Back in October, we placed our plump, firm and shiny new pumpkin on the front porch, where it greeted everyone who graced our door. I'd purchased it around the middle of the month at the Winco on Northtowne Lane.
It greeted trick-or-treaters on the evening of Oct. 31, and, as the weeks wore on, it became clear the uncarved beauty would serve us well into Harvest season and Thanksgiving.
Then, the first snow came and the Great Pumpkin hadn't budged. It also had aged quite nicely, I have to say. A fine sheen of frost covered it every morning, and all I had to do was brush off the occasional bit of snow or ice.
So now we find ourselves a week before Christmas and the Great Pumpkin is still there. Unbothered, unfettered, a silent sentinel warning that if you come into this house, you need to understand one thing - our gourds don't mess around.
Now I'm determined to see how long it'll last. Pretty shortly, as it ages, I'll move it to the back yard, but I'll send photo updates documenting the pumpkin's inevitable decline.
I can't say for sure when Aztecas, the Mexican restaurant on Robb Dr. closed, but I'm guessing it's a fairly recent development. Only a couple of months ago, all seemed well at the trendy (ish) place, which served up above-average fare from south of the border.
Along with an impressive tequila selection, they even had those really cool Mexican sodas like you see at the grocery store. It was a Mexican joint actually fit for a date. Whatever that is.
Sadly, as I drove by today, I had to shake my head and stare as another local business had clearly bitten the dust. It's only been a few months since The Purple Bean, Too, next door closed, forcing me to drive over to the original location off W. 7th St.
So, adios, Aztecas. We barely knew ya, but you'll be missed.
Dire predictions of multiple inches of snow and sub-zero temps apparently turned out to be just that; predictions.
A nice howler of a wind blew in Thursday night, usually a portent of heavy snow, but the white stuff never materialized up here and we woke up to a cool, but clear morning. In fact, the wind only seemed to have blown the existing snow away in many parts.
Here's what the weather service says specifically about ZIP code 89523 for the rest of the weekend:
Today: Partly sunny, with a high near 34. Calm wind.
Tonight: Mostly cloudy, with a low around 19. Southeast wind around 5 mph.
Sunday: A chance of rain, snow, and freezing rain before 10am, then a chance of snow. Cloudy, with a high near 36. Southwest wind between 5 and 10 mph. Chance of precipitation is 40%.
Sunday Night: Rain likely before 10pm, then snow likely. Cloudy, with a low around 28. Breezy, with a southwest wind between 15 and 20 mph, with gusts as high as 30 mph. Chance of precipitation is 70%.
Sometimes, nothing beats pounding the pavement with old-fashioned street-level marketing. Such is the case with Beck's brew house, which appears to be open for business up off of Kings Row.
This makes twice now that I've heard about the new place. Yesterday, it was on twitter. So, spending a few bucks at Kinko's and hitting the intertubes with some word-of-mouth will hopefully pay off for these guys.
Now, I just hope they are forward-thinking enough to actually serve Becks beer. Because, if they don't, you just know that's a mistake they'll never live down.
Reno blogger James Ball was born in 1973 and raised in North Georgia, attending the University of Georgia in Athens. He and his wife, Pam, moved to Lake Tahoe in 1995, eventually settling in Reno in the early 2000s. They live in Northwest Reno with their two boys, Thomas and Alex. James is a web editor at the Reno Gazette-Journal.
