Lake Tahoe Home For A Golf Home In Beautiful La Quinta

La Quinta Golf Course View

"Hello,
Would you like to exchange for my house in La Quinta ,Ca,(in the Palm Springs area)? The house is on a golf course with pool and Jacuzzi. I would like to go to your Lake Tahoe home the week of Feb 15th. I am flexible with the week on my house as it is a vacation home.
Thanks,
Bill"

In January 2008 we had purchased our second vacation home, which was located in South Lake Tahoe, Nevada, just over the border from California and about two hours from our home in Sacramento. It required major remodeling and we spent all of that next spring and summer creating the vision we had of what we hoped it could become when we first walked in the door and saw that beautiful Lake Tahoe view.

The View We Saw When We Entered Our Future Tahoe Home

Our Tahoe Home Kitchen When We First Saw It
(The rest of the house was just as bad!)

Our Remodeled Kitchen After A Long Year Of Work

After completing the remodel and using it for a while ourselves, we placed it on the Homeexchange.com site in the fall of 2009, along with our condominium in Costa Rica. Bill was the first exchange inquiry we received for our Tahoe home in January, 2010. By now you are aware that we love to travel to places where we can play golf, and you probably already know what our response to this exchange request from Bill was. Yes!

We were able to agree upon the dates, scheduled our stay in the Palm Springs area for January and started looking forward to getting out of the cold foggy Sacramento weather and out onto the sunny golf courses of Palm Springs. Bill was a pilot and asked about flying up to Tahoe from southern California where he lived. Immediately he and my husband, also a pilot, had a bond, with Mark suggesting the best place to fly into and how to rent a hanger for his airplane to protect it from the cold weather while he was at Lake Tahoe. Bill planned to bring his two high school daughters up for some skiing and was happy for us to use his place in the desert, which we started looking forward to.

And then it started to rain in sunny southern California, and it wouldn’t stop. Not only was it raining, but it was almost snowing in parts of the southern part of the state, and we decided that this may not be the best time to go to Palm Springs for a week of golf. I contacted Bill and asked if we could postpone our trip until March when the weather was expected to be better, and he graciously agreed.

No Golf For Me!

 On February 16th Bill and his daughters flew into the Minden, Nevada Airport, about a twenty minute drive from our Tahoe home, and enjoyed a three night stay in the snow, with four days of great skiing. We were looking forward to our delayed trip to the desert, but unfortunately on February 25 I had to send out the note below:

"Hi Bill,
Well it looks like another change of plans for us.  I broke my wrist yesterday while skiing, so no golfing or skiing for quite awhile.  Can we take a rain check for next fall?  Thanks.
Shelley"


 So our trip to the desert was put on hold again, but this time until the following year when hopefully we would have good weather and no broken bones! In December I contacted Bill again and asked if his place would be available in January for a week.  Home exchanging is great in that rain checks and delayed exchanges are frequent and are very seldom a problem, so we were able to set up another week at Bill's home starting January 23, and held our breath that we would actually be able to make it this time. I invited my sister Megan and her husband Randy to spend the week with us, and arranged to have my cousins from Temecula and Los Angeles join us for a day or two while we were there.   Mark got out his flight maps and mapped out the trip, we cleaned up our clubs, and on January 23 we finally headed out to the desert for a week of sunshine and fun.

Leaving our home in Sacramento Sunday morning there was some fog, but when we arrived at Sacramento Executive Airport we found that we were completely fogged in, and not able to depart as planned. All we could do now was wait for the fog to clear enough to allow us to depart. After about an hour of tedious waiting Mark determined that he had the five hundred feet of required visibility and we would be able to take off and pop through the fog, finally getting on our way to the desert.

Flying Over The San Bernardino Mountains

 After flying over the fog along the Sacramento and San Joaquin Valleys it finally cleared around Bakersfield, and we swooped down over the snow capped San Bernardino Mountains, from where Mark aimed the plane towards the Salton Sea, landing after a two and one half hour flight at the desolate Cochran Field in Thermal, California. Because we were going to be there a week Mark chose to rent a hanger for his beloved airplane so that the desert sun and sand would not be a factor. After getting his baby set up in its temporary home and picking up our rental car we drove the short distance to our temporary home in the lovely La Quinta, on the PGA West Golf Course.

Our New Desert Home For The Week

Bill’s home turned out to be lovely with two bedrooms in the main house in addition to the separate casita located across the front court yard where Megan and Randy would be staying, having their own private accommodations. The back of the house was all glass, looking out onto a patio with a small pool, bubbling fountain, and welcoming spa, set up against the golf course with an expansive view of the greens and the majestic mountains surrounding the Coachella Valley.

Sunset From Our Patio

 The sun was setting, casting a warm glow across the mountains and a chill in the air.  We went inside, started a fire, and realized that once again we had made a great exchange. We were going to pick Megan and Randy up from the Palm Springs Airport the next day so we enjoyed our first night in Palm Springs alone, looking forward to a great week.

