The Humane Society of Truckee-Tahoe’s Pet Pantry is a “no questions asked” program that distributes donated pet food to anyone who can’t afford to feed their pets.

The tough economic times continue to affect some Truckee-Tahoe residents and their pets, forcing some families to give up their beloved companions due to financial hardship. To help prevent this, the HSTT has implemented the Pet Pantry Program.

“It’s heartbreaking to see people have to leave their pets with us,” Stephanie Jensen, executive director of the Humane Society of Truckee-Tahoe, said in a statement. “Our shelter is filling up with pets that cannot be cared for due to their owners’ financial situations.”

Under the slogan “Give what you can, take what you need,” the nonprofit collects pet food and distributes it to needy families with pets in the Truckee-Tahoe area. Extra pet food or donations may be dropped off at collection barrels in Truckee at Pet Station and Scraps Dog Bakery.

The HSTT will also be collecting food at events throughout the summer, including the Tail & Ale Microbrew Fest on July 8 at the Biltmore and at the Village at Squaw during Brews, Jazz, and Funk Fest on Aug. 13-14 and Peaks and Paws on Aug. 27-28.

Anyone in need of pet food may pick it up at the kennel at 10720 Riverview Drive in Truckee. The kennel is open Monday through Saturday from 9am–5pm, closed from noon-1pm.

By Kathryn Reed

STATELINE – Museums are more relevant today in this high-tech world because they offer people something tangible, concrete and tactile.

At least that’s how curators and volunteers think.

“Nothing has changed, and yet everything has,” is how Diane Johnson, who runs the Lake Tahoe Historical Society, describes life at the lake.

Lake Tahoe Museum is open Wednesday-Monday from 11am-3pm. Photos/Kathryn Reed

It seems a bit prophetic Johnson would one day run the 43-year-old historical society. After all, when she first moved to the South Shore she and her husband lived into one of the oldest brick buildings in town.

Their 550-square-foot cottage in the Al Tahoe area was part of the Globin compound.

Johnson learned about the history of their house at the time (they are in a larger place now) from Betty Mitchell at the Lake Tahoe Museum. Mitchell, who is the woman to call for all things historical as they relate to South Lake Tahoe, introduced Johnson as the keynote speaker at last week’s Soroptimist International of South Lake Tahoe meeting at Harrah’s Lake Tahoe.

Johnson read a letter from Snowshoe Thompson dated March 7, 1872, to his wife – which he addressed “Dear Wife.”

“The first time I realized who wrote it, it brought chills to me,” Johnson said.

It’s those kinds of artifacts that are housed in the South Tahoe museum – letters like this from a man who for years delivered the mail on skis between Placerville and Tahoe and barely received payment for it.

The Thompsons are buried in Genoa. Many towns in the region share in the Snowshoe Thompson lore.

Outside the Lake Tahoe Museum is the oldest structure left standing in the basin – the 150-plus-year-old Osgood’s Toll House. Yes, Tahoe used to have toll roads.

Osgood's Toll House

A log cabin from the 1930s is also on the museum site.

“We hope the cabin plays more of a role in school visits,” Johnson said of groups of local third-graders who visit the museum as part of their lesson on California history.

The inside of the museum was completely overhauled two years ago, with much of the credit going to members of the local carpenters union. Volunteers is what keeps the museum and historical society running.

While what the historical society deals with is all things old, the work is never done. Two volunteers recently spent hours photographing every article of clothing the museum has so there is a record of it.

“What we do today and how we do it will preserve these artifacts,” Johnson said.

Old photographs are for sale and what isn’t out on display may be special ordered.

A long-term goal is to have the archives available to the public.

Something the society plans to continue is the Chautauqua-style performances at the Camp Richardson Lodge.

The museum and society are funded by donations, store sales and grants. The annual summer garden tour is the main fundraiser.

Things to know:

• Lake Tahoe Museum is at 3058 Lake Tahoe Blvd., South Lake Tahoe.

• Phone number: (530) 541.5458.

• The 2011 Garden Tour is July 31 from 10am-4pm. Tickets are $20 and may be purchased after July 1 at the museum, Aspen Hollow, Nel’s Garden Center, Sun Basin and Tahoe Outdoor Living.

The South Lake Tahoe Library is hosting a number of programs this summer.

They include:

· Children’s Reading Club, ages 0-14, June 21 to July 30 – Get prizes for reading. Sign up at the library and get a time card to keep track. For every five hours of reading, children can come in for a prize. When they finish the card, children will be entered into a weekly drawing for a large prize.

