Alpine kids ... what do you want to see or do?
A request was made and here it is... an Alpine Kids Page!
Here you can post what you'd like to see for the kids (or grandkids). List special events in the area, or even events you'd like Alpine to sponsor. Let folks know what your kids have done and others may enjoy. Organize an event or get together for a small group. Or maybe you're coming down for the weekend and want to see who else will be in the 'hood? Post it here. There's a lot more folks coming to Alpine with children.
Whatever you'd like to do, AlpineLakeBlog is the place to let others know about it!
Here you can post what you'd like to see for the kids (or grandkids). List special events in the area, or even events you'd like Alpine to sponsor. Let folks know what your kids have done and others may enjoy. Organize an event or get together for a small group. Or maybe you're coming down for the weekend and want to see who else will be in the 'hood? Post it here. There's a lot more folks coming to Alpine with children.
Whatever you'd like to do, AlpineLakeBlog is the place to let others know about it!
In the not so distant past, there was "Camp Alpine". It was a kind of daycare, open to Alpineites, grandkids and the local community. They used the boathouse to do crafts "stuff". Went to the beach and to the lodge for meals. Lots of good activities. At the time, our grandkids were the age for it and they loved coming to Alpine and Camp Alpine while parents relaxed or played golf. MAYBE AGAIN?
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Diana, thanks for putting this on the blog. In the past two summers, some of us with grandkids about the same age, organized some informal play dates at the beach and in our homes. However, it was very dependent on when the "grands" would be here. I think this is a great place for folks to reach out to other Alpinites to get activities going for the kids. I know there are a few of us who would be willing to do occasional arts and crafts. What about others? Nature hikes, beach treasure hunts, etc? Look forward to hearing responses.
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I love this idea and the ideas posted. How much fun would an annual family scavenger hunt be? We are relatively new to Alpine and have struggled with this question. We do not see other families with children often. We have 3 children under the age of 10. The putt putt and playground are nice to have. It would be nice if the games in the game room worked more often and if there was a place to have snacks as a family. We have only used the pool once and were over run by a party going on so the kids asked to leave. We have had an adult sit outside the lounge with kids when we wanted to have sandwiches and it is hard to keep them entertained while waiting. Fishing is great, hiking is great, we seem to have the hills to ourselves for sled riding. It would be great to meet other families with kids to sled, swim etc occasionally. The expense of a boat (or two if you have a large family) is high so family sharing of a kayak or jon boat (or to have a few rentals available for property owners ) would be nice. Would love to have better access to the ski slope even if for great sledding and self guided skiing. It would be a compromise to use for the golfers in the warmer weather and to clear off the barrels and small hazards for the winter to be used by families with kids. I would love to see some type of thread about cool things at Alpine. We are discovering the Castle rocks etc but have heard there are good trails but are hesitant to try them - would love the experience of folks who have been here and know the area. The house that has all the deer is a treat to drive by and we found it by accident. Little things like where to get ice cream (we found Dairy Queen) and good pizza without driving to Oakland. A family pizza night once every few months would be nice or family night at the lodge. We keep seeming to walk in on "adult meetings" in the restaurant and everything goes quiet.
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almost forgot..... we would love to see a kids menu or at least reduced size & price meals for children similar to what is on the current menu for seniors.
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alpinenoob, my husband and I and our two boys (age 14 and 17) have had our home in Alpine now for several years and have been renting for longer. I too know exactly how you feel about activities for our children. I think we are seeing more families buy into the community with younger children and I would also like to see some activities for them. Two summers ago, we stayed at Alpine for the whole summer. I tried to get some activities started for the kids such as a weekly game night like the adults have. I even went out and purchased some board games and thought kids could bring their favorite games and parents could contribute some snacks. Grandparents who were watching their grandchildren could also probably use a few hours of peace. I tried to get this off the ground and asked management for some help, but it never materialized. I talked to some of the men who are so good with building things and several offered to do a day of building bird houses. I was on the golf committee at the time (only because of the putt putt golf course) and we organized a few golf outings for the children which were very well received. I totally agree with you that the community needs to reach out to those with children and not just cater to retirees. I have read the history of Alpine on Clutter Realty's website and you would be amazed at the activties Alpine used to have. In the 1980's during one winter season they had 7000 skiers on the ski slope. There were so few homes during those times, but it seems the community had so much more to offer in the way of activities for the home owners.
