Six years ago Holly and I relocated from the San Francisco Bay Area to the Sierra Nevada Foothill town of Tuolumne. As a young man in my early twenties I had dreamed about living in the mountains in a smaller community with a slower pace of life. But time moved along and I met Holly. We married, had children and established a great life on the Peninsula (San Mateo) and later the East Bay (Livermore). So we embraced suburbia, prospered, and counted our blessings each day.
Years passed and now as empty nesters we were still very imbedded in suburbia when on a whim we took a trip to Tuolumne County. The trip was to look at a home I had seen for Sale on a Real Estate website. This photos of the home and the surrounding five acres called out to me. My dream of living in the mountains was re-kindled. At the time Holly was not ready to move but agreed to take a road trip “just for fun” to see the home.
That “just for fun”road trip turned out to be a life changing event!
After several weeks of discussion, processing, and deliberation we decided we would move to the Sierra Nevada Foothills. Over the next two months We looked at several more homes. and ended up buying that first home that had called out to me, and eventually to Holly too.
We call our home here in Tuolumne The Golden K. You can read more about the history of the name here.
My Romantic Vision Of Life At 3100 Feet
The first weeks and months I was in awe of the The Golden K! The pines, oaks and Manzanitas. The clean air, the country roads, and nature. The smaller more intimate community. The romantic vision I had as a young man of living in the mountains had come to life. I promised myself that I wouldn’t ever take any of it for granted. And for the most part I have not.
Recently we had a major storm. As I do after big storms I took a walk around the property to see if there were any downed trees or other damage. Usually, as I’m moving around the property, I have a specific task or goal: groom the gravel road, trim trees, blow leaves and pine needles, split wood, repair a fence, etc. But this walk was just to look around. It was a good reminder of the beauty and splendor of our home we call The Golden K.
As I walked I “snapped” a few photos with my phone. I was again in awe of my surroundings. My romantic vision of life at 3100 feet is alive and well!
The Golden K Shines
Wow! Can’t believe it’s been 6 years ago. Time sure has flown by. Love your foothills home.
Time does pass quickly. It’s good to stop and smell the pines on occasion and this was certainly one of those occasions.