· Teen Reading Club, ages 12-18, June 21 to July 30 – Sign up at the front desk for a chance to win prizes. Participants should submit a review on each book they read. Their names will be entered into the weekly drawing for each review. There is no limit to the reviews participants can submit. There will also be the grand prize drawing for and iPod Touch on Aug. 2.

· Adult Reading Club, ages 18 and older, through July 30 – Win a gift certificate to one of four local businesses. Pick up a passport at the front desk of the library. Enter the title and author of each book and drop it in the drawing jar when it is completely filled out. Partici­pants can turn in as many passports as they like. The drawing will be at 10am Aug. 2.

The library is located at 1000 Rufus Allen Blvd. and is open from 10am to 8pm Tuesday and Wednes­day, and 10am to 5pm Thursday through Saturday

By Kathryn Reed

STATELINE – Few entertainers are better live than recorded. Diana Krall is one of those musicians.

Though her voice ranges from purring sex kitten to raspy lounge singer, it’s her fingers that are most magical. The way they glide across those ivory keys — lingering, pounding, subtle, but always with such purpose. Oh, the music she creates – at times getting off the bench to put more oomph into the keys.

Jazz really is about the music, with the lyrics secondary.

Diana Krall is all bundled up to ward off the night chill at Harveys on June 18, as Robert Hurst plays the bass. Photos/Kathryn Reed

It’s that free flowing jam session of sorts that makes for songs not always sounding the same each time they are played. They often seamlessly flow into one another without a clear ending or beginning.

Krall returned to Lake Tahoe on June 18 after a four-year break from being part of the Harveys Outdoor Concert Series.

Accompanied by Anthony Wilson, who on guitar seemed like a cross between Leo Kottke and Eric Clapton; Kareem Riggins on drums; and Robert Hurst on bass, the quartet made for a formidable ensemble.

The most disappointing part was they only played for a little more than hour. A close second was having the carnival at Horizon as a backdrop for the audience. Besides the horrible visual, the noise from it was equally as irritating as the people in the row behind us talking loudly through most of the concert.

The 43-year-old Krall interacted a bit more with the audience compared to 2007.

“The amusement park screams remind me of my husband,” Krall said of husband Elvis Costello.

Krall and Costello have been inspired by a variety of musicians, but both have a fondness for the 83-year-old Mose Allison. They have recorded his songs, with Krall singing “Stop this World” on Friday night. It is on her “The Girl in the Other Room” album from 2004.

And it was the Mose Allison Trio that opened for Krall.

“He really is one of my heroes,” Krall said of Allison.

While many could be overheard asking who Allison was, one woman in the eighth row said, “I’ve been waiting to see him since the 1970s.”

The trio started with a classic syncopated jazz beat. This is what makes jazz so hard to do well – it’s off beat.

His lyrics are quirky, like, “Your mind is on vacation and your mouth is working overtime.”

Allison says his prime inspiration in high school was Nat Cole. Cole is also a big part of Krall’s music. She put out an album in 1996 dedicated to the Nat King Cole Trio.

At Harveys she performed a song inspired by Cole, as well one of his originals.

As the sun turned a brilliant orange on this chilly night, the Allison trio wrapped up a nearly 40-minute performance to mixed appreciation from the audience.

After all, it was Krall they came to see. While the parking lot of a casino is not the ideal place to listen to any jazz artist, especially one of Krall’s caliber, it works. Though I still think the South Shore Room would be a better venue for her.

On this mid-June night it was downright cold. Krall at times sat on her hands to warm her fingers. Dressed in black leather jacket and red scarf, her blonde hair blew in the gentle breeze.

For some of her more somber songs like “Abandoned Masquerade”, the carnival behind her was an unfortunate juxtaposition, not to mention at times it drowned out Krall’s vocals.

But, still, she held her own. She is clearly getting better with age.

And ideally as the concert series progresses, there won’t be any more carnivals or cold nights.

Making a night of it

Staying at the hotel made for a quick getaway to a warm environment. Many others had the same idea as hundreds flowed inside to Harveys after the show.

We had arrived in the late afternoon to make it more than a crash pad. Lounging by the pool finally made it seem like summer had arrived.

Kids running by, telling mom they wanted to go to Sno-Flake made me wonder if these were other locals or tourists who had discovered the best place on the South Shore for French fries.

Having been on the convention center floor plenty of times before, I didn’t know the pool and fitness center were there as well. A bar is poolside. I would have fired the bartender if he were my employee. A guest (not one of us – we just overheard it) asked him how he was doing, “I’m bored,” he said. Not good. And he had no creative ideas for a fun summer drink, so we stuck with beer.

