A few treats for Jerry and Ben

Hello Blog Pals,
Little Fox here.  I was thinking about my friend Jerry and how he offers to taste everything yet nothing ever gets sent his way (or stuff does get sent his way and he scarfs it down before he can post about it).  

I thought he might like from brownies.  I know that chef Ben probably makes all sorts of treats for Jerry but I hope this boxed mix is acceptable for Jerry.

My roommates did the heavy lifting and mixed the brownies (and prepped the pan) while I worked on the post.  Now, the hardest part.....waiting for the brownies to be done.

 I always stick a knife in the brownies to see if it comes out clean.  Yep, looks good to me.

Tom Petty said "The waiting is the hardest part".  He was so right.  Just waiting for them to cool so I can have one.....umm I mean so I can pack them up for Jerry.

My packing material is ready. Just need to fill it with brownies. 

Hmm, these brownies didn't come out as clean as I wanted them but I am sending them off anyway.  I hope Jerry (and Ben) enjoy them.

Donner Pass

It's time for my final Lake Tahoe post and my hiking companion decided to get in on the blogging.  Sequoia is waiting patiently for his hiking adventure.

I am hiking in the Donner Pass area near Truckee, California.  Now, the Donner Pass area was named for the Donner party of immigrants that got stuck on this pass in the winter of 1846.  Some of you may know what the Donner party was most famously known for others may not.  According to the internet (and some history books)  the party of immigrants lead by Mr. Donner was stranded during the winter of 1846 they ran out of food.  They got hungry, were desperate, and resulted in cannibalism to make it through the winter.  Apparently, this is not the foundation of a well rounded diet and many of the party members who did not die from exposure to the winter died of malnutrition. Half of the Donner party made it to the California valley that next year, the other half did not. 

I will be hiking in an area called Judah Mountain where the Donner party of scores of other immigrants passed through.  Right now the weather is great. 

Lot's of ski resorts up here. Truckee is at about 6,000 feet so there are lots of places to ski. I am standing on a section of the actual immigrant trail.  Cool. 

Nearing the top of the mountain.  Elevation about 8,000 feet. 

Donner lake in the background.  This was where the Donner party camped during that fateful winter years ago. 

Now that I am off the mountain time to explore some sights.  This is rainbow bridge.  The forest service built this road (and bridge) to facilitate the sale of lumber.   

The railroad also crosses nearby on it's way east.  J and B, I did see lots of trains passing through.

Finally made it to the other side of the pass.  It was a great trip to Tahoe and Truckee, California.  Good food (it's improved since the Donner's went through), nice hikes, and it any of my stuffie pals decide to make it out this way let me know, I would be happy to tag along. 

A Scandanavian castle in the US?

Hello Blog Pals ~

It is I, Little Fox, reporting from the Vikingsholm parking lot. I am about to explore the castle built by Mrs. Knight in 1928 as a summer home on Lake Tahoe. Vikingsholm is called "Tahoe's Hidden Castle" but by the packed parking lot at 9am I would not say it too hidden.  It's a steep 1 mile trip downhill to the castle - let's go!

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Sigh.  It's still smoky from the wildfires but you can see an island off in the distance.  When Mrs. Knight bought the land for her castle she also got the island and built a tea house for her and her guests.  They rarely did formal tea out that because it took the staff a whole morning to set up a tea service, take it out by boat and set it up for afternoon tea which didn't really give them time for their other duties. 

The boat dock is still there so if you have your own boat you can visit the tea house.  The walls and foundation are the only thing left but the island is ripe for exploring. 

Tours start at 10:30 and I was a little early.  You know the early fox gets the chicken (it's a very popular expression in the fox community). More pictures of me hanging out near the lake.  

Still waiting for my tour. 

When Mrs. Knight built Vikingsholm she told her architect that she did not want to disturb any existing trees on the property. On paper the garage was supposed to be 2 car but in real life it ended up being a 1 car garage because of the trees.

It's tour time!  The castle is one of the best examples of Scandinavian architecture in the USA.  Mrs. Knight did not have any children but her favorite niece's husband was the architect (and yes he was Scandinavian).   The State of California is working hard to keep Vikingsholm  in good shape.  You can see a couple of rangers on the right working on the castle.  

You can see the cedar tree (or ponderosa pine....can't tell) on the right.  Again, a tribute to Mrs. Knight condition that no trees be harmed in construction. 

Lots of rooms.  This was the the "pink room".  You can' t tell but it was painted pink.

Formal dining room.  The rules for the guests were simple:  Breakfast at 8am, lunch at 12:00 and dinner at 6:00.  No exceptions.  Mrs. Knight invited her friends to spend the summer at the castle and the only condition she had was that everyone ate meals together.  The rest of the day was up to you.  Horseback riding?  No problem.  Hiking?  No problem.  Boating?  No problem.  Just be sure you are back in time for the meal.  In fact, she charted boats to the Tahoe Tavern at night for her guests, you could stay out as long as you wanted and the boat would bring you back to the castle when you wanted, just be sure you were at the breakfast table, dressed appropriately, at 8am. 

Now I am behind the scenes in the kitchen.  This is where the staff had their meals.  Working as a staff member for Mrs. Knight was a good deal.  Cooks had their own private rooms and bathrooms in the castle.  Maids had their own quarters too (although they couldn't be married under her employ).  Other staff had it good too.

1) Mrs. Knight had an annual BBQ for the staff and their families (they would come from far and near to hang out at the castle).

2) Nightly excursions to the Tahoe Tavern for entertainment.

3) Compensation that was above the industry standard at the time.

4) When Mrs. Knight passed away in 1945  she gave each staff member $1000.00 per year of their employ with her.  Some staff members were with her for over 40 years!

A 1936 Dodge Limo was Mrs. Knight's mode of transportation.  Many nights after dinner the limo would ferry her guests up the driveway (1 mile long) then everyone would take an after dinner walk back to the castle.   

All of this exploring makes a fox tired.  Time for lunch. My roommates saw this place along the side of the road and it wasn't even a discussion they just knew to stop here.  Sometimes my roommates do things right.  This looks like my kind of place!!!!!

Here are the barrels.

Secret ingredients in the bags.  I think it was sugar. 

Friendly animals nearby so you know it's good. 

The BBQ was great (especially the chicken).

Lake Tahoe was great but it's time to start the long drive home.

The biggest little fox, um I mean city, in the world

Guess where I am?  

Right now I am enjoying the riverwalk. It's hot, about 100 degrees outside but the hanging flowers look really cool.

It's been a long time since this fox has been to Reno and they have done a great job of the riverwalk.

Being in Nevada....this fox needs to test his luck.  These are some old time slot machines.  Some payout money and the one on the left pays out with a gun.  I think I will take the money (assuming I win).

This slot is called "Wolf Run". I wonder if I get a discount being that I am a fellow canine?

I need to rest. This casino is really big and sometimes you just need to relax while on vacation.

More rest for this fox.

What's next?