Happy Thanksgiving from Century 21 Sierra Properties

The Dorrington House Snow Globe

Mason’s in Arnold-By the PineTree Pedaler, Brett Loring

Got a thing for homemade tortillas? Pozole? Tamales? No need to go south of the border…or even south of Highway 4! On your way to work or as your last chance “on-the-way-to-ski-food,” or even for après-ski appetizers, Mason’s is convenient for uphill or downhill travelers on the Ebbetts Pass Scenic Byway.

Right along my “commute” to work is this new little place where I can get a fresh cup of coffee or a warm muffin. On a cycling day, I might break for one of Mason’s protein shakes. For lunch, my “usual” has been the chicken burrito – warm rice, whole beans and crisp salsa wrapped in a hearty homemade tortilla…until today…this afternoon Stephanie (“Sugar”) prepared me a savory batch of nachos with fresh chile verde, one of Mason’s Hispanic specialties. Blended to a smooth, tasty consistency with tomatillos from Big Trees Market, the chile verde adds a fresh, succulent topping to Mason’s tacos, burritos, tostadas and nachos.Owned and operated by Kristen and Emerick Flores who now live in Arnold, the café is named for their 7-month old son. In fact, a Mason jar labeled “Mason’s College Fund” sits on the counter near the register, welcoming spare change. Other family members that help out or “inspire” at Mason’s are Kristen’s dad, son Darrion, and toddler Brayden.

The ­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­Flores opened Mason’s Café on October 20 after a fast and furious refurbishing of the old Honey Bear Donuts shop. Nestled along Highway 4 next to Sarafina’s Italian Kitchen, Mason’s menu includes a variety of Hispanic dishes, coffee drinks, protein shakes and pastries. Other specialties include breakfast burritos, tamales, pozole, and traditional menudo which has been a hot seller. Coming soon: taco salad with a twist, “migas” or chilaquiles, buñuelos, whole-wheat tortillas, and espresso! Kristen is taking orders for Thanksgiving pies - choose from pumpkin, apple or peach cobbler. Customers can sidle up to the counter along the wall to enjoy their Mason’s meal, eat on the patio, or take out their provisions. With years of culinary, coffee shop, deli, and grocery store experience, Kristen reports that her family came here to Arnold to relax. So far, between the non-profit group home they run in Stockton and the start-up of Mason’s, the couple’s 17-hour days have not afforded them an abundance of leisure. Kristen and Stephanie reminisced of a recent midnight madness frenzy of making tamales to fulfill an order. This week they are preparing for a catered event for 60 at Bear Valley. Yet their friendliness and hard work allow them to enjoy serving a varied and unique cuisine to the community and to visitors, and they are still hopeful to squeeze in some R & R. At least for 11 year-old Darrion, hitting the slopes is on his winter menu.

Mason’s Grand Opening celebration will be on Thanksgiving weekend and will feature a burrito and a pie-eating contest. The $25 entry fee will benefit a local wildlife program. Open seven days a week from 7:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m., Mason’s menu features breakfast, lunch and dinner items. Tortillas are going like crazy! If you want tamales, you’ll need to give Mason’s about a 2-week notice. Watch for daily specials and Mason’s winter menu which will feature added items and a change of hours to 5 days a week, including later hours on Friday, Saturday and Sunday. Mosey on over to Mason’s for a traditional tortilla-wrapped taste treat or a warm bowl (32 ounces!) of a Mexican-style soup. Then delight in a delectable dessert such as Brayden’s Oreo Dream (Yum! Had to try it since this IS investigative reporting, you know!) or the unique Blueberry Pie Burrito! For the health conscious diner, slurp down a savory protein shake made with special powder by Dr. Gregory, Kristen’s dad.

Mason’s is at 810 Highway 4, on the “uphill side” of Arnold. Call for catering, or phone in your to-go order for convenient pick-up, 795-5111.

Honor our Vets Today

Thank you for serving our country- we are honored to honor you.

The History of Veteran's Day
Both a federal holiday and a state holiday in all states, it is usually observed on November 11. However, if it occurs on a Sunday then the following Monday is designated for holiday leave, and if it occurs Saturday then either Saturday or Friday may be so designated.

It is also celebrated as Armistice Day or Remembrance Day in other parts of the world, falling on November 11 it is the anniversary of the signing of the Armistice that ended World War I. Major hostilities of World War I were formally ended at the 11th hour of the 11th day of the 11th month of 1918 with the German signing of the Armistice.