But it was a great place to relax in the comfy lounge chairs. The pool is warm, but we opted to be warmer by going in the hot tub.

We had dinner reservations in Round Hill at Capisce? – the first, and last, time I need to eat there. What is it with lousy service on the South Shore? The wine was poured so it chugged out of the bottle and splashed on the tablecloth, our glasses were never filled up, the olive oil-balsamic vinegar mixture was placed by me so Sue couldn’t reach it, and the used forks from our salad (with mine tasting like a vat of vinaigrette was dumped on it) being put on the tablecloth instead of being given new ones.

I expect more out of all restaurants.

Sue liked her ravioli. My veggie pasta dish was OK.

Back at Harveys, being on the 11th floor meant having a great view of the lake from bed. Waking up to the sun hitting Mount Tallac was stunning. So much snow; it looks like the cross may last until next winter.

As the morning wears on, the clouds dissipate and a bluebird day takes hold.

Boats of all sizes slide across Lake Tahoe. It is mesmerizing to watch.

Out the window to the left below us is the pool. It’s morning and a few guys are catching rays. Raising my eye the Heavenly Village and the mountain beyond  it are visible – still with lots of snow.

While the concrete and rebar from the stalled convention center project are obviously in view, the natural scenery from this vantage point distract me so I don’t notice the hole.

It’s check out time and my stomach is gurgling. It’s also Father’s Day. We head to the original Red Hut – my Dad’s favorite breakfast place. He insisted going there every time he and Mom visited. We toast with coffee – wishing he were there. He died in April 2010.

The nearly 24-hour getaway ends on a great note. The Red Hut’s service is impeccable (and is never anything less) and the food delicious.

Future Harveys Outdoor concerts:

July 10 – Alison Krauss and Union Station

July 16 – Lionel Ritchie

July 20 – Soundgarden with The Mars Volta

July 27 – Slightly Stoopid with Rebelution + Shwayze

July 29 – Lady Antebellum with Troy Olsen

July 30 – Steve Miller Band with Dave Mason

Aug. 9 – Phish

Aug. 10 – Phish

Aug. 13 – Big Four

Aug. 19 – Miranda Lambert with Little Big Town

Sept. 10 – Sammy Hagar & The Wabos.

Susan Wood contributed to this story.

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Shadow (aka Killer because she likes to ‘beat up’ dogs) – is a beautiful 4-year-old shorthair cat.

She is declawed on her front paws and has lived with children. She would like to be an only pet.

Shadow is spayed, microchipped, and vaccinated. She is at the El Dorado County Animal Services shelter in Meyers, along with many other dogs and cats who are waiting for their new homes.

Call (530) 573.7925 for directions, hours, and other information on adopting a pet.

For spay-neuter assistance for South Tahoe residents, go online.

— Karen Kuentz

By Juan Lopez, Reno Gazette-Journal

Nevada’s volunteerism rate of 20.6 percent in 2009 ranked last in the United States, according to the Corporation for National and Community Service.

The “Summer of Service” program wants to change that.

The Summer of Service was launched in Northern Nevada this month. It is a program aimed at enhancing community service during summer months by serving as a base where people looking to volunteer can find opportunities to do so. The program, which is a branch of NPcatalyst, a local firm that connects potential volunteers with nonprofit organizations, ends Aug. 31.

“It’s been my goal for three or four years now to address the low volunteerism rate in Nevada,” said Pete Parker of NPcatalyst. “It’s always bothered me because we live in a great, tight-knit community.”

Parker said one of the underlying problems with volunteerism in Nevada is that the organizations offering opportunities fail to reach out to the community.

Read the whole story

The idea of Father’s Day was conceived slightly more than a century ago by Sonora Dodd of Spokane, Wash., while she listened to a Mother’s Day sermon in 1909. Dodd wanted a special day to honor her father, William Smart, a widowed Civil War veteran who was left to raise his six children on a farm.

A day in June was chosen for the first Father’s Day celebration — 101 years ago, June 19, 1910, proclaimed by Spokane’s mayor because it was the month of Smart’s birth.

The first presidential proclamation honoring fathers was issued in 1966 when President Lyndon Johnson designated the third Sunday in June as Father’s Day. Father’s Day has been celebrated annually since 1972 when President Richard Nixon signed the public law that made it permanent.

There are an estimated 70.1 million fathers across the nation.

Census figures show there were 1.8 million single fathers in 2010; 15 percent of single parents were men.

The estimated number of state-at-home dads is 154,000 in 2010. These married fathers with children younger than 15 have remained out of the labor force for at least one year primarily so they can care for the family while their wives work outside the home. These fathers cared for 287,000 children, according to America’s Families and Living Arrangements

By Kathryn Reed

TRUCKEE – It’s the perfect trifecta – food, adventure and lodging.

