Just completed a second proof of TQ’s Summer issue with my newest work buddy! Willa was just three weeks old for her first venture up to Tahoe Quarterly, where she managed to spit up on my coworkers, and four weeks for her second day, which I managed to keep her sleeping through. Sleeping babies make the work day WAY easier!
On that note, the Summer issue looks great! Lots of good stories: An article about Tahoe’s lone wolverine, a feature about surfboard maker Craig Beck, a piece about five-time Olympian and Truckee resident Katerina Nash, and much more. And, the issue celebrates Sylas’s one-year anniversary as TQ editor, so big congrats on that!
We have a long-ish break until the next issue, Ski & Ride, so I plan on spending it napping hanging out with Willa. Happy Summer!
Excited to announce that Tahoe Quarterly’s Best of Tahoe issue is on stands now! I had a lot of fun with this issue: I decided to tackle the wooden bear carvings so ubiquitous around Lake Tahoe and look at some of the carvers who create them. I interviewed carvers John Hill, Gerald Toste and Ron Ramsey for my article, “The Right to Bear Arts.” Pretty interesting how so many people buy a second home in the area and immediately buy a bear, or who want to one-up their neighbors by commissioning a larger bear!
I’m particularly proud this year as I wrote the piece about this year’s Outstanding winner, a Martis Camp Home designed and created by Scott Gillespie, Mark Tanner and Napa’s Erin Martin (and the home featured on the cover). A lot of homes that I write about emphasize the fact that the team was on board from the beginning (as was the case for the home I wrote about that won the Craftsmanship award). The interesting thing about this home is that it evolved as the team grew; Erin wasn’t available until the home was in the framing stages. As her vision differed from much of the design, pieces of the home were torn up and redone. While it may have made for a longer process, it also made for a really incredible final result.
I wrote about quilt designer Karen Colbert, who is based in Incline. She creates these beautiful and intricate designs out of fabric that are so much more than just quilts—they’re art. She was really interesting because she never considered herself an artist growing up. She worked in an engineering firm and later got her degree in business administration from Sierra Nevada College. It wasn’t until she was pregnant with her daughter that she took up quilting was a hobby and yet, somehow, it became her livelihood. I think it’s fascinating the different routes people take in life, and a reminder that even though you may think you know and understand the track you’re on, things can always change.
We went for the Associated Collegiate Press National Conference. Got in Wednesday night, spent Thursday morning sightseeing and ducking into museums, then got to the conference headquarters at the Grand Hyatt in time to get registered and grab seats to see Donna Brazile, the DNC chairwoman. She was incredible—not only was she incredibly interesting, but she was so much fun. I wanted to go out for drinks with her. And she was just the kick-off to other great speakers: On Friday, we heard from Bob Woodward (Bob fricking Woodward of Watergate fame!), then Saturday we had Edward Snowden beamed live from his secret location to address us. He was wonderful. When he got a huge ovation, he remarked that journalists are about the last group that like him. He, too, was wonderful. Both he and Woodward both had a lot to say about the importance of journalism, as well as how the future rests in the hands of the audience. I found them both incredibly inspirational.
Besides the great conference, I got to see my brother and his girlfriend, plus enjoy three full nights that I didn’t have to worry about a child waking me up in the night! The students got a ton out of the conference, too, and got to get in some additional sightseeing after I ducked out on Saturday afternoon to catch an earlier flight back so I could be home for my daughter’s fourth birthday. Anyway, great event and great to be in D.C. just two weeks before the election!
Alison O. Bender 