| Most of my Christmas breaks are spent in Truckee | | | | way. In the day time on the land side, you can't really |
| California with my family. We have friends all around | | | | see to much of the Main house which is nearly 11,000 |
| the Reno and Lake Tahoe Areas. In the winter time | | | | square feet. The fences and trees keep the |
| there is plenty to do, ski, snowboard, snowmobile | | | | property very secluded and private during the day. A |
| and eat like a champ. It really is a great place to take | | | | side street will give you a glimpse of a guest house |
| a week or two out of the office. Everyone tells me I | | | | that is nearly 4,000 square feet. According to the |
| need to "recharge" once in a while. With all the pain | | | | MLS there are two of these "small guest cottages". |
| from skiing, I don't know how anyone can call this a | | | | At night, the Sierra Star really shines. |
| "recharge" but OK, it is still better working here than | | | | To put things in perspective, my home has 65 |
| the office. Of course there are shows and casino | | | | outdoor lights that are LED, CFL and about a dozen |
| action if you some how have any energy left after | | | | low voltage halogens mixed in. My neighbors think I |
| beating up your knees on the moguls or handling a | | | | an nuts with all of these lights. When we bought the |
| snow mobile for the day. | | | | place it had a dozen 500W halogen lights spinning my |
| As a business owner and writer, I have found my | | | | meter like a frisbee. I tried to turn them off, but like |
| creative space is pretty much any waterfront | | | | many good things in life, once you try it, you are |
| location. Preferably facing due east for the sunrises | | | | hooked. I have done the responsible thing and |
| or due west for the sunsets. I still don't know which | | | | replaced the 500W halogens with 24W CFL's from |
| is better. For the last 15+ years my wife and I have | | | | Cooper Lighting, and added some high powered |
| wanted to find a waterfront property in the Lake | | | | outdoor LED's I am testing for the Kuhltoys site. |
| Tahoe Area even if it is just a studio condo. We | | | | Sitting out in my yard on a Friday night with a nice 18 |
| would prefer a home or condo on the eastern shore | | | | year old Scotch and a fine Dominican cigar I can |
| so we can look west and watch the sunsets. Part of | | | | forget about all the worlds problems. The lights at |
| our Holiday travel in the area includes a "dream tour" | | | | night give the yard life and peace all at the same |
| of homes on the eastern shores of the Nevada side. | | | | time. I thought I had the ultimate thinking spot until I |
| It is a two way trip frome Incline Village to Cave | | | | saw the Sierra Star at night. |
| Rock to Zephyr Cove ending up with a late lunch at | | | | The Sierra Star easily has several hundred outdoor |
| the Riva Grille or some other South Shore eatery. So | | | | lights year round and currently has a very nice holiday |
| far, renting and staying with friends has proven to be | | | | display added to the outdoor lighting scenery. I can |
| the most economical way to enjoy the Tahoe Basin | | | | only imagine what it is like to be the owners of the |
| and find a little creative space there. It is great to | | | | Sierra Star. Spending the evening hours sitting on the |
| have friends and family there in this economy for | | | | lake, looking out at the snow capped mountains |
| sure. | | | | glistening in the moonlight has to be indescribable. |
| Several years ago, we were very fortunate to have | | | | Sharing this view and a round of good 25 year old |
| the opportunity to take care of some family friends | | | | scotch with the right group of people on the back |
| waterfront home. It was there I learned to relax and | | | | deck would surely solve a lot of the worlds problems. |
| write with nothing but the water in front of me. | | | | I learned a long time ago that creative space is |
| While I don't have a waterfront home, I do have a | | | | necessary to keep your life and mind organized and |
| very large lagoon pool and sit on a second floor | | | | active. Even on a night with fog or a new moon, the |
| balcony most of the time I am writing at home. It | | | | landscape lighting at the Sierra Star would offer |
| just isn't the same. Renting and staying with friends is | | | | inspiration to anyone, a writer, business man, mogul |
| OK but lugging all of your stuff back and forth can | | | | or King. |
| be a hassle, especially given the current excess of | | | | Imagining life at the Sierra Star isn't difficult at all for |
| TSA review. Owning a property regardless of the | | | | me. One feature of the Sierra Star sure to please |
