Alison O. Bender

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.

I haven’t been very active lately and this is why: blogosphere, meet baby Clara! This little love is now one month old and between her and her three sisters, I’ve taken a little break from writing. I will say, though, it’s hard to NOT write; I got my latest issue of Tahoe Quarterly and it was so strange to not have an article in there. I plan to sit out one more issue then getting back to writing again!

My break, not coincidentally, happens to overlap with my oldest two being out of school for the summer. So hopefully two months of summer fun and baby time and then I will be more than ready to send kids back to school and get back on my computer!

Had a fabulous time this past Thursday at Tahoe Quarterly’s Mountain Home launch party! This was the first launch I’d been able to make and I was so impressed by the evening. The Nevada Museum of Art is a FANTASTIC venue, and chef Mark Estee did an amazing job with the food. Probably some 150 people attended, to include area architects, builders and interior designers, plus a lot of other people involved in making the magazine a success.

The top picture is our Writers of TQ group: Sue, Vangie, me and TQ editor-in-chief Sylas. Between the four of us we wrote the majority of the Home Award articles, and we usually get together to cull the submissions. A fun job, and I love working with this team! Anyway, great event and excited to make more of the TQ parties in the future!