TAHOE
October/November 2025
Serving the Lake Tahoe Region
Lola Montez: The Spider Dancer
By Mark McLaughlin
The allure of Sierra Nevada gold was a siren call for many women in the mid 19th century. A significant number of wives and daughters joined the stampede, but others were independent, entrepreneurial women with other goals in mind. At a time when American females had no civil rights, could not vote, own property, serve on juries or hold public office, the California gold rush offered some women an escape from domestic drudgery, servitude and a life with few options.
The most famous woman to try her luck in California during the gold rush era was Lola Montez, an internationally known, Irish-born dancer and stage actress who had previously shocked critics and audiences in Europe with her risqué personal behavior and seductive stage performances. She
was beautiful, sexy and liberated, and therefore controversial amid the highly conservative social mores of the Victorian Age. One admiring French critic wrote, “The dance of Lola Montez is poetry in motion, sometimes fantastic, often lascivious, always attractive.”
Lola Montez had always blazed her own path, no matter how controversial. Historian Bruce Seymour wrote, “Her will was as great as her charm and her ego was as impressive as her beauty.” In her 20-year, self-made career, she became the most talked about woman of her time and is the inspiration for the timeless expression “Whatever Lola wants, Lola gets.”
Lola Montez was born Elizabeth Rosanna Gilbert in Ireland on February 17, 1821. Her father, Edward Gilbert, was an officer in the British army and her mother was the illegitimate daughter of a wealthy and powerful Irish politician. When “Eliza” turned three years old, the family moved to India where her father died of
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Lola Montez House in Grass Valley, CA. The photo pre-dates 1931.
Photo Courtesy of Library of Congress
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cholera just a few months after their arrival. Within a year her mother remarried and Eliza was sent to live with relatives in Scotland. When she reached the age of 11, she was enrolled in an English boarding school where she received an education in the liberal arts.
Eliza was a precocious teenager and by the time she was 16, she had blossomed into an attractive young woman. At that time, her mother arrived in Scotland from India and proposed that it was time for Eliza to return to India to be married to an older man she had never met. Her mother’s matrimonial plans left Eliza cold so she rebelled and eloped with a handsome, 30-year old army lieutenant named Thomas James, an “admirer” of Mrs. Gilbert who had traveled from India with her. The following year Lt. James returned to India with Eliza but after a few years together, she grew unhappy with the marriage and she returned to Scotland alone.
immediate attention from everyone she met, with her fair skin, jetblack hair and large, deep-blue eyes. Everyone knew that she had captivated the hearts and minds of famous and powerful men as she danced seductively on stages throughout Europe. Among her notable lovers were the Hungarian composer and piano virtuoso Franz Liszt, as well as King Ludwig I of Bavaria.
During Lola’s sensational performance tour of Germany, the aging King Ludwig was so enamored that he showered her with gifts and jewels. But the real trouble started when he awarded Lola the title of Countess of Landsfeld and asked her to help him rule the country. When the people of Bavaria discovered the royal privileges given their king’s new mistress, they revolted and rioted in the streets. The angry crowds forced Ms. Montez to flee with a strongbox filled with treasure, while the disgraced King Ludwig abdicated his throne.
After Eliza was caught in an adulterous affair, Lt. James charged her with adultery and sued for divorce. Eliza escaped the shame of appearing in an English divorce court by traveling to Spain to create a new persona for herself. While in Spain, Eliza took acting classes, learned traditional Spanish dances, and began smoking cigarettes and cigars. Upon her return to England in 1842, she hit the stage as “Lola Montez, the Spanish Dancer.” Over the next two decades, she would become one of the most notorious of 19th century courtesans and her adventures and affairs became the subject of worldwide gossip.
Wherever Lola Montez went, heads turned and tales of scandal flourished. Her striking beauty garnered
After Lola Montez conquered the European stage and concert halls, she was ready to take on the United States. Her manager worried if the more conservative American audiences would be receptive to her extroverted on-stage sexuality, but there was little to be concerned about. Theater-goers in the big cities along the Atlantic Coast generally reacted favorably to Lola’s acting ability, as well as to her exotic, self-created “Spider Dance” performances.
