In 1997, we moved into our second, much larger Temecula home that actually had a guest room. At that time, we began an extended run as a host family. We had at least 30 guests from as short as a weekend, to as long as a high school semester. The countries included Japan, China, France, Holland, Montenegro, Spain, Italy and Germany. It was a way to bring diverse cultures into our home and our community.

Linda arrived in 2002. Flash forward to now. When I found that her three week California driving tour included San Francisco, I invited her and her sweet boyfriend, Matthias to come for a stay.
With only one day in Tahoe, a hike down to Vikingsholm Castle, in Emerald Bay, is a must.
Tour guide, Nancy gave us some great information about the Castle and she made us all feel like special visitors.
This is one of my favorite Ponderosas at Vikingsholm, so a shared hug seemed right.
Horseshoe playing just had to happen.
After a very traditional American dinner of barbecued hamburgers, we strolled to the lake for the sunset. We really enjoyed this visit and we made promises that it would last longer next time. Bis bald! Gute Fahrt Freunde!