Hotel Charlotte weekly menu 4/16

Hello Friends,

What a week. We were "bombarded" with trivia players on Monday, Hetchy and Rotary on Tuesday and beautiful weather all week long, a bit chilly in the am, but nothing we can't sleep through! Goose is running for Honorary Mayor again and will be sparring against Jack Slocombe, campaign manager and wordsmith for Barry Scales, the other announced candidate. It will be a grand competition again this year. Has your club found a candidate yet?

Fresh Fish of the Week
Thursday will be Halibut, Friday and Saturday will be Salmon

Lamb Shank
Simmered all day with Victor's secret seasonings. Big and delicious, we call this the Barney Rubble!

Seafood Pasta
Shrimp, crab, clams and fresh fish in a white wine sauce with a touch of marinara served over linguini

3– courses, $24.95 or order these dinners ala Carte, $19.95

Note that we have the Cabaret Charlotte with Dennis Brown & Friends, Sierra Sounds on Sunday night, the show is sold out, so please plan on joining us on Thursday-Saturday for our regular menu, Mondays for our trivia & special menu or Tuesday and Wednesday for our wine tasting and lite bites.

See you Soon!
Lynn & Victor
Reservations encouraged: 209-962-6455
www.HotelCharlotte.com

Coming up:

Metz Mania Photography Show: Yosemite Seasons & Sierra Springs Sunday, 4/26 from noon to 4pm. Meet the photographer and enjoy great savings and giveaways.

Wine Immersion Days, April 26th & 27th. Mark your calendars! Dave Purse of Willow Creek winery in El Dorado County joins us for two days of events: Reception, dinner and picnic in Yosemite followed by a wine team at trivia on Monday night. Details online, www.HotelCharlotte.com/willowcreek.html

Daily Wine Tasting at the Charlotte, a tradition of Wine, Food & Fun! Serving a Lite Bites menu from 11:30 daily and on nights our restaurant is traditionally closed.

4/17 & 18 Live at the Iron Door Saloon: Jake Mackey & the Muddy Suns

www.iron-door-saloon.com More info, contact Chris 209.962.8904. Live music on the weekends at the Iron Door. Enjoy great rock & roll, dance music, sometimes blues...a collection of styles!

4/18 19th Hole Lounge: Rockslide at Pine Mountain Lake Country Club Free

www.pinemountainlake.com More info, contact Charlie 209.962.8636. Open to the public, The 19th Hole Lounge offers entertainment throughout the year including most Saturdays and holidays

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Mensa Mondays Trivia Score update

We had a blast, or half a blast as it might be for those who were here! First the scores then a bit of banter about the evening!

Monday's game was the first where we had a run-away score with the lead team finishing 5 points ahead of the next closest follower. (Cindi & Jim, there was a scoring problem on the photos page that I have corrected. There were 13 questions on the page, 2 wrong is 11 right. Your score keeper used my recopied, but not corrected number 20 as count of questions, subtracted 2 and gave you an 18 instead of an 11, but all is right now) Patti, this should make you grin. Spread between the top players is now 4 points.

There are 4 contenders following closely behind this lead group...it will come down to attendance! Roy, Rita, Amanda and Jim of the Hetchy group. Good luck!

Now, on the the Other Event of the evening! Due to forces beyond our control the highway was closed to our west blocking off access to Pine Mountain Lake where our Trivia players, local dinner guests and my whole staff live. While updates throughout the evening indicated there would soon be a change in status, it dragged out to midnight before the road was reopened. During that time we a dinner party of 10 with 4 adults and 6 kids. When they finished in the restaurant I gave them a room key to our largest room so they could hang out, watch TV and just enjoy each others company. Three of our staff ended up staying the night with us too.

Between entertainment sets by Goose as he ran through all of this new tricks, Victor's antics and the best of Lynn's jokes our guests played the real trivia pursuit. I don't think it was nearly as fun as the game I produce each week!

Here is my favorite trivia question, and one I made up all by myself when the players took a private vote and told me no more anagrams....Okay, so math problems it is!

• If I woke up in Wisconsin on Sunday at 9:30am
• Arrived in San Francisco at 11:30pm
• Checked into my hotel at 12:30am
• Went to sleep at 2:30am
• And arrived back at groveland at 9:00am Monday morning
• What is my middle name?

I bet you thought I was going to ask a differnt question! This is the kind of inane fun we have.

Alas, the road opened and all were off....Just when I was getting my 4th wind. May we never have the same situation that brought us all together Monday, but another get together would always be welcome!

Trivia update, 4-6

Ah...the plot thinkens, the scores even closer and the leaders have whispered they may have to miss a night. That puts lots of folks back into the running!

Winners Roy, Rita & Ben, a second win for this team. Congratulations!

We had a great showing tonight with our regulars and 5 week guests: Glenn, Dan & Jim and several tables of visitors and first timers. We were even playing both dining rooms.

See you all again next week.

Trivia Madness—Monday Mania!

This week's game was our biggest ever with 7 playing teams and two that played, but did not enter the scoring round. We had our two time returning champs Jim & Dan (shy of Glenn, who we learned was clearly an asset to their team)

A two person team from out of town won the game, a young couple who with their explorations of Groveland were able to get some of the answers. Our museum is running a display on historic valentine's day cards and one of the answers was right there, on display: 1913. Congratulations!

So we have had 5 games, three won by visitors to Groveland, two by local teams. The standings are very close for first place. Patti has taken the lead over Jim & Cindi by 2 points but there are several contenders who could step right in should any of these folks miss a night.

We celebrated three birthdays during the game and one of my questions has been questioned! Mary wrote today thinking that a minute of kissing shouldn't burn as many as 26 calories. Her chart showed that it would take a 220 pound person 15 minutes of kissing to burn 26 calories. Hmmmm, Who measures these things?

Emily our trivia waitress handles 40 people needing constant attention very well especially given that we are also playing the Trivial Game. Brilliant work last night Emily!

Reservations might be required next week!

Lite Bites Menu, Daily Lunch

Today's Menu
· A selection of cheeses served $10.95
French fashion with hunks of mixed cheese, crusty bread and an apple
· A bowl of award winning chili or potato leek soup, served with bread $7.95
· Lox & crackers, cream cheese, and tomato slices $9.95
· Pita & homemade humus $7.95
· Ham & cheese panini with $10.95pasta salad
· Caesar salad $6.95 Greek salad $7.95
Add grilled chicken breast $3.00

Homemade desserts $5.95
Homemade Mango Ice-cream $3.95
Soda, Tea, Coffee (refills) $1.95
Beer $3.00 imports/micro $3.50
Cocktails: Well $3.50 Call $4.75 Premium $5.75

Delish!

Ride for Cherylann

Ride for Cherylann of the Hotel Jeffery April 19th, 2009

11am to 6 pm at the Historic Hotel Jeffery in Coulterville

Group rides are leaving from the Whiskey River Saloon in Oakdale and Bud's Place in Snelling. Sign in on the day of the event, Sunday, April 19th from 9 to 10:30 am or just ride to the Hotel Jeffery from where ever you are. Both locations will be preselling tickets so you can avoid lines at the door. $20 includes lunch & a live band. There will be a 50-50, raffle, bake sale and more. Any questions, please call Lora at 209-480-7038.

Those who can't participate in person but would like to support Cherylann are encouraged to donate a prize for the raffle. Let's all give a hug and hope to our friend Cherylann.

Lynn

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Trivia Update Week 4

Well, our traveling team of guys missed tonight and we missed them. I believe they would have made great challengers! We now have a 3 way tie with Cindy, Jim & Patti. Amanda would have been in the running, but bowling took priority last night. A new team joined us spear headed by Stacie, thank you Stacie and they placed very well for first timers.

The theme for this week was Catchy Slogans for the Mayor Race (Goose the Hotel Dog is running for Mayor again this year) Needless to say, I didn't get anything out of the group that I could use unless the team named Goosey Girls wants to dress up as cheer leaders and participate in the Stumping events....That might work!

Roy and Rita were back and are in great position should attendance continue to plague the leaders. They teamed up with Ben last night and stole the prize winning by one point. We missed Ginny, Bruce, Kitty & Ed and hope they return next week. I even got Ed's special beer, Miller 64.

The menu was great and I had the fish & chips again, this time made with shark. If you enjoyed our Thai Thursdays last week, you should join us on Mondays, Victor has been making a Thai dish each week priced from $10.95 to $12.95 and way delicious! You don't HAVE to play trivia to enjoy a good meal, having the two dining rooms makes this very easy to separate.

Featured treats with new items weekly
Burgundy Filet Tips $12.95
Shrimp, Fennel & Radish Salad $10.95
Mini Bouillabaisse (clams, lobster, shrimp) $12.95
Fresh Homemade Fish & Chips (shark) $10.95

Thai spiced Chicken Breast $10.95
Mini Sierra Kabob $12.95

We look forward to welcoming you. Also, the newsletter for March is out and we are carrying some great room specials, if you haven't seen it, www.HotelCharlotte.com/newsletters/03-09news.html. A cute read!

Trivia Dining a third night of winners

What fun we had. Nobody knew what a barbie was worth, everyone thought they knew how long a snail can sleep and the game designer (me!) mixed up Bonanza with Gun Smoke and ruined a whole photo question....They laughed at me, but I will get them next week with some really smart questions like what is the origins of the word Gymnasium???? Get ready teams!