Lola Montez arrived in San Francisco in May 1853 after her successful, yet controversial tour in the eastern United States. She arrived in California with virtually no notice and no advance theater bookings or promotional
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Lola Montez photo portrait 1861
Photo Courtesy of Library of Congress
advertisements. In fact, only a few lines in the local newspapers noted her arrival, but that didn’t matter. She packed the San Francisco theaters, even though Montez charged five dollars for the best seats compared to only a dollar in New York City.
Montez’s signature stage move was her Spanish-style “Spider Dance,” during which she frequently lifted up the folds of her skirt as if she had just discovered imaginary spiders in her dress. Under her multi-colored petticoats were flesh-colored tights. It was a daring, sexy move that could just as likely draw cheers of excitement or jeers of scorn, depending on the crowd.
In keeping with her spontaneous nature, two months after Lola’s arrival in California she married Patrick Hull, a 32-year-old San Francisco journalist whom she had just met in Panama while making the final leg of the journey from New Orleans to San Francisco. She married Hull in a Catholic ceremony at a local church, despite the fact that she had not yet divorced her two previous husbands. That afternoon the couple sailed for Sacramento to begin Lola’s tour of the California mining camps in the Sierra foothills. The couple had seemed happy in San Francisco, but shortly after Lola began her tour of the California Interior their marriage began to fall apart. One month later,
Montez initiated divorce proceedings against Hull claiming incompatibility. Lola Montez suddenly decided to quit the stage and moved to Grass Valley where she purchased a small cottage and established residence. The actress spent her early years there hunting, exploring the mines and entertaining her many visitors.
In July 1854, Montez joined an extended horseback excursion up and over the summit of the Sierra Nevada. The group explored Donner Lake and camped near the abandoned cabins of the Donner Party, pioneers who had been trapped there by snow just seven years before. Intrigued by the historic event, Lola collected as souvenirs a few of the human bones that still lay around the area. One result of this packing trip into the Sierra was the naming of some topographical features, including 9,148foot high Mount Lola, and of Upper and Lower Lola Montez lakes just north of the Donner Pass area.
By 1855, Montez had either renewed her love for performance or was running out of money. Gold had been discovered in Australia and Lola decided that a tour “down under” would refill her coffers. But once in Australia Lola’s temper tantrums and dysfunctional love affairs broke up the troupe. While returning to California, her agent and current lover Noel Follin, angry with Lola for cheating on him, committed suicide at sea. Depressed and suicidal herself, Montez performed a few more times in San Francisco and Sacramento before selling her properties and jewelry collection and moving to New York City.
In New York, Lola Montez became an avid fan of Spiritualism, whose followers held séances to converse with the dead. In June 1860, she suffered a major stroke and was partially paralyzed for some time. In midDecember she had recovered enough strength to begin walking again, but that winter she contracted pneumonia and died on January 17, 1861, at the age of 42. She died using the family name of Eliza Gilbert and, unknown to the world, was buried at Greenwood Cemetery in Brooklyn, N.Y.
Caricature of theater scene, showing Lola Montez dancing on stage as Puritan peaks at her through his fingers and the house manager carries “half the house” agreement in his pocket, published 1852. Courtesy of Library of Congress.
“Shimmering” by Tracey Goff: Light and Stillness
In Shimmering, Tracey Goff captures a moment of exquisite tranquility — a solitary egret poised over sunlit water, its beak just grazing the surface. The oil painting is a masterclass in atmosphere and reflection, where light becomes both subject and emotion. Every brushstroke invites the viewer into a world suspended between movement and stillness, brilliance and shadow.
