The Buzz

Bouncing around Old Town Auburn today was pleased to learn about all the changes taking place starting with the Gold Rush Mall where I learned Mimi of  The Silver Store will soon take the best location in the front of the mall; congrats to Mimi who has waited well over a decade for this opp.  Mahogany Gail moves to Tea Thyme up Sacramento Street as TT is now out of business.  Roseanne has opened a boutique in the back of the mall next to the veteran Sharon Stanley of  South of  The Border.  The Brookside eatery appears to be holding its own while Stan of  The Gold store is suffering with a serious injury and the Indian store has folded their tent.  I was very impressed with the scintillating lustre of  The OT Gallery and enjoyed my connection with the always enthusiastic Doreen Kidd who waxed joyously about the success of the Gallery.  Congrats to Kidd and all the creative artists.  Enjoyed a cup with Courthouse Coffee Owner Linda Lareau and daughter Lisa with her fashion-grooved daughter sitting outside on the sunny patio.  Headed over for a visit with good pal Syl Bruce who had her staff re-inventorying at the new location at the end of  High Street where Syl says she is happy in her new digs and will soon advertise a grand opening.   Plan on eating at Pasquale Ts next week at their new location next to the Downtown clock tower.  As a consumer, I'm pleased with all the changes and look forward to my shopping/dining choices in our happy hamlet.

We had a relative visiting from New Hampshire recently, and as good hosts do, we took her all around the area to see the sights. It was during this week-long adventure of daily excursions that I was reminded of what a plethora of wonderful natural sights and adventures Placer County and the surrounding area have to offer. All too often we get tied up in our busy lives and don't take the time to appreciate the beauty in nature all around us. There is truly so much to encounter just minutes from our doorsteps.

In one week's time, we were able to take in the wonder of the Foresthill Bridge along the Foresthill Divide and all the stunning canyon and river views, a closer look at the American River, Upper Lake Clementine and the amazing waterfall created by the dam, Overlook Park with a view to the canyon and dam site, another beautiful canyon view at Canyon View Overlook (off of Maidu), and a gorgeous Sunday drive along highway 49 where we stopped to check out the true heart of Gold Country, Sutter's Mill and Marshall Gold Discovery site. We also squeezed in a stroll in Old Town Auburn where we checked out several of the quaint shops and had a nice meal (along with beer for the men and cider for the ladies) at The Auburn Alehouse. Finally, we took a few hours to check out the museum in the Courthouse building where you can see the collection of Placer County's gold nuggets as well as lots of other items and books about the history of Gold Country.

Venturing outside of Placer County, we continued on 49 beyond Placerville where we eventually ended up in Amador county and (finally!) made it to Daffodil Hill (just outside Volcano, CA) to see the daffodils in full bloom. This was a somewhat long, windy drive to see a "quaint", but not neccesarily "breathtaking" sight. However, the discovery of a daylily flower farm/nursery and more importantly, a dozen or more wineries all nestled in a hilly area of Amador County, was worth the drive. I can only imagine the flower farm will be stunning when all the lilies are in full bloom and the nursery offered all sorts of flower and plant varieties that you don't find at your average box-store nursery. The wineries offer spendid views of vine-covered knolls, one after the other, and at least a day's worth of tasting!

Back in Auburn, we headed North on Highway 80 and up to Meadow Vista where we took a nice drive along Placer Hills Road and eventually down Plumtree Lane where the wonderful views of Bear River awaited us. Down in the canyon along the river, we were surrounded by Pine trees reaching up to the clouds. This is perhaps my favorite spot around here. It is a simple and serene surrounding. The crackling of the river over the rocks and the blue dragonflies dancing over the river always remind me that I am exactly where I want to be; home.

We also took the time to show our guest the lovely communities of Grass Valley and Nevada City. Both towns offer nice window-shopping opportunities. As a musician, I was especially excited about the World Instrument shop that we discovered in Nevada City as well as a neat little father-daughter art studio offering children's wall art, cards, bookmarks, etc.

After our week of discoveries, our visitor was most impressed by all the breathtaking views just minutes from our home in Christian Valley. She couldn't believe that some of these stops were just "side trips" along the way to a final destination.

If you haven't taken the time to find out about all the wonderful opportunities for outdoor adventure in our little paradise, you might be surprised to learn all that Placer County has to offer. According to the 2007 Placer County Citizens' Report, Placer County...

Has hundreds of miles of trails for hiking, biking and horseback riding

Has the largest concentration of world-class ski resorts in US

Has many lakes for boating, swimming, fishing and camping

Is home to the Tevis Cup 100-mile Hourse Endurance Race

Is home to the Western States 100-mile Endurance Run

Is in the heart of histroic Gold Rush country

Has 6 museums

In my estimation, everything described above is just a sampling of what the outdoors has to offer in our area . We didn't even make it up to the Sierra Nevada and Lake Tahoe afterall, but that awe-inspiring trip will be reserved for the next visit!

