2011 Amgen Tour in Tahoe Truckee I am really excited that the 2011 Amgen tour of California will start May 15 at South Lake Tahoe this year. For those who are not familiar with the Amgen tour of California, it is an annual professional cycling race for eight days covering 650-700 miles. The tour is sponsored by the biotech firm Amgen. How thrilling to have all these top notch athletes competing right in your backyard! There are 2 stages race routes for Lake Tahoe and Truckee.  Stage 1 starts at Mont Bleu resort casino & spa in South Lake Tahoe and ends at Northstar resort in Truckee. Stage 2 starts at Squaw Valley the next day and finished at Sacramento State capitol. Throughout the 2 days ride of this 2011 Amgen tour of California, cyclists will pass through many scenic landmarks such ... 05/03/2011

Beauty and The Beast in Truckee CA This spring, Truckee High School drama club will perform the Disney classic "Beauty and The Beast". My niece, Natalie Cutler, is an active participant of Truckee High School drama club so it is our tradition to go and see all the High School plays. In the past, Truckee High School have put out highly entertained plays such as "Wizard of Oz", "Thoroughly Modern Millie",...It has been great seeing these teenagers grow up & become accomplished actors & singers. I anticipate a large turnout for this production of Beauty and The Beast in Truckee. The parents have been working hard on set designs, costumes and the high school theater sound system has been upgraded with new speakers and microphones so the audience will be in for a big treat. The Truckee High ... 05/02/2011

2011 First Run in Truckee CA It happened a month ago. A friend from Seattle emailed a few of us asing if we would consider doing a half marathon with her this year. My initial reaction was "nooooo....waaay....I am not a runner". But then another friend responded that she would entertain the idea even though she had never done even a 5K race. And another friend from San Jose chimed in that we can go & eat all these yummy food at some of her favorite restaurants after the half marathon without feeling guilty. That food bribe clinched the deal...LOL.. After a short discussion, we decided on the Rock-n-Roll half marathon on October 2nd in San Jose. That would give me a whooping six months to train for this event. Plus having a live band every mile will definitely help to motivate this novic... 05/01/2011

Bill's Rotisserie in Truckee CA A couple of days ago, I had to meet a client to discuss a potential new listing. By the time we finished talking, it was 6:30 pm. The thought of having to go home & started dinner from scratch was not very appealing so I mentally searched for an attractive alternative. I have not been in Bill's Rotisserie for a while but the thought of succulent roast chickens, tender beef tri tips started my stomach grumbling, so I headed straight there. Bill's Rotisserie is conveniently located at 11355 Deerfield Drive in the Deerfield Shopping Center. The restaurant is very spacious and bright with colorful tables and chairs. As soon as you walk into the restaurant, mouth-watering racks of chickens & tri tips greet you from behind the counter. Racks of succulent Chicke... 04/19/2011

These graphs shows some of the Truckee and Lake Tahoe real estate stats in the ski resort areas. The numbers are for the first quarter (Jan. 1-March 31) for the years 2005-2011. The numbers represent single family home sales in Alpine Meadows, Squaw Valley, and Northstar. The first graph shows the average price/square foot for home sales in each area. The second graph shows the number of homes sold for the first quarter in each area. The information was taken from the Tahoe Sierra Multiple Listing Service. Click on the images below for an enlarged versions of the graphs. Click on the link for more information about Truckee real estate.   04/05/2011

Who Knows Truckee Real Estate and Homes? Ann Nguyen - Truckee Realtor® With crisp mountain air, trees piled with sparkling snow and all things winter sports, Tahoe and Truckee California is the perfect winter escape. But when Summer hits, the jet skis return, picnics are in full swing and folks are enjoying the warm, mountain air. No matter what time of year you may be enjoying the Truckee California area Ann Nguyen is selling houses and property in the local communities. Whether it's a resort type home in Tahoe Donner or a townhome in down town Truckee, Ann knows this area and loves working and playing here. Ann and her family moved to Truckee about 20 years ago, having found their dream paradise Proficient in the local happenings Ann's site provides a local calendar of Truckee events,... 04/02/2011