The composition is deceptively simple: the bird occupies the right side of the canvas, its body framed against a darkened background that heightens the drama of its white plumage. Yet within this simplicity lies a profound sense of balance. The horizontal plane of the water mirrors the egret’s form, creating a visual echo that draws the eye along the bird’s elegant curve. The viewer can almost feel the quiet concentration of the moment — the poised grace before a catch, or perhaps just a pause in the rhythm of the day.
Goff’s command of texture is evident in the interplay between smooth and broken brushwork.
The egret’s feathers are rendered with soft precision, each layer catching the subtle glow of ambient light. In contrast, the water shimmers with lively, impressionistic strokes — golds, greens, and blues flickering across the surface. These shifting reflections transform the scene into a living mosaic of color and motion, capturing the dance between sunlight and rippling current.
Color plays the central emotional role here. The deep, shadowed backdrop allows the whites of the bird and the warm reflections of late light to radiate with quiet intensity. The tonal contrast evokes the fleeting magic of dusk, when the day exhales its final breath of warmth across the water.
Ultimately, *Shimmering* is as much about feeling as it is about form. It invites contemplation — a moment to stand still, breathe, and witness the serene beauty of nature’s light show. Through delicate observation and painterly restraint, Tracey Goff transforms a simple act of feeding into a meditation on grace, light, and the quiet shimmer of existence.
Polka-Dotted Secret of the Night
When you think of skunks, the bold black-and-white stripe probably comes to mind. But the Western Spotted Skunk (Spilogale gracilis) turns that image on its head — literally. This small carnivore has broken white stripes, spots, and striking patterns that make it one of the more visually intriguing mammals of western North America.
Appearance & Size
The Western Spotted Skunk is notably smaller and more slender than the familiar striped skunk. Males typically measure about 14-18 inches long (including the tail), while females are somewhat smaller. Males also tend to weigh more — in many populations, males reach up to about 25 ounces (700-800g), while females are lighter. The fur coloring is complex: a white spot on the forehead, white patches in front of each ear, multiple dorsolateral stripes, lateral broken stripes, interrupted bands toward the rear of the body, and white tips on portions of the tail. This pattern is distinctive and helps camouflage the skunk among rocks, brush, or logs.1,2
Habitat & Range
Spilogale gracilis has a wide range across western North America, from central Mexico northward through much of the western U.S. to British Columbia.3Their preferred habitats are similarly varied: rocky outcrops, brushy can yons, riparian corridors, areas with dense understory cover (logs, snags, stumps, brush piles), even occasion ally structures like rock walls or attics near human settle ments.4 In Washington, they can be found from near sea level up through montane regions (up to ~2,900 ft in some zones) depending on vegetation and cover.
Behavior & Diet
These skunks are mostly nocturnal. They dig, climb, and explore with sharp claws, using dens in hollow logs, rock crevices, or even human-made structures. omnivorous and opportunistic: small mammals, insects, fruits and berries, eggs, small birds or their eggs, reptiles and amphibians, and occasionally carrion. Defensive behavior is dramatic if they’re startled. Like
Continued from page 10 other skunks, they have specialized scent glands near the base of the tail for spraying a noxious fluid. Also, anecdotal observations suggest they may perform handstands or other warning displays before spraying.4
Reproduction & Life Cycle
Breeding season for Western Spotted Skunks typically begins in autumn (September-October). They show delayed implantation, meaning that fertilized eggs do not immediately implant and begin full development. This delay means that although mating happens in fall, the birth of kits is delayed until spring (approximately April-May). Litters are usually small, often 2-6 young, born blind and helpless; they open their eyes after about four weeks and are weaned around two months. Young disperse after roughly three months.4
Threats & Conservation
Overall, the Western Spotted Skunk is currently classified as Least Concern by conservation assessment bodies.4 That said, they are not free from threats. Predators play a role: recent studies have documented predation by Barred Owls in forested regions of the Pacific Northwest, a relationship that may be new or underappreciated.6 Habitat change — especially loss of dense understory, forest structure simplification, or disturbance of den sites — can negatively affect occupancy.7
Why They Matter
Beyond being charming and visually striking, Western Spotted Skunks are part of the small-carnivore community that helps keep ecosystems in balance. They help control insect populations, small mammals, and contribute to seed dispersal via fruit eating. Their sensitivity to certain habitat features also makes them useful indicators for the health of forest undergrowth and structural complexity.