So enjoyed the experience today:  Hosted Zoo-Keeper/musician Gary Bowman at KAHI where we cranked up the mirth meter by playing Bowman's new CD with animal sounds/theme.  Bowman also shared his interesting background and talked about meeting Jane Goodall.  On the golf program I chatted with Shawn Kelly, pro/instruction at The Ridge, about the short game and Kelly gave his opinions on golf etiquette.  After the programs, we all headed over to Courthouse Coffee and joined The Ridge Sales Manager Diana Farr, golfers Liz Pope and Spencer Strand and were also joined by KAHI programmers Barry Stigers and Stewart Schurr.  No dues/rules/structure--just good community connections at our Round Table group.   Picked up my newly fitted clubs at The Ridge and headed home and look forward to a joyous time on the links tomorrow with good friend Donna Arz.  And now you know why I NEVER LEAVE HOME to travel.

Being a non-joiner, I am pleased with the turn-out at our Round Table group at Courthouse Coffee in Old Town, meeting Thursdays at 10am after the CONNECTIONS program on 950AM KAHI.  On Thursday I will host entertaining musician/singer Clod Headgate at 9am followed at 9:30am by local Golf Vixen Cirbie Sheppard who will talk about her media ties with the Golf Channel.  Terry Love, instructor at Dark Horse in Nevada County will co-guest and, hopefully, all will join in at The Round Table gathering where the public is invited to add to the casual conversation about the community.  Welcome back to girl golfer Liz Pope on her return from Reno, Nevada.  Liz and CHC owner Linda Lareau are top fans of  KAHI CONNECTIONS and can always be counted on for their call-ins to the programs.  

Post-program at Courthouse Coffee I was joined by the returning Liz Pope, golfer Spencer Strand and Diana Farr from The Ridge.  It was good to see Liz and share golf stories with Spencer as we all talked about our golf experiences and ties with the community.  No golf today or tomorrow but I am grateful for the rain and the quenching of the thirsty earth so will look forward to some play next week.  Stopped by the Assistant League Thrift Shop on Hwy 49 in Auburn and was asked to spread the word regarding the shop's need for volunteers.  Monies received go toward a variety of good causes and I always enjoy my treasures from this shop.   Feeling good after a great session of  Reiki with Donna Arz and looking forward to working out the kinks tomorrow with Body Mechanic Gabrielle, she of the nimble fingers and intuitive manner.  

Met KAHI Sales Manager Bob Ripley today for a pleasant lunch at The Monkey Cat in Downtown Auburn where we were told by owner Trish that husband Jim Bril is recovering from knee surgery and will return in a month.  Bob and I enjoyed our fish tacos and appreciated the attentive service by the dark-haired waitress with the easy smile.  Bob and I enjoyed our radio/community connections and agreed to connect again very soon.  Best wishes, Jim, for a speedy recovery.

Determined to hold my own against the quirky forces which seems to be shifting the collective consciousness.  Pleased with my choices in Auburn, I've been connecting with pals Spencer and Donna at The Ridge where divine splendor awaits.  This week on KAHI CONNECTIONS, "the legend" jazz singer Cheri Murphy drops by to entertain and connect with our community at The Round Table at Courthouse Coffee.  This morning I head out to Downtown Auburn to enjoy a tasty breakfast at the Auburn Grille where Commander Jack revels in Kim's home-style jam and fluffy eggs and, hey, what about that fresh fruit cup replete with mandarins?  After a check-in with CHC Owner Linda Lareau--and perhaps a walk about Old Town--I'll head this bod toward Raspberry for a round of golf, solo.  Be still this heart which is now in a serene state of  relief due to Stewart Schur, owner of  Dr. PC Computers, who restored my computer to working order.  All happening in Auburn.  Watch out. 

Very much enjoyed hosting Gary Hinze aka Clod Headgate on my Thursday KAHI CONNECTIONS program.  Gary played the accordian and guitar combined with sound effects and even changed the words on Paul Simon's and Bob Dylan's songs, with a fun spin.  On a cloudy, cold day, the sun was shing at the KAHI studio and I enjoyed hosting make-it-all-so-simple Cherry Island instructor Tim Berg who gave a free lesson to caller Jim Linsdau, owner/publisher of  the Foresthill Messenger.  Headed over to Courthouse Coffee to talk with the Round Tablers and enjoyed the rest of the morning catching up with owner Linda Lareau.  Don't leave home.

Enjoyed the company of  radio guest Susan Grant,  jumbo-jet pilot/best-selling author who joined pal Donna Arz, Barry Stigers, Diana Farr and others at our Round Table gathering at our fav coffee spot, Courthouse Coffee.  Everyone seemed to enjoy the connection and I look forward to continuing with the spontaneous group and next week will host musician Clod Headgate and golfing instructor Tim Berg along with Spa Dujour owner Maria Torres.  Stay tuned.

Was it Shakespear that said "All the world's a stage"?  I choose to bring colorful characters to my Auburn radio stage and this coming Thursday I will host actor Perry King who has starred in Lords of The Flatbush and Slaughterhouse Five and scored in Riptide on televison.  King is a unpretentious, humble individual and it will be good to re-connect with him after two years since he last guested on KAHI.  My guests are local and King is just that in that his daughter lives in Cool and is often visited by her father.  On the golf segment, the carefree Terry Love from Dark Horse, will bring his colorful persona to the game of golf.  It is fun to interreact and connect with vibrant, colorful characters connected with our community.  Applause.