School will be starting soon, do you have a bus schedule yet? If you haven't already done so, please get your bus schedules by following the link to you school below.   Bus Schedules are for the following schools El Dorado High School Oak Ridge High School Ponderosa High School Union Mine High School Shenandoah High School  Transportation Alternative Education Transportation Latrobe USD       Image: Rawich / FreeDigitalPhotos.net   08/09/2011

      Looking for the High School Schedule for El Dorado High School in Placerville, California? You can get this year's schedule right here. Placerville, Ca School Schedule - El Dorado High School   Looking for School Schedules for another Placerville School? List of all schools in the Placerville area.       Image: photostock / FreeDigitalPhotos.net 08/09/2011

  Now that summer is here, and temperatures reaching into the 90's, it's probably a good time to watch for air quality. I have found an Air Quality Index for Placerville, Ca. The Image is a forecast of this week. I have linked the site for future reference and your local index.   Not sure what Air Quality is? Well, here is a definition that is available at the Weatherbug site. What is AQI? The AQI is an index for reporting daily air quality. It tells you how clean or polluted your air is, and what associated health concerns you should be aware of. The AQI focuses on health effects that can happen within a few hours or days after breathing polluted air. EPA uses the AQI for five major air pollutants regulated by the Clean Air Act: ground-level ozone, particulate matter, carbon monoxide, ... 08/07/2011

  Some days just start out with a great view. It's those days that I feel that things will fall into place, just as they are supposed to be. Today was one of those days. Hope that your day was as it was meant to be. Enjoy this day!    07/23/2011

We get a few animals in our neighborhood, some friendly, some not so friendly. There are a few squirrel that like to hang out around the birdfeeders. The squirrels have found that there is always seeds under the feeder. Some of the squirrels will get to the feeders directly. One thing is certain the squirrels will be eating on our deck. I shot one recently, with the camera of course. 07/21/2011

I have been doing business with a local lumber yard, Diamond Pacific, the last few months. They have been delivering lumber and supplies on a regular basis to the same apartment community, keeping the job flowing while not piling up too much to risk theft at night. After spending a Gazillion dollars, the driver offers me a few carpenters pencils. Boy am I excited! Free pencils! Am I mad and upset, not really. Why? Well... I have been given some steep discounts because they want my business. When there isn't a lot of General Contractors in the county doing a bunch of work, suddenly your become valuable if you've got projects to do. The delivery schedule is ideal. There is a fine line between not having the materials needed to do the work, and having too much sitting around that can be s... 07/19/2011

      I was driving to work this morning and as I was passing the lake in Greenstone Country, I noticed a beautiful creature in the water. The water was mostly still but for a gentle ripple. I had to get a picture of this beauty. It seemed so quiet down at the water's edge, just waiting for this shot. I'm not a fan of hunting, but I love shooting the camera and video. 06/23/2011

Okay, it's the first day of summer and finally the weather here in California makes sense - it's going to be hot! We have had some very strange weather, long winter season, more rain than usual, all very uncharacteristic of beautiful California. It is first day of summer, temperatures to reach 102 in Sacramento, Ca. There with snow still in the Sierra Mountains. Just too weird! But at least the first day of summer will be correct!     06/20/2011

It seems that many of my usual suppliers are going out of business, cutting there hours, and laying off workers. This can make it hard on the working contractors in the area. You can't always get the right supplies from the Home Depots and Lowe's Warehouse stores, not for the kind of work that we do. At first, I felt forced into going to Diamond Pacific in Placerville to get what I need but that has changed. Today I try to get all that I need from Diamond Pacific. I started by just getting the specialty items that the warehouse stores don't carry. then I discovered that many of the items that I thought were cheaper at the big stores were actually more expensive. I had several larger projects recently that I needed larger qualities delivered regularly to the job site, so I got an even b... 06/16/2011

  You gotta love this kitchen if you are a general contractor or a homeowner willing to make some changes. Changes that will greatly improve the value of your home, be more efficient, and more modern and up-to-date. It would be hard to spruce up this kitchen. Why? Because it is all old and outdated. I'm not saying that you have to make any changes, maybe you are okay with it the way it is. But if you are a general contractor, your eyes are tearing up with joy. This baby is being demolished; a clean slate, where the owners can have whatever they wish. Counters, cabinets, appliances all must come out. Plumbing, electrical, flooring too. Let's make this kitchen sparkle! But wont that be expensive? It will cost a lot of money, but its money that will go directly to the value of your home. T... 06/08/2011

I just got back from having dinner at Z-Pie's in Placerville. If you like pot pies, this is the place to go. Just off Main Street, 50 feet from the 50 freeway, it is very convenient. The place was not crowded, so we were seated quickly. I had the Rosemary Lamb, my wife had the Southwestern Chicken. Both were very good. We shared a locally grown salad that is very tasty. The cost was about $22.00 after all was done. Nothing fancy about the place, just good food. I would highly recommend eating here if you ever get the chance to be in Placerville, CA   Want to check it out?  Z-Pie's on Google Maps View Larger Map   05/28/2011