The Cedar House Sport Hotel offers all of this to guests, making for an uncomplicated stay and a new twist on an all-inclusive resort. It’s more than the average dining experience, more than the average outdoor adventure, and more than the average hotel.

Opened in 2006 by Patty and Jeff Baird, the Cedar House is about a mile from downtown Truckee. Inspired by their time spent in European sport hotels, they wanted to replicate that experience. With the acquisition last month of adventure company Tahoe Trips & Trails, the Bairds are able to be that all-in-one property they dreamed of creating.

The Cedar House Sport Hotel in Truckee has it all. Photos/Kathryn Reed

While people don’t have to stay at the hotel to partake in one of the adventures, especially since trips are all over the West, the hotel does make for a perfect launching pad to the outdoors.

Some trips are guided hikes, some combine food and the outdoors. And if a suggestion of where to go is what you want, that’s free for the asking.

Kayaking and river trips are available this time of year, with cross country skiing and snowshoeing available in winter. This barely touches on what’s available.

Patty Baird says the three main reasons to acquire the travel company were so they could market to the adventure traveler, attract corporate businesses interested in team building, and to offer guided hikes into the wilderness. The U.S. Forest Service limits the number of permits allowed for businesses like this, with the Lake Tahoe Basin Management Unit not allowing any. The Cedar House goes into the Tahoe National Forest, which Truckee is next to.

But adventure is relative. Across the street from the hotel is a regional park that offers disc golf, and within walking distance is a golf course. Northstar-at-Tahoe, Alpine Meadows and Squaw Valley are a quick drive for skiers.

Getting outside

A week ago Sue and I spent a night at the property – now wishing our get-away was longer. We designed our mountain biking adventure, but left most of the culinary experience up to Chef Jacob Burton.

With hitting snow on the Pole Creek trail (about 7 miles south of Truckee off Highway 89), maybe we should have asked the experts where to go. Nonetheless, our ride through the woods got our heart rate up as we kept going uphill. We found the route in Ken Castle’s “Tahoe” guidebook.

It’s definitely a scenic area we’ll get back to.

Not wanting to have too much for lunch, but wanting to act like we were on vacation – if just for a day – we drove to the River Ranch at the base of Alpine Meadows. The patio there is one of the best on the water eating experiences in the whole Lake Tahoe area.

The Truckee River is roaring by, the sun is shining and the drinks are flowing. Sue’s complaint about her CoCo Mai Tai was too much alcohol. I would have ordered another Tiki Torch if I wasn’t driving and heading to taste wine as the next stop.

Oh, and the $2.95 basket of fries is tasty.

Next stop was the Truckee River Winery – which boasts of being the highest and coldest winery in the country. Russ Jones has been making wine since the 1980s, with the tasting room open for about 18 months.

The winery is walking distance from the Cedar House. Stella, the restaurant at the hotel, sells Truckee River Winery wines and the winery sells Stella’s yummy breads.

The grapes are from throughout Northern and Central California, with all the winemaking and bottling done in Truckee.

We now have some bottles to drink this summer.

Eating at Stella

While Stella – the restaurant on site – is designed for hotel guests, locals often are found at one of the indoor or outdoor tables. It’s open for dinner Wednesday through Sunday from 5:30-9:30pm.

Burton is of the belief that what’s on the menu should reflect what’s in season. So, you may have liked one dish this month, but in the fall it may not be on the menu based on the ingredients not being in season.

“Everything is completely inspired by the ingredients,” Burton says, showing the garden that has just started now that the snow has stopped falling. “Our concept is unique. I don’t like to stick to a single cuisine. I don’t like to label it.”

Burton is into sharing his love for food. Recipes are online, including videos, and a place to ask questions about cooking.

The name Stella means star in Italian. The Bairds chose it for this reason as well as a restaurant by that name was on the property years ago.

Paul, our waiter, starts us off with slices of fresh made rosemary-olive and sourdough breads. I could have easily filled up on bread.

Sue’s tomato bisque has her barely able to set her spoon down, while my salad is refreshing.

Using what’s in season was clearly what Burton had in mind by making a bolognaise out of Bing cherries.

“They look like meatballs to us,” Burton said.

Before that night I didn’t like cooked cherries. Now, at least for this dish, I’m a convert. Oh my goodness, I wish I didn’t clean my plate so I could have had leftovers. To top it off, the fettuccine was clearly homemade. But the noodles were thin and delicate, adding a texture not often found in pasta dishes.