Monday morning the sun was shining brightly, and Mark couldn’t resist finding the golf course to do some practicing at the PGA West Course while I drove into Palm Springs to pick up our guests. What a treat to see the sun after several long weeks of fog and rain in Sacramento, and I didn’t even mind the forty-five minute drive in traffic through the valley with the San Jacinto Mountain range looking down upon me. After picking up Megan and Randy who quickly shed their warm clothing, we drove over to the club house to meet Mark for lunch on the patio in the sunshine, all relaxing and enjoying the beauty surrounding us. We also began to plan out our week of golf.

Two Beginners At La Quinta Mountain Course

Our first destination was the La Quinta Mountain Course located just down the road from our place which was not supposed to be too difficult, something Megan and I insisted be taken into consideration when choosing from the numerous Palm Springs area courses available to us. It proved to be a good choice for our first day of play, even though Randy was not able to play that day as he was not feeling well. Mark had to put up with the two beginners by himself and even gave us some good tips, but I knew he was looking forward to playing the next day with my cousin’s husband Jim, and hopefully Randy, at Silver Rock, noted for it’s beauty and difficulty.

Who Needs Golf When There Is This?

 Megan and I skipped that day of golf, instead visiting with my two cousins and relaxing in the hot tub, while letting the men play by themselves. The three men seemed to have had a great day of golf and we all enjoyed a barbecue at home while enjoying a lovely evening catching up with each other's busy lives and activities.

A Great Family Get Together

The next day the cousins all left and off the four of us headed for another day of golf, this time at Indian Springs Golf Club, which according to reviews we had read was known for, “making sure that every golfer and guest feels comfortable and welcome in the relaxed environment at Indian Springs, making you feel welcomed and pampered by your favorite hosts.” Sounded good to us, and not too difficult either. After arriving and being ignored, glared at by employees and golf course marshals, and generally receiving the cold shoulder the entire time we were there this course has now become a running joke to all of us as we continually wonder who wrote those glowing reviews we read.

Marriott Desert Springs Resort 

 Our last day of golf at the Marriott Desert Springs Valley Course proved to be a much better experience. It was a lovely resort type of course which we all enjoyed playing and was a great way to wrap up our golfing trip, even though we all struggled with our games. But how can you get too mad about a poor round of golf while playing it in such beautiful surroundings?

On Saturday afternoon we leisurely drove Megan and Randy to the Palm Springs Airport, and after dropping them off we decided to do a little exploring of downtown Palm Springs, walking the main street and doing some window shopping. Driving back to La Quinta we stopped for lunch in the town of Palm Desert at the El Paseo shopping district, which is often called the Rodeo Drive of the desert. Lots of high end shops, art galleries and restaurants make up this shopping mecca, and it was a lovely place to spend our last afternoon.

Sunday morning we awoke to our first day of cloudy, cold weather in the desert. Time to leave! We packed up, Mark filed his flight plan, and we headed back to the Cochran Airport in Thermal.

Not our plane, but a huge private jet taking off while we were leaving.
We could have fit 10 of our planes into this jet!

 The clouds were starting to build up, but since Mark is instrument rated that didn’t bother him, but the freezing level was quickly dropping and we needed to get out and over the mountains before it got too low to leave. We quickly loaded the plane and started our flight back home to Sacramento, which proved to be quite beautiful, flying over the snow covered mountains surrounding the Cochella Valley and flying in and out of large billowy clouds most of the flight, even though we were having to worry about staying below the freezing level, being rained upon, and battling strong head winds most of the way. We arrived safely that afternoon in Sacramento after a long three hour flight, having had another great exchange experience which we were able to share and enjoy with family.  Once again, a much better way to vacation than a hotel!

On Our Way Home Through The Clouds

Are Cats Worth The View of San Franciso?

Another exchange offer I received from a member of homeexchange.com which sounded intriguing:

"We are looking for a weekend in February to ski.  We have a 2 bedroom  high rise condo in San Francisco with a lovely view.  We would be either 4 or 6  mature non smoking adults.  Any interest?
Thank you,
Kathy"

Great View In San Francisco - Looked Like A Wonderful Exchange

Another interesting offer for a San Francisco weekend opportunity. We had just received from our daughter Gillian her schedule of waterpolo club games for the season and there was a weekend in February when they would be playing three games in the city. This exchange offer could fit right into an inviting weekend in San Francisco which could include a visit with Gillian, some always excellent dining, and of course viewing of some good waterpolo games, which we as waterpolo junkies were always up for. So this exchange for our cabin in South Lake Tahoe for Kathy’s high rise apartment in San Francisco was on, except for one final detail.