Sources and Further Reading
[1]: https://animaldiversity.org/accounts/Spilogale_gracilis/?utm_ source=chatgpt.com “Spilogale gracilis (western spotted skunk) | INFORMATION | Animal Diversity Web” [2]: https://www.scientificlib.com/en/Biology/Animalia/Chordata/Mammalia/ SpilogaleGracilis01.html?utm_source=chatgpt.com “Spilogale gracilis” [3]: https://www.usgs.gov/data/western-spotted-skunk-spilogale-gracilis-mwsskxconus2001v1-range-map?utm_source=chatgpt.com “Western Spotted Skunk (Spilogale gracilis) mWSSKx_CONUS_2001v1 Range Map | U.S. Geological Survey”
[4]: https://www.msjnha.org/spottedskunk?utm_source=chatgpt.com “Spotted Skunk — Mt. San Jacinto Natural History Association”
[5]: https://wdfw.wa.gov/species-habitats/species/spilogale-gracilis?utm_ source=chatgpt.com “Western spotted skunk | Washington Department of Fish & Wildlife”
[6]: https://research.fs.usda.gov/treesearch/65644?utm_source=chatgpt. com “Barred Owl predation of Western Spotted Skunks | US Forest Service Research and Development”
[7]: https://esajournals.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/full/10.1002/ ecs2.4981?utm_source=chatgpt.com “Western spotted skunk spatial ecology in the temperate rainforests of the Pacific Northwest - Tosa - 2024 - Ecosphere - Wiley Online Library”
Why now is the time to replace an aging HVAC system
As cooler weather sets in, households across the country face a tough question: keep repairing their old heating and cooling systems or finally replace them with new ones. While squeezing every penny out of an old unit might seem like a way to save money, experts caution that waiting can lead to higher costs, less comfort and missed opportunities for major savings.
The Hidden Cost of ‘Just One More Repair’
Older HVAC systems often need frequent service and those repair bills can add up. Bandage-type repairs on current units could lead to more surprise bills from repair people who usually do not offer financing plans. With contractor schedules filling up during peak seasons, a breakdown at the wrong time could mean long delays for repairs or replacements - leaving your home uncomfortable when you need it most.
Beyond the financial drain, there is the stress of dealing with an unexpected breakdown during extreme weather. Having to replace an HVAC system in the middle of a breakdown denies you the opportunity to shop around and purchase a system that best fits your home and needs. Similarly, replacing an unreliable system with a newer model can provide consistent comfort, improved efficiency and financial predictability.
Fall is the Ideal Time for Replacement
Fall is considered the “shoulder season” in the HVAC industry. Contractors generally have more availability than during the busy summer and winter months, which makes scheduling easier. With the more moderate weather conditions during fall, you may be more comfortable without heating or cooling while the new system is being installed. Acting in fall also avoids the risk of facing a system failure in the middle of a cold snap when demand is high and options may be limited.
Incentives Can Make Upgrading More Affordable
For a limited time, programs are available to help homeowners manage the cost of replacement. This fall, certain high-efficiency systems from Carrier qualify for rebates of up to $2,100 and financing plans with 0% APR for 60 months, giving families the ability to spread out payments without extra interest.
In addition, federal incentives under the Inflation Reduction Act offer homeowners tax credits - such as up to $2,000 back for installing a qualifying high-efficiency heat pump - further lowering the net cost. These IRA incentives are set to expire at the end of the year, making this fall the perfect time to upgrade.
Ensure Comfort and Efficiency During the Holidays
The holiday season is a busy time and usually includes hosting loved ones. Guarantee your celebrations go off without a hitch and your guests stay warm and comfortable by replacing your old unit during the fall months.
