Eleven 11 year old Foothill boys brought home the hardware on Sunday. The Auburn Rebels defeated Bret's Muckdogs in the championship game by a score of 12-7 at the Field of Dreams in Manteca Ca.
The road to the finals was relatively easy for the Rebels which includes Colby Lunsford, Cole Winter and Anthony Vierra of Bear River Little League and Michael Lavene, Carson Seeman, Anson Aroz and Cameron Bayer of Auburn Little League.
On Saturday in game one the Rebels dropped the Muckdogs 9-1 followed by close win versus the Elk Grove Longhorns 4-2 which earned them the number one seeding going into Sunday.. On Sunday, Auburn throttled the Reno Aces to the tune of 17-4 before winning the championship.
On Sunday my son and I made out annual trip to the Sacramento Expo Center for the International Sportsman's Exposition. This years show was great. While most of the displays and offerings were nothing new to me there were two things that stood out.
The first was an ancient concept fly rod that uses not reel. Look at the photo above what you see is what you use. The rod telescopes to as long as 13 feet so it is a perfect backpackers. The idea comes from Japan and Tenkara USA has brought it to the market place. Watch the video above to see how unique this fishing idea is.
The second item that was impressive was Dave Scadden's new Assault XX sets a new standard for frameless pontoon boat performance. Weighing in under 36 pounds and boasting a weight capacity of 1500 pounds with a class V whitewater rating, it definitely exudes performance.
It is one of the highest performance one-person boats Dave has ever designed but best of all it excels as a two-person boat. The coolest part about the new XX is the fact that it easily slips into an airline specific travel bag and comes out of the bag ready to go in under three minutes. No assembly required.
There were two speakers that caught my eye. The first was a professional bass fisherman who lives in Auburn. He and I fish many of the same lakes so we scheduled our day around listening to Cody Meyer. He spoke about fishing swim baits, plastics as well as jigs. Very good speaker and we both were glad we took the time to listen to his advise.
Meyer showed his techniques in the tank which had bass up to 14 pounds.
The second speaker is also from Auburn California. J.D. Richie. He spoke on fish for strippers. I'm not a big stripper fisherman so we did not stay to long. But I did learn a few things.
Ritchey is a very good writer and fishing guide. His contact info can be found here.
To summarize the entire show. Very high priced merchandise along with very few new or innovative ideas. But certainly a great way my son and I to spend the day together talking about something we both love to do. See you next year.
The Nevada county boys middle school basketball season gets under way Thursday (January 9) with Magnolia traveling to Seven Hills. This contest pits the county's two largest middle schools in what should be a battle for both the 7th and 8th grade teams. Magnolia's 7th grade team will be led by recent transfer Garret Pratt as well as a host of athletic players. The 8th grade game will be a battle as Magnolia only dropped one game in the regular season in 2013 and that was to 7-Hills in the season opener.
All games will have the 7th grade tipping off at 4 p.m. with the 8th grade game to follow.
Schedule - Jan. 9
Forest Lake Christian at Union Hill
Magnolia at 7-Hills
Pleasant Valley at Weimar
Lyman Gilmore - Bye
If you like chocolate, wine and jazz then clear your calendar for the second annual Chocolate Infusion which is sponsored by the Union Newspaper. I attended last years event and had a wonderful time. Here is my blog post from the 2013 event.
Below are two videos from the event. The first is a wide shot of the crowd, vendors and the space. The second is a rather humors segment done by Rob Lambert which is part of his "Word on the Street" program.
If you would like to attend please contact Mary Anne Davis at the Union Newspaper.
While it's the middle of winter or at least the calendar says it is. You only have two more weeks to sign up your child for the spring 2014 Bear River Little League baseball season. The important dates are as follows.
January 26 - Mandatory rules clinic for managers and coaches
January 29 - Major draft
January 30th - Junior draft
January 30th - Minor draft
February 1 - Coaching clinic. This clinic in mandatory for managers who plan to coach an All-star team as well as for the Tournament of Champions.
February Middle of the month - CPR training. Little League is making it mandatory for the manager as well as one coach to be certified.
April 1st-ish - Historically games have begun around this time.
Little League Baseball is a great way to meet community members, be a part of your child's life as well as have a lot of fun so get out there and sign up today.
Have you ever wondered how fishing in the Truckee area is? Well, before you make that drive all the way up the hill be sure to check out Mountain Hardware - Truckee's website. They offer great information on what water is open as well as what the flows are at various rivers and streams. If you have never been into the store then you are in for a big surprise. Yes it is a hardware store but it also has the best selection of fishing gear in the area. The staff is knowledgeable as well helpful.
