Joel Dameral's South Lake Tahoe Real Estate Blog (530-545-8827)

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We took the kids down to the Taylor Creek Stream Profile Chamber yesterday.  There are still a surprising number of salmon still spawning.  Its really an incredible site.  If you go early in the morning or at dusk there is a good chance you will see a bear looking for its next meal.

I ran 3 miles this morning, and boy could I feel all the sweets that I have eaten in the last few day.  Now all we need to do is figure out how to get all that candy from the kids- good luck to us.

Speaking of kids…. We went to some friends house yesterday for trick-or-treating.  We picked up some chicken wings at Hunan and spent the evening with about 15 other families.  The food and drink spread was outrageous, but the trick-or-treating was the main event.  Our friend hooked up a hay wagon (huge trailer) to his tractor and we took the kids around the neighborhood.  We hit about 15 houses- and the kids had a bag full of candy and huge smiles on their faces.

Its nice being in a community where one can go to one of the organized events for the kids, or go out for a more traditional evening.  I love this town.

Bijou Community School in South Lake Tahoe is very unique.  Bijou has the only 2 way immersion language program at the elementary level in South Tahoe.  Both of my kids attend this program.  They are learning to speak, read, and write in Spanish.  My son is in second grade and is fluent in 2 languages.  My daughter is in Kinder and is already forming sentences in Spanish.  A truly amazing program.  If you ever get a chance to observe the program in action please do.

Bijou has recently started after-school clubs for their students.  Clubs such as bike club (soon to be cross country ski club), dance club, book making club, cooking club, and many others are available for students to try.  The clubs are lead by volunteers, both parent and school employees.  These clubs give students and parents an alternative to regular daycare or babysitting for a couple of hours a week.  The kids love it.  My kids enjoy the bike club and book making club.  Tomorrow we are riding through the meadow area near the campus (hopefully not in the snow).

Bijou Community School an outstanding school with outstanding staff , parents, and most of all outstanding students… At Bijou the emphasis is on COMMUNITY.

Today was the annual kids fishing derby at Lake Baron (Tahoe Paradise Park).  As usual the local Moose Lodge did an outstanding job.  They stocked the lake with 3500 pounds of rainbow trout (no cuts like rumored).  My daughter (5 years old) caught 2 nice fish in about half and hour.  Her big brother wasn’t quite as lucky, but he did help her reel in her monsters.  She wants to donate the fish to the wildlife center to feed the bears and eagles. 

The Moose members had loaner equipment, bait, tackle, food, and great raffle prizes.  This is a great community event.   I can bet I know where my son will want to be the next few evenings- looking for the ones that got away.  I guess I will be there with my fly rod…… Hope to see you also.

     The crowds are gone, the beaches are empty, the bike trail is easy to navigate, and the school buses are running.   Fall in Tahoe is my favorite season.  The mornings are crisp (sometimes with icy windshields) and the afternoons and evenings are warm.  I had a class in Reno yesterday and drove home through Hope Valley (hwy 88) and the trees are changing colors- This is our version of the Northeast color change.  If you get the chance to go take a walk along the Carson River and listen to the silence- its addictive.  Its time to find the fall decorations for the front of our house (and I guess I better start the snow-blower).  Happy Fall…..

Image by Christmas w/a K via Flickr

Believe it or not South Lake Tahoe and the surrounding communities do have microclimates. These microclimates become evident in the winter months. Typically areas in and around Meyers (including Christmas Valley and the North Upper Truckee areas) have the most significant snowfall. As you move east that amount of snowfall from the same storms drops, sometimes significantly. The Nevada side of the lake is often referred to as the “Banana Belt” when it comes to snowfall.

The November 4th election was historic both nationally and locally. We as a community passed a local $64.5 million school bond with a 59.42% approval (55% was the minimum necessary to pass this bond).

Of the $64.5 million, 70% will be used for new construction, replacement of portables, and for expansion of programs such as the Two Way Immersion that require new facilities to continue. The remainder along with the matching funds from the Career Technical Education grants will provide new facilities to help our local students keep pace with kids from other districts in the state.

The big question is how much will this bond cost each homeowner. Being a tax assessment the amount of $28.70 per $100,000 of assessed (not appraised) value will be added to your tax bill. If your home is assessed at $275,000, your tax bill will increase by $78.93 from Measure G.

We have all seen our home values decline fairly dramatically in the last 18 months. It is possible to have your property reassessed by contacting the El Dorado County Assessors Office. You can call the Assessors local office at (530) 573-3422, or by Internet at http://co.el-dorado.ca.us/assessor/prop8form.asp for the pages containing the necessary forms to complete for reassessment.

Hopefully this bond with its school improvements will help to enhance our already great community.

On Friday December 5th many people from our community got together in the middle of town at the Lake Tahoe Visitors Center for the annual Christmas tree and Menorah lighting ceremony. The place was packed with families. Santa arrived in one of the Borges 2 horse open sleighs and was immediately surrounded by a mass of excited kids and parents.

While some lined up to talk to Santa, others lined up for a sleigh ride. There was free hot chocolate, cookies, song, and a fire pit. The only thing that could of made it better would be about 3 feet of fresh powder.

The art league had exhibits open and an original cabin from the early 1930’s was decorated for the period.

I love being part of a community that has activities like this for our families. It was fun for my kids to play with friends and see their teachers at this social event. If you have other ideas for community events let me know so I can pass the suggestions on the powers.