Thinking of Buying an El Encanto del Rio property at Millerton Lake?

Or know someone who is? Recommend El Encanto to them and receive $5,000 if it leads to a sale.*
Rain at Last! And a little White Stuff too.

Last week we finally got a little rain. The ground was so dry, that in spite of the rate the drops fell, the precipitation soaked in leaving only a few puddles for splashing. Inevitably however, there were enough to create about three extra loads of wash. But what fun we had getting muddy.

In addition to the rain, the foothills were dusted white for a short time. The Central Sierras, got about eighteen inches of new snow. If your household is like ours, we couldn’t wait to head up to China Peak, our local ski area for a few runs. The ski area is just forty miles up the hill so it is easily close enough for a day trip, while El Encanto is low enough to avoid all the high Sierra hassles like winterizing your home, and clearing snow from drives and walkways.

One benefit of living at El Encanto del Rio, is that it is a supermarket of sporting opportunity. Snow skiing is only one opportunity in addition to hiking, biking, boating, and fishing.
Come and take a look at El Encanto del Rio. See for yourself this great community. Enjoy the views of Millerton Lake, the Sierras and this ever changing environment. Lift your eyes above your city backyard fence to El Encanto and view a world without boundaries.
*We have parcels from 5 acres to 80-acres currently for sale in a wide range of prices. All are lake view and some are lakefront. Some have underground utilities and proven wells. Call 559 307-7717 to get your private tour.

Refer A Friend and Get $5,000

Lake Millerton Waterfront Front Property For Sale Winter Life in the Foothills –A Lifestyle You Can Have, Too This New Year’s Day, we celebrated new beginnings with some old and new traditions. But it was the new traditions that will create lasting memories for our family and friends. January 2014 is one of the driest times we’ve had in recent history. So, though we miss the typical green of new grasses on the hillsides, the beauty of the lake and foothills is still overwhelming. On New Year’s Day, we celebrated by enjoying that beauty up close and personally, and shared it with family and friends outdoors. The fresh, clean, cold air invigorated our activities in the morning. The kids, big and little, rode their mountain bikes on some of their favorite trails, balanced and inched their way across a slack-line (new Christmas present) and soared on a zip line from oak to oak. After lunch, we embarked on a hike down along one of our favorite creeks, through oaks and pines, past massive lichen colored granite boulders to Millerton Lake. Normally, the hike would take about 45 minutes. But this time, we had a gang of 4-8 year olds whose imaginations were stimulated by the adventure. They took their time meandering downhill, tracking wild animals, watching soaring hawks, and learning about native vegetation. This trek took two and half hours. By the time we followed the lake shoreline home, it was twilight. The new moon and first evening stars appeared in the sky. We ended our adventure with hot cocoa and marshmallows….probably more marshmallows than cocoa. Get $5,000 for a Recommendation If you know someone who would like to buy a lake-view property, please pass this information on to them. If your referral leads to a sale, you will receive $5,000 finder fee from escrow close. We will cooperate with all realtors. Contact us with your and your referral’s name and contact information at: Wendy Cedar@gmail.com El Encanto del Rio elencatodelrio@outlook.com We’ll be happy to show the property at anytime. We will also take back financing and offer terms on pricing. You can find out more and see a map of the property at http://millertonlakeland.blogspot.com/

Properties for Sale are as colorful as spring

  Room with a View in Living Color

El Encanto at Millerton Lake 

 We have property for sale that will make you think you are on vacation 24/7, 365 days a year.

Though the rain for the San Joaquin Valley has been scarce, the annual blossoming has begun. The first to blossom are the bush lupin. Most of the year they look dusty and sparce, but beginning in February the woody branches spring to life with glorious purple sprays. Then followeing are the California golden fiddleneck and pure white snowflakes. The oaks are budding and the grass is green.

 

Don't miss a visit to this glorious foothill haven just minutes from Fresno. Hiking during spring is incredible. Try either the lake trail (access from Millerton Lake SRA) or the Tabletop Squaw Leap trail at the end of Sky Harbor Road. Creeks are flowing, skies are blue, and clouds are dreamy.

Check out the information at the Sierra Foothill Conservancy about their events.



Would you  like to have a room with a view like this? We can help.

 Sierra Foothill Conservancy

A Late Harvest

Though the rain may not have hit yet here in the foothills, the tiniest sound of pat-pat-pat can be heard around our live oaks. The beauty of these trees is self-evident, but the historical importance of their acorns for the local Yokut tribe's subsistence is amazing. And somewhere in our tales of the Native American survival, the kids got caught on the idea of making our own acorn mush. Why did I go along with it? After starting the leaching process, I asked myself this many times. But the answer is simple: there is something about this foothill land that begs to be uncovered and appreciated -- both for its abundance and for its legacy.

Step 1: So the kids started harvesting. This was the easiest part, as the acorns completely cover the ground beneath the umbrella of the trees. And then the kids quit. But we got enough for our little experiment…

Step 2: Use needle-nosed pliers to ease open the acorn. There is an art to this!

Step 3: This was the highlight of the endeavor. Crushing them into a fine pulp with the kids.

Step 5: The hardest part was definitely the leaching process, to wash away the bitter tannins that are naturally in the acorn. While the Yokuts placed the crushed acorns in baskets in the riverbeds to wash the tannins away over the course of a season or longer, I’m far too used to modern conveniences for that sort of thing, or that sort of wait. So after searching the internet, we chose to use the hot water method of leaching, by boiling the acorns for three hours and changing the water six or so times in that period. During that time, the bitterness was pulled out of the acorn and into the water, leaving less and less tannins inside the nut with each water change. I kept two pots on the stove so that there was always a fresh pot of boiling water on the stove after I poured the brown water off. And after about three hours, we finally were brave enough to try the acorn and, true to the promise, it tasted perfectly bland and deliciously edible. The yellow nut had become quite dark in the process, too.

Step 6: Drying. This is where my failure happened. Instead of drying them as recommended, I think I accidentally roasted them. Dehydrators are recommended, but I tried to dry them in my oven, and they ended up resembling charcoal! At this point, I should use a coffee grinder to grind them up into a finer flour, and then use them in my baking, but the kids have since gone on to search for “coyote dens,” and I’m thinking that my charcoal might not be salvageable.

Step 7: Baking. Go to the cupboard, be thankful that Clovis, Fresno AND Prather are all within 15 minutes of this beautiful land, and we have wonderful grocery stores with Krusteaz baking mixes, from which I then conceded and baked my beautiful non-acorn muffins. Which we then ate beneath the oak trees.

Eagle Tours at Millerton Lake

The holidays are behind us, the Christmas decorations are put away. The parties and pageants and cocktails are gone, but the frost on the ground still begs for hot chocolate. And there's no better place to drink hot chocolate but while enjoying our winter residents up here at Millerton Lake -- the bald eagle.

For only a few months every year, they return to us.

Thankfully, the Eagle Tours at Millerton Lake SRA make it possible to travel across the water by boat to these birds' secret perches, all the while enjoying the fresh air, the smooth water, the captivating views of wildlife and still life, all melting together beyond the sweet aroma of, yes, hot chocolate.

Check out the park's website for information... http://castateparks.wordpress.com/2011/10/31/eagle-tours-at-millerton-lake-sra-2011/

Or better yet, email us at elencanto@aol.com, and find out how you can make your own perch here all year long.