Tahoe Local

In A Mountain Spirit's Guide, book two in the Tahoe Local series, journalist Trish Tomer brings readers more vignettes of life in a mountain paradise through a lens that is simultaneously loving and always irreverent. Fellow locals will recognize reminders of why they've chosen their way of life, through every season and every change, and visitors will discover the reason why these locals stay, even when the snow piles up past windowsills or the summer traffic tests our patience. All others will find themselves transported to a place where the air is thin, the stories are rich, and the natural beauty still takes our breath away, even after all these years.

Blue Ribbon Finalist for Best Columns in the 2013 California Newspaper Publishers Association. Want to move to Tahoe? Jump in and hold on for a ride through fifty years of living in a high-altitude, weather-centric, quirky mountain town. Along the way, you'll gain insights into the misfits and free spirits who thrive in Tahoe's wilderness paradise and fickle climate and find out more about a populace that embraces bizarre employment opportunities for the promise of a hedonistic lifestyle. Learn how Tahoe locals celebrate the holidays mountain-style and the not-so-special events they create. This is a place where happy hour is still respected and observed daily. Get a close-up view of the service workers and the tourists who, unfortunately, have to depend on them. Take a peek at Tahoe's casinos that offer jobs with the guarantee of minimum wage, a complimentary meal of banquet leftovers, and a free humiliating uniform. As you travel Tahoe's bumpy roads, you might find a town with limitless recreational activities-most of which are legal. And you may be tempted to join the unleashed dogs and untethered humans at play. You'll see what it takes to be called a "Tahoe local," the true test is not how long you've lived here, but how you respond to the call of the wild.