All: Card Room at the Thunderbird Lodge and GIVE AWAY WINNER!

A couple of weekends ago, I was up at Lake Tahoe and spent some time at the Thunderbird Lodge. It was a little jaunt back in time to see one of the last and perhaps best examples of Lake Front estates built by the grand old San Francisco society members before World War II.

George Whittell Jr. was one of California's most notorious playboys and was famous for his exploits with women, fast cars and fast boats. He collected women and wild animals, many of which he kept on his estate. It would only follow that he had a penchant for gambling. The Card Room at the Thunderbird Lodge was built to entertain the "boys of summer" with card games and those women I mentioned. It is one of the few Card Rooms still in existence on the Lake.

George had a clever communication system in place to let the boys know when the coast was clear for a card game, or when to stay away when the wife was in residence. He had a series of lights installed on the chimney of the main house. When it was game night, the light was green. When the wife was home, the red light would show across the Lake. Clever pre-texting system, no?

The Card Room has two huge stone fireplaces, one at each end of the room. There are leaded glass windows and exposed beam ceilings. One of the most striking additions to the decor is the massive Elk trophy. It is believed to have come from New Zealand, so it has been suspected that George may have won it in one of his card games.

I am sure that George had his share of winnings......

For you curious George fans, click on over HERE for more stories about George Whittell's infamous past.

And now for another winner!

I am happy to announce the winner of Barry Dixon's latest book:

Congratulations to 

Linda in AZ!!!

A Date with Shakespeare at the Lake

 Every year about this time, I head up to Lake Tahoe to spend time with a couple of girlfriends I have known for 18 years or more. We all lived in the same neighborhood when we met, and one of the trio, Diane, moved to Lake Tahoe about 12 years ago. Ever since, we have gotten together at Diane house which overlooks the Lake up on Kingsbury Grade.

We all have summer birthdays, so we exchange gifts the afternoon we arrive. And it never hurts to celebrate with a little wine and a few things to nosh....a little triple cream cheese with fig jam....do not mind if I do! We discovered that a few sprigs of Lemon Thyme in a dry Sauvignon Blanc is quite wonderful as well! We caught up sipping cool wine and took in the breathtaking view. The weather decided to be very kind!

 As for the gifts, we know each other very well. We all love to cook, and garden and entertain....so pretty easy to please us all. I gave the girls each a set of napkins and some great marinades for Asian cooking. Diane gave Lori and I some special herb and spice blends from her company, Heart Rock Herb and Spice Co. (ahem....we were hoping she would! They are so fantastic and makes dinner that much easier). Lori gave us beautiful candles, one shaped like a pear, and a pair of tapers...perfect for hosting that next party!

 We talked and talked while letting go of the weekday world. Pretty soon it was time to hit the hay.....

The next day we relaxed over  a breakfast of pastries from HERE and peaches from my tree HERE. Then we headed off to the Thunderbird Lodge, where Diane is Master Gardener. We never pass up an opportunity to use the beach there. It is one of the most beautiful anywhere around the lake. We caught a glimpse of the Thunderbird Yacht, the 55 foot speedboat owned by the infamous George Whittell commissioned while he was building his beautiful estate on the shores of Lake Tahoe. It was completed in 1940. The Yacht has quite a formidable history.... HERE

Diane laid out a beautiful picnic while Lori and I braved the winter melt in the Lake....yes, we went swimming. Refreshing, bracing, and one of the best parts of the weekend! (That is me on the rock out in the Lake!)

 I little more relaxing was in order before freshening up for the drive up to Incline Village, home of the Lake Tahoe Shakespeare Festival. I had never been, although I had known of the Festival for years. I was so happy to get a chance to experience a little Twelfth Night with beautiful Lake Tahoe as the backdrop, stars onstage and stars overhead. If you are ever at the Lake when the Festival is open, it is not to be missed...

 It was worth the wait. The sets were exotic...

 Sir Toby Belch and Sir Andrew Aguecheek left us in stitches....

It was a beautiful performance and a beautiful night....

And this was just Saturday.......

I wish you all a beautiful weekend!

