September 24, 2011

Citizens Bank of Northern California, Nevada City, California, was closed today by the California Department of Financial Institutions, which appointed the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation (FDIC) as receiver. To protect the depositors, the FDIC entered into a purchase and assumption agreement with Tri Counties Bank, Chico, California, to assume all of the deposits of Citizens Bank of Northern California.

The seven branches of Citizens Bank of Northern California will reopen on Monday as branches of Tri Counties Bank. Depositors of Citizens Bank of Northern California will automatically become depositors of Tri Counties Bank. Deposits will continue to be insured by the FDIC, so there is no need for customers to change their banking relationship in order to retain their deposit insurance coverage up to applicable limits. Customers of Citizens Bank of Northern California should continue to use their existing branch until they receive notice from Tri Counties Bank that it has completed systems changes to allow other Tri Counties Bank branches to process their accounts as well.

This evening and over the weekend, depositors of Citizens Bank of Northern California can access their money by writing checks or using ATM or debit cards. Checks drawn on the bank will continue to be processed. Loan customers should continue to make their payments as usual.

As of June 30, 2011, Citizens Bank of Northern California had approximately $288.8 million in total assets and $253.1 million in total deposits. In addition to assuming all of the deposits of the failed bank, Tri Counties Bank agreed to purchase essentially all of the assets.

Customers with questions about today’s transaction should call the FDIC toll-free at 1-800-430-6165. The phone number will be operational this evening until 9:00 p.m., Pacific Daylight Time (PDT); on Saturday from 9:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m., PDT; on Sunday from noon to 6:00 p.m., PDT; and thereafter from 8:00 a.m. to 8:00 p.m., PDT. Interested parties also can visit the FDIC’s Web site at http://www.fdic.gov/bank/individual/failed/cbnc.html.

The FDIC estimates that the cost to the Deposit Insurance Fund (DIF) will be $37.2 million. Compared to other alternatives, Tri Counties Bank’s acquisition was the least costly resolution for the FDIC’s DIF. Citizens Bank of Northern California is the 73rd FDIC-insured institution to fail in the nation this year, and the fourth in California. The last FDIC-insured institution closed in the state was San Luis Trust Bank, FSB, San Luis Obispo, on February 18, 2011.

Source FDIC

Problems making your mortgage payments?
Consider the advantages of a short sale
Call or email today for a free consultation

John J. O’Dell Realtor® GRI
O’Dell Realty
(530) 263-1091
jodell@nevadacounty.com

Nevada Irrigation District Water Source Map

Nevada Irrigation District  (NID) water originates in the snow pack of a 70,000-acre watershed in the high mountains of Sierra and Nevada counties. The district’s Mountain Division reservoirs include Jackson Meadows, Milton, French, Faucherie, Sawmill and Bowman. Water from these reservoirs flows to PG&E’s Lake Spaulding via the Bowman-Spaulding Canal.

From Spaulding, NID water flows down the South Yuba Canal to the Cascade Canal system which carries water into western Nevada County service areas. Water from Spaulding also flows down the Bear River watershed through PG&E’s Drum Hydroelectric Project and NID’s Yuba-Bear Power Project. This water supplies NID service areas in southern Nevada County and Placer County.

In addition to its seven mountain reservoirs, NID owns and operates three Foothill Division reservoirs, Scotts Flat, Rollins and Combie. The district operates and maintains 400 miles of canals and 300 miles of pipelines.

The highest point on NID watershed is 8373-foot English Mountain, which rises just south of Jackson Meadows. The lowest elevation NID water service is 100 miles to the southwest, at the 150-foot elevation, near Lincoln, Placer County.

Source: Waterways, a publication of NID

Problems making your mortgage payments?
Consider the advantages of a short sale
Call or email today for a free consultation

John J. O’Dell Realtor® GRI
O’Dell Realty
(530) 263-1091
jodell@nevadacounty.com

Emerald Cove Marina - photo courtesy of Emerald Cove Marina

Bullards Bar Reservoir is not in Nevada County, but it is close enough to Nevada City and Grass Valley as to make it a destination for water skiing, house boating and fishing. It’s only 21 miles north of Nevada City off of Highway 49 in the historic gold country. The three closest cities are Nevada City, Grass Valley and Marysville.