We have one team that are two time winners and they are just visiting the area while working on a project for HH. The locals are getting fresh trying to scare them away. The standings are as follows: Visiting Guys: 104 points, Amanda & Patti 101 points, Cindi & Jim 100 points. The rest of us are hoping these folks in the front take a night or two off so they can catch up!

Grand prize will be awarded on the 10th night of play in May. Come on down for a good time, good fun and new friends!

This week's special menu continued with some new items and well priced along with a selection from our traditional menu:

Featured treats with new items weekly
Mixed Trio: Salmon, Steak & Sausages $12.95
Shrimp Salad $10.95
Sausage & Peppers $10.95
Fresh Homemade Fish & Chips $10.95
Petite Chicken Parmagiana $10.95
Rigatoni with Gorgonzola $10.95
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Traditional Selections From the Charlotte Grill:
Chicken Argentine with a tangy garlic sauce $14.95
Charlotte “Stake” with peppercorn sauce $15.95
Pampas Steak with a tangy garlic sauce $15.95
New York Steak with peppercorn sauce $23.95
Rack of Lamb with mint jelly $22.95
Filet Mignon with peppercorn sauce $22.95
Linguini Marinara (vegetarian) $ 9.95
With Clams or Meatballs $13.95
Add a soup or salad $2.95

We have your daily dose of wine!

Hotel Charlotte Has… Your Daily Ration of Wine!

Starting on Saturday, March 28th, the Hotel Charlotte presents Daily Wine Tasting from 11:30am on. We start the program featuring six wines with selections from Sierra Foothills, Napa, France and Italy. There will be a small fee for tastings, but this charge will be taken off the price of a bottle should you find one to purchase. We fully expect to live up to our “Wine, Food and Fun” reputation with this latest adventure.

While our wine tasting is open, so too will our dining room with a small and simple menu complimenting our wine selections. Both wine choices and menus will change regularly. The Lite Bites menu will feature a only a few items perhaps a mixed cheese platter served French style with crusty bread and apple slices, salad or sandwich of the day, our award winning chili, pita & humus, maybe even fondu. You get the idea, nice but light selections. Our Light Bites will also be available to travel should you prefer to picnic in the park after your tasting time.

Hotel Charlotte wine hosts are recognized Yosemite Experts, and have been selected for their breadth of experience and their passion for the area, which will enable them to advise our wine tasters, travelers and the locals alike, on all things Yosemite.

Jeannie Tasker: I've been visiting Yosemite since 1958, when my family moved to California, and my indoctrination to Yosemite included every ranger led hike and evening talk offered in the Park. I've hiked every trail in Yosemite Valley, including some that no longer exist. I've hiked to the top of Half Dome and Clouds Rest, and to the top of Yosemite Falls more times than I can remember. My favorite hiking is the high country, out from Tuolumne Meadows. I've hiked the complete High Sierra Loop (60 miles) twice, as well as to each individual High Sierra Camp numerous times. Sunrise is my favorite High Sierra Camp. I'm a life member of the Yosemite Association, and have enjoyed numerous backpack trips and seminars with YA members. My husband and I moved to Groveland 28 years ago to be close to Yosemite's beauty, and I often sneak off for an afternoon hike somewhere in the Park.

Kris Corey: My background stems from the natural sciences and I have lived in the local area for 17 years. One of my personal goals is to hike every trail in Yosemite, so far I have accomplished about 450 trails, a total of about 800 miles, and I plan to keep at it! For travelers with only 1 day to spend in the park, I recommend Sentinel Dome or Taft Point, these trails are off the beaten path plus offer the hiker awesome views of the valley and neither one calls for the a high degree of climbing skill. My favorite High Sierra Camp is Vogelsang for its Alpine beauty. I write for the Yosemite Gazette, and am in the process of developing a start-up company to provide travelers to Yosemite who have a limited amount of time to experience the park, with an audio tour guide that will maximize their visit to Yosemite. I worked for the Hotel Charlotte during the summer of 2008, providing hotel guests with information and advice on Yosemite during the morning breakfast hours and am thrilled to be back for the 2009 season.

So, take a break from your journey, or just from your day, come and set a spell with us and sample some fine wines! Tasting room opens at 11:30 am daily. If our restaurant is not open for the traditional Hotel Charlotte dinner experience, the tasting room and Lite Bites menu be open until 9:00 pm providing guests and travelers alike another choice, now seven days a week! Won’t this make a great birthday luncheon for you and your friends? For more information or to book a group (10 or more folks) please give us a call, 209-962-6455

Sleep Deprived Trivia

This was our second Monday with the restaurant open, and word has gotten out about how fun these nights are. We had our returning champions from last week here, hotel guests working on a project for Hetch Hetchy and a new locals team, Sleepless in PML and some growth in our other local teams bring the game players to 20 (with room for more!)

This week the competition was heavy with folks studying current events and brushing up on Barbie trivia (but I didn't ask anything Barbie, that got a good laugh!) There were math and logic questions this week and the game ended tied. The tie breaker ended tied and we had to flip a coin to pick the winner! Luckily, Dave Purse from Willow Creek winery was here doing a preview for his coming wine maker dinner on April 26th and he tossed in a prized bottle of wine so both tied teams won! It was cool for sure!

Victor always puts out a special, lighter and lower priced menu and adds a few of our traditional items for those who can't live without their favorites. These were this weeks new items:

Baked Rigatoni $10.95
Shrimp Salad $10.95
Sausage & Peppers $10.95
Petite Filet Mignon Kabob $12.95
Fresh Homemade Fish & Chips $10.95
Petite New York Steak & Onions $12.95
Thai Shrimp with Green Curry (spicy) $12.95

So, the standings right now are Cindi, Jim, Rita & Roy at 64 points, Amanda, Patti at 63 points and new comers Stacie, Linda and Victoria at 40. (missing a night affects your cummulative score, so the fewer nights you miss, the better your score will be, but everyone will likely have a night or two off so it will even out by the end...And it isn't too late to get into the game. Total prize value to date: $75.

What a cool thing to do at the Hotel Charlotte in Groveland on the way to Yosemite!!!

Is Green really green?

We are trying so hard to get greener and the challenges are getting frustrating. We have struggled the most with light bulbs. Simple thing you would think. We buy these long lasting envronmentally friendly light bulbs that are supposed to be oh so wonderful. Well, even this last batch labeld dimmable has failed us. Today I am looking down our usually well lit hall-of-art and three out of the 15 bulbs have blown. What we might be saving in energy usage we are spending on replacing these fancy light bulbs...far more frequently than the old cheap energy hogs.

hmmmmmmm! Some things were meant to be easier.

Rainy Firsts, a night a food, fun & trivia

Monday, March 2nd was our grand opening of our now second annual Monday Somethings! Last year was Tapas & Games where we served oodles of little plates, three for $9.99 and made our games available for guests. We pair singles with others and couples with couples to get good game tables going. Dominos dominated the season.

This year we are calling the night Mensa Mondays with live Trivia delivered in three sets, questions, who are these people and where are these places, both photo trivial. We may add new styles as we go. Victor deliver his own stimulous package with new dishes to choose from priced from $9.95 to $12.95 along with some of your favorites from the regular menu.

We had 5 teams play this week, two from out of town. Visitors were given a pass on the few Groveland questions we had, but they did do a good job guessing. A team of 3 gentlemen visiting us for the week while they work on the Hetch Hetchy line won the game with 28 out of 39 possible right answers. Second place was team Katrina with Cindi, Jim, Roy & Rita at 24 points followed very closely by the 23 point team of Amanda, Patty and Mary. There was more than a little hooting and hollering.

Each week a $25 Gift Certificate is awarded the first place team with a total of $100 in gift certificates given out on the final week with cumulative scoring. So we encourage you to participate as often as posible, your winnings could pay for the 10 weeks of play.
Here are the standings so far.

Cindi, Jim, Roy & Rita 24
Patti, Amanda and Mary 23
Micheal & Karisa 17

We are tracking by the individual, so coming every week even if your whole team can't make it is going to be important. Each week the score you earned with your team will be tallied up and we will have prizes on the final night worth $100. with $25 to that night's winning team and a Grand Prize $50 gift certificate, 1st runner up $25. With the weekly payout of $25 there are oodles of great ways to win! We have room for a few more teams, so get yours together this week!

We have our board games, cards and dominos also available for those who like to multitask with their dinner.

Sommelier Hosted Wine Dinner

We just love wine-dinners and this series is titled: Sipping through the Sierra where we pair owner-chef Victor's great menus with our favorite Sommelier, Nicole Darracq's, top selections from each of the Sierra Foothill regions is no different! Wines are available for post event purchase and favorites end up on our wine list.

Sipping El Dorado will be held on Sunday, March 22. Tickets are $64 per person with dinner, wines, tax and tip included. Stay & Play room rates from $89 per room (2-people) breakfast included. Our next menu will look something like this:

• Appetizer: Happy Hour Bruschetta (topping TBA)
• Salad: (omething springy and light with an olive oil & lemon dressing)
• Treat: Caviar on crackers, cream cheese with champagne
• Main: Surf & Turf with Lobster with a red and a white, maybe a dry pink
• Finish: Mixed Cheeses, apples, fig compote
  5-courses, 6 wines, and some uncommon treats!

History of the Sipping through the Sierras Wine Dinners:
We started the program for many reasons, one to add a new twist bringing local Sierra Foothills wines to Groveland and to help us expand our wine list with tested favorites. By hiring a sommelier we weren't tied to featuring only one winery, but several. We were also able to invite many wine makers to join us further enhancing the experience. Each event allowed guests to purchase wines at a discounted post-event price and we were able to determine which wines were hits. These made it to our regular wine list.

