Autumn Vistas at Tahoe

I spent the past several days at Lake Tahoe. It was a five day trip...leave Monday, return Friday. When I retired, I envisioned doing a lot of these excursions, but in reality most of my journeys have been shorter or longer. I was fortunate enough to be able to stay at a friend's house at Tahoe and just cocooned for four nights; did a lot of reading and guitar playing while the rain poured down. But, lots of clouds are great for photography; the light is dramatic and rapidly changing. This pic is at Secret Harbor Beach, on the Nevada side. You have to hike about a mile to get here, and on a summer weekend there are a lot of folks skinny dipping here. But on an October weekday with the temperature in the mid 40s, it was just me, in jeans and a heavy duty sweatshirt.

On a cold, overcast day, the normally azure lake metamorphoses into a gunmetal gray. I have a mix of emotions. The scene is tranquil, yet ominous. It's beautiful. Growing up in the Pacific Northwest, this type of weather is in my DNA. I enjoy it...for a few days.

The autumn sun tries to shine weakly through the clouds, producing awesome light.

More fine light. Tahoe mesmerizes me, no matter what type of weather is occurring. It's a magical place. If I was wealthy enough to have two homes, I'd have one here.

This past Wednesday was fairly sunny, with a brisk northeasterly wind kicking up some surf. I reckon the deserted beach speaks of summer past, while the snowcapped peaks show that winter is on the way.