The lake surface is at 2,000 foot elevation, 16 miles long with about 60 miles of shoreline. The boating surface is 4,700 acres, which is a lot of area to boat in. There are only two launch ramps and once you are in the water, you are surrounded by a greenbelt covered with pine, oak, fir, madrone, dogwood and other species of trees native to the area. As you cruise up into the North Yuba Canyon, sheer cliffs of granite come down to greet the crystal clear water.

The North Yuba River is backed up by New Bullards Bar Dam which is an awesome sight all by itself. Standing 645? above the canyon floor, it holds back 960,000 acre feet of water. It’s the second tallest dam in California, 5th tallest in the United States. A hydro-electric dam, Bullards Bar Dam is operated and controlled by the Yuba County Water Agency. They are able to manage the water so that recreation access to the reservoir is never restricted.

Bullards Bar offers boat access campgrounds, land based sites, and shoreline camping permits. There are a total of only 160 sites, which limits the amount of people the area can accommodate. Emerald Cove Marina takes site specific reservations for all camping.

For the fisherman, there are kokanee salmon, rainbow trout, German browns, large mouth, small mouth and black bass, crappie, catfish, and bluegill. Bullards Bar has a reputation as having the best kokanee salmon and black bass fishing in California.

CAMPING
Campgrounds – Call for reservations & fees
Pets, NO Hookups, Boat & Trailer Storage, Some Flush Toilets

BOATING
Power, Row, Jet ski, Windsurf, Canoe, Sail, Water-ski, and Inflatables are allowed.
There is a full service marina with gas and propane exchange available
Rentals: Houseboats, Ski Boats, Jet Skis, and Pontoon Patio Boats

RECREATION
Fishing
Swimming, Picnicking, & Hiking
Snacks, Groceries, Bait & Tackle and Fuel Dock

For further information and reservations contact   Emerald Cove Marina (530) 692-3200

 

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For all your real estate needs, call or email:

John J. O’Dell Realtor® GRI
Real Estate Broker
O’Dell Realty
(530) 263-1091
jodell@nevadacounty.com

The Empire Mine is the site of the oldest, largest, and richest gold mine in California. From 1850 to its closing in 1956, it produced 5.8 million ounces of gold.This 5.8 million ounces of gold would fill a box 7 feet on each side. It is estimated that this represented only 20% of the available gold…80% remains. The Park contains many of the original mine buildings, the owners cottage and the restored gardens and grounds as well as the entrance to 367 miles (the equivalent of a round trip from Grass Valley to San Jose) of abandoned and flooded shafts and tunnels. The park consists of 845 acres of forested back country and 12 miles of trails for hikers, bikers and horseback riders.

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Snow storm came during the night and decided to have a seat.

Friday night, November 19 2010, it started snowing and by Saturday morning I had about six to eight inches of snow.  Just as I started to go to work on my computer, the power went out.  With no power, I have no heat so I figured…  I’d better leave for the weekend.  On the way out, there was a pretty good size tree branch in the road.  I managed to drive around it but I could tell this was going to be a bad storm.

The leaves are still on the trees and the snow is very wet, resulting in trees and tree limbs coming down all over the forest.

Looking up the road away from my house Saturday morning

Checking on my house Monday, November 22, 2010, there still was no power.  The road I live on loops, and I came up the first turn to my road and went up to my house. Everything was fine until I decided to continue out the other end of my road. Guess what? There is a tree lying across the road. One wire has fallen off the power pole and is lying across the road also. If you look closely at the picture I took, looking up the hill, you will notice the wire on the right hand side of the pole is not there.

