But it is not this day!

It is Saturday!
 December 1st - 9 am to 9 pm Lord of the Rings Extended Trilogy  at the Kroc Center theatre.  $5 donation gets you into an all day nerd fest of Middle Earth awesomeness. Come dressed as a LOTR character and you will be entered into a drawing for the upcoming Hobbit movie tickets.

I am going as a hobbit. I bought some clothes at the Celtic fair last summer but realized I looked more like a hobbit than a Scott. The only problem I have is the feet- I am not going barefoot on December 1st.

I tried to talk the Kroc Center into bringing some exercise equipment into the theatre but I guess it will be too dark. How cool would it be to work out while watching the show!?

 Aragorn: Hold your ground, hold your ground! Sons of Gondor, of Rohan, my brothers! I see in your eyes the same fear that would take the heart of me. A day may come when the courage of men fails, when we forsake our friends and break all bonds of fellowship, but it is not this day. An hour of woes and shattered shields, when the age of men comes crashing down! But it is not this day! This day we fight! By all that you hold dear on this good Earth, I bid you *stand, Men of the West!*

Happy Thanksgiving

Happy Thanksgiving! I am so thankful for all my blessings- my husband, my kids, my grandkids and living in North Idaho. That is just the tip of the iceberg of all my blessings. Yadda, yadda. you've heard it so many times that it gets boring. I just had to say it because 1) it's true and 2) what if some of it disappeared tomorrow- I would regret not being thankful when I did have everything.

I started out Thanksgiving this year by running the 2nd Annual "Gobble Gobble Git Along" 5K race that my friend Jason Ball put together. The entry fee is food for the food bank and the finisher's prize is hot chocolate and less guilt when pigging out at the dinner table. There were two such races in Coeur d'Alene this year- the other one was held at the Lake City Community Church. Both races were collecting money or food for hungry people. The Thanksgiving (or close to the date) races are traditionally called "Turkey Trots." The Buffalo (New York) Turkey Trot celebrated their 117th race this year and claims the title to the oldest continually held public footrace. It is hard to believe that a race can be that old but it is only 5 months older than the Boston Marathon.

After the race, I headed home and threw the turkey in the oven, mashed the yams and then headed out for a  3 mile hike up Canfield Mountain. Here is the motley crew on our hike:

L to R Sarah, Alex, Tom, Steve, Bethany, Sue

The dogs had a fabulous time- Steve would run up a head and the dogs ran back and forth and back and...you get the picture. It was a great way to celebrate being alive. By the end of this hike, I was tired but I courageously toiled on and ate more than my fair share of turkey dinner and pie. I was comatose by 8 o'clock.  Hope you all had a wonderful Thanksgiving!

Tubbs Hill at Night

I have loved running in the dark since I was a kid. There was something about the stillness; almost a silkiness in the blackness. It was a risky activity because potholes unseen twist ankles and sometimes cause sudden ground/body contact.. The other risks were creepy people who liked to follow me when they saw that I was running alone, so other memories involve hiding in a convenient yard with lots of lovely bushes while the car with the bad muffler can be heard circling the block. In spite of these elements of danger, running in the dark was always a joyful experience until I became a mom and suddenly the possibility of my disappearing in the night didn't affect only me. Running after dark ended.

I have had an opportunity to gain back some of my youthful joy by running around Tubbs Hill  in the dark. Unlike my teenage years, I had a body guard (my hubby), two dogs,pepper spray in my pocket and a headlamp. The light was a necessity- I tried hiking around Tubbs in the dark once and found it doesn't work too well- too easy to step off the path into oblivion. We weren't the only intrepid night trekkers- we ran into two other groups of hikers out there in the dark 

Because of  darkness of the night (only a sliver of a moon), we could not see much of anything beyond the light of the headlamps. It gave me an weird feeling of never knowing exactly where I was on the path. In the two mile trail that circumvents the hill, there is a swinging bridge which would have given me a clue, but the dogs must have led us around the bridge (not the biggest fans) and I never saw it. Funny thing was that the  hills on this undulating trail didn't seem as steep as usual and I was surprised when we crossed the access road and realized the toughest part of the trail was behind us. I understand now why I always loved running in the dark- it feels effortless because I have no idea how fast I am going and as a result I am able to fully enjoy living in the moment. This is important because the next moment may be when I trip.

Best. Fall. Ever.

I am loving this weather! The bike rides and the hikes have been glorious and I am so glad to live in the Coeur d'Alene area. On Columbus Day, Steve and I rode our bikes from Hayden down to the east end of the North Idaho Centennial Trail. Check out this view!