The photo above is a shot of a Truckee River rainbow which was caught on a sculpin pattern fly. I cast into the white water and when the fly swung into the slower moving seam it was fish on.
The water is very very cold as well as low. Stay out of the water and you will need to be very sneaky in your shoreline approach.
If you are not the type of fisher to venture out of yourself then contact Gilligan's Guide Service which is located in Herschdale on Floriston Road. The link above has photos of various fish caught by Matt Koles' clients. Gilligan's also offer flies which are specific to the region.
"Leland's Keith Westra fished a day back in April with our buddy Matt "Gilligan" Koles. He's not only a fun guy to fish with, but knows the Truckee like no other. Book a trip with him and you'll not only be saying "dude" for the rest of the day, you'll learn how to stick fish on the Truckee," a client stated.
When I fish the Truckee I like to fish big while others like to fish small. I did attend a seminar where Matt spoke of the river which runs through his back yard and man he taught me a think or two about my beloved Truckee. If you ever have a chance to listen to Koles speak then you should do it. The seminar was held at Reel Anglers Fly Shop in Grass Valley California which is owned and operated by Tom Page who is also a guide.
The recent e-mail that the ASPOA board sent regarding the outcome of the lawsuit against the ASPOA needs clarification. We have been asked by many to distribute the actual arbitration decision. Please follow this link that will allow you direct to read for yourself as it directly affects your property rights.
First and foremost of importance, which was not mentioned by the board in their email, was the determination that the ASPOA had no legal basis to try to convert Alta Sierra into a mandatory HOA with mandatory dues in order to enforce the Deed Restrictions on your property. This ruling has been recorded and will serve as a guarantee that neither this board nor any board in the future can attempt such an effort. This was the basis of the lawsuit against the ASPOA and our opposition to the board's actions and expenditure of legal fees from the treasury. The ruling was a success for the lawsuit.
Second, as per the lawsuit, it was determined that the ASPOA has no authority to enforce our deed restrictions. There are 21 subdivisions and each one has it's own separate restrictions. The importance and repercussions of this ruling is evident by the arbitrator's decision that the board cannot be sued for past actions against homeowners who they attempted to exercise authority over. However, in moving forward, if the ASPOA attempts to usurp their authority to enforce the deed restrictions, they are open to a lawsuit...with a ruling that has already been decided and recorded. The duties of the Architectural Review Committee (ARC), which again are not all the same in each of the 21 subdivisions, does have authority over matters such as: new home construction, fence building, mailboxes and tree cutting. Because the ARC has allowed just about everything in the past, they cannot now arbitrarily pick and choose what they deem acceptable. Further, new home construction and new additions are covered by county regulations. The rules pertaining to fire prevention and trees are defined by fire safety regulations, which trump the ASPOA. The ASPOA has never had authority to fine anyone and because of this, the board, through legal means, attempted to pursue the mandatory HOA/Davis Stirling Act, which would have allowed it.
What this ruling means is that approx. $25,000 in legal fees was completely wasted from the treasury from 2012 and 2013 in attempting to enforce the deed restrictions that the board had no power to do, and to pursue a mandatory HOA, for which Alta Sierra could never have qualified under the Davis Stirling Act.
The arbitrator's ruling chastises the board for breaking their own By Laws by not providing the updated membership list so that the Recall could properly notice all members. Yet the recall was ruled invalid because the Recall was unable to properly notice all members. In order to accomplish that, the Recall would have had to file another lawsuit, gone to court to have a judge force the board to comply with their own By Laws. Unfortunately, there were not unlimited funds for legal fees nor was there a treasury from which to draw funds. The members were noticed in every way possible under the circumstances, and we had competent and experienced legal advice. However, the arbitrator ruled that because we had the option to file another lawsuit, the recall vote was invalid. Whether you support the board's actions or oppose them, it is your right to voice your opinion and receive accurate facts. The ASPOA is a voluntary membership organization of far less than half of the residences and it does not speak for Alta Sierra as a whole, and cannot by law, be involved in political issues.
We are all neighbors and regardless of our opinions, we can treat each other with respect. We can agree that we want the best for our community, even as we may see that road differently. These court decisions have succeeded in putting important issues to rest. Thank you for your involvement in this process.
Kathy Monteiro
575-7984
I was asked to mention: Some residents are exploring the idea of having another voluntary neighborhood organization/club as an alternative choice to the ASPOA that could also provide the propane discount and offer new benefits to the community separate and apart from the beneficial, established ASPOA programs. Two organizations could provide choices in member dues and provide more benefits, especially if the two agreed to work together. Your thoughts and ideas are welcome by replying to this email.
