Alison O. Bender

Is there anything better than picking up a book you are SO excited to read? Yesterday was publication day for Richard Osman’s latest installment of the Thursday Murder Club and the date has been circled on my calendar for months. I went to Barnes & Noble expecting to see a big table of The Impossible Fortune, but I got there so early that the books hadn’t even been unboxed yet. Which was also cool, I must be the first person in Reno to get a copy!

I spent the morning at B&N, had to break for some real life things, then contemplated having my daughter skip her soccer practice so I could keep reading, but made the tough decision to be a responsible parent instead. But all good because today my schedule is mostly clear, it’s perfect reading weather, and I have lots of coffee, snacks and blankets—I’m so looking forward to snuggling up and spending the day with my four favorite residents of Coopers Chase!

Leaves are turning color, the nights are getting colder and Tahoe Quarterly’s Fall issue is officially on stands! Beautiful cover photo, as always, I love the colors in the sand!

I wrote an article about the League to Save Lake Tahoe’s new building in South Lake. It’s a very cool space—the League did a great job of practicing what they preach in terms of keeping construction local and green. Named the Spurlock/Evers Environment and Education Center, the new building is open now not just for staff, but for visitors as a model of sustainable design and to educate on the many ways the League is working to Keep Tahoe Blue. The article, Advocacy in Architecture, is available to read here, and more information about the League to Save Lake Tahoe available here.

And now, to savor the rest of my Fall issue (looking forward to Andrew Pridgen’s story about the Cal-Neva!) and then it’s time to start working on my Winter story!

TQ’s Summer issue is on the stands and it’s gorgeous! Extra props to my editor, Sylas, for fighting for this cover picture; I love how it turned out.

I wrote a story about Lahontan, a golf course community up in Truckee that was founded in the mid-1990s. It was so timely because I’ve been writing about golf course communities and architecture for a personal project.

Lahontan was the Tahoe area’s first country club development (although Glenbrook was the oldest gated development, dating to 1860, and boasts the area’s—and state’s—first golf course, dating to 1926) and it’s traditionally been fairly rigid with its architecture review process; however, more recently, it’s seen a loosening of those guidelines to accommodate some of today’s more popular trends, like the streamlined rooflines and increased fenestration and glazing.

It’s interesting to compare it to its neighbor, Martis Camp, which gets so much press between its homes and its amenities (though, more recently, Clear Creek Tahoe is edging in with exceptional projects), but Lahontan’s got the classic architecture and, as my husband can attest, the area’s best golf course. A fun article to write, though, and I felt like I learned a lot about the evolution of these luxury Tahoe developments. And, it always helps to get some great quotes; my absolute favorite was by contractor Mark Neave, who said of Lahontan, “I like to think of it as the Audrey Hepburn of gated communities. It’s just timeless.” It probably helps that he said it in an Australian accent.

Link to the article here, and now to get started on my next article, which is a new construction project, this time out of South Lake Tahoe!

Well, I may not be good at updating my website, but pleased to report that I HAVE been writing plenty in the past year and a half since my last blog post. Most recently, I wrote three articles in the 2023 Mountain Home issue of Tahoe Quarterly, which came out in March. And, I’ve started contributing to California Homes magazine! The features are shorter, about 400 words, but it’s so fun exploring architecture and design in other areas. The first home I wrote about is in Sonoma, and I’m working on a second feature, which is actually a home based in Tahoe. So, firmly in my area of expertise!

The Cal Home feature isn’t online yet, but here are some links to the recent TQ articles. Slopeside Magic is about a snowboard home in Sugar Bowl Village. Because the first level often gets totally covered, the main entrance is on the second floor, and they’ve also got a ski-in/ski-out entrance on the lower level.

Market Research is about the Truckee Grocery Outlet. Truckee’s a very cool, historic town, and I love that the architect, Kurt Reinkens, is so passionate about what he calls the “Truckee funk,” or a new style that pays homage to Truckee’s past without trying to fake a historic style. And there was all sort of drama, to include permits for like three different grocery stores being submitted at the same time and some issues with neighbors and the Grocery Outlet brand, with getting this place built, so it’s an interesting story also!

And Inside the Jewelry Box is a beautifully designed home in Martis Camp. Martis Camp homes are traditionally elegant, but this one is extra on every level; I love the color schemes, love the material choices, love it all. And the interior designer, Emily Roose, is super sweet and helpful! And a great building design by Todd Mather of TGM Architect.

Anyway. Hopefully it won’t take me another year and a half until my next update. I’m sure a lot else has happened since my previous post in October 2021 (otherwise, I’d really have no excuse for this taking so long!). Lots of books read, other articles written, although at the moment I’m blanking on all of it. I’m blaming the four children, who manage to occupy the rest of my time, for that.