View From Our Lake Tahoe Cabin For Which
Kathy Wanted To Exchange 

"Hi Shelley,
We have a very shy cat that might have to stay in the condo.  You would not have to feed him or take care of him, he is so shy he would probably spend most of the time underneath the bed.    Would this be a problem?
Let me know.
Thanks,
Kathy"

We had stayed in one other home which had an outside cat which did not bother us, and whom we even enjoyed, so I told Kathy that the cat would not be a problem. Before we arrived in San Francisco though, Kathy told us that she would be taking the cat with her, so we would not need to worry about it. Little did we know that the actual cat itself would not be the problem!

View Over San Francisco and Coit Tower From Our Apartment

In February, 2011 we set off for a weekend in the city and some waterpolo games. Kathy had told me to pick up the key to her apartment from the 24 hour doorman, which we did upon our arrival, and after finding our parking space in the underground garage and taking the elevator up to our weekend apartment we walked into a room with an amazing view of San Francisco and the entire bay, including Coit Tower, the Golden Gate Bridge, the city of Oakland, and directly across from our apartment, the infamous island of Alcatraz.  Floor to ceiling glass on two full sides of the living room, along with a small balcony on the 19th floor made us feel like we were on top of the world.  With sun shining brightly over the city by the bay we opened the sliding glass doors and immediately felt the breeze off of the San Francisco Bay engulf us. Viewing the multitude of sailboats racing through the water before us provided us entertainment while just sitting on the patio.

But lunch beckoned us, so off we went down the steep hills of SF to the Italian area of North Beach for a delightful portabello paninni and a cold glass of Pinot Gregio while sitting outside basking in the sunshine, pretending to be native San Franciscans.

Outside Dining at Cafe DeLucchi

After lunch and a steep walk back up the hill to our new apartment we took a closer look at the place, and realized that though this apartment had a spectacular view, it really was not up to the standards we had been use to when making other exchanges. The large glass doors were filthy, which really distracted from the gorgeous view, even though Mark tried to clean them with some glass cleaner, the outside patio and table were very dirty and actually uninviting, and even with the cat gone, we certainly were made aware that it had been living there! The apartment had not been vacuumed and there was cat hair everywhere, including on the furniture and the beds. There were numerous cat toys left around the apartment, a litter box in the bathroom and scratch boxes in the living room and bedroom, as well as a cat feeder and water bowl in the bathroom. By the end of the weekend Mark and I were both having allergic reactions to the missing cat and realized that from that point on we would make a point of only staying at homes which were cat free! I think that this must have been Kathy’s first exchange as she had not only not had the apartment cleaned before we arrived, but there was no room left in any of the closets or drawers for our belongings and the refrigerator was so packed that there was not even room for the bottle of wine we had brought with us. Needless to say, we did not feel comfortable spending much time there which was a shame, as it could have been such a wonderful place. However, we had other things to do and enjoy while being in the city.

Crab Cannelloni From Seven Hills - Amazing!!

Gillian found a new restaurant in San Francisco for us to try for dinner Friday night; an Italian bistro called Seven Hills, less than a mile from our apartment on Hyde Street in the Russian Hill area of the city. After enjoying the baby clams in polenta and tomato broth as our appetizer, the dungeness crab cannelloni, three meat stuffed tortellini, and the crispy braised osso bucco we ordered for our main courses, as well as the mouth watering Italian doughnuts stuffed with creamy, warm, sweet ricotta cheese we shared for dessert, we forgot all about our very hairy apartment up the street. Good food can make one overlook many unpleasantries!

A Must Try In San Francisco!

Saturday was spent watching several water polo games at the prestigious San Francisco Olympic Club, which was sponsoring the tournament, and for whom Gillian plays. After watching games for over fifteen years we have become addicted to the game and especially enjoy watching our children play, where ever they may be. Because of this addiction we have traveled the world watching them and have visited and explored cities we may never have seen if it had not been for waterpolo. Now, with the ability to exchange homes in various places this has enhanced our waterpolo travels. In between games during this trip we were able to enjoy the exceptional weather while wondering the city eating, drinking, shopping, and even stopping in at an art gallery where we viewed some Picassos and the works of other expressionists. All and all, a wonderful way to spend a Saturday!

Sunday morning we were ready to leave the cat invested apartment and head back to our home in Sacramento, but decided to walk down the hill to a local diner for breakfast, which proved to be another delicious meal. An order of eggs benedict for Sunday morning can’t be beat! Then, it being San Francisco, we headed back up the steep hill, and justified the large breakfasts we had just eaten by the exercise we were getting with the uphill climb.

Even though this exchange was not one we would place on the top of our list of favorites, it was an enjoyable weekend, and it proved to be a learning experience for us as well. From this point on we decided that we would make it clear that we did not wish to exchange with anyone who had cats, and would try especially hard to make exchanges only with those homes which are second homes, so they are not as crowded with personal items and hopefully cleaner. We are also now requesting that they be professionally cleaned before our arrival as well as after we leave, which we have always done with the two properties we own, and always assumed that others did as well. Now we know that this is not always the case.

San Francisco Sunset From Our "Hairy" Apartment