We started with Sipping Calaveras. Victor presented the menu to Nicole who tasted her way through Calaveras wines to pick the best of the region for pairing with our menu with an eye to value if there were equally delicious choices. We had a grand time and the pairings were all award winners.

• Sipping Calaveras Menu
  · Cheese fondue with fresh cut apples, crostini and vegetables paired with Vina Moda, Viognier (Best of the Foothills, California State Fair, 2008)
  · Salad of mixed greens, pear & sunflower seeds with a blue cheese dressing with Twisted Oak, Ruben’s Blend
  (90 points, Wine Enthusiast Magazine July 2008)
  · Petite plate of clams simmered in a red wine sauce with Hatcher, Barbera
  (Silver Medal at Calaveras County Fair, 2008)
  · Venison rack cutlet or filet mignon with plum onion marmalade, paired with Frog’s Tooth, Tempranillo (Double Gold, Calaveras County Fair, 2008)
  · Zabaglione dessert paired with Ironstone Symphony
  (Double Gold and Best of Show, Calaveras County Fair & Gold Medal, SF Chronicle Competition)

Sipping Through the Sierra continued with Sipping Amador. For this evening we began with mixes sausages and a fantastic old vine Zin and then presented three appetizers with one wine and explored how each course changes the taste of the wine. We followed this with our main course of three mixed grill items, Filet Mignon, Ostrich Fillet and Venison Rack served with three toppings, blue cheese butter, black cherry and porcini mushrooms and paired all with three wines. Very complex!

Sipping Amador Menu

• A selection of Sausages: Elk, Boar and Smoked Duck with Sobon, Old Vine Zinfandel
• Appetizer plate: Grilled Scallop, Ceviche and BruschettaRenwood, Viognier
• Mixed Grill: Potatoes, Vegetables and petite cuts of
  Fillet Mignon, blue cheese-butter topping
  Venison with a porcini mushroom sauce
  Ostrich filet & a black cherry-port reduction
  Vino Noceto, Sangiovese
  Bray Vineyard, Syrah
  Willow Creek, Obra Prima
  Semi-sweet Chocolate Tiramisu Sobon, White Port

The small print:
Single event price: $64
3-Series Season tickets: $177 (a $15 savings)
To qualify for the season tickets they must be paid in full
Cancellations must be made 7 days before the event for a full refund
If you cancel with shorter notice and we are able to resell your reservation, you will be refunded your ticket price less a $5 processing fee.
If are a season ticket holder and then have to cancel after participating in one or more of the wine-dinners, the discount will be forfeit.

Winter-Spring Events

First of all, Victor and I love going away in January, which for an ex-Wisconsinite, is usually our worst month for winter weather and then we return just in time for Valentine's Day weekend, which gives us the inflated glow of a summer weekend with all the folks celebrating. A real reminder of why we love calling Groveland home and a grand way to open our winter entertainment series.

March has oodles of activities on the Hotel Charlotte calendar starting with our Sunday, March 1st Chianti & Crab night. Guests will enjoy a feast starting with garlic bread, Caesar salad, , All-you-can-eat Crab, a bottle wicker wrapped Chianti wine per 2 people, tiramisue and coffee or tea for $29, tax included.

The restaurant begins opening on on Monday evenings starting March 2nd with another of the popular Games night. This season bring a team and try your hand at our truly one of a kind Trivia! Or grab a board and test your word skills with scrabble or battleship. Perhaps dominos or cribbage is your game, we have it all! Bring a healthy appetite and a friend or two or let us pair you up. Trivia begins at 6:40 so come early and dine, come at 6:30 and dine during the came or dine after, whatever your preference. On "Mensa Mondays" Victor will have a grill menu and a special 3-course treat at some ridiculously low price. Prizes include a weekly $25 gift certificate for the winners and a finale prize of a $100 gift certificate so plan on joining us for as many of the Mondays as you can!

Thursdays we will continue our Gift Certificate redemption night through March. Come to dinner and use a Gift Certificate for payment and we will give you an additional 5% value on your gift certificate.

Next up one the events is the final Sipping through the Sierras wine dinner with our favorite sommelier, Nicole Darracq of Muir Hanna Fame. Nicole will be introducing us to her favorite El Dorado wines for this blending of culinary treats including Lobster, Caviar & Champagne along with some nice well priced wines. Priced at $64 per person out the door, dinner, wine, tax and tip included.

The very next weekend we are please to partner with Pine Cone Performers, the parent group of the Pine Cone Players and Pine Cone Singers to bring Groveland a true World Premier Gala Evening (two in fact!) introducing Groveland's Got Talent. We begin the night with soup or salad, dinner and then head to the Community Center where our reserved seats await. Following the show, guests are invited to return to the Charlotte for red carpet interviews, a glass of Champagne, dessert and mingling with half the cast. The following night will be the same formula, but with the other half the cast. So find out which evening your performing friends or family have signed up to participate in the Gala and make that your Gala evening. The price is $49 and includes the pre-show dinner, the reserved theater tickets, post show Gala back at the Hotel and Cast Appearances, tax & tip also included. Dates: Friday and Saturday, March 27 & 28.

Cabaret Charlotte returns after a one year hiatus for a final 2 shows and introduces a new ensemble member, Frank Jablonski and a whole new production with favorites from five different decades, the 30's-70's. Dennis Brown & friends are diligently working on putting the new show together to entertain us through the end of the rainy season, Sundays, April 5th and 19th. Tickets are $59 and include a fresh new menu and spicy show, tax and tip.

The Charlotte has for several years now been your source for winter, spring and fall entertainment events, leaving the summer months to those with outdoor venues. We look forward to welcoming you! www.HotelCharlotte.com/events.html

Do not hesitate to contact us for more details! 209-962-6455

Winter driving, Yosemite

We get so many questions on this topic, let me give you the low-down.

Yosemite Winter Driving: When calling Yosemite's roads & weather hotline, 209-372-0200 when Chain Controls are in effect, you will get instructions of R1, R2 or R3. Here is what each of these mean:

R-1 Chains are required – snow tread tires are allowedPark road signs will show “AUTOS & PICKUPS SNOW TIRES OK”, “Carry Chains”. Tires must be rated for snow (M-S or M+S, All Season). Snow tires must have a minimum tread depth of 6/32 of an inch to be legal. You still need to carry chains in your vehicle. If your tires don’t meet these requirements you must use chains.

R-2 Chains are required on “All” vehicles except four-wheel drive vehicles with snow tires on all four wheels. Park road signs will show “4W DRIVE WITH SNOW TIRES OK”, “Carry Chains”. Four wheel drive vehicles meeting this requirement must still carry tire chains.

R-3 Chains are required – “All” vehicles – no exceptions. It might be a better choice on days like this to sit curled up with a book until tomorrow when the weather is often nicer.

The posted speed limit in the park is 25 mph when chain requirements are in effect. State Law requires you to carry chains in your vehicle when entering an active chain control area. Tire traction devices can be link chain, cable chain and/or spider straps. For more info: www.dot.ca.gov/roadinfo/wntrdriv.htm.

Word on the street is that Fox and Dollar car rentals allow chains on their rental cars and will rent chains to you. Consider these car rental companies when winter driving in the Sierras.

Clock & Sleep Package

This last year Victor has taken up the art of antique clock collecting and has learned the gentle trade of fixing most problems. His venture into the world of clocks has taken him on journeys throughout California as his searches of Craigs List and Ebay have turned up some interesting pieces. We even discovered half a dozen clocks on our Recipe Research trip to bring home with us. These of course were of the mantel style and not the wall hanging style so all we had to do to bring them home was to buy another suitcase.

Our dining room, salons and hallways, mantels and piano tops are now well decorated wtih timeless clocks, providing a really neat ambiance that goes well with our collection of historic building photographs.

As fevered as he is for the next discovery, I am to sell these clocks! We now have more than the hotel can hold. Please don't tell Victor, but if you want to buy a clock, I would throw in a complimentary nights stay (for purchases of $500 or more on stays completed by April 2nd, 2009. So don't delay, enjoy our clock and stay package today! Make buying an antique clock a get-away adventure. Call for details, some restrictions apply.

Get the whole story! www.HotelCharlotte.com/clocks.html.

While we were gone.....

While the Owner's Away the Parents Will Play
While Victor & I were away traveling in the Southern Hemisphere, my parents Jim & Marge minded the store (that is the Hotel Charlotte) for us. They're not afraid to exercise their authority, to take charge of things, to run amok a bit even perhaps. Rumors we've heard about what went on while we were away include:

They put Goose on a diet! (Poor little guy looks positively svelt now, hurry in to see him before he replenishes his treats and bones supply.)

Cleaning Binge catches fire... no they didn't burn the place down, but they did start an early-spring-cleaning movement that has continued since our return with Victor shampooing all the carpets in the hotel and at our rental units, poor fellow just got back from vacation and they put him right to work!

Clutter Clearing of a massive sort! Can you believe that on a recent trip to Helping Hands I discover long saved vases of many odd shapes, baubles and bits that I have had for years and a relished relic from high school that I figured would find a place in our home sometime. Upon exclaiming that these were all my items, the generous folks at Helping Hands offered to sell them back to me. Needless to say, I declined.

