Tea with a View on Fannette

I took this picture while standing above Emerald Bay, on the southwest edge of Lake Tahoe in California. The sun was high, casting a clear, radiant glow across the sapphire-blue water, giving the entire landscape a surreal vibrance. It was one of those crystalline summer days where the lake's clarity and color seemed to defy reality.

In the heart of the bay sits Fannette Island—Lake Tahoe’s only island—draped in lush green and framed by rugged granite outcrops. Perched atop the island, if you look closely, you can spot the small stone tea house, now a weathered ruin. It was built in the 1920s by Lora Knight, the wealthy philanthropist who owned the majestic Vikingsholm mansion nestled along the shoreline. I imagined how she and her guests would be rowed across this very bay, likely in elegant wooden boats, just to sip tea and soak in this very view.

Boats dot the bay today—everything from sleek speedboats to colorful kayaks—each carving delicate white wakes across the deep blue. The juxtaposition of history and modern recreation is striking. The pine trees that frame the foreground add a rich texture to the composition and hint at the serenity of the forested trails above.