About the Owners and their Vacation Rental Properties
My wife, Joan, and I, Dennis, live most of the time in an area frequently referred to as the northern tip of the wine country in California, just above Napa Valley. I recently sold my Internet Marketing Company and my wife is starting to wind down her successful art business. We are semi-retired now, but I still manage to keep busy with all my real estate projects, investments and family. We travel quite a bit together and with our two married daughters and their husbands and their growing families.
One of our daughters is a successful Interior Architect in Los Angles who is married to an entrepreneur who is the majority owner and CEO of a major software company. The other daughter is an occupational therapist, whose husband is the cameraman for many of the Home and Garden TV Network shows that we all love. We are an active group. We all love to ski, hike, scuba dive, surf, bike, boat, ride motorcycles, and hang out together in beautiful environments. We are recent grandparents with both daughters and are thoroughly enjoying this delightful new addition to our lives.
Why we chose Sayulita, Mexico
We already owned a villa in Sayulita, but wanted a better, larger property. We looked at everything for months and finally found the ideal Sayulita oceanfront location which afforded phenomenal unobstructed surf views and privacy. And we were just two blocks from the town plaza and one from the beach below the house. We had to do an extensive remodel to really create our dream house, but after all the hard work, we could not believe how much we loved our new tropical paradise.
We really love the location with unsurpassed panoramic views, the jungle garden surrounding our house, the heated swimming pool, the large collection of antique Mexican art thoughout the house and the great sunsets. We also really love spending time on the roof garden palapa terrace. Here we have 360 degree views of the ocean, mountains and village below. And we can watch the surfers below the house, see migrating whales and swooping birds, and a huge expanse of the Nayarit coastline. This is where we really kick back and relax and drink in all the beauty that is Sayulita.
Why we chose Alpine Meadows
After many years of owning a ski in/out house at Sugar Bowl, and after searching the entire Tahoe Basin, we found the ideal spot for enjoying the benefits of a four season vacation home. We are only a minute from Alpine Meadows - a ski hill we think is quite superior to Sugar Bowl, five minutes from Squaw Valley and the shores of Lake Tahoe. In summer, we are one minute from horseback riding and two minutes from terrific rafting and kayaking on the Truckee River. We consider this the best location in Tahoe for our kind of active summer and winter vacations and love that we are away from the congestion and noise of most of Tahoe.
We love the bright sunny feeling of our house in both winter and summer. We are surrounded by rugged nature but super comfortable in a house with every amenity. We love to sit by the fire or soak in the hot tub at the end of a ski day or after a bike ride. We also like watching DVDs on our new Sony 50" LCD TV, or playing games around the cozy fireplace. We are avid traditional art collectors and enjoy the feeling our unique alpine and American Indian decor provides. In summer we really like sunbathing, and/or hanging out and eating on one of our decks.
Why we chose the Clear Lake Riviera
We spent about a year looking at everything in the Riviera section of Clear Lake. We wanted a house that had spectacular unobstructed lake views and had a real sense of privacy. It was a tall order, but finally the perfect place became available and we pounced on it. We could not believe our good fortune. The dramatic expansive view the lake from our vantage point above Soda Bay blew us away. Here we are situated above the largest section of this big beautiful lake. Our only worry was the possibility of the owner of the walnut orchard next door building some day and potentially ruining our privacy, so we bought that piece of property as well.
We love this little house during every season. The panorama of the lake changes with the seasons and we feel like we are worlds away from the San Francisco Bay Area and yet so close. This property has a unique healing quality to it and you can just sit in the hot tub or deck chairs and gaze out onto the lake and distant mountains, or in the evening watch the sunsets, or later, the clear star-filled heavens.
Why we chose the Cobb Mountain Area
Again, the close proximity to the San Francisco Bay Area is a big plus. But also being in the wine country and surrounding by beautiful mountains and vineyards makes this area very special. The peace and quiet at our primary residence is amazing. You really feel like you are on a large ranch because no neighbors can be seen, only miles and miles of vineyards, forest and mountains.
The architecturally designed house is also quite unique. We love the quality of light that fills the house and the interesting and varied layout which takes advance of all the natural features outside: from the waterfall and koi pond to the surrounding oak forest and snow capped (winter only) Cobb Mountain Range. This is a truly special private estate.
