Weekend Away: Tahoe & Truckee - good food, great drinks, and much needed vintage inspiration!

This was a much needed weekend away that bf and I had been looking forward to for a while.  It was nothing crazy, just two days, but it can be so refreshing to have a change of scenery from your normal everyday life and Lake Tahoe has become one of our favorite place to go and just soak up that scenery.  I am not much for winter sports, so summer in Tahoe is really my favorite time, but bf and his family have been renting cabins, and in fact owned one a while back, since he was a baby.  This past weekend me, bf, and bfm (boyfrend's mom) stayed in a quaint cabin with rustic finishes and true cabin qualities; a cast iron fire place, antlers on the wall, and just enough technical modernity (fridge, stove, toilet, and shower) to function for our generation.  We were even able to nab a lil' wireless from the cabin next door; although unreliable, it was enough to feed bf's addiction to twitter and give us up to the minute news on the U.S.'s  freedom fighter's hunt for Gaddafi.  The cabin was tucked away in the woods but within walking distance to the lake and the famous Obexer's, a food and general store celebrating its 100th anniversary this year.  We were able to get our coffee fix and bf's paper while squeezing in some much needed exercise and lake time.  We were actually able to get up early like we planned, thanks to a bed that felt like it was chiseled by hand in the stone age, and drive to what has become known as "our fishing spot" for some over due summertime fishing.  This worked out nicely.  I like fishing but bf LOVES fishing, so we knocked off a few early hours of what he loves out of the way which cleared the rest of the day to do what I love, sans complaints.  The rest of the day consisted of a combination of hitting some favorite shopping spots, discovering new ones, and mixing in delicious food and drinks along the way, which made all of us very happy.  I have put together a list of the places we went and what we found, and if you make it to Tahoe before the summer is over, I highly suggest them all!

1.  Brunch at Fire Sign: This is a popular spot, but with the use of a take away buzzer system, we were able to walk around to the back where there was a cafe to sit and wait, oh but we did none of that.  Right next to the cafe is a little shop that has become a favorite stop whenever we come to Tahoe.  It is run by an older woman who sells her own Tahoe themed paintings, shabby cottage antiques, and summer home decor.  This year, her hand painted watermelons on natural wood slices were a hit and and she even custom made one for bfm.  All before brunch I got an aged boat ore and vintage pudding tin for $10. Back to brunch, Fire Sign has a large menu with options that could satisfy an array of tastes.  I had the tuna sandwich and bf had the french dip which both come with house made chips and salsa, and both were very delicious!  Bfm had one of the best and hardiest looking caprese salads and she was very happy with the half she could finish.  In all honesty the food was a close second to the drinks.  The pitcher of mimosas we shared was phenomenal!  Apparently, fresh squeezed oranges and champagne are a winning duo.


2.  The Alpine Antiquer: This is a true vintage and antique store with reasonably priced items, for Lake Tahoe.  I was able to find some really fun stuff on this trip.  An old metal milk carrier from Walnut Creek, CA., the book "Camp Fire Girls Trip Up the River" copyright 1918 with a cute inscription in the cover dated Christmas 1931, a "don't mess with Texas" fly swatter, and four cork floats, currently used as an escape from vase rocks.  I love the natural earthy look to them and at 4 bucks a pop I am wishing I bought the whole lot.  They would be really nice in a bowl of water with a flower or two in the center or a tea light.



3.  Morning Glory:  The very well decorated and designed shabby chic shop was a new place we decided to check out.  Although it's items were slightly over priced, in my opinion, there were a handful of things I wanted to take home with me.








 4.  We moved onto an art fair which was a nice surprise.  I picked up some earrings, bf got a great hand printed shirt with our favorite Lagunitas beer's image of a dog head on it and we shopped around the mall next door where we spotted some hilarious Ts. 

His and Hers

5.  Dinner and Drinks at Jason's on the Lake: This was a simple yet winning combo.  A full bar with the Giants game on, a stocked salad bar, and a large patio with lake views, all with fair prices and an array of options.  The highlight of the night for me came when I was struggling to choose between the highest priced glass of chardonnay, that was getting rave reviews from bfm, or the cheap glass that I am used to ordering.  Then bf stepped in, the chivalrous man he is and said, "Go for it babe, you deserve it!", Awwww, right?  Then after the waitress walked away he mumbled under his breath to me, "Now, I don't fee so bad for ordering the prime rib".  Oh bf.  You have to laugh.

WINE REC. - Either way, I was glad I order it.  It was delicious and I could taste the difference in smoothness and buttery flavor compared to the cheaper glass of chardonnay offered.  If you are willing to shell out the $10 a glass, I would definitely recommend the La Crema Chardonnay 2009. "The 2009 vintage of Sonoma coast Chardonnay opens with an intriguing interplay of lively citrus and subtle toasted  oak, laced with just a kiss of butterscotch."  Bevmo offers it by the bottle for $15.99.  Hmm, good to know!

recycled wine bottle cups

re-purposed wood table and chairs

  6.  Truckee:  The next day, on the way home, we stopped in Truckee for some lunch and shopping.  I didn't end up buying anything, except some really cool recycled wine bottle cups, but I received some much needed visual inspiration which will definitely come in handy later.

Table and "wine glasses" at Tahoe Blu in Truckee, Ca.

paint chipped light blue picket fence