TAHOE/TRUCKEE andamp;#8212; At Tahoe and in and around Truckee, I am a long-time resident who has high regard for the whole area, and presently I live here for most of the year. Even though so many mountain areas are nice, I believe this area is superb.By and large, I am a local who goes way back. I go so far back I remember when Alpine Meadows was defined as more of a family resort and Squaw Valley as more of a singlesandamp;#8217; resort. Now thatandamp;#8217;s changed, but I do remember that I had lots of fun at Squaw Valley (we used to call it andamp;#8220;Squawandamp;#8221;) when a single person and dating, and now that Iandamp;#8217;m a mom, Iandamp;#8217;m happy our family cabin is in Alpine Meadows (back in the day, I wished the old family cabin was in Squaw).All the ski resorts around are such top quality, even as I do know some folks in other states brag about their ski spots. You know, the person from Utah who tells you how the snow at Alta is superior … and weandamp;#8217;ve heard that quite a bit … but thatandamp;#8217;s OK, the rivalry is OK, and itandamp;#8217;s the kind of discussions we do have here in these mountain towns. I can say I do like to ski at Utah now and then, but our spots such as Alpine Meadows, Squaw, etc. Arenandamp;#8217;t they top places? I think they are … for singles and for families. And the whole area has her wonderful assets andamp;#8212; for dining out, for sitting by the fire when it snows, for shopping at the boutiques, for ice-skating, for overhearing a conversation that some French people are having in French, for how very pretty the lake looks.My family is going to be up here full-time, and we are not a classic family arrangement but fit in as many modern families do. We are me, my boyfriend of several years and my adopted son. This September my son turned 6 years old, so time is flying as far as my boyfriend and I are concerned. It wasnandamp;#8217;t so long ago we were in Russia to bring him home from the orphanage, and we were looking at all the damp snow there. My boyfriend and I thought of the winters here in Truckee-Tahoe and how they might make him feel somewhat at home even as they would also be different.So, suddenly, fast-forward andamp;#8212; we as a family anticipate the snow of this winter, another California winter with our son. My boyfriend has taught him how to make snowballs (it wasnandamp;#8217;t allowed at the orphanage; not much outdoor life allowed). Usually, they play outside longer than I do, as Iandamp;#8217;m sometimes indoors making soup (not from the can … from the recipe book) and weandamp;#8217;ve got some good bread from one of the bakeries around. But sometimes, Iandamp;#8217;ve gone cross-country skiing or over to swim at the Tahoe-Truckee pool andamp;#8212; getting in better shape.So when we all converge back at the house, we determine to go out to eat. Truckee and Tahoe have really scored in the area of good dining. We sometimes dine elegantly and sometimes simply. The experience is more than good food, too. For interesting people live here and come here andamp;#8212; to be encountered on the streets and surely in the restaurants. Iandamp;#8217;ve been spotted doting on a wine list in some way that reveals I know something about the stuff on the list, and suddenly a French person asks me a question in French or an Italian signals to me. Well, I am conversational in French and can comprehend a smatter of Italian andamp;#8212; for like many Tahoe residents Iandamp;#8217;ve lived abroad for a while.Where else would my boyfriend and I want to raise our son? Things come up daisies here in the high Sierra. In the spring, my boyfriend is adopting my son legally, as we step by step find our way as a couple (some legal ties not our fault are in the way of going faster andamp;#8212; well itandamp;#8217;s OK; love and living take time). In general, time goes by nicely here.