Apparently Jim & Marge even had guests in each weekend to take part in knock down games of Dominos. Rumor has it the sound of tiles being slapped down on the table could be heard for miles... really for miles!

Anyway, this little missive is by way of saying THANK YOU SO MUCH to Jim & Marge Upthagrove for taking such good care of all things at the Charlotte for us yet again, and to Tony and Linda Flores for keeping them company on the weekends with Board Games in the parlor.

Hugs & Kisses to my folks, Lynn.

Hotel Charlotte weekly specials 1/1-1/4

Happy New Year !

Thank you all for being our friends and guests! We so very much enjoy Groveland and the folks that have become a part of our lives. We hope everyone a happy and healthy 2009!

This weekend Victor is offering some excellent specials, while supplies last as it is our last for a bit!

Antipasto with Salami, Cheese & Olives $10.94

Filet of Ostrich (a rich red meat, similar to beef, not chicken!) $19.95

Porterhouse Steak $22.95

Holiday Kabob (8oz of filet mignon cubes and wild boar sausages) $17.95

Filet of Sole $17.95

Make any choice a 3 course dinner for just $8 more, includes soup or salad, dessert and coffee or tea.

We look forward to welcoming you!

Lynn & Victor

Hotel Charlotte

www.HotelCharlotte.com

209-962-6455

PS. This will be our last weekend before we take off for our Recipe Research 2009 trip. You can follow along with us online from our blog at www.RecipeResearch2009.blogspot.com.

Know that while we are gone for three weeks, the hotel stays open so don't hesitate to send us folks you know that might need lodging, perhaps a worker, a friend traveling through, overflow family. With your referrals for the month of January and February, the rate for all nights except Saturdays will be $89 for two people in a traditional queen bedded room with breakfast and free internet included. (Regular rate $108) Be sure to have them mention the locals special and your name when booking.

In our absence, Linda and my parents will be running the front desk without too much to do. Won't you call them on a regular basis to make reservations for things like Valentine's Day, Sipping Amador, the cabarets, the galas....www.HotelCharlotte.com/restaurant.html has all the dates and details and before we leave we will post the menus for the February events.

See you soon!

---

New year...new news. Be the first to know what is making headlines.

Kitchy Gift Season

Well, it is that time of year again, time for gift giving and we couldn't be more pleased with this year's selection of Kitchy Gifts from the Hotel Charlotte. This year we have added beer glasses to our collection of Hotel Charlotte etched glassware. The beer glasses join the wine glasses and coffee cups all priced at $6 for one or 2 for $10.

We have also added a fantastic new book by Jan Irene Atchinson, Oysters on the Half Shell, Historic Hotels of the Mother Lode and the Recipes that Made them Famous. A mouthful of a title, but a really great little book. Jan does a fantastic job capturing the spirit of these old places, especially the Hotel Charlotte where she makes the memory of Hotel Dog Bob playing the piano come alive.

These new gifts join our old funk, the license plate holder, Hotel Charlotte logoed tshirts, the I survived Priest Grade Tshirt and the I Love Inns bed and breakfast book with the buy one night, get one night free coupon for your traveling friends!

And, this year we have the clocks, dozens of antique clocks. Now, Victor isn't interested in selling all of them, some have become personal favorites but there are a good number that he would talk to you about if you were interested. So come take a look, you can enjoy our buy one clock, get a night free at the hotel special. Call for details. 209-962-6455

Happy Holidays All!
Lynn & Victor
Hotel Charlote, On the way to Yosemite

PS: I forgot to mention the number one best seller! Gift Certificates. This year, buy a book of 10 customized gift certificates with a $50 value for $500 and we will throw in the 11th free. You save $50...a fantastic value when you consider our great prices already! (and who knows, if the recipient invites you along, you win twice!) Gift Certificates are available in any quantity at any denomination. Discount is only available on a bulk purchase of $500 value.

Winter happenings here & around Yosemite

I haven't published a coming events in a while so here's whats on the calendar for the Hotel Charlotte and some of our favorite things by other folks in the area.


Thursday Nights: Gift Certificate Redemption Night: Valid through 1/4/2009

Join us for dinner on Thursdays, use a gift certificate and we will add another 5% to the value of your gift certificate.


Sunday Nights: 2 Specials! Courses of Course & Clear the Cellar Valid through 1/4/2009
Besides our regular menu, we are also offering a 3-course dinner of soup or house salad, a 5oz bacon wrapped filet mignon & homemade ice-cream, coffee or tea for $19.95. We have a few great wines in small quantities to share so we can make room for new vintages. Add a bottle of wine to your dinner from our select vintages from $15, the price of a bottle of house wine! (While supplies last) We have a few great wines in small quantities to share so we can make room for new vintages.


Christmas Dinner Valid 12/25/2008 Since Christmas falls on a Thursday this year, we will be open for dinner, 5:30 to 8:30. We leave Christmas Eve to our staff to enjoy their families. We look forward to serving you and your families on Christmas night after all the festivities have wrapped up for the day. (Other than us, who really wants to cook again that day?) We will serve from our regular menu and regular prices with a couple of specials, perhaps something like lobster, king crab legs or venison rack.


New Year's Eve Dinner Valid 12/31/2008

Consider joining us for the early seatings, starting from 5:30 pm on Wednesday, December 31st. The menu choices are:
Lobster bisque or wilted spinach and blue cheese salad
Entrée choices:
$39 Stuffed Guinea Hen with plum sauce
$49 Filet Mignon with a port wine and Porcini mushroom sauce
$49 Ostrich Filet (a tender red meat) with black cherry sauce
$49 Petite Lobster tail with drawn butter
+ $19 Add a lobster tail to any entrée for an extra $19.
Dessert: Napoleon
A Glass of Champagne with Dessert
Coffee, tea or iced tea included

Oodles of neat stuff coming in 2009 from Sommelier hosted wine dinners, Cabaret Charlotte dinner-theater to Gala events and Mensa Mondays (Trivial Pursuit) more details to follow. Also, if you don't check into the website often, you might have missed some of the fantastic room specials we have on our hotel and vacation rental houses near Yosemite. Check out the deals!



As always we look forward to welcoming you or welcoming you back again!

Lynn & Victor

Recipe Research 2009

We have started our 2009 trip planning and are off to Down Under to see the little lambs that make our rack of lamb our most popular dish. Posts for this year's trip will be found on www.RecipeResearch.blogspot.com Enjoy!

Winter events at the Hotel Charlotte

Here's the scoop on a few of the happenings in the area and at the Charlotte this winter. If you can't make it to the Charlotte yourself, many of these events make a one of a kind holiday gift, give us a call and we will make a wonderful holiday gift basket for you!

Bird Watching in the Sierra Nevada Groveland's Christmas Bird Count on 12/27 Groveland has an active Chapter in the Centeral Sierra Audubon Society and has scheduled their annual Christmas Bird Count for December 27th. What a fantastic way to spend one of your Holiday days! Make us part of your plans. To reserve your spot, contact Bill Zachman. More info: www.HotelCharlotte.com/birds.html

Restaurant Specials: We are offering several fall-winter specials in the restaurant on Thursday and Sunday nights through the first week of January and some great holiday menus for the coming festive season. We hope you will join us for one or all of these! www.HotelCharlotte.com/restaurant.html

• Thursday Nights: Gift Certificate Redemption Night Valid through 1/1/2009Join us for dinner on Thursdays, use your gift certificates and we will apply 5% more to the value of your gift certificate. (No cash back when your giftcertificate is worth more than your dinner, bring extra people!)
  
• Sunday Nights: Courses of Course! & Clear the Cellar Night Valid through 1/4/2009We are offering a 3-course dinner of soup or house salad, a 5oz bacon wrapped filet mignon & homemade ice-cream, coffee or tea for $19.95. Add a bottle of wine from our select vintages from $15, (the price of a bottle of house wine and only while supplies last) We have a few great wines in small quantities to share so we can make room for new vintages. The list will change weekly.

Christmas Dinner: Since Christmas falls on a Thursday this year, we will be open for dinner, 5:30 to 8:30. Christmas Eve the restaurant is closed, leaving that night to our staff to enjoy their own families and hope to serve you and your families on Christmas night after all the festivities have wrapped up for the day. We will serve from our regular menu and regular prices with a couple of specials, perhaps something like lobster, king crab legs or venison rack.

New Year's Eve Menu: Consider joining us for the early seatings, starting from 5:30 pm on Wednesday, December 31st. Perfect for those who like the party, but not the late hour of Midnight. The menu choices are:
Lobster bisque or wilted spinach and blue cheese salad
Entrée choices:

• $39 Stuffed Guinea Hen with plum sauce
• $49 Filet Mignon with a port wine and Porcini mushroom sauce
• $49 Ostrich Filet (a tender red meat) with black cherry sauce
• $49 Petite Lobster tail with drawn butter
• $19 Add a lobster tail to any entrée for an extra $19.

Dessert: Napoleon
A Glass of Champagne with Dessert
Coffee, tea or iced tea included

Charlotte Winter Entertainment Schedule is coming together with the following dates already confirmed and more to come! All of these events qualify for our stay & play room rates of $89 per room, breakfast included for 2 people.

