Summer has finally arrived in Tahoe. Spring was short-lived as we had snow flurries up until June 11, but now the temps are in the 80s and with the warm weather have come the tourists. As to be expected though, because this place is paradise and who wouldn’t want to be here?
Thanks to all of the visitors, my summer job at Angora Lakes Resort has been busy. It’s great having full-time work again, and I feel like I can take a breather now that I’m back to earning a full paycheck. As I wait for my art career to take off (and have been for the past 20 years!) and work seasonal jobs, life can be stressful (mostly the in-between jobs time). However, I’ve designed my life so that I have low overhead and not too many responsibilities. And, although I’m not a highly salaried techie working in Silicon Valley, my daily quality of life is priceless. Yes, I still need to make money, but until those Tahoe Rim Trail coloring books start paying the rent I’ll have to have a job. So, why not work somewhere I enjoy and a place with some nice views? This is literally a 2-minute walk from the resort, and where I eat lunch nearly everyday.
Here’s a stylized photo from my commute home in the middle of June.
I am working a five-day work week at my summer job right now and don’t have an abundance of time to complete art projects. However, I have been chipping away at my TahoeTrailGuide.com website. I’ve mentioned it before, but it’s basically an online blog that features information and content about hiking, backpacking, cross-country skiing, and snowshoeing at Lake Tahoe. I’ve only written 21 posts to-date, but what I have produced is quality and features some nice photos to whet your appetite to go outside and play. The latest post I wrote is about hiking Freel Peak, Jobs Sister, and Jobs Peak in a day. All of those peaks sit just over 10,000 feet. When you have a free minute check out the site and leave a comment if you feel inspired.
Another aspect of the Tahoe outdoor information and art-related stuff I’m creating is my series of Wilderness Activity Books. Again, making these books is a slow, long-term process so I’m just trying to pace myself and develop some consistent work habits. The great thing of it all is that I finally have a clear focus as to what I want to invest in with regard to my art and writing. So, the Tahoe Trail Guide website is geared to accommodate the needs of adult-aged people while the Wilderness Activity Books are more age-appropriate for kids between 10-14. Mostly the books will feature similar information as Tahoe Trail Guide, but the information will be streamlined for a younger crowd.
One of the things I’ve wanted to do for some time is create a series of fun maps featuring hiking trails at Lake Tahoe. Back in March I highlighted a faux vintage map of the Lake Tahoe Region, which was essentially a prototype of what I was planning to create. When I create art projects, whether they be paintings or blog posts, I like to work in a series or have some type of established framework with which to work. It allows me to maintain consistency and rhythm to my work. These fun maps are no different. So, before making these maps I wanted to have a large selection of outdoor-related icons to include as design features on the maps. Some of the icons will be more informative while others will simply be decorative. Either way, I want to have these on hand so when it’s time to make the maps I have all the pieces ready to go. Here are some samples which will eventually be used in the maps.
Lastly, I want to congratulate my mother, Joan Treppa, on completing her book titled Reclaiming Lives: Pursuing Justice for Six Innocent Men. This book is about her 9-year experience becoming a citizen advocate for six wrongfully convicted men from Wisconsin. I’ve mentioned this case in previous posts, so I won’t go into details again, but suffice it to say that her story is a blueprint for finding passion in your life and seeing how one person can transform themselves into a force for doing good in this world. Full disclosure, Joan is my mom and I helped to shape the book through editing, so of course I’m going to say good things about it. However, it’s a clean read and happens to be downright inspiring! Order a copy and/or subscribe to her blog.
I made the command decision to do some exploring today for that Freel Peak, Jobs Sister, and Jobs Peak blog. This shot doesn’t quite capture the extent of the water feature across Forest Service Road 051, but it is a nice pic of the Jeep. I love this thing!
Thanks for being a part of my life. Until next time…