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7,000 skiers...and now they plow snow in front of the access road so that you can't get to the slope. I wonder how many owners would be willing to pay a nominal fee to use the slope in the winter? I know I would.
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Thanks for such kind words and some insight. We have 3 boys - the oldest 10 and they are loving the snoboarding and the hiking, fishing etc. We like the idea of not having to travel over to the Deep Creek area to get in some great snow sports and water activities and also that they will have the ability to become golfers like dad. We have had fun exploring but do feel a bit out of place at times (and are constantly asked for our owners passes : ) wherever we go which I am not sure is the norm ) so glad to hear there are other families with kids. Thanks again!
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We would be up for reopening the ski slope!! A driving range in the summer - ski slope in the winter. We noticed the plowing in front of the access road too which seems immature given we are all property owners and should have open access to all common areas. I am sure that someone will quote liability but there are other activities that are just as "dangerous" at Alpine that we are all paying group insurance for.
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I agree with noobie. Theres no reason the ski slope cant be opened to at least tubing for the youngsters. Parents sign a waiver release of liability, yada yada yada.
I mean anything can be construed as dangerous (as noobie says)..spose I'm on the links and I nail some poor old so and so upside the head with my patented slice off the teebox and they wind up with an anerism and cash in their chips?? It CAN happen.
Okay, whos got the snowmobile to pull me back up the hill???
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Hold on there. Let's not get carried away by saying "I'll pay for this or that", 'cause you know if they hear you talk like that--- they're gonna charge us more!
I figure we already pay enough. They just have to figure out how to allocate the money for things the property owners want. Let's stop throwing our money at the commercial operations and start putting it into community items.
Its been posted here before and I'll say it again--- 1.4 million dollars is collected each year from assessments. And we can't get a good sledding/tubing hill?
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I ran out of room on the Alpine wish list thread & this may be more appropriate for this thread. It is our wish list for children of AL:
AL can be more kid friendly but not in huge, obnoxious ways. Open up the old ski slope for sled riding and boarding. We do not mind walking up but the obstacles make it difficult to use. We have been told to use the hills off the parking lots but then trees were planted there which makes it really hard. Serve hot cocoa, ice cream and kid friendly foods at the new grill so the kids can look forward to going up and having something too. No need to take the pot roast and liver & onions off the menu but need something more family friendly also. Make the game room games more child appropriate and child sized. The current game room is more of an adult room. I love the idea someone posted earlier of having this room by the bar/grill (maybe behind glass to respect the elder's quiet but able to be seen by their parents who love to have a drink and REALLY need one sometimes.) Have one of those big water trampolines at the beach and a few community boats to rent for property owners who can not yet afford their own boats or enough for their entire family. Pizza night once a month on a Saturday night to let families get together and socialize. Another place we have gone in the past keeps a list of babysitters so the parents can get out alone whether it to be kayaking or a nice dinner. These sitters are not employees but rather people in the community who enjoy kids that like to babysit and earn a few dollars. A kids golf program during underutilized golf times would be wonderful and what better way to instill a love of the sport in the next generation. Tennis clinics for the youth would also be great. There is so much for the adults to do but not much for the children.
If we also market AL as a place for families to own a vacation home, the weekends may be a bit more crowded but the full timers would still have very quiet weeks & the assessments would flow in. I would prefer to hear the shouts of joy on the ski slope or when my kids catch their first bass of the season rather than the honking and music from an outside event. We would also have an obligation to our neighbors to ensure our children are respectful, how to love nature, etc. This is not always the case when folks visit and do not have a vested interest in their communities. We understand people are at different points of their lives and not everyone enjoys families around but AL is not an adult living community and the families can bring so much to the community.
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Alpinenoob has some great suggestions. We recently built a home in Alpine lake and we have 3 children and are always looking for fun activities. Opening up the ski slope for sledding or tubing would be great! Marketing Alpine Lake Resort to families is something that should be considered. We have two different friends with young children currently looking to purchase/build at Alpine Lake. Amenities and activities are very important to us and were a deciding factor for us choosing and building at Alpine Lake, especially the swimming pool! The amenities are what attract families and should be expanded upon not deleted.
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A Alpine Lake Senior Citizen
Hey, just to let you all know, we were very happy to see young families buy and build at Alpine Lake. We need to have something for everyone - its been an exclusive country club for a small percentage of full timers for too many years. It is high time that the board, GM and "the group" understand this place is for ALL members.
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