In the cold of this frigid, snowy winter, we found ourselves reminiscing about a desert trip, replete with ghosts, misadventures, and boondocking east of nowhere.
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On a recent trip to Tomales Bay, we introduced a third generation to the wonders of clamming. Hunting for cockles is like hunting for treasure. It requires a journey, discomfort, hard work, and a lot of faith that all the effort will turn up gold. Not only did our hard work pay off, our kids loved the thrill of the hunt.
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Happy New Year from Happy Cabin! May this year bring you all that you wish for, along with a few surprises.
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A unique libation, like a certain smell, can be completely transportive. There are few cocktails as unique as the pisco sour, a Peruvian concoction made from egg whites, lime juice, simple syrup, bitters and, the key ingredient, pisco.
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On a recent winter morning, I found myself at Northstar Village with a day to while away and two antsy children. Should you find yourself in a similar situation, Maris, Anaya, and I offer the following hints.
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A few days before Christmas, 4-year-old Maris went snowboarding for the first time, graduating from our living room and local beach to the magic carpet and a bunny hill. Read on to see how she did!
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Packing a few extras is often just the thing to make someone else’s second home feel like home to you. Here’s a short list of things to consider packing when you visit Happy Cabin.
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My Mom is like an elf around Christmas, bustling around the kitchen with trays of candies and plates of cheesecake. It took me a while to figure out my holiday candy niche. These boozy chocolate rum balls are a contender.
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Happy Cabin is a clean slate when it comes to holiday decor. We are still making our traditions as we go. In the meantime, I’m feeding my imagination on other people’s visions of a log cabin holiday.
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The winter holidays are almost here. North Lake Tahoe puts on a festive celebration from early December through New Year’s Day, with theater, music, crafts, games, festivals, sleigh rides, movies, and feasts. This calendar lists our favorite family-friendly holiday events happening within a short drive of Happy Cabin.
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In the spirit of shopping local and giving unique, memorable, earth-friendly gifts, this piece focuses on handmade gifts from local artisans.
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Today we are thankful. Thankful for a warm, inviting home. Thankful for healthy, happy children. Thankful for delicious, lovingly prepared food. Thankful for immediate family, extended family, and our chosen family of friends. Thankful for the rain in the Aptos mountains, filling the stream behind our house and watering the apple trees. Thankful for the first snow falling at Happy Cabin, where our guests sent a picture of the backyard blanketed in fresh powder.
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We are officially getting excited for snow! Last weekend, with visions of snowflakes dancing in our heads, we took Maris’ new Burton Riglet Snowboard out for a spin. On the beach.
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At the end of a long workday, Eben snuck away to Sand Harbor State Beach, just over the border in Nevada, for a dip in the now-frigid waters.
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The multi-day celebration is a time to honor loved ones who have passed on and help them along on their spiritual journey with prayers and gifts.
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I longed for hand-thrown ceramic mugs from local potters in a variety of shapes and colors, each one signed, each one with a story. The kind of mugs that warm the hands and pique the imagination. Gorgeous mugs.
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Visiting Page Meadows to see the aspens ablaze in fall colors was on my family’s autumn bucket list.
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In the far corner of the closet in the downstairs bedroom of Happy Cabin, there’s a hand-written note tacked to the cedar log wall. The paper is weathered, browning and curled at the edges. It seems it’s been there for a while, maybe even since the cabin was first built.
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The family-friendly shallows at our local beach hardly hint at what’s offshore, where the lake deepens, and deepens, and deepens, eventually reaching 1,644 feet.
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Nothing says “cozy” like a warm drink on a cold day. Our favorites are drawn from our traditions and travels.
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