Sugar Pine has much to offer--sandy beaches, trails, skyscraper forests, a mansion, and, most of the year, solitude coupled with views that sooth the mind.

The park, with two miles of lake frontage (Lake Tahoe has 72 miles in total), has a rich history. In 1860, the first permanent settler of record on Lake Tahoe's west shore built a cabin at the mouth of General Creek. This was the trapper and fisherman, William "General" Phipps, and his cabin can still be seen today just north of the park pier.

The eclipse will be visible from South America and most of North America, Western Europe, Africa, and Western Asia.

All in a Line
A total eclipse occurs during a full moon when the sun, Earth, and moon align with the sun on one side, the Earth in the middle, and the moon on the other side. The moon moves though the Earth's shadow as the moon orbits the Earth. At the time of the eclipse on Wednesday, starting at 7 P.M., the full moon and the sun are exactly opposite one another and the Earth is in the middle.

One of the advantages of this interplay is striking paintings at sunrise and sunset. The picture below was taken on an early November morning, last year, on the West Shore near the dam and Fanny Bridge in Tahoe City.

Names of other scarecrows noted by the judges were: Gardner Stan, Halloween Hayride Jane, Pot Belly Pete, and Best Local's Potato Salad. All the scarecrows will be on parade until the end of October.

Located in Fallon, Nevada, sixty miles east of Reno or Carson City on highway 50, Lattin Farms is a bit farther away than your normal excursion from Tahoe. It is a fully operational farm for the bulk of the year, but every fall owners Rick and B.Ann Lattin convert the farm into a festival grounds. They welcome visitors of all ages from around the globe.

In addition, since 1911, "the number of days with average air temperatures below freezing has decreased by 30 days per year" and "the fraction of snow in the total precipitation has decreased from 52 to 34 percent."

In short, the lake and days are growing warmer; the snow/rain ratio is dropping.

The growth affects businesses, communities, and land values in the Truckee-Tahoe Region as people push up the hill from both sides of the Sierra Crest--west and east. For example, during the winter local ski areas are heavily dependent on "drive-up" skiers, i.e., those from the Bay Area, Sacramento, and Reno. If snow conditions are weak, as they were this last season, people simply stay home. The Sierra Sun reports that skier and snowboarder visits were down 20% last season.

The NCPA is an alliance of publishers, authors, and associated members from throughout Northern California. Each year judges from the NCPA board evaluate the content, design, and professionalism of recently published books.

Every spring the NCPA holds an annual awards gala dinner to celebrate the best books published in the previous year. In 2003, Mark's book, Western Train Adventures: The Good, the Bad & the Ugly won two awards, including the Silver Award for second best book of the year.

McLaughlin

As reported in USA Today, Kit DesLauriers began her journey to fulfill her dream of skiing the seven summits in 2004. In May that year she climbed Alaska's Mount McKinley and valiantly earned the distinction of being the first American woman (2nd woman ever) to ski from North America's highest peak (20,320 feet).

Subsequently she skied Russia's Mount Elbrus; Australia's Mount Kosciusko; Argentina's Aconcagua Polish Glacier; Antarctica's Vinson Massif; and Africa's Mount Kilimanjaro.

"More dog bites happen over the holidays than at any other time," says Sandra James, an Owner/ Certified Trainer at the Ace K-9 Academy in Tahoe City. "At Ace K-9 Academy, we would like to help families prepare for the holidays, to make sure everyone stays safe and has fun."

Actions to Take
1. Recognize that holiday stress may make your dog prone to barking, or even biting. Supervise your pet at all times, especially around children.