    A while ago, I had this guy that I know who was slow in business that was constantly bugging me for tree service work. I didn't know his work, nor did I know of anybody in need at the time. As luck would have it a big storm came through and we had some trees fall on our property (big ones) that I just couldn't do myself.   Thought I'd give this guy a call and see what he could do. He and his guys did an incredible job; thorough, clean, tireless.   While they were working, I did some video of them splitting some wood (asked them if it were okay). A put together this video to do some marketing that they did not know about. It was mostly on Craigslist, but also some spot opportunities here and there.    Here is that video.     Although I had gotten permission to record the guys, they h... 05/22/2011

    Wedged into a picturesque valley in the clear air high above Sacramento, is one of the California Gold Country's best kept secrets. Cut through a forest of oak and pine, three miles north of Placerville, Cold Springs Golf & Country Club is truly a ‘Nugget of the Mother Lode'. Deer, wild turkeys and other wildlife serenely roam the course, but they are well-mannered and let the golfers play through. Our fairways are lined with trees, not backyards of houses like many private clubs. The course itself is a superior test of golf, calling for accurate tee shots down tree-lined fairways and a deft touch on the sharply breaking greens. Two of the par fives were chosen by Sacramento magazine as among the top 18 holes in the Sacramento area. Cold Springs is a friendly, active club, home to ... 05/14/2011

  When I first saw one I thought it was a mouse, I was wrong. Our cat is very good at hunting country critters, one day he had a special surprise for us. He caught a vole. At the time I did not know what it was but apparently it is very common in El Dorado County. They borough in the ground and eat the roots of plants. We thought we had gofers or something underground eating the plants that we would garden.   Here is a picture. Note the size for their front paws. The paw size and claws allow them to dig quickly. The teeth provide easy munching of the freshly planted vegetation. You may have them too!     We were lucky the cat didn't get hurt in capturing this mean looking animal. 05/12/2011

  This is a sign that I saw coming home on Saturday, here in Placerville, Ca. It reminded me that the rattlesnake season will be beginning soon. Honestly, I have not seen many rattlesnakes since living here but I do know that they are around, and dangerous. Here are some tips about Rattlesnakes that we should keep in mind. • Rattlesnakes are not confined to rural areas. They have been found near urban areas, in river or lakeside parks, and at golf courses. • Startled rattlesnakes may not rattle before striking defensively. • Never go barefoot or wear sandals when walking through wild areas. • When hiking, stick to well-used trails and wear over-the-ankle boots and loose-fitting long pants. Avoid tall grass, weeds and heavy underbrush. • Do not step or put your hands where you cannot se... 05/08/2011

  Only 38% of Americans are eligible to donate blood and of those only 8% do. That amounts to only about 3 out of every 100 people. Whether it is through the Red Cross, a local hospital or blood bank, or mobile blood drive, there is a constant need for blood donations. If you have an opportunity to give please do so. I have been giving blood the last few years after saying "someday I will do that" way too long. There are some requirements.  Most donation locations have a quick form that you fill out before giving blood, to screen the donor for eligibilty. If you can't because you do not qualify, maybe you can give in another way. Often times there is an insentive to give - a pint of ice cream for a pint of blood or free movie for donating. The place that I go offers points that you can ... 05/05/2011

  For many in the Placerville Area, the El Dorado County Fair is big local event. This year the Fair will run from June 16th thru June 19th at the County Fairgrounds.   Scheduled events include: Live Animals Truck Pull Day on the Green Comedy Shows Wild About Monkey Contests Cooking Demonstrations Livestock Auctions Hypnotists Horse Show Racing and much more...   Additional Information is available: El Dorado County Fair Home Page Fair Schedule Ticket Information       Directions to the Fair! View Larger Map       04/30/2011

    The end of another day in Greenstone Country in Placerville, Ca       Greenstone Country is a special gated community on the border of Placerville and Shingle Springs and offers privacy and community. Lots are 3 acre minimum and 11 miles of equestrian and walking trails are available to owners along with common areas of lakes, tennis courts, and a riding arena.   You can see Greenstone Country on Facebook too. 04/26/2011

  . Greenstone Country is a private, gated community in Placerville, Ca. Many of the homes are designed for horse owners and those who enjoy country "quiet". Greenstone has three small lakes, miles of horse trails, beautiful paved roads, and plenty of natural wildlife. Views like this are not uncommon in the hundreds of acres within Greenstone Country. Ask your local realtor for a tour of the community   04/26/2011

Wow, I made an appointment a few days ago to do a draw inspection for a 203k construction project in Placerville, CA and thought nothing of it as far as the potential weather front coming in over the weekend. There was no snow to be found on my way up but I had another one scheduled a few miles east of Placerville and when I got to the first house, no problem but before I went to the second one, I received a call that was canceling the appointment as they had about 24" of snow over the weekend.  I'm thinking, are they kidding, there isn't any snow here... then the weatherman came on the radio saying you had to chain up just four miles east of where my first house was. Who would have thought. Once I was back on the road there were quite a number of pick up trucks passing me that were ful... 03/22/2011