U.S. President Woodrow Wilson first proclaimed an Armistice Day for November 11, 1919. The United States Congress passed a concurrent resolution seven years later on June 4, 1926, requesting the President issue another proclamation to observe November 11 with appropriate ceremonies. An Act (52 Stat. 351; 5 U. S. Code, Sec. 87a) approved May 13, 1938, made the 11th of November in each year a legal holiday; "a day to be dedicated to the cause of world peace and to be thereafter celebrated and known as 'Armistice Day'."

In 1953, an Emporia, Kansas shoe store owner name Al King had the idea to expand Armistice Day to celebrate all veterans, not just those who served in World War I. King had been actively involved with the American War Dads during World War II. He began a campaign to turn Armistice Day into "All" Veterans Day. The Emporia Chamber of Commerce took up the cause after determining that 90% of Emporia merchants as well as the Board of Education supported closing their doors on November 11, 1953 to honor veterans. With the help of then-U.S. Rep. Ed Rees, also from Emporia, a bill for the holiday was pushed through Congress. President Dwight Eisenhower signed it into law on May 26, 1954. Congress amended this act on November 8, 1954, replacing "Armistice" with Veterans, and it has been known as Veterans Day since.
Above information from wikipedia.org.

I Vote for Century 21

From The Chico Record Nov 5, 2008

"I understand the anger over political signs being removed from yards since my vote is completely motivated by who has the most signs. That's why I always vote for Century 21."

We love that quote!

The economy is changing, and so are we!

With all of the concerns and turmoil over the economy these days, I thought you might be interested in an update on what we are doing for our owners to keep income up and costs down, especially during these times of economic uncertainty.

We are very excited to announce that we are moving forward with new software capabilities with our software partner, Escapia. They are now enabling us to do a whole lot more than ever before.

Our industry is becoming more and more driven by technology, especially with the increased influence of the Internet. Escapia’s software has been built completely on the Internet, with capabilities that have never been possible before. Our belief is that using the new capabilities in the Escapia platform will enable us to generate more bookings, give our units much greater visibility across the web, and enable us to improve our service to our owners and our guests in many ways. In addition to their comprehensive management software, here are just a few of the things we are excited about:

Visibility of our vacation homes across the web
Getting our vacation homes in front of as many “eyeballs” as possible is key to getting the most bookings possible. Escapia has a growing network of over 30 booking partnerships where we can display our vacation homes, and guests can book them. All of the information on our vacation homes are kept current up-to-the-second (i.e. pictures, availability schedules, etc.), and constantly updated automatically 24 hours a day.

Online Bookings on Our Website
Not only does Escapia provide the tools to help us make our vacation homes look fabulous on our web site, Escapia also enables our guests to book online. With online bookings growing at over 40 percent per year, Escapia will help us take advantage of that growth opportunity, especially since guests can now do business with us online 24 hours a day!

Ratings and Reviews
Escapia enables us to collect guest reviews from past guests and post them to our website, so prospective guests can learn from the experiences of others including Overall Satisfaction, Property Condition, Location, and Cleanliness. Let’s say you’re making a decision on your vacation accommodations. You have the choice of staying with a company that touts great service and fabulous homes, or you can choose to stay with a company that actually let’s its customers tell you about their services and products. Who are you more likely to trust your vacation with?

The best part of Escapia is that their software allows us to serve our owners and our guests better, and respond quickly to the changing needs and expectations of vacationers, which is exactly what we need today given the unknown nature of this “new economy.”

We’re working hard for you!

Virtual Tour Extravaganza

The Murphys Loft


The Bushwood Home


The Dorrington House

"I NEED FOOD NOW!"

We won't let you go hungry. From Murphys to Bear Valley-we have good eats.

Here are the phone numbers for some of our local restaurants.
Area Code (209) for all.


Arnold Chinese
795-6368

Tallahans
795-4005

Sarafinas Italian
795-9858

Just Delicious Café
795-5100

Snowshoe Brewing
795-2272

Sequoia Woods CC
795-1000

Blue Coyote
795-2872

Snowflake Lodge
795-2357

Giant Burger
795-1594

Bistro Espresso
795-5656

Round Table Pizza
795-0193

Subway
795-4966

Dorrington Hotel
795-5800

Lube Room Grill
795-1140

Bear Valley Bar& Grill
753-2327

Big Trees Mkt Deli
795-3868

Chevron Deli
795-1301

Alchemy Murphys
728-0700

Grounds Murphys
728-8663