Sue enjoyed her halibut, raving about how flaky and tender it was.

For dessert we shared, though I think I had more than half, of the goat cheese cheesecake. I’ve only had cream cheese cheesecakes before, so this lemony concoction was quite a pleasurable experience.

The lodging experience

Walking across the parking lot, we ascend the stairs to our room. First, though, we take in the ambiance of the cedar exterior of the hotel lighted at night. We really do feel like we’re in Tahoe with all the wood and unobtrusive lighting.

Cedar House is a green hotel, and while that is what got it headlines five years ago, Baird admits it’s not a primary reason people choose the hotel.

“Green is totally incidental for bookings. People like it, but it’s not a driving force why people book,” Baird said. “But it helps us with our message.”

It also helps with lower utility bills.

From our spacious second-story balcony we look over the living roof on the main building. Water drains from the roof to gutters that supply water for landscaping.

The room is contemporary, but not austere. Simple things like instead of wasting space with a closet, a rack of sorts in the corner allows guests to hang clothes. Instead of an uncomfortable backboard to lean against in bed, the back doesn’t require a pillow.

Things guests won’t readily notice are solar tinted windows, no incandescent lighting is used, and the hot water system is tankless. This barely touches on the green features of the hotel.

A filling, yummy buffet breakfast back at Stella is part of an overnight stay. Dogs are allowed in most rooms, a bar is in the main area near comfy seating and a fireplace, and a hot tub is out back.

Cedar House Sport Hotel is the perfect get-away – my only complaint is it was too short.

Partial list of events:

July 16: The Forgotten Feast with Hank Shaw, author of “Hunt, Gather, Cook: Finding the Forgotten Feast,” is a celebration of wild plants and mushrooms, game and seafood. It begins with cocktails and a book signing by Shaw at 5:30pm and is followed by a five-course tasting menu inspired by Shaw’s book.

July 17-21 and Aug. 7-11: The Active Gourmand Tour is a four-day adventure for hikers who love to cook.

July 23 and Aug. 20: Cooking demonstrations on both days. Summer canapés and appetizers on July 23 features the basic composition of bite sized hors d’oeuvres, garnish and plating with four wines from California. Composed salads on Aug. 20 in an opportunity to learn to mix flavorful vinaigrettes and select specialty greens.

Aug. 18-21: A photography and hiking adventure.

For more information:

The hotel

Activities

Culinary experiences

Telephone: (530) 582.5655

Getting there:

From South Lake Tahoe, take Highway 89 along the West Shore. Pass Squaw Valley. Before hitting Truckee, turn right on West River Road. Turn right on Bridge Street, this turns into Brockway Road. Hotel is on the right at 10918 Brockway. Or, take Highway 50 west up Spooner Summit, turn left on Highway 28. In Kings Beach, turn right on Highway 267. Turn left on Brockway Road. Hotel will be on the left.

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MEYERS — Travel writers fancy themselves world travelers, able to share with those left behind something about far-flung places most people will never see.

Poets are the artists of the written word.

Suzanne Roberts through her book “Three Hours to Burn a Body: Poems on Travel” has brought the two worlds together.

Suzanne Roberts on June 17 reads from her latest book of poems. Photo/Kathryn Reed

She read seven of her works Friday night at a gathering at Bona Fide Books in Meyers.

Besides her captivating poetry that gives insight into places like India, Mongolia and the Galapagos Islands, her photographs on the walls make the words even more illuminating.

With good reason, in 2008 National Geographic Traveler named this Lake Tahoe Community College professor “the next great travel writer”.

Roberts’ delivery, mannerism and inflection bring poems off the page as though they are living organisms and not mere words on paper. Odds are she would do well to create a video reading or an audio version of her poems because reading them alone is not the same as hearing her read them.

— Kathryn Reed

Tahoe-Baikal Institute’s annual Friendraiser Gala is July 1 at Heavenly Mountain Resort’s Lakeview Lodge.

Tickets are $60.

Parking will be at Heavenly’s California Base Lodge

The tram will begin operation at 5pm. The formal program begins at 6pm.

The Tahoe-Baikal Institute is a nonprofit organization based in South Lake Tahoe that promotes international cultural understanding and global cooperation in meeting environmental challenges, specifically through an exchange program that focuses on Lake Tahoe in California and Lake Baikal in southern Siberia. This event is used to showcase the exchange participants and the successful international partnership between Lake Tahoe and Lake Baikal. All proceeds benefit TBI’s programs.

For more information or to purchase tickets, call (530) 542.5599 or email gala@tahoebaikal.org.