• Saturday, February 14th: Valentine's Dinner
• Sunday, February 22nd: Sipping Amador, a wine dinner with Nicole Darracq, our favorite Sommelier
• Sunday, March 1st: Chianti & Crab Feast, Caesar Salad, 1/2 Crab Chiappino, Garlic bread, 1/2 a bottle of Chianti & Tirimasu for dessert. $29 tax and tip included
• Sunday, March 8th, Cabaret with Dennis Brown & Friends, a whole new show
• Sunday, March 22nd: Sipping El Dorado, the last of the Sipping through the Sierra Series with Nicole
• Friday, March 27th: Pine Cone Players Gala Dinner-Theatre for the world Premier of Groveland's got Talent
• Sunday, April 5th, Cabaret with Dennis Brown & Friends, a reprise of the March show for those who were out of town for that date.

By the way, any of these events can be made into a perfect holiday gift package for everyone you know--Let us help! www.HotelCharlotte.com/gifts.html

Hotel Charlotte named business of the year

This was an exciting bit of news to cross my desk this morning! We were recognized at the annual gala, but hadn't received a press release. It makes us feel big time!


FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: November 30, 2008

CONTACT: Jeannie Tasker – (209) 962-7163
Yosemite Chamber of Commerce


HOTEL CHARLOTTE NAMED 2008 BUSINESS OF THE YEAR

The Hotel Charlotte in downtown Groveland, CA was recently named the 2008 Business of the Year by the Yosemite Chamber of Commerce. In the Chamber’s first ever members’ choice recognition program, the Hotel Charlotte received the greatest number of votes over a seven month period, a testimony to the welcoming atmosphere of the hotel and delicious offerings of its restaurant. The honor also acknowledges the contributions to the community made by the owners of the Hotel Charlotte, Lynn Upthagrove and Victor Niebylski, who give selflessly of their time and resources to Groveland Art Strolls, Chamber marketing efforts, 49er Festivals and Chili Cook-offs, Pine Cone Singers, Tuolumne County Visitors Bureau, and Yosemite Gateway Partners, among others. Noted among the creative contributions, the Hotel Charlotte hosted a summer luau at Camp Tuolumne Trails which raised over $2,400 for Groveland Soroptomists, and, Goose, the hotel dog, ran for honorary mayor of Groveland in 2008, raising $1,200 for his sponsor, Camp Tuolumne Trails, and $2,800 for the Yosemite Chamber.

Lynn and Victor hit the ground running when they purchased the Hotel Charlotte five and a half years ago. Virtually newlyweds at the time, Lynn worked for a company which wrote travel guides, and Victor was a chef at Stanford University. They literally had searched the world for just the right small hotel with a restaurant, before discovering the Hotel Charlotte and its proprietors, Ruth and Jim Kraenzel. Ruth and Jim sought buyers who would continue their tradition of friendly hospitality, good food, and community service. Lynn and Victor were the perfect prospects, and the sale between the couples initiated a new friendship.

Lynn’s development of the “Hotel Charlotte, On The Way To Yosemite” website launched the hotel worldwide and dramatically increased the demand for its hotel rooms. Chef Victor’s delectable entrees immediately attracted a loyal following of regular diners to the restaurant, as well as the hotel’s out-of-town visitors. In response to an increasing need, Lynn and Victor now offer additional lodging, complete with maid service and breakfast at the hotel, in several off-site homes and condominiums.

The Hotel Charlotte hosts the weekly meetings of the Rotary Club, the board meetings of the Yosemite Chamber of Commerce, monthly card stamping parties, and birthday clubs. Lynn has developed a series of special events from cabaret nights showcasing Dennis Brown and Friends from the Pine Cone Singers, to winemaker dinners showcasing local sommeliers, to classic holiday dinners such as Valentine’s, Mother’s Day, and New Years. So much in demand are Lynn and Chef Victor, with a staff known for good service and warm personality, that the Hotel Charlotte was contracted to cater several offsite events over the last year, including the Camp Tuolumne Trails New Year’s Eve fundraiser and the Yosemite Chamber’s Annual Gala.

The Hotel Charlotte is located on Main Street in Groveland, and may be contacted at (209) 962-6455, or at HotelCharlotte@aol.com, www.HotelCharlotte.com.

Turkey Wars

Groveland, the givingest town in the world!

For all of our years here in Groveland, we have always taken this weekend to be visiting family in the midwest. Since we don't have an overnight person right now with Nancy up in Alaska, we decided to do the holidays with split vacations. Victor is in St. Louis right now with his family enjoying Thanksgiving and I go next week to Wisconsin where my family will pretend that it is Christmas. So...all this turkey business in Groveland is new to me, but I am totally enjoying the shenanigans!

So here's a story about the turkeys.
Each year the town gives a free Thanksgiving Dinner to anyone who wants one serving on Thanksgiving day from 11am to 4pm Sometimes whole families come, sometimes folks from far away come. All are welcome.

The dinners have been going on for 31 years now with usually 20 turkeys cooked. Yesterday I learned that the turkey cooking job is a coveted position and never given up. Even when one moves away, they "turn over their turkey" to a good friend to tend to for the next coming years. One such person was up to 3 turkeys this way and when the organizers tried to redistribute the birds to others interested in cooking, a to-do broke out. Bird thievery. Why are you stealing my turkeys....? Wow! Who knew the honor of cooking the bird was so grand. Maybe next year I will steal one to cook.

For this year I am signed up to be the Turkey Welcome Girl, TWG. That sounds fun. Maybe I will give everyone a parting Hotel Charlotte mint.

Kitchen taste tester

It is the early morning hour of 6:30 and Victor just served me a Napolean to taste test.

We've both been up for a couple of hours, the paper is read, crossword puzzle attempted and he has gone off to the kitchen to practice upcoming recipes. I don't eat sweets much and certainly not at 6:30 am. Now, if he had tried a new taco recipe, I might have been chomping down on it as I write.

I told him it looked lovely. Perhaps later I will try it.

Immaculate Convection

We had a leisurely morning today with only a handful of rooms to serve breakfast to. Our friend and neighbor stopped by to hang out while his wife had her hair done. We enjoyed coffee and a chat about putting on a NO Monty "Chippendales" styled show, wondering if we are better off hiring professionals from "off the hill" or auditioning from our local bevy of buff buttocks.

Victor is cooking for this weekend, baking fresh pies and adding his 2¢ between pie checks. I head off to the computer to do a Chippendales Touring Show search and Tony goes to visit with Victor in the Kitchen.

Tony and I meet up later and he tells me this funny story about Victor and his pies not cooking, check, no change, checking again, no change, checking and rechecking and finally realizing the oven isn't on. Hahahah.

So we head to the kitchen and I ask Victor if he thinks he is such a good chef that he doesn't even need the oven on to create delicious pies.

He said he was trying for immaculate convection.

Turning Green

In researching what it means to be "green" the best advice I got was to start with a list of all the things we do now that fall under environmentally friendly. Then make a list of all the things we would like to do, then start implementing and moving items from the Green to-do list to the Green done list...and before you know it—GREEN

Here are the things we have identified as implemented: Green Done

1. Floors laid with bamboo, a sustainable resource
2. Swirl light bulbs where we can
3. Purchased fuel economy car for housekeeping use trading in 8 miles to the gallon on an old van for 39 miles to the gallon on a new car.
4. Exterior lighting is on timers
5. Room notices posted to guests suggesting an option to
   Reuse of towels on multi-night stays
   Reuse of linens for multi-night stays
6. Recycle paper for internal memos and note paper
7. Live plants for to improve indoor air quality & promote restful environment.
8. We pay a service to have our cardboard picked up for recycling
9. Recycle printer & toner ink cartridges
10. Neutered dog, no new Goose puppies
11. In housekeeping we only run full loads of laundry and make best attempts to use machines at low energy times of the day
12. Use of 100% recycled toilet and tissue paper
13. Outdoor plants are on a drip system for watering
14. Waste oil and grease from the kitchen is donated to a company that recycles it into Biodiesel fuel
15. Installed all new windows, double pained with insulation and noise reduction between the panes.
16. Insulated the hotel from the attic to the basement and above and below the restaurant and kitchen
17. Replaced ice machine that worked on a water cooling with one that worked on air cooling, estimated reduction in water use, 3000 gallons a month.
18. Replaced old and inefficient refrigerators with energy efficient equipment, eliminated one refrigerator from inventory.
19. Purchased a micro freezer for frequently accessed items reducing door opening of large freezer with much smaller one with a far quicker recovery rate.
20. Replace inefficient toilets with low-flow toilets
21. Installed two HVAC units, one to run the second floor and one to run the first floor. Able to use only one system during slow periods and balance our heating and cooling needs with where the people are.
22. Use products that can be washed and reused vs disposables such as linen table clothes and clothe napkins.
23. Installed an instant hot water heater to run the kitchen needs. Reducing drain on the hotel system and providing hot water only when we need it.
24. We have assigned a person to getting educated on what it means to be green, and subscribe to a number of relevant newsletters to keep us on top of new technologies and research in the field.

Things we are researching and hope some day to move to the above list:

1. Transition more of our paper products to recycled including to-go boxes for the restaurant, hand towels in the bathrooms, paper napkins, doggie bags and bags we use for retail item sales. Currently getting pricing and sample from leading suppliers.
2. Research environmentally friendly cleaning products for kitchen and laundry supplies. Must still meet health standards.
3. Take a new look at solar options for the hotel. Our first research on this priced it out of our ability to procure, but advancements in technology and credits may make this a viable option
4. Install a water tank to catch & store water four our gardens during the summer.
5. Convert more lighting to florescent, use energy efficient bulbs where this isn't possible
6. Install ceiling fans for better air circulation, reducing use of air conditioner
7. Establish a recycling area with proper colored bins for guest use from the parking area.
8. Establish with the trash folks exactly what they can & can't take from us, if they would start a service similar to their residential service for businesses. Else, find a group, business or person that will regularly transfer our recyclables to the processing places in Sonora. Consider paying to have someone haul our recyclables to the processeing center.

