TWO BUSINESSES CLOSE

Recently while driving around Nevada County I noticed a few local businesses who no longer have their doors open.

The first was located in Alta Sierra which offered coffee and yogurt known as Crazy 8 Frozen Yogurt and Coffee Drive Thru. This was a great family owned local hang for Alta Sierra residents.

Another shop which closed is the Quisno's sandwich shop located on Combie Rd. located next to the Chevron and Starbucks in the South County. I did find it odd when a Subway opened less than 30 yards away but now we know that the people who live on the Combie corridor prefer Subway.

Has anyone else seen a business close its doors within the past few months? Please let us know.

YUBA RIVER FLY FISHING JAN 2013 - 2050 CFS

The weather and the water levels of the Yuba have been stable for almost two weeks so on Friday a friend and I grabbed our fly gear and headed to Big 5 to purchase our 2013 fishing licenses and steelhead card. $57 later we headed to the river.

When we arrived at the Parks Bar bridge we had to fight to get a parking spot. Kidding aside there were 17 cars parked at the bridge.

We fished for 3 hours and during that time I had one take on a size 14 tan colored nymph. We spoke to at least 12 other fisherman who did worse than us. It was tough fishing. The Yuba's flow has been stable at 2050 CFS for two weeks so the fishing should have been very good.

I spoke to a man from Grass Valley who had fished the day before and he was skunked then as well.

On Monday morning I got a report from Reel Anglers Fly Shop in Grass Valley and the report was...
I was able to get down on the Lower Yuba on Sunday, the fishing was pretty darn good. We started the day with nymphs under indicators, the hot flies were red sanjuan worms, red copper john's and jimmy legs. We started fishing dries around 11:00 and hooked up fish immediately and continued to catch fish all day. The hot dries were Skwalla's. I have my pattern here at the shop, and some Quigley's PMD's. It was a great day to be out on the river, no one out there, thanks to the Niners game.

Sometimes the fishing turns on do-to unknown factors. The Fly shop's report sounds promising, so I may have to go again soon but before I do I will need to patch the hole in my waders.

THE UNION'S CHOCOLATE INFUSION EVENT - BEST IN SHOW PORT

On Sunday I attended the first ever Chocolate Infusion a chocolate and wine event at the Miner's Foundry which was the brain child of The Union Newspaper's MarryAnn Davis. My wife and I pre-ordered our tickets which were $20 or could have been purchased at the door for $25.

There were many people who enjoyed themselves and the event was exactly as advertised.

Included in the entrance fee was a wine and chocolate tasting which included a best in show port (my opinion) from Solune. The favor was very complimentary to Nevada City Chocolate's dark-dark fudge. Lucchesi Vineyard's port was a close second. Sierra Knolls offered a chocolate infused port which was absolutely fabulous when consumed by itself but when paired with chocolate it did not work. It would be best served by itself. 

 The Union as well as the Miner's Foundry should encouraged to host the second annual event in 2014.

BEAR RIVER LITTLE LEAGUE TRYOUT DAY

On Saturday at 8 am twenty 7 through 12 year old boys from Bear River Little League stood on frozen ground with only white frost as their back drop in hopes of having a great baseball tryout which could result in being drafted to a Major or Minor's team for the spring of the 2013 Little League baseball season.

While it was very cold it did not slow down these boys of summer.

There were two additional groups of boys who had their chance to strut-their-stuff at 9 am and 10 am. For those players who want to play baseball this season there is a make-up tryout scheduled for Monday at the BRLL major field.

This is my first time being involved with a draft so I attempted to take good notes and did my best to rate the children fairly. Each player had the opportunity to field 3 ground balls at short stop and make an accurate throw to first base. Some of the players stood out to me as they used good foot work as well as showed they had a lively arm. Then they put on helmets and took three cuts with the bat as balls were delivered by a pitching machine. There were a few new kids to BRLL so it was important to watch closely. Once each child had their turn the boys then went to center field where they took three fly balls. A few caught all three but many struggled to catch even one. The final event of the day was to run from home to third. There were a few boys who's speed stood out. All-in-all it was a great day for not only the boys who had the opportunity to show if they were ready to move to the next level, it was a great day for me to be involved in a game I love.

As a manager I will strive to win but never at all costs. Whom ever I select to put on a Tiger's uniform with me this season we will always try to have a good time.


The Major's draft is scheduled for Wednesday from 6 to 8 pm. If you or your child do get drafted, congratulations, but if  the call does not come, please take this small set back and turn it into motivation to work hard and improve so when you tryout again the call will surely come.


I will close with a quote from Sparky Anderson, Detriot Tiger's manager who won the World Series with the Reds and Tigers.

“Look at misfortune the same way you look at success:  Don’t panic.  Do your best and forget the consequences”.

BEAR RIVER VOLLEYBALL - SCHELL AND JOHNSON ALL-STATE

I heard from the Bear River High School coaching staff on Saturday that Sara Schell was awarded First team All-state in Division IV team and Kaya Johnson was also received D-IV Second team All-state honors.

Outside-hitter Sara Schell and setter Kaya Johnson led the Lady Bruins to a Sac-Joaquin section title in 2012 in a 3-1 win over Ripon Christian.

The two senior were the scoring for Bear River that finished the season with a 31-13 over-all record.

FLY TYING CLASS - REEL ANGLERS - GRASS VALLEY

On Monday night my son who is 11 and I attended a fly tying class which happens every week at Reel Anglers Fly Shop in Grass Valley California. The owner, Tom Page was not only welcoming he also gave up his chair as there were a few more people who share a passion for tying than he expected.

My son was the youngest student of the night but there were also two high school students as well as some women who could have been grandmothers. The age range was wide but the conversation closed the generation gap. The vocabulary revolved around nymphs and streamers. Page also sat at the vice and wowed us with his Pheasant Tail nymph on a size 12 hook which looked great.

My son is new to the hobby and I have tied a few flies but nothing very complicated or for that matter that looked very good so we sat in looking for help. Help is exactly what we found. The entire group was helpful and shared materials.

If you have wanted to tie then head to Reel Anglers on Monday nights from 6 to 8 p.m.

NEVADA COUNTY DEAL OF THE DAY - ALTA SIERRA

Today's Deal of the Day is on a two bedroom with two bathrooms which is 1,250 square feet on a .96 acre lot in Alta Sierra for $175,000. Currently this is the lowest priced home in the area. Short sales as well as REO properties are drying up so we should see pricing pressure moving high.

The home needs some updating but at this price the updating is priced in. The view is great. The home is vacant so you can see it at a moments notice.

The listing agent describles the home as...
 BofA Cooperative short sale approved "as-is" at this price. Quick Close. Great home in a beautiful neighborhood. 2 bed/ 2 bath plus downstairs which could be used as game room or entertainment area. Also features sun room with outside access as well! Master includes large walk in closet with 2 additional closets for extra storage. Large living room with cozy wood fireplace, slider to upper deck with spectacular views! Downstairs includes slider as well to lower large wrap around deck. Perfect for the entertainer!

If you have interest in seeing this property please feel free to contact me at 530-477-2277

Scott Hopper - Realtor, 530-477-2277

"If you enjoy reading my blog, please keep me in mind when you or a friend needs a real estate professional"