If you are thinking of listing your Truckee or Lake Tahoe real estate for sale this summer you might want to think twice about timing and consider listing now.  In the greater Lake Tahoe and Truckee real estate markets the summer is traditionally the busiest selling period but this year we are seeing a high amount of buyer traffic during the winter months and the current inventory levels are low which has created a great opportunity for sellers.  With 30 year conventional financing hovering around 4.6% to 4.9% many buyers are motivated to take advantage of interest rates that might not be around for long.  The uncertainty of the future lending environment has helped create a higher level of interest in Tahoe real estate than is typical for the winter months.  Buyers realize that if inte... 03/16/2011

Winter storm in Tahoe Truckee CA We have a strange winter this year. First we had a big snow storm before Thanksgiving and then before Christmas. The ski resorts were  since there were so much snow that they did not have to make any artificial snow for the holidays. The snow base was still good for January & most of February even though the weather turned sunny & warm. Sure enough before the big President Day weekend winter is back dumping feet of snow in Tahoe Truckee. Happy skiers, snowboarders flocked to Tahoe Truckee to take advantage of the deep power. Here are some pictures of the big snow in my neighborhood: You can barely see our neighbors, father & son, getting ready to shovel the snow off the roof Ski jumping across the driveway   No snowboarder left behind We are still only i... 03/07/2011

Truckee Bank Owned Homes   Click on the links below to search Truckee CA Bank Owned Condos, Homes and Lots: Truckee Bank Owned Condos Truckee Bank Owned Homes Truckee Bank Owned Lots   You can go to TahoeTruckeeHome website to search for real time update of all foreclosure listings in Tahoe, Truckee & surrounding areas. Listings from all brokerage are available on the website. Short Sale & Standard listings are also available as other search options for you to peruse. Please call if you have questions about these bank owned listings in Tahoe, Truckee CA. 02/02/2011

Cedric Watson & The Bijou Creole Band in Truckee CA    Our family was honored to host a reception for Cedric Watson & The Bijou Creole Band recently through Arts For The Schools program. This is the first time we get to hear Cajun/Creole music so we are very excited. At 4 pm, Chef extraordinaire Mai Nguyen (if you notice the familiar last name, yes she is my talented younger sister) showed up with her sous chefs Dot Ferneyhough & Margie Englert. Shortly after, Raine Howe who is the executive director for Arts For the Schools brought in crates of wine. All of us rolled up our sleeves & started preparing food for the evening. We had an hour and a half before the first guest's arrival. Raine, Dot, Margie & Mai hard at work to get ready for the reception   Around 5:30 pm guests started comi... 01/28/2011

Truckee Toys For Tots 2010 Every year Dickson Realty along with other local businesses in Truckee put out barrels at the front office to collect Toys For Tots. Do you know that Toys For Tots dated back to 1947 by Major William Hendricks. Major Hendricks rallied his fellow Marine reservists and collected around 5000 toys for local children. In 1948 Toys For Tots became a national campaign led by the Marine Corp Reserve.     As of 2009, Toys For Tots have collected & distributed almost five hundred million toys. The mission of the Toys For Tots program "is to collect new, unwrapped toys during October, November and December each year, and distribute those toys as Christmas gifts to needy children in the community in which the campaign is conducted."   On December 16-17, local Truckee volu... 12/18/2010

Below is a list of links with current Truckee short sales and REOs. A short sale means that the property is being sold for less than the balance of what is owed on the property. An REO (Real Estate Owned) is a property that has already been through the foreclosure process and is in possession of the bank. Click on the links below to see current short sales and REOs in the Truckee area. Truckee Short Sales Truckee REOs Alpine Meadows/Squaw Short Sales Alpine Meadows/Squaw REOs Donner Lake Short Sales & REOs Northstar Short Sales/REOs Tahoe City Short Sales Tahoe Donner Short Sales & REOs West Shore Lake Tahoe Short Sales & REOs Land Short Sales Land REOs Click on the link for more information about Truckee real estate. 12/05/2010

The home sales continue in Truckee! The statistics listed below are broken down by area. The information represents sales for the dates October 13-November 13, 2010. Glenshire 4 homes sold over the past month in Glenshire. The sold prices were $303,500, $315K, $322K, and $587,500. The homes were on the market an average of 106 days. 9 Glenshire homes are currently in escrow. 42 homes are currently listed in Glenshire. The average listed price is $662K. 11 of these are short sales and 3 are REOs. Donner Lake 3 Donner Lake homes sold last month. The sold prices were $640K, $975K, and $1.5 million. The homes were on the market an average of 139 days. 3 Donner Lake homes are currently in escrow. There are currently 44 homes listed at Donner Lake with the average listed price of $975K. There... 11/14/2010