We recognize that these lists don't make us "green" yet. It is a mindset and a way of thinking that one builds into their life. But without making it a business priority, we won't ever make a smaller footprint on the earth. We have a long way to go, but we have started and use "green" thinking for all of our new purchases & improvements.

As we move items from our to-do list to our done list, we will update our website Hotel Charlotte Green list and twice a year compare with this original list and check that we are heading in the right direction.

Oysters on the Half Shell

The whole title of this book is Oysters on the Half Shell, Historic Hotels of the Mother Lode & the Recipes That Made Them Famous 1850 to Present. That's a mouthful!

Jan Iren Atkinson is the author and we just received our copy today. It's a marvelous book and a perfect gift for anyone who enjoys traveling the old hotels of the early 20th Centry and even Gold Rush era. Jan hasn't missed a one of our favorites.

Her write up of the Charlotte, while featuring some of the Hotel Charlotte history, Jan also tells a tale of her visit in November of 2006 and her meeting Bob, the Hotel Dog and his piano playing antics. She captures the comic scene quite perfectly! Congratulations on a job well done Jan, we hope you sell many books! Everyone I know is getting one this year for Christmas!
Lynn

Auctioneer or Bidder?

I can't decide which of the two I like better. Auctioneer is like being on a stage, a one man show and has less personal financial cost, but the bidding, yes the bidding...gives that same adrenaline rush as casino games, but for a good cause. No real fundraiser with a live auction should be held without me around. Ohhh, I just love the bid, bump, wait...how much does the other bidder want this? Going Going....Bid again....Ohhhhhh. Shooooot, was that too much? Did I miss read? Ahhhhhh sigh of relief as someone again bids higher.

Talk talk, look back at bidding...My goodness, still on the same item? Hmmm, Let me flash my paddle and see what happens......And there we go again fingers crossed that someone comes and out bids us, not wanting to come home and tell Victor too very big of a list of great items we "won"

Now we are on Item 14, one I REALLY want. I am not just playing around here, now I have to psych everyone out and and and and DANG! wouldn't you know it, everyone in the room seemingly wants this item and in a breath goes up to $900. Not even in my ball park, I dropped out at $350, but all is not lost, there is an item 15 to begin the adrenaline again.

We end the night having won a beautiful fall silk wreath, a bouquet of candles in a bird cage, an hour ride in an antique plane and a sailboat cruise on Lake Don Pedro. A good catch!

But most of all, I got to watch a real professional in the actioneer seat and I know now that I don't have a clue what I am doing up on the stage as I play auctioneer in our little 49er Festival, but maybe someday Paul will auction off a lesson or two that I could bid on!

Best of all, when I get home, Victor is waiting up for me! Even though I am an hour later than I had anticipated. Very sweetly he listens to my ramblings as I relive all the highs of the evening.

Halloween at the Charlotte

4 Years I have been waiting for Halloween to fall on one of our resaurant nights. November 1st, 2004 I got the "vision" on how to best set it up for dinner guests and for maximum trick-or-treat fun and it took until October 31, 2008 for that day and date to match up with a restaurant night. But the vision was right on! The guests loved it, hundreds of photos were taken and the kids really think our huge barrel of candy with nearly a free for all approach is just the grandest!

If you have been here before, we have a narrow room and a square dining room that are connected. I took the center table out of the square dining room and had dinner guests set all around the room and in the small room. I purchased some glow in the dark foot prints and mapped out a path we wanted the kids to follow so they go by every table in the house, and most of them did.

It was just right and we even got some "thank you, great party" notes from folks that joined us. That's always a good sign. I will post some pictures when I get them from Connie. She was the house photographer that night.

Who drives so fast?

I am sitting here having been up for a few hours early this morning and if you know my desk area, it fronts Highway 120. All morning long cars have been RACING by. This isn't the first time I noticed the fast driving, but it is the first time I noted it.

Who are these fast drivers? I really don't mean doing 35-40 in our 25 mile per hour downtown. These folks are easily hitting the 60 or more MPH and it is insane! Do these drivers have kids? Do they have slow moving parents? Just because it is early in the morning to they drive this fast? Are they regular drivers the rest of the day? What about Priest Grade, are they doing this speeding bit on the grade too?

Its a wonder there aren't some fairly serious accidents.

Sipping Calaveras, the full event

We just love wine-dinners and this coming series is titled: Sipping through the Sierra where we pair Victor's great menus with our favorite Sommelier, Nicole Darracq's, top selections from each of the Sierra Foothill wine regions: Calavera, Amador, El Dorado and the Southern Sierra.

We open the series on November 9th, a Sunday, with Sipping Calaveras. Victor presented the menu to Nicole who tasted her way through Calaveras wines to pick the best off the region for pairing with our menu with an eye to value if there were equally delicious choices.

Sipping Calaveras Menu
· Cheese fondue with fresh cut apples, crostini and vegetables paired with Vina Moda, Viognier
(Best of the Foothills, California State Fair, 2008)

· Salad of mixed greens, pear & sunflower seeds with a blue cheese dressing with Twisted Oak, Ruben’s Blend
(90 points, Wine Enthusiast Magazine July 2008)

· Petite plate of clams simmered in a red wine sauce with Hatcher, Barbera
(Silver Medal at Calaveras County Fair, 2008)

· Venison rack cutlet or filet mignon with plum onion marmalade, paired with Frog’s Tooth, Tempranillo
(Double Gold, Calaveras County Fair, 2008)

· Zabaglione dessert paired with Ironstone Symphony
(Double Gold and Best of Show, Calaveras County Fair & Gold Medal, SF Chronicle Competition)

Throughout dinner Nicole will be presenting her unique twist on food/wine pairings. We have enjoyed Nicole's presentations before and are sure to come away with something new and refreshing this year too.

Sipping Through the Sierra continues with Sipping Amador on Sunday, February 22nd and Sipping El Dorado on Sunday, March 22. Sipping the Southern Sierra will be scheduled in April, date to be determined. Tickets are $64 per event, or save $15 with a 3-series season ticket, $177.

(Wouldn't this make a fantastic holiday gift?)

Additional event details can be found on our website, www.HotelCharlotte.com/sipping.html or call, 209-962-6455. We hope to welcome you!

Is Groveland's Mayor Mad?

So the other morning I am on the phone with Robin, president of the Yosemite Chamber of Commerce, and I am leaning on our counter watching the folks and cars go by and I see the newly elected Mayor, Kay Glaves across the street. Her red hair is perfectly coiffed with a lovely red feather coming out the back and she is wearing a full length purple bathrobe and strolling Main Street... as if this is perfectly normal.

Goose suggests the we offer to take over as Mayor for the day, perhaps Kay is feeling a bit too under the weather for her heady duties. We ask and she gives us the Groveland Giggle, thanks us for our kindness, tosses off some "Red Hats Pajama Party" excuse and sweeps on down the street a vision in red & purple.

Sounds like Groveland Normal to me! We have way too much fun here!

Our Groveland Thanksgiving Schedule

Each year we have made the week of Thanksgiving our family time, first visiting Victor's family in St. Louis and then heading up to Wisconsin where we pretend it is Christmas with my family.

This year, we will do the same, but separate trips which allows us to open the restauant for Thanksgiving weekend. The restaurant won't be open on Thanksgiving day so our staff can enjoy the holidays with their families. But come Friday, Saturday and Sunday, we will be here ready to serve you and your extended family and holiday guests a wonderful dinner. Please join us!

We will be serving from our regular menu with some specials thrown in, including Victor's new Wild Game items. You can see a menu online at www.HotelCharlotte.com/menu.html. (Some items Change weekly)

Reservations encouraged! 209-962-6455
Lynn & Victor
Hotel Charlotte
http://www.hotelcharlotte.com/
209-962-6455

Sipping through the Sierras: Sipping Calaveras

We just love wine-dinners and this new series: Sipping through the Sierras might be the best ensemble yet! We will pair Victor's great menus with wines from each of the Sierra Foothill regions personally selected by our favorite Sommelier, Nicole (of Muir Hanna fame.) Each sipping dinner features 5 courses and 5 wines from 5 different wineries of the same region and presented by the very entertaining Nicole.

We start the series on November 9th, a Sunday, with Sipping Calaveras. We are just now putting the details together, but we can share with you the initial menu:

Cheese fondue with cut apples, costini and vegetables for dipping served during happy hour
Sit down service starting with a petite plate of clams simmered in a red wine sauce
Followed by a salad of mixed greens, pear and sunflower seeds with a blue cheese dressing
The main coures is venison rack or filet mignon with plum onion marmalade, potatoes and veggies
Dessert is Zabaglione

As we finalize our paired wines, we will update the website: www.HotelCharlotte.com/sipping.html

Additional dates include:
Sipping Amador on Sunday, February 22nd
Sipping El Dorado on Sunday, March 22nd and
Sipping the Southern Sierras on a date to be determined.
Tickets are $64 per region, or save $15 with a 3-series package. (To qualify for the discount, all dinners must be purchased at once as a package, choose any three of the 4 programs.) Individual tickets may be ordered on line from Local Wine Events, http://webmails.hosting-advantage.com/horde/services/go.php?url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.localwineevents.com%2Ftickets%2Fticket_purchase.php%3FEVENTID%3D208197 or by calling the Hotel Charlotte, 209-962-6455

(Wouldn't this make a fantastic holiday gift?)

