Four Seasons in the Truckee Cultural District: a feature article in Muse Magazine

photo: Scott Thompson, Scott Shots Photography

If you have friends and family coming to visit Truckee this year, what can you tell them about the fun inspiring cultural events happening year-round? I tried to answer this question in this feature article in Muse Magazine, our county-wide guide to arts and culture. 

People are drawn to Truckee for our historic downtown, unique locally crafted artisan shops, beautiful mountain setting and funky vibe. Whether you are a longtime resident or visiting Truckee for the first time, there are many seasonal adventures awaiting. Here is an insider's guide. 

"Stroll the historic district and wander into Mountain Arts Collective, Gallery 5830 and Riverside Studios featuring local artisans. For the warmest view of the tree lighting, head upstairs to the rustic Truckee Tavern for craft cocktails. Gin lovers favor the Bee’s Knees.

For a quieter morning in nature, rent some cross country skis or snowshoes and find groomed and ungroomed trails winding through the forest and along the snowy beaches of Donner Memorial State Park. If you want more groomed trails, Tahoe Donner Cross Country spans more than 2,800 acres. The Adventure Center fire pits are a local favorite, lining the back porch and surrounded by Adirondack chairs.

You can warm up back in town at The Carriage House in the magical patio behind RMU. This is a gathering spot for locals to play board games inside or circle the fire pits under strings of lights outside. Sundays feature exceptional Bloody Marys. Order hearty meals at the bar such as sauteed Brussel sprouts with maple syrup or tomato soup with grilled cheese. 

Afterward, walk just a few storefronts down the street to Piper J Gallery, where you can find world-class mountain modern art in a quaint old-house setting."

You can read the insider's guide to cultural events in Spring, Summer and Fall here.

 

 

A shining expanse of stars over Truckee: the Dark Skies initiative and Muse Magazine

 I'm happy to share a featured story I wrote for Muse Magazine, Nevada County's art magazine. 

"Shining Light on Dark Skies Above Nevada County: A New Initiative"

When I lived in the Rocky Mountains high on the Western slope of Colorado, I was thirty years younger than I am now. Many nights I would venture out to walk for miles in the dark with my Border Collie beneath a shining expanse of stars. One could get dizzy looking up at the white froth of the milky way spilling out above. 

Now when I walk my dog at nighttime along the streets of Truckee, I look up to seek the Big Dipper, and in December, my birthday month, Orion’s bright belt hanging above our downtown lit up for the holidays. Occasionally, I’ll see a bear wandering beneath the stars alongside me. While time and geography create change in our lives, the night sky is a record of both familiar certainty and the vast unknown, of seasonal change and astronomical phenomena.

Why is our view of the night sky—stars and planets and moons—so moving? What is significant about access, nightly, to our relevance within this solar system, this galaxy? And what would we be missing if, when we walked in the quiet dark of our neighborhoods, we could view above only a pale unmarked screen reflecting back the electric lights of human development?

You can read the rest of the article here. Muse is a guide to local art and culture in Nevada County. Look for a copy of this glossy beautiful magazine in galleries, at the airport, and in theaters and many artsy venues around our county.