Truckee Football in the Rain We don't have much rain here in Truckee but last week was an exception. We had days of rain lasting through the night. And on a cold wet day last Saturday Truckee Wolverines went heads up against Lowry Buckaroos. So far Truckee Wolverines has had an impressive record, undefeated for the last 8 games so it was a big surprise when Truckee fell behind and Lowry Buckaroos controlled the first half of the game.   Half time found Truckee at the rare 16-13 deficit score. The defending state champs kept fumbling the balls in the cold slick weather.                  Truckee Football fans braved the cold wet weather watched the Wolverines played against the Buckaroos. The weather played a major role and the steady rain made footing difficult and the football slippery.... 10/28/2010

Artist Blacksmith in Truckee CA In the past a blacksmith wore many hats. He can be a tool maker, a farrier, a weapon maker and last but not least an artist. An artist blacksmith hammers hot iron on an anvil and creates beautiful artistic pieces that are either decorative in nature or practical works such as railings, furniture,etc... Artist Blacksmith Jude Goodpaster resides in Truckee CA. Originally he is a carpenter by trade & built many custom homes in the Tahoe Truckee area but after getting inspired by some iron railings commissioned for his own personal home...he went on to take many courses & training to become an artist blacksmith. His dedication and passion for the craft have resulted in many one-of-a-kind furniture pieces, whimsical garden art as well as practical railings, ha... 10/11/2010

Full Moon Kayak Paddle at Prosser Lake Truckee CA Our friend Corky emailed us a couple weeks ago to propose a full moon paddle at Prosser Lake. She & her husband Don brought beer, salad & some delicious steaks to grill. Our other friends & neighbors, Dennis & Lisa, brought tequilla, a portable BBQ and rented a tandem kayak. Since my husband Jude had made two beautiful wooden kayaks...we were set to go. I packed some aged cheddar cheese & crackers, marinated shrimp & beers in the cooler while Jude took care of loading the two kayaks onto his homemade wooden rack in the back of his pick up truck. Driving to the beach where we launched the kayaks was an adventure in itself. The road is unpaved, bumpy & twisty...a couple of times we thought that we might lose the kayaks when we hit a pothol... 09/13/2010

Squaw Valley, CA.  Home of the 1960 Winter Olympics. The Cable Car runs every 1/2 hour or so, and goes right up the face!  Some get nervous when riding in the trams, since they rock in the wind.  In addition, they rock when they go over the supports.   08/29/2010

It was a cold dark nightWhen I drove her to the depotThere were tears in my eyesAnd a ticket in her handAnd as we stood there by those tracksI knew she wasn't comein' backSo I turned and walked awayBut I still miss her today I wonder why trains make me lonesomeIt happens every time that enginge moan's someAnd when I hear that whistle blowWhy it makes my heart sink lowAnd I wonder why trains make me lonesome By George Strait.  Great song, even if you don't like country music! I took these pictures out in Truckee, CA.  Over 54 trains roll along these tracks daily.  So all you ahve to do, is pull over for an hour, and you could see from 2-4 trains that hour.  Amtrack, to loooooong freight trains. 08/25/2010

For years we have brought our children to Squaw Valley every summer for a vacation.  When they were young we took them on the Truckee River to "whitewater raft" down the river.  The speed of the river seems to depend on the snowfall the winter before and how high the river is.  This year the locals do not call it "whitewater rafting", they call it "lazy river floating".  I agree and would encourage anyone doing this to bring along a cooler and lunch basket because you can stop along the way on small beaches and enjoy a lazy summer day! 08/11/2010

Truckee, California is a charming historical mountain town surrounded by peaceful mountains and pristine lakes.  It is not hard to imagine what it was like in the 1800s because most of the buildings in Truckee still retain the architecture character of that era.  Truckee is located in the Sierra  Nevada mountain range and just 12 miles north of Lake Tahoe at an elevation almost 6,000 feet.  Our vacation to Lake Tahoe would not be complete without visiting Truckee and shopping at their unique art galleries, upscale boutiques, or having an ice cold beer in one of the local saloons or taverns.    Don't forget to visit Donner Lake nearby where can learn the fascinating story about the Donner Party at the Donner Memorial State Park and pay a visit to the Pioneer Monument.  Another good reaso... 08/06/2010