The Best Sunset Ever….Delivered By Greg
Lake Tahoe holds a special place in my heart. I grew up in Tahoe as a kid. Whenever we were not in school, we were at the cabin. My grandma, Grandpa Casella, my dad, and my uncle Bob built the cabin. It’s small and has the best yellow Formica countertop in the kitchen. My grandma collected all of the stones for the fireplace. We have tons of family memories at the cabin, and I consider it my Happy Place.
Flash forward to today, the fall of 2024. Dave and I decided to go over to Incline Village, have a cocktail, and watch the sunset. We went to the Lone Eagle restaurant, which is kind of fancy pants, but the view is spectacular. We got a couple of drinks, grabbed a couple of Adirondack chairs by the fire pit, and settled in. This is where we met Greg.
While Dave was at the bar getting our drinks, I sat at the fire pit, where Greg was already sitting. We were making small talk, and at one point, I said, “Isn’t it lovely looking out there and not seeing a single boat? I’m not a fan of having to look through the crowded buoy field to see all the beauty Mama Nature has to offer.” And Greg said, “Except for the one parked at the dock over there, that’s mine.” I looked down at the pier and saw an cool older boat parked there. It lay so flat in the water that I didn’t notice it. But once I did, I realized it looked so much like my dad’s old boat.
My dad built a boat himself, and the family would water ski in Lake Tahoe often. My Dad’s boat “Lil Spook” had an engine from an old Chevy. I don’t remember the year, but I thought that it was pretty cool that it had a car engine in the boat. My parents kept the boat in our garage growing up, and it was the best spot for make-believe fun. My brother and I would pretend to drive the boat to different places. We would hang out in it, turn it into a fort, or a spaceship, and the gasoline smell was glorious!
When I looked at Greg’s boat, I told him about my Dad and how I grew up at the lake. He had a similar story of being raised at the lake during summer. I told him about my sparkly purple kayak I loved as a kid. And guess what? His boat has sparkles! The name of his boat is ‘Hawaiian Blue’. It turns out that Greg celebrates the end of the boating season by having a cocktail at the Lone Eagle at sunset, and then the next day, he takes the boat out of the water for the season.
As the sun was going down, the clouds looked like cotton candy. Some clouds even had rainbows in them. The lake looked like glass. It was a truly magical evening. Then, Greg announced he had to drive off into the sunset for Hawaiian Blues’ last hurrah for 2024.
Then Greg invited us to go out for a quick loop in Crystal Bay. Of course, we said, “YES!”
The smell of the boat, the seats, the old-school metal foot pedal, the sound of the motor… It all brought me right back to my childhood.
It was such a gift!
Here’s a peek at the fun and beauty
Greg, a stranger, gave us this beautiful gift. I don’t even know his last name or what he does for a living. All I know is that his mother still lives in Danville, and he lives on the water a few doors down from the Lone Eagle.
I know you’re out there, Greg…and Dave and I thank you from the bottom of our hearts! My Dad thanks you too!
Namaste — Karen