Girls' Weekend, Lake Tahoe

I have been away a bit.....perhaps you have noticed? It has been a busy summer working with wonderful clients, weekend getaways and a vacation thrown in for good measure

A couple of weeks ago, I made a yearly jaunt with my friend Lori to spend the weekend with our long time friend, Diane at her Lake Tahoe home. On Saturday, we headed over to the Thunderbird Lodge, where Diane is the Master Gardener, for a picnic on the beach. Old Omar Khayyam had it right:

"A book of verses underneath the Bough

A jug of wine, a Loaf of Bread - and Thou

Beside me singing in the wilderness-

O Wilderness were Paradise enow!"

Lake Tahoe is known for is crystal clear waters, and Lori and I took full advantage jumping right in for a swim. Meanwhile, Diane uncorked the wine and got the party started.

After a couple of glasses of wine, it was obvious to us that the clouds had formed into a giant Thunderbird in honor of our visit. Can you see the full wingspread? And then there is the head at center.

Here's a little help...this is the Thunderbird plaque above the door at the lodge....can you see it now?

Not more than a few minutes later, we saw original lodge owner's, George Whittell Jr.'s, yacht, also named the "Thunderbird" motor up to the boathouse. It had been out ferrying people back from the Oscar de la Renta fashion show that had been taking place on the North shore of the Lake. If you want to see more about that fabulous show, check out Tartanscot's blog HERE for another Lake Tahoe chic affair! (Although our little tete a tete was pretty chic, if I do say so!)

When we finished lunch we sauntered on over to check out the gardens and just happened to pass by the boathouse. Luckily, the captain and his mates were still there and let us in to have a closer look at this gem of a yacht. Truly a beauty to behold....all varnished wood and chrome buffed to a brilliant shine. Sigh.....it conjures visions of movie stars making their way across the lake to the infamous poker parties thrown by George in the 30's and 40's.


It is only fitting that this stunning bird should have just come from Oscar's party! (Although I did hear that Oscar did not make an appearance! Ah..C'est la vie! There were still gift bags with sunny yellow umbrella's and stationary!)


After our well deserved "Oh"ing and "Aw"ing, we said goodbye and headed up the hill for a garden tour and a visit to the Lodge.


There is always another thing of beauty to see on the grounds, some occur all by themselves:
And others are the result of Diane and her volunteers' talented efforts.

There were also a couple rooms inside the lodge that had been re-decorated to better reflect the life and times of George Whittell Jr. and his wife Elia.

Front Door at Thunderbird Lodge

Great Room at Thunderbird Lodge

George's Bedroom

A brass bed was added in George's Room, along with a photo of George with one of his many pets. ( Some of which included lions and other wild animals.)

Elia's Room

Elia is pictured in her more feminine room with her pet cheetah.

A brilliant day to be sure.

On Sunday, Diane gave us a tour of her own beautiful Sierra Mountain garden. Diane carried every granite paving stone herself, creating a courtyard which overlooks the Lake.

This sprightly sculpture appears to emerge straight from the earth to breath in deeply the fragrant flowers in Diane's garden.

One of our traditions every year is to exchange gifts since we all have summer birthdays. It is always a fun challenge because we set a price limit on the gifts. This year I found these cute straw bags and paired them with pretty scarves from Cost Plus World Market. (I have to say....LOVE that store!) I will show you what I received in my next post! Stay tuned.

After our gift exchange, we headed out for lunch on the Lake...it was another beautiful day, and we gorged on Hamburgers, Cobb Salad and Rum Runners at the Beacon Bar and Grill in historic Camp Richardson.

Fat and happy, we were all ready to head over to our favorite Plant Nursery, Aspen Hollow, to buy a few things before heading back home. The sky started to get a bit dark for a summer afternoon....and it started to sprinkle a little. As we got a little closer to the Nursery, we heard thunder. As we pulled into the parking lot.....it hit! A HUGE hail storm with hail the size of moth balls and golf balls. We were stuck in the car hoping that the windows would not crack. This was our afternoon of winter in the middle of summer.

The hail eventually died down and we ventured into the Nursery. Sadly, they had a bit of damage and decided to close for the day. We will have to wait for next year.

Diane and I seeking shelter in the Nursery Hut at Aspen Hollow.

Another beautiful and adventurous trip to the Lake. Thank you to Diane, Phil and Lori for such a wonderful weekend!