For out of town guests, this event qualifies for our Stay & Play pricing, www.HotelCharlotte.com/play.html

We hope to welcome you!
Lynn & Victor
Hotel Charlotte, on the way to Yosemite
http://www.hotelcharlotte.com/
209-962-6455

Halloween Whoopla—Groveland Style Friday, October 31st

This year Grovelanders and visitors from around the world will enjoy another deluge of fairy-tale costumed children parading our Main Street with parents in tow seeking out the sweetest treats and the scariest stops.

Each year seemingly hundreds of children and families dress up and head to downtown Groveland for a costume party at Mary Laveroni Community Park with apple bobbing, games and contests and then at 5:00pm they trick-or-treat the 5 blocks of our downtown where merchants & service clubs generously provide candy year after year assuring a safe and sane Halloween.

For those without kids or grandkids to provide the necessary cover to enjoy the evening, there are several Yosemite Chamber of Commerce member venues that are great viewing seats to plant yourself for the evening watching all the kids go by. The Groveland Hotel with their new look in the dining room makes a delicious stop with Chef Greg's gourmet menu and a fantastic wine list.

The Iron Door Saloon is a fantasy stop...perfect for Halloween "Boo" s and Hoots & Hollers and a great place to watch the festivities from. If you can't make to Groveland on Friday, come Saturday for the adult Halloween Party with Live Music, Great Costumes, Prizes & lots of fun! http://www.iron-door-saloon.com/

This year the Hotel Charlotte restaurant will be open and routing the fairy-tale costumed kids right through the middle of the dining room where the huge barrel of candy will sit providing diners superb photo opportunities of the candy-march festivities. The Charlotte is reserving the dining room for one seating only so guests have their tables for the whole affair. Special treats will be awarded to those who come to dinner dressed in costume. Out of town guests who have dinner at the Charlotte qualify for Stay & Play room pricing from $99, www.HotelCharlotte.com/play.html. Reserve early, 209-962-6455.

We invite you to visit the Downtown Groveland restaurants & hotels while enjoying this year's Halloween festivities.

49er Festival & Chili Cookoff

Oh what fun! The parade was the biggest ever, the auctions were far more grand than the year before and the weather could not have been more perfect! Even the Union Democrat was there to document our success! http://www.uniondemocrat.com/news/story.cfm?story_no=27628

Thanks bunches to Randy Klaahsen who was our guest chef at the Chili Cook-off. Randy brought home a first place, judges choice for his PFFFFT Free Chili in the no beans category and placed second or third in the other categories. GREAT job Randy.

We finished up our duties for the day, Parade and Live Auction Auctioneer and then headed out to New York for a quick trip to wind down from all the excitement. We are thrilled to be back on the west coast where everything looks fresh and clean.

We are working out plans now for the Yosemite Chamber of Commerce's annual dinner gala on Tuesday, October 21st and are looking forward to another wonderful bash!

Hotel Dog Goose gets his 15 minutes

For such a young dog, barely out of the puppy stage, Goose has gained a level of notoriety far beyond that which should ever be common in a dog. This running for mayor has now made him famous...at least between here and Sacramento!

For those who missed the TV show, here are the clips:
http://cbs13.com/video/?id=39399@kovr.dayport.com.

When you open the page, use the search box to the right of "video library" and enter Groveland and that will bring up what we filmed today. There are three clips in total

To do this filming we sent out a last minute request for folks to join us at 6:30 am and asked that they bring their signs, cheers and dogs in support of the Candidates. We estimated 50 people, 10 dogs, a cat, a baby and our Parade Grand Marshals, (Kent and Sandy Blankenberg) and a whole lot of fun. Thank you ALL for showing up and hooting up the Festival!

Goose's team of accountants have tallied the tickets and have determined that it will be a very close race between Goose, Red and Kay. We believe that we have all "checked out" the same amount of tickets from James Nagle. Now it is a matter of who sells the most of that last thousand tickets.

Today is the final day for Goose votes and would be a good day to vote. If you can't make to Groveland, you can call in and we will process your votes over the phone. 800-961-7799 or 962-6455.

Goose REALLY wants to be Groveland's Honorary Mayor.

Time to Vote for Goose is nearing an end

Goose, the Hotel Dog, is running for Honorary Mayor of Groveland!
In an effort to reach out to all qualified voters, Goose would like to remind folks that you don't have to be human to vote. Dogs can vote. Horses can vote. Your pet snake can vote. We will even accept votes from cats.

So folks, don't leave your animals out of this race, they too should have a say in who Groveland's Honorary Mayor is going to be. Please, take a moment and ask them who they would like for Honorary Mayor? Goose, a 4-legged friend to all...or a human.

Just a few more vote notes:
1. There are no age requirements to voting. Let your children have a voice. Teach them about our democratic process. Come on down with the kids and a $1 and show them how voting and money work so well together.
2. There are no residency requirements. Goose is accepting votes from all over the world.
3. We don't care if you are a felon, we will take your votes.
4. There is no end to the number of times you can vote. Nobody to check your name off, no one-voice/one vote, you can all vote many, many times.
5. Being human is not a requirement, please let your pets vote.

If you would like to see Goose crowned Honorary Mayor of Groveland, please send money!
$1 per vote. Checks should be made out to the Yosemite Chamber of Commerce and mailed to:

Committee to Elect Goose Honorary Mayor
C/O Hotel Charlotte
PO Box 787
Groveland, CA 95321

Each vote is $1 and you get a raffle ticket for the 49er Festival's annual raffle with a grand prize: a night out at the Black Oak Casino with dinner at the esteemed Seven Sisters, an overnight stay at the Sonora Oaks and $50 cash to begin play. Second prize (and my favorite!) is $200 Gas Cash and there are many more prizes too! You do not need to be present to win.

We encourage you to vote often and vote generously. Goose is sponosred by Camp Tuolumne Trails, a new venue for kids with disabilities.

Curious as to how the campaign is going? Catch our bites & barks: www.pmlvoice.com/pml/opinions.htm

We hope to win, but there are some very serious seasoned professionals out there who are working the streets every day! It will be a very close race!

49er Festival Radio Broadcast

We taped our radio spot on Thursday promoting the 49er Festival and Chili Cook-off on Saturday, September 20th. These are always fun to listen to as we bring down a few folks and add our own side comments and sound effects. If you have time and are in the listening area, here's the play schedule:

All play on Sunday, August 31st:
KZSQ Star 92.7 between 9:30 and 10:30
KKBN 93.5 between 10:30 and 11:30
KVML 1450 am between 9:00 and 10:00

These are all properties of Clarke Broadcasting in Sonora and they may have streaming audio if you are trying to listen in from out of their air reach: www.mymotherlode.com

Lynn

Hotel Charlotte dog might become Mayor

Such a simple concept, run for Honorary Mayor, sell raffle tickets as the votes and who ever has the most votes is the Mayor. Such fun! The whole town seems to have aligned with one candidate or another, or several...This is one election where you can vote many times.

The campaigns have been picked up by the public and have generated so much fun with Obama and McCain supporting Goose, God supporting Red and Jeannie now supporting Kay...The whole thing is played out on http://www.pmlvoice.com/, our local communication website for thoughts and froughts.

This photo is one of my favorites, "Goose is up for the Challenge" as he climbs Half Dome.

Goose for Mayor: Race updates

Well, this Mayoral Race has gone quite crazy! www.PMLVoice.com has a running commentary. We have Jack submitting on behalf of the Red Baron and GNN, (Groveland Network News) submitting on behalf of Goose....It's all quite funny. I wonder if Ellen DeGeneres or any of them will pick this up. Too Cute!

Goose the Hotel Dog for Mayor. At first we were just running to have a second candidate, winning didn't matter—no one should run unopposed. Now we are really into it with guests leaving us $1 votes every day for Goose. We do a great bribe business when the restaurant is open too!

If you are too far away to stop in to vote, Please, write a check to:

Yosemite Chamber of Commerce
C/O Hotel Charlotte
C/C/O Committee to Elect Goose Mayor
PO Box 787
Groveland, CA 95321

We will place your votes for you. We hope you get as big a kick out of the campaigns as we are!
Lynn & Victor

Hi, My name is Goose, and I approved this message.

Mayoral Race Kickoff!

Monday night's kickoff for the Honorary Mayor race was a hoot! Bribes were bought and sold up and down the lovely patio at the Groveland hotel while voters sipped sarsaparillas under the shade of many umbrellas. Each candidate offered up a unique campaign with many promises and perhaps even a few lies.

• Kalamity Kay Glaves presented a peppery speech, rich with props and whooo-haaa. Kay is promising a great deal of purple in the town from the road to the water.
• The "Red Baron" Rossio, having recently struck gold in a shady deal at LGR impressed the crowd with his "simple" campaign offering voters a goose in every pot, a car in every garage, free water and reduced sewer rates.
• The Dapper Dancing Dog, Goose, performed a series of daring feats from sit, to sit up, dance and even the most dangerous: Sleep! Goose's performance was a treat..... I mean... was accomplished through the distribution of many treats!
• Pistol Pack'n Pete rang loud and clear with his message of salvation for Groveland—Coulterville will put us on the Map!
• Luke the accordion playing singing horseback riding cowboy wooed the gaggle with his well versed original songs, black tails and pink clad women.
  
