Summer’s Adventures

Travels With Heart, by Annie Bowler, September 1, 2025 Volume 27

Sugarloaf is the place I want to be! Kindness and creativity are the mantra, but laughter and fun are always in the mix. John has taught at Sugarloaf, El Dorado County’s Fine Arts Camp, for +30 summers, starting way back in 1986. I have helped out in a variety of ways for most of those years. We treasure our week at Sugarloaf, though we always come home exhausted. This year, I watched the teachers’ kids, who we fondly call “SugarBoogers.”

I wish that all the world had the Sugarloaf spirit, where kindness, acceptance, and supporting others to take creative risks were the top priorities. Here’s to many more years of Sugarloaf love!

While we were at camp, across the Pacific, our oldest son, Jocean celebrated his big 5-0. (Can we be this old??) Thank goodness for WhatsApp calling so could easily wish a Happy birthday to our wonderful, creative, adventurous, fun-loving first born! We couldn’t love you more!

Summer life has been delightful on a personal front. When John and I camped at Bodega Bay recently with dear, longtime friends, we made friends with a seal, and I paddle boarded in the Pacific for the first time. We enjoyed perfect weather and good company!

Then I headed to San Luis Obispo County to be a part of a wonderful celebration of the arrival of the adorable Lawrence Thomas Corea. Such a sweet and well-loved little fellow!

John and I hosted a reunion for his side of the family recently. It was wonderful to spend time with so many interesting Bowlers and Pacinas! The reunion was truly special knowing that family members traveled from all parts of the US, and even from Cambodia and Indonesia to attend.

Time was spent reminiscing about their family’s fascinating history, getting to know one

another, and having some grand fun together. My favorite part of the reunion was when many of John’s cousins jumped into help cook a delicious Filipino meal. There’s nothing better than spending time with family in a kitchen. Here’s a few photos our days together.

We feel lucky to live in Hidden Valley, a community of 162 homes with 180 acres of shared land that’s home to Oak Lake, a lovely swimming lake with a simple clubhouse and playground nearby, many ponds and creeks, hiking and biking trails, and a horse arena.

This August, the Hidden Valley community celebrated its 75th anniversary where we paid tribute to Joe Beek, HV’s developer by hosting “A Festival of Lights” which was started by Beek in the 50s and 60s for the fun of it. It truly was a special night, filled with community spirit and stunning illuminated rafts that members hand-built just for the evening.

Beek was quite a character; while creating HV, Beek lived in a maintenance shed. He developed HV’s three separate water systems that were far ahead of its time. Today, we have a domestic and irrigation water systems, as well as a gravity water system that supplies water to Oak Lake. Beek developed roads that dodged trees and beautiful rock outcroppings. There are no sidewalks, so our roads have a country feel with occasional lemonade stands, duck crossing signs, free for the taking items adding to the charm.

Along the side of the road

Beek left untouched legacies of the past: trails, mining artifacts, canals, Native American

grinding holes and seasonal streams; today most of these features remain unaltered for

explorers of all ages. Hidden Valley has always been a horse community. Beek created six fenced pastures on HV’s shared land where members can keep horses, as long as horses aren’t “kickers,” as walkers and bikers have access to the pastureland. Horses don’t escape because of self-closing gates.

Turtles! The highlight of Buster's day is a stick

and a run on the trails

I especially love living in HV because it’s a friendly community, where people know and help their neighbors. I’ve enjoyed that my kids and now grandkids have had the freedom to ride their bikes on our trails and swim in a sweet little lake and that I have been able to watch the seasons change in our wonderful nature preserve.

Hair! This Sacramento Community Theatre Musical was visually stunning, refreshing, thought provoking. This blast from the past was lots of fun!