We were initially up early at 6:30, but thought better of it and went back to bed until 9:30 (a double dip). Then up for a good breakfast of berries, natural yoghurt, toast, scrambled egg and coffee while we planned a day at Bass Lake. We left about 11:00 after a talk with Robert Taylor, and drove down the 41 towards Oakhurst, turning of a few miles before on the new, wide Bass Lake road. Once we reached the lake we pulled off on a headland to look at the lake and saw people by the lakeside below. As we were unable to get down at that point we drove on and found a parking place by the lakeside.. A notice informed us that there was a $3 charge for parking so we put $3 under the windshield wiper and went down to the beach.

Shortly afterwards the parking attendant lady came round on her bicycle and changed the $3 for a parking ticket. We found a good picnic table in the shade, and watched the ducks

and the boats on the lake.

People were swimming in the lake. There is a general boat dock on the lake.

After a quick bite to eat, and a pause under a tree,

we drove on to Bass Lake Village, and called in at Bass Lake Realty where we met Teresa Wilson and told our tale about wanting to sell the China Creek property and buy in the Bass Lake area.

Teresa took us out to see two houses, the first one up Saunders road at $379,900 looked very good, up a quiet side street but no view or direct access to the lake. It had three bedrooms, and a very good kitchen with wide, black granite work surfaces and had recently been renovated. A good deck area and a jacussi, but the land fell away steeply and was still almost wild forest.

A short drive away was the second house, smaller (only 1 bedroom), $279,000, but in bigger lot (10,000 sq.ft.) so extension was a real possibility. It also had a boat dock down at the lakeside (not attached to the property) but had no view of the lake. On the whole it looked a bit run-down.

And so back to Bass Lake Village. Teresa looked up details of the China Creek property and promised to go and have a look at it, but said the property market was very depressed at present. She also told us she was going on a 'climb Half Dome' expedition in a few days. Leaving there we went across the road to a store where Luz bought a sun visor, and then we had some chocolate ice-cream sitting outside and watching the world go by.

Leaving Bass Lake Village we drove back to the 41 and up again to Fish Camp, stopping on the way to have a very quick look at the Narrow Guage Inn and promising to come back for a meal one evening.

Back to the Owl's Nest for a dinner of shrimps in a vegetable sauce cooked by Luz and mushrooms stuffed by Ron with another vegetable mixture, butter and a very good cheese (the cheddar brought from Zabars). This was eaten with the usual wines, Kendall-Jackson reserve merlot for Ron and the Sutter Home white zinfandel (with ice!) for Luz. We listened to Beethoven's 9th. Symphony while cooking, but Luz stopped it before the final movement and put on Julian Bream. Dinner was excellent.

After dinner we watched more 'Waiting for God', and then went to bed.