Decks: Eden Vale Inn Bed and Breakfast Placerville

The north side of Eden Vale Inn B&B is decked and trellised with Incense Cedar.  The cedar was cut from the Sierra Nevada forests and milled at Kubich Lumber in Grass Valley, CA.   Kubich is sort of a time warp.  They have and old fashioned buzz saw.  We like the rough sawn saw marks.  It fits the rustic character of the Old West still  visible in El Dorado County. 

More Pictures -- Eden Vale Inn Bed and Breakfast, Placerville

More Pictures from the Perfect Weekend - Eden Vale Inn Bed and Breakfast, Placerville.  See the original on Perfect Weekend - Eden Vale Inn Bed and Breakfast, Placerville, California

Perfect Weekend - Eden Vale Inn Bed and Breakfast, Placerville

A couple came from the San Francisco Bay Area last weekend to tour the El Dorado Wine country including Fair Play for the first time.  They had been to the Amador Wine County many times.  There favorites in Fair Play on the Saturday round were: Iverson Vineyards and Winery, Oakstone Winery, and Cedarville Vineyard.   They took some fabulous photos a few of which appear here.  More can be seen on Trip Advisor: Perfect Weekend - Eden Vale Inn Bed and Breakfast, Placerville

"My wife and I are always looking for interesting getaways to the more remote wine regions of California. This was our first venture to El Dorado wine country. It was a great weekend in large part due to the amazing experience of the Eden Vale Inn. I can't say enough about this place. Hard to believe it used to be a barn! Mark and Gail really have a talent and passion - the architectural design, the exquisite furnishings, the garden and grounds, the attention to detail everywhere, the helpful advice, the wonderful breakfast. Everything about this place is focused on making sure guests have a wonderful, memorable experience. We did. And we can’t wait to return."  Steveone03

Fall Magic at Eden Vale Inn Bed and Breakfast

The light, and color of the turning leaves, make magic at Eden Vale Inn B&B. A similar picture of this swing in our back yard near Placerville, CA was posted a few days ago. This magic is even better. I'm planning to get out and photograph some to the local Sierra Foothill Vineyards while the color is still happening. Tomorrow I plan to visit wineries in Fair Play, southern El Dorado County and nearby Amador County. Stay tuned for an update. Mark

Eden Vale Inn Placerville,Cotinus, Smoke Bush

From Eden Vale Inn, the ladies say this is one of the best fall's. Well I don't know, I've seen a lot of good fall color in these Sierra Foothills. Nevertheless, the Cotinus Smoke Bush at Eden Vale Inn does seem to be the best ever. Spectacular are the red, orange and yellow varietals of Bray Vineyards located in Shenandoah Valley, Amador County, California. Check it out at www.brayvineyards.com , not to mention the rest of the Sierra Foothill Wineries. Mark

Wonderful Fall Morning

Today's breakfast at Eden Vale Inn Bed & Breakfast in Placerville. Kirsten the Innkeeper served Gingerbread Waffles with Carmelized Apples, Whipped Cream and Maple Syrup. Also offered, Shirred Eggs with Ham, Cream and Cheese. The weather in El Dorado County today is sunny, crisp and lovely.

Outrageous Fall Color in Placerville

People call in October and ask "are the leaves turing yet in Coloma?" Or maybe they ask "is there color in the hills around Placerville?" My answer would always be yes but, November in the Sierra Foothills is best. Check out this outrageous scene at Eden Vale Inn yesterday. Mark

Fall Around Placerville

In the Sierra Foothills fall is at its prime the first few weeks of November. The El Dorado County and Amador County Vinyards are fields of colors. Everywhere you go color is found. Here at Eden Vale Inn near Placerville we have planted many shrubs, vines and trees that are particularly colorful. Pictures are worth a 1000 words.

Breakfast at Eden Vale Inn

Kirsten made Ricotta Souffle Pancakes topped with Fresh Raspberry Sauce. The guests loved them,so light and delicious! The Souffle Pancakes were served them with Maple Sausage and Fluffy Scrambled Eggs. We always tailor our menu to fit our guests needs and use only the finest, fresh local produce available in El Dorado County. No one walks aways from Eden Vale Inn hungry!

Eden Vale Inn Commitment

At Eden Vale Inn in Placerville, CA we are committed to continual improvement of facilites and service. We thank our guests for their continual feedback and helping us improve while they relax and enjoy.

Fall Color

Fall is definately in the air around Placerville and Apple Hill. November always brings the best color in the surrounding Sierra Foothill Vinyards. Eden Vale Inn Bed and Breakfast is surrounded by gardens and the color here is a grand display. Here are a few pictures snapped in this morning's crisp air.

First Proposal

A beautiful warm full moon night aroused an inspiration. He rowed her out on the Big Dipper pond and proposed! She said yes. The next morning they announced the event and all the ladies cheered. A few days later the mother-in-law to be called to say how wonderful it all was. She had made the reservation too!

Dock for the Pond

We've needed a dock for our small

1/3 acre pond for some time. We wanted something small and low profile that would also last a long time. Mostly the dock is for swimming and viewing. But, you can also tie a boat up to it.

Our design was to use 2" diameter threaded galvanized pipe for the frame. The we laid incense cedar deck right over the frame. It just lays into place and is not fastened so we can easily lift it off for maintenance.

When the water was drawn down four feet for maintenance last winter, it was an opportunity to pour some concrete footings and embed the pipe in the concrete. Then I went to the local plumbing store where they thread pipe to custom sizes. Several trips were required as I would build a stage and, then measure up the next stage. The pipes show in the pictures. The vertical pipe sticking up is so you have something to grab getting out of the water. Not shown is that he pipes under water that make a ladder for entering and exiting the pond.

The wood was incense cedar. We have a lot of it available here in the Sierra Nevada. It has excellent resistance to rot, better than coast redwood according to those that know. There are some old incense cedar fence posts here that had been in the ground maybe as long as 80 years. They had no rot in them. The bugs don't like it. We finish all our cedar with Superdeck. It's about 60% linseed oil looks great and weathers well.

You can't find incense cedar in the lumber stores. If you want to use that wood you have to find a band saw miller or you can take a trip to Kubich Lumber in Grass Valley, CA. They have a boutique business in incense cedar. They mill it on a big old buzz saw so you get the saw marks in the lumber, great if you like the rustic look.

The picture in the upper right is one of the dock panels flipped upside down so you can see how it's built. Each of three panels just lay on the pipe; you don't need to fasten it making it easily removable. The side rails hold it together and keep it from slipping side to side. You can also see the land footing with the 2" pipe set right in it. The only fasteners were some 3 1/2 coated screws for decks I got at Home Depot.

Summer Garden

Summer Garden -
Grasses and Sunflowers!

Spring Garden

Spring Garden - Roses and Wisteria