Modern HVAC systems do more than heat and cool; they can help maintain balanced humidity, reduce drafts, improve air quality and eliminate uneven hot or cold spots throughout your home. Plus, the energy efficiency of your new heating and cooling system may help you save on monthly utility bills; savings you can put toward holiday shopping.
While it may be tempting to prolong the life of an old HVAC system, delaying replacement can end up being more expensive and stressful. With incentives, financing and tax credits available this fall, planning ahead can help you save money and enjoy year-round comfort.
Learn more about rebates and financing plans by contacting your local, trusted expert at carrier.com/residential/en/us/find-a-dealer.
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Showstopping Party Bites for Holiday Celebrations
When gathering around the table with family and friends during the holidays, the main course is often front and center, but every great host or hostess knows it’s not always the star of the show. Look no further, premium European ingredients like Grana Padano PDO cheese and Prosciutto di Parma PDO are some of the world’s most delicious cheeses and cured meats.
Only products made following traditional methods within defined geographic regions, under strict supervision and using carefully monitored ingredients, qualify for Protected Designation of Origin (PDO) certification from the European Union. The PDO system helps distinguish these foods from imitators and guarantees high quality, authenticity and traceability.
Made in the Po River Valley in northern Italy from raw, semi-skimmed cow milk, Grana Padano PDO cheese is naturally lactose free due to the characteristics of its production and long aging process, and rich in protein, vitamins and mineral salts, especially calcium. A 100% natural product, Prosciutto di Parma PDO contains no additives such as nitrites, nitrates or hormones. Produced only in Parma, Italy, its all-natural aging process creates a wide variation in flavor profiles and textures, from mild and nutty to mature and full-flavored.
These artisan meats and cheeses can be enjoyed on their own alongside olives, nuts, bread and your favorite jam for a quick and easy holiday snack board. And they shine in culinary treasures like Whipped Ricotta Toast with Prosciutto di Parma and Hot Honey or Grana Padano and Nutmeg Cheese Puffs that feed the soul and warm the heart.
To ensure authenticity, look for the red and yellow PDO logo, and visit distinctlydeliciouslyeuropean.eu for more seasonal recipe ideas and pairing tips for your next get-together.
Whipped Ricotta Toast with Prosciutto di Parma and Hot Honey
Yield: 3 toasts (6 halves)
3 large slices thick-cut sourdough bread
1 container (16 ounces) whole milk ricotta cheese salt, to taste pepper, to taste hot honey
6 slices (3 ounces) Prosciutto di Parma PDO
In toaster oven, toast bread to desired doneness. Set aside.
In large bowl, with electric mixer, beat ricotta until whipped and creamy, about 2 minutes. Add salt and pepper, to taste.
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Spoon ricotta onto each toast evenly. Drizzle each with hot honey, as desired. Top each with two slices prosciutto.
Grana Padano and Nutmeg Cheese Puffs
Servings: 4
1 3/4 cups milk
1 cup unsalted butter
1 teaspoon salt
1 2/3 cups flour
1 cup, plus 1 tablespoon, grated Grana Padano PDO cheese, divided
6 medium eggs black pepper, to taste nutmeg, to taste canola oil, for frying
In pan, boil milk, butter and salt until butter is dissolved.
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Add flour and stir using wooden spoon over low heat until mixture doesn’t stick to bottom of pan. Add 1 cup cheese and stir 1 minute. Remove from heat.
Put mixture in mixing bowl and add eggs one by one until mixture is smooth. Add black pepper and nutmeg, to taste.
Let mixture cool and form dough into small, round parcels.
Fry parcels in hot canola oil, about 325 F, until golden.
Dust with remaining cheese and serve.
wFunded by the European Union. Views and opinions expressed are however those of the author(s) only and do not necessarily reflect those of the European Union or of the granting authority. Neither the European Union nor the granting authority can be held responsible for them.
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