Look at the right upper side of pole, wire has fallen off

Notice the tree and power line across the road - Monday evening

PG & E called me on my cell last night and informed me that there would be no power until Tuesday.  At this point there are about 7,000 homes without power.  Tonight, I received another friendly call from PG & E and they said there would be no power until Wednesday. (my house is at 3,700 foot elevation)

Well another night not at my house!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x8zdNtHdqmc

Credits:
Casey Martinson – Narration
Alex Ramsey – Camera, Editing
Ian Lynn – Sound Recording
Daniel Lawson – Technical

Images:
www.flickr.com
www.photosofoldamerica.com
www.pashnit.com
www.yubanet.com
www.ccservices.cc
www.panoramio.com
www.wordpress.com

Music:
Glenn Miller – “In the Mood”, “Little Brown Jug”, “(I’ve Got A Gal In) Kalamazoo”
Steve Simmons – “Alex on the Road”
Johnny Pearson – “Graveyard”

Information:
holbrooke.com
www.empiremine.org
www.historicgrassvalley.com
www.sierracinemas.com
www.en.wikipedia.com

[*Note: Grass Valley, while being estabilished in 1849, was officially incorporated as a town in 1860.]

John J. O’Dell
Real Estate Broker
Call 530-263-1091

Following in the footsteps of harpist Joanna Newsom, local bands in and around Nevada City and Grass Valley are creating a vibrant indie music scene. Now the scene’s success is being furthered by a new record label featuring local bands, Grass Roots Record Co. Take a mini-tour of the Nevada County music scene with Dan Elkan of the band “Them Hills.”

Note: if you cannot view this video, you need Click here to download Adobe Flash

Nevada County Airport is home base to over 140 aircraft with over 30,000 take-offs and landings occurring each year. 

Nevada County Airport was built in 1932 by Errol McBoyle, owner of the Idaho Maryland Mine, to fly gold to Mills Field (now San Francisco International Airport). In 1956, Charles Litton of Litton Industries, gave the airport land to Nevada County as a gift. Later, Nevada County invested over $5 million in upgrading the air park.

Pilot information is at AirVav:KGOO Nevada County Airpark

Nevada County Airport
Manager: Greg Marshall
13083 John Bauer Avenue
Grass Valley, CA 95945
530-273-3374
Fax 274-1003
Email: gregory.marshall@co.nevada.ca.us

By: John J. O’Dell
Real Estate Broker
Call for any of your real estate needs or questions
530-263-1091

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http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1GxoO74Mu3o

John J. O’Dell
Real Estate Broker
530-263-1091

(Charles Schmidt is a local Nevada County furniture maker)

I probably started getting a feel for putting rustic furniture together from growing up in Montana, living and working on ranches and farms that were quite poor; and quite pioneer in lifestyle, where we built what we needed; often with hatchet, hammer and hand drill.  My wife Barbara and I lived in Oregon for years where there’s a lot of roadside rustic furniture to pique the mind. So ideas were always perking.

When the economy started south in ’07 I got the idea to try to add to our income by making rustic furniture and selling it at local craft fairs here.  We have our own style and make benches, chairs, coat-racks, end or coffee or chair side tables, footstools, freestanding shelves and do custom orders.  We’re currently working on an all-manzanita queen bed that goes to a Tahoe home.  We use manzanita (Little Apple), Oaks, Pines, Locust, Maple, Cherry, Laurels, Sycamore, Cedar, Hawthorne and Crepe Myrtle.  We use about every wood you can find here in the foothills.  A chair will normally have 12-14 different woods in it.

Most rustic furniture is log-gy looking; ours is a bit more artistic in look and made from sticks salvaged from brush piles.  Meaning most all the lines are curvilinear instead of straight. The joints are fastened with bronze screws.  The furniture tolerates foul weather quite well.

It’s quite enjoyable work in that one has an idea that it’s a chair you want to build.  But the contours of the wood rule how it will go together.

Wood-will over craftsman’s-will, so to speak.

Our prices here are around half what our pieces sell for in galleries and retail stores; which we have done in the past.  People from Colorado come here to buy from us at way less than they pay there; and get a different style with prettier woods also.

We have no web-site; but you can Email your request and we can send you pictures of similar pieces we’ve built.  You may want something from inventory or we can build it for you.  Perhaps from wood off your own land.  Charles & Barbara, forest-furniture@att.net