We desperately needed to get away. All this covid stuff is crazy, all the more so in CA where our dictator, I mean governor now is demanding we wear masks when we eat… I can’t even.
So we drove up to Lake Tahoe and had a wonderful getaway. Our first stop was in Carson City, the capitol of Nevada. As soon as we crossed the state line there was a Casino, then surprisingly not many casinos until Carson City
I have to say, here we are on the Main Street downtown, this is where the state capitol and all government buildings are. And the two casinos here are much bigger and more imposing. This was was having some work done, maybe it was replacing lightbulbs. Or Cleaning the sign. How cool is this wonderful blade sign with the old fashioned neon.
Same sign from another angle.
I’m happy to say, that although these are large casinos, they don’t dominate the city. Because Carson City is a government town, it suppresses a lot of business, that is the nature of most capitols. Which probably explains why Reno, just up the road is a much larger, more thriving town. The one benefit to this is that old homes and buildings don’t get torn down all that quickly.
We see new buildings made to look like the old western buildings did.
Look next door, that is a real old house. (I know, old is relative, probably less than 100 years). You can see the detail of creating a rounded section, that takes, time, money and good craftsmanship. I appreciate the new, boy do I love the old!
Another example of old, love the detail on the second floor, the pushed out bays. Yes, you can go back and look at the modern building, there are some upshots, but they are rectangular, not half a hexagon like we have here.
We walked partway on the Kit Carson Trail. A walk in old downtown Carson City of important old homes. This is what I mean when I say that the old is still standing. I have no idea the significance of this house, it wasn’t built by anyone important nor did someone famous live here, but it’s still standing.
This is the famous one, The Orion Clemens house, 150 years old. Orion was secretary to the territorial governor. But the real claim to fame is his brother, who would stay with him, the one who took on the pen name of Mark Twain.
Back of the house. These homes were built very close together, many do have yards, but not huge ones. In this case the yard has been converted to a parking lot. You may have noticed the sign on the house, today it is a law firm. This reminded me so much of growing up in Jerusalem. There like here, old houses or apartments became professional offices. Lawyers, CPAs’ Drs. For a number of years growing up, our upstairs neighbor was a law firm. I’m not upset about this, clearly people would rather live in larger housing developments, but the buildings are being used, not torn down.
Here is the sign out front, and yes, I do like that the frame is the state of Nevada.
This is another historic home that today is an antique shop. There is a lot of Victorian fru-fru going on here. Maybe to much, maybe just the right amount.
Another important house on the tour, once again, I do love the detail. The guy who photobombed this, I’ll keep him.
People do live in some of these old homes. Some already have Halloween decorations up. We spoke to a number of residents out in their yards. Between the businesses and the residents, the place is lively during the day, probably much quieter at night.
Can’t complain about someone with a cannon in their front yard. especially one that is so well cared for.
More on our trip soon.
Leah