| economics just makes sense. There is a reason | | | | any car nut is the lift that can lower cars and boats |
| wealthy and successful people do it. I used to think | | | | up to 70,000 pounds into a hidden underground |
| the robber barons were nuts living in New York then | | | | storage area. How much money would you need to |
| sailing out to there weekend house with the family | | | | spend at the Barrett-Jackson Auctions or the Pebble |
| each week. Now I know, live where the money is | | | | Beach Concours d' Elegance to fill it up? Now those |
| made in your field, find your creative space | | | | are happy thoughts. There is a little part of this that |
| whereever it may be. | | | | is a bit uncomfortable though. The amount of |
| Since we don't yet have a property on Lake Tahoe, | | | | information about the house available on the internet |
| we trek around the states to waterfront locations | | | | is just a tad unnerving. I can't decided if it makes me |
| and I drive my wife nuts. It doesn't matter if we are | | | | like the home more or less. For me, I probably won't |
| in Myrtle Beach, Kona Hawaii, Newport California or | | | | be making the offer anytime soon so it doesn't |
| Lake Tahoe, I find a nice chair looking at the water, | | | | matter. For a prospective buyer that has $60 Million in |
| flop open by laptop and start writing. Where do you | | | | loose change around to buy a vacation home, all that |
| think I am writing this? This time we are staying in | | | | information on the internet can't be a good thing. |
| Truckee and spent the day running around the East | | | | Unless of course there is a lot more we don't know |
| Shore of Lake Tahoe. As our normal boring routine | | | | about. |
| dictates, we had lunch at our favorite South Lake | | | | I guess I will have to come up with a good story and |
| Tahoe restaurant, the Riva Grille. As always the food | | | | see if I can talk my way in and find out more. Until |
| was fantastic at the Riva Grille and the only letdown | | | | then, what I can tell you about the waterfront Lake |
| was the heated outdoor patio was closed. Even | | | | Tahoe Castle called the Sierra Star, is that it is a |
| thought the view from the inside was fantastic, it | | | | stunning waterfront home on Lake Tahoe offering all |
| isn't the same as being outside on the heated patio. | | | | the splendor of California with a private deck facing |
| After lunch at the Riva Grille, we drove back North | | | | the western Tahoe sunsets and the advantages of |
| around the East Shore admiring the evening and | | | | Nevada taxes. |
| holidat lights of homes in Cave Rock and Incline | | | | If you decide to buy the Sierra Star, drop me a line, I |
| Village. Zephyr Cove was packed with people trying | | | | promise to bring a nice bottle of wine to the house |
| to get to South Shore for New Years Eve so we | | | | warming party. If you have the Sierra Star listed, call |
| skipped it. Incline Village is a famous area with very | | | | me, I will be happy to write more (or less) about the |
| high priced homes, a couple of nice golf courses a ski | | | | house in exchange for a complete tour. If you are |
| resort and the Hyatt Regency resort and casino. It is | | | | the owners and need someone to stay there at |
| everything that Disney tried to do with Celebration | | | | least once a month and make sure the employees |
| and missed. A small high priced chunk of Nevada Real | | | | are keeping the place up, I am your man. I'll even |
| Estate that proves the two old addages of Real | | | | bring my wife to make sure I clean up after myself. |
| Estate. | | | | So until you can buy the Sierra Star, where can you |
| 1. Location, Location, Location | | | | go to find your creative space? We all need it to |
| 2. You get what you pay for. | | | | clear our accumu-laters and keep out priories straight. |
| This year we wandered past a home called "Sierra | | | | Once you know where your creative space is, make |
| Star". The Sierra Star is waterfront castle which | | | | a commitment to spending one day a quarter there. |
| according to several internet sites is priced | | | | As you gain focus and perspective you should be |
| somewhere between $60 Million and $65 Million. Here | | | | able to increase that time to monthly then weekly, |
| is the problem with the internet. It may have been | | | | and maybe even daily. The most successful people |
| both prices at different times, and now the log of | | | | will somehow bring that creative space into thier daily |
| prices is sitting on the internet until the website is | | | | life every day. I wonder if the Sierra Star will ever be |
| shut off. Oh well, if you are looking at this home, I | | | | that space for someone. |
| am sure the $5Million is somewhat negotiable either | | | | |