TAHOE/TRUCKEE andamp;#8212; Thanks very much to our readers who either called or dropped us an email this past couple of weeks in response to our announcement that December would be the last month for this column. Your remarks were much appreciated.Several of our readers mentioned that their favorite columns were those that dealt with experiences in the 1960s and 70s. For many of us, those were the years we got hooked on skiing, the mountains, the lakes and streams, etc., and decided to cast our fate and careers to the wind. Out of the cities and up to the mountains.This movement, without a doubt, can be attributed to the 1960 Winter Olympics, which premiered the Tahoe area and introduced skiing and snow sports as something that andamp;#8220;mostandamp;#8221; everyone could do. The opening of I-80 also made it much easier for us to come up and enjoy the Sierra. This area was no longer just a play ground for a few, or just a stop on the way to Reno.Many of us ended up being employees at the ski areas. This equated to working at andamp;#8220;McDonaldsandamp;#8221; in the cities. Others worked restaurant jobs so they could work at night and ski during the day.andamp;#8220;Ski bumsandamp;#8221; who did not work at all during the winter did find work as carpenters, laborers, waiters, T-shirt vendors, or whatever during the summer. Or, they just went back to the andamp;#8220;bayandamp;#8221; or the andamp;#8220;valleyandamp;#8221; to work, or to continue their educations during the summer and fall semesters. Then back to the mountains in the winter.In the late 60s and early 70s, the population began to grow and the demand for workers for service jobs, utilities, fire departments, the forest service, special improvement districts, construction, restaurants, tourist related jobs, etc., increased. In those days, many of the newly created jobs paid enough and the cost of living was low enough for families (young and old alike) to purchase a home and a four-wheel-drive truck or car (or both).Overnight we became andamp;#8220;responsible adults,andamp;#8221; business owners, teachers, contractors, and hard workers at that! We integrated into the community, married and raised families, and created changes both good and bad. But our reasons for coming here and our love for the mountains and all the recreational opportunities afforded us have not changed.To be continued in our next column … PLEASE call or email us with your thoughts and memories so we can share them with our readers in our last few columns.Bonus questions: Over the years questions have been suggested by some long-time residents who I andamp;#8220;thoughtandamp;#8221; were probably too difficult for many people to answer. Stumping people was not the goal of the question of the week. The goal was to bring back some memories and to identify the names of some of the people who have lived here awhile and remembered people, places and events of the past. However, letandamp;#8217;s try a few of those questions.From Wes Schimmelpfennig: Where was the first Shakespeare on the Lake performance held?From Jeanie Blount: What was the former street name of Granlibakken Road in Tahoe City?From Pat Northrop: Who was Shirley that Shirley Lakes was named after? (We donandamp;#8217;t know, but we hope some reader does).Norm and Alan Nicholls of the Nicholls Real Estate Group are affiliated with Dickson Realty at 11500 Donner Pass Rd. in Truckee.