  It was a fun night and sure to get even livelier on Monday August 11th with the next stump off in downtown Groveland.
  
  On a "seriouser" note, we would be remiss in not mentioning a bit about each of the sponsors.
  
  Kay Glaves is sponsored by the Lions Club an international service organization who's focus is on supporting local community events, helping children's causes around the world and working with the blind and vision impaired.
  
  Red Rossio is sponsored by the Aviation Club who's members have enriched Groveland with their generosity for the annual Holiday Baskets donating and wrapping hundreds of gifts for those in need. The Aviation Club also sponsors Groveland's fabulous summer air show.
  
  Goose is sponsored by Camp Tuolumne Trails a new camp for those with special needs, built by Jerry and Paul Baker with a great deal of support by the community. The camp just opened this summer with a huge amount of fan fare!
  
  Peter Schimmelfennig is sponsored by the Shindig Committee, a group that has been hard at work for many years raising money to put a stage in the Coulterville Park. We hope this fundraising effort fulfills their needs!
  
  Luke Sullivan is representing the Country Mountain Riders, who in the spirit of this "election" are teamed up with the Aviation Club to distribute their earnings to worthy causes together.
  
  Present at the grand kickoff were some very prestigious folks including:
  Robin Patterson, president of the Yosemite Chamber of Commerce,
  Marianne Huff, President of the Mariposa County Chamber of Commerce
  Jim and Jan Knudtsen, Chairpersons of the Committee for a Groveland Dog Park
  And many many other dignitaries including: Tony, Mal, Jerry, Clay, Sandy, Jim, Kim, Paul, CherylAnn, Danny, Peggy, Jane, Barbara, Bonnie, Paula, Linda, Jim..... and the list goes on and on!
  
  Thank you all for participating and we hope to see even more of Groveland at the Stump-Off on Monday, August 11th in downtown Groveland, 6ish.

Groveland runs a dog for Honorary Mayor!

49er Festival—The Honorary Mayoral race is on!

They are off and Running! Five Fantastic Candidates vying for the Prestigious title of 49er Honorary Mayor. This year our 49er Festival Chairman, James Nagle introduces an all new feature to dazzle us throughout the summer—Honorary Mayor. James has spent a good part of the last few months introducing the concept to drum up candidates and sponsors and has rewarded Groveland with a highly qualified list of fun folks to support in the coming months:

• Red "The Baron" Rossio, Renown BSer, sponsored by the PML Aviation Association
• "Calamity Kay" Glaves, long considered the Queen of Groveland, sponsored by the Garrote Lions
• Goose, The Dapper Dancing Dog who entertaining Dozens Daily at the Hotel Charlotte sponsored by Camp Tuolumne Trails
• Peter "Pistol Pack'n Pete" Schimmelfennig of the Jeffery Hotel, sponsored by the Shindig Committee of Coulterville
• Luke "The Drifter & Accordion Stalker" Sullivan, the singing horse-man extraordinaire, sponsored by Country Mountain Riders.

A keen line-up of spiffy mayoral candidates with platforms to match!

For those of you readers just hearing about this, how it works is that the candidate with the most "bribes" gleans the title of Honorary Mayor of Groveland for a one year term, occasionally representing the Yosemite Chamber of Commerce at fun events, but surely presiding over the 49er festival. A bribe equals a $1 and you get a receipt by way of a raffle ticket for the grand prizes raffled off at the 49er festival on Saturday, September 20th.

Winners will be crowned on Friday night before the festival so the Mayoral Elect can get a good nights sleep before the first big gig. Let's all bribe this cheery group on!

Plan on being in downtown Groveland on Monday, August 11th for a true stump-off. Candidates will be positioned throughout Groveland pontificating and promising and pushing bribes up and down the street. Proceeds from the Mayoral Contest are shared with the sponsoring organization.

An innkeeper's tizzy

As a rule of thumb, we never write about specific guests, just general incidents. This occasion the folks we are writing about did not actually stay with us so I feel a bit more freedom.

It is the 4th of July weekend and we have two rooms left for this night, both at the Guide Guys Lodge, upstairs. One room is a double bed the other two twin beds and they share a bath. The third room has its own bath. All the guests have access to the living room, dining room, kitchen and wrap around porch. It is quiet and peaceful and while only two miles from the center of Groveland, the lodge is a bit remote.

The lodge is my brother's place and he is establishing a guide business with lodging, fishing and hunting. When not in use for that purpose, we rent it out in to the Yosemite travelers that pass through. This afternoon we got a call, described the room and took the booking. The couple checked in in the late afternoon and were taken to the house. At 10:15 the same night they called and said they were disapointed and would not be staying and wanted their money back. Hmmmm. Had they been disapointed when we took them over in the afternoon we would have had all evening to rent the room to someone else...and there were oodles of inquiries, its a holiday weekend! But no, they went out and did what they did and then decided not to stay and could we rent the room to someone else? Well, 10:15 is an hour and 15 minutes after our front desk closes and we are ready to hop into bed after a long day taking care of folks.

So, unable to say no, I commit to trying for 15 minute to see if we can do it. I am given a phone number to call. I say I will let them know in the morning if I am successful or not. I am asked to call tonight. Why? Because if I don't rent it then they will take it. I should have stopped the conversation at that point. They needed to either take the room or give it up. But no...Instead I say I will try and I will call them.

As luck would have it, I sell the room within a few minutes. Take the folks over and then spend the next hour and a half trying to reach the cancellers...to no avail, I can't even leave a message. This is crazy, some code 1-switch-116 verizon. Perhaps they are out of the service district for their cell phone.

I try to go to bed. No luck with that either. I am imagining them walking in on the new guests that have taken over their reservation. I decide the best answer is to get up, and put a note on the door. I drive the 10 minutes and am in a tizzy when I see another car in the parking....Could it be them or does one of the other rooms have two cars....OH DANG am I too late? I quietly approach the house and stick my note to the door and return quickly to the car.

I try calling again and I have full service, all the bars on my phone are lit, we are both on verizon and I get that 1switch 116 message again. No option to even put a voice mail on the phone. Unbelievable.

People are in the house...I am sitting in the car. I have put my note on the door and am debating what to do next. One of the folks comes out of the house and waves, I wave back. He comes towards me dangling a key. Yes it IS the Canceller...I am prepared for anything except getting out of the car and seeing people. I have my pajammas on and no bra...a sight no doubt! I get out of the car and I confidently pretend I am perfectly presentable. He is very pleasant and hands me the key. They will find somewhere else to stay...Hmmm, yes, of course. I explain that I have been trying to call for an hour and a half. This doesn't phase him much.

They go back into the house. WHY??? I can't figure this out. Now I have to go in to shut the house down. They are not our renters. They do not have a key. They need to leave. Now another guests is up and talking to me about the airconditioning. This I am not prepared for and walk over to the dials. I feel very random about this and start spinning the discs, there are four of them and they mean nothing to me at this point. Ah...There we go, that should do it. He wants me to come in the room and see how cold it is. I do and it is too cold, and I am not at all properly dressed. I put the sham pillow over the floor vent hoping that perhaps this will help for the short term. I find more dials to spin as I am leaving. Hopefully one of these spinnings will reduce the air for them...

The cancellers have left, I lock the door and drive home. It is now 12:52 and I have to be up with a smile tomorrow.... and fairly early at that.

Goose for Mayor!

Our own Goose is running for Honorary Mayor of Groveland. This new title, sponsored by the Yosemite Chamber of Commerce for the 49er Festival in September is a huge fundraiser.

Each candidate is sponsored by a local club or non profit and raises money by selling bribes. Goose entered the race on Monday and earned his first $20 in bribes that same night. Bribers receive a raffle ticket for each $1 of grease.

Goose is sponsored by Camp Tuolumne Trails and endorsed by staff at the Groveland Vet's Office and famed Pet Photographer, Terri Metz, our neighbor Bunny Rose and Carol from Custom Rentals across the street. We welcome additional endorsements.

Goose is running with several campaign platforms the first, and most important is a fire hydrant on every corner. If we can, we will get one for every house! Second on his list of goals is to get dog treats in every store, if we can, every person should carry dog treats.

Goose will make his first public appearance on Tuesday, July 8th and has a fairly open calendar. Please contact his campaign manager Lynn to book Goose. Now that his running has been announced, we expect his engagement time to fill up quickly.

We look forward to seeing you around town!

Lynn, (For Goose!)

Save Strawberry Music Festival

Hello all,
Today's Union Democrat indicates that if a new contract isn't signed by June 20th between the City of San Francisco and the Strawberry Music Festival the festival will look to relocate. They are considering locations in Mariposa County.

This festival brings 4-5000+ folks into our area, eating, sleeping, gasing, spending...Twice a year from a Wednesday to a Monday, a huge time span from our usual 1-2 nighters. I imagine the loss of a venue of this size would surely be felt by the local businesses that support this event and the county not to mention all the FAMILY styled fun and music that would be missing too.

The festival has posted a listing of links to get the word out to the City of SF on how important this festival is. Let's all write them a letter and tell them we want the festival to stay here.

Should the city and the festival not come to an agreement, are their alternative locations to host this event in Tuolumne? Let's work together to keep it in our back yard!

Here is the link to the information Strawberry has published: http://www.strawberrymusic.com/Strawberry_Music_Festival_Announcement_of_6-6-08.pdf with contact email information at the bottom.

Please help save our festival!