Higgins Point at the End of the Centennial Trail

 The Centennial Trail goes from Higgins Point (our destination) along the shoreline and then through Coeur d'Alene (we stopped for lunch at Bakery by the Lake) to the Washington border and to Spokane (not quite infinity) and beyond for a grand total of  60 miles. On the Idaho side, there are some tricky places (mostly in Post Falls)  but the governing foundation is working on them.When I moved up here in 1987, I really missed Boise's Greenbelt Trail System. Someone must have heard my heart's desires because that is the year that the gears started moving on this project. Thank you - North Idaho Centennial Trail Foundation! www.northidahocentennialtrail.org

Steve on his recumbent bike on the the Higgins Point hill

Hayden Canyon (Not Farragut anymore!) Cross Country Meet

It is Cross Country season again so this Momma is happy!  Cross Country was my sport in school and I am loving watching my kiddo run.
This is a picture from the Coeur d'Alene High School's Invitational meet at the sit of the proposed Hayden Canyon Development. This project has been approved by the city of Hayden but not started yet due to the economy and therefore is still undeveloped property. It was really nice of the owners to let us use the land and it took a lot of hard work from the parents and coaches to put it together.
The back story is that the CDA High's Invitational meet has been held at Farragut State Park for over 20 years. This was a great tradition and a favorite of high school cross country runners over the years. Most cross country races are on golf courses or in grassy parks and the Farragut meet was always a cut above in terms of the variety of terrain and the beauty of the location.
Due to the new emphasis on the state parks' having to support themselves, the fees were increased until the school could no longer afford to host the meet at this spectacular location. This is a real shame considering that A) both the school and the park are state entities, B) the meet is in September when the park is basically empty, and C) the park collects parking fees from all the parents that show up to watch their kids run.
I understand the need to balance the state budget but hope someone in the state park administration will wake up and revisit their fee schedule for high school events such as this meet. A resource like Farragut is too great to put out of our children's reach.

Bike to Work Week

The 2012 Coeur d'Alene Bike to Work Week T-Shirt

It's Bike to Work Week and the weather has been gorgeous! This has not been the case for the last few years and it was hard to motivate people to ride to work when it is raining. Since getting involved in BTWW a few years ago, this is the first year that I am actually in town and have an office outside my house. I still have not been able to participate fully due to conflicts in my schedule but the two days that I was able to bike to work were glorious. Sure, I showed up sweaty and disheveled with helmet hair but my office mates were understanding and supportive and the restroom worked well as a changing room. I even showed property on my bike. The most important lesson that I learned from riding to work this week that I feel great after the ride and that is the absolute best way to start my day.
The week is not over- there is a moonlight ride tonight (5/18) at Vertical Earth in Riverstone at 9pm. The ride is 20 miles round trip from Vertical Earth to Higgins Point along the lake shore following the Centennial Trail. Bring a light. On Saturday is the Roots Pursuit where participants will compete in a team bicycle event consisting of a series of challenges located throughout downtown Coeur d'Alene. The games start at 10:00 am and the BTWW awards ceremony will be noon complete with raffles.
The whole point to this week is to encourage people to choose bikes over cars as much as possible. Remember every time you choose to ride instead of drive - it mean more money in your pocket in less $ spent on gas and wear and tear on your car and  One Less Car polluting our air.
If you have any questions on the safest routes around town, give me a call at 762-3367. The best way to enjoy your ride is to stay away from the high traffic roads and take advantage of the trail systems.

Bloomsday! Oh what a glorious day!

Photo by Jesse Tinsley- Spokesman Review

For me, this what Bloomsday is all about- not the winners but the people with the hoses, the bands, the spectators that cheer us on, the crazy costumes, lots of water stations, and last but not least- all the other runners.  It's a very big party that I get to go to once a year. This was the 36st annual race and 47,882 runners crossed that finish line. I started running this race back in 1978 when my coach at North Idaho College took his long distance runners to the 2nd annual race. There were only 7,800 but it was the biggest race that I had ever been in and the next year it grew to 12,000. I have the T-shirts and the memories of many races (no, I am not sure how many) and I loved them all.  A favorite was when my brother came from Germany and my mom and my daughter Samantha joined me in the race. My brother raced and the three generations of women just had fun being together while we walked the course.
Yesterday, my son Thomas and I ran- not together - he finished in about an hour and I took half again as long. The weather was great (mid 40's to 60's) and I have a new dark blue T-shirt and had a great time. One of things that I love about living in the Coeur d'Alene area is Spokane. It is close enough (30 miles) to go to for special events but far enough away that I feel like I live in a small town. After the race, we saw The Advengers movie in Imax and 3D- something that we can't do in CDA -it was the cherry on top of a brilliant day!

Hauser Lake Summer Home

After the gorgeous day yesterday in which I sat in the sun soaked bleachers for two hours waiting to watch my Tom run the mile (he did okay and got inspired because he knew he could do better, YES!); today, it is snowing. Get the picture? A little taste of spring and then wham, some more winter. On this gloomy day, this picture of a 786 sf summer cabin in Hauser Lake comes on my computer screen with its tantalizing promise of summer heat and a lake to go with it.
This is an approved short sale with a price of $70,700. Approved means that the bank has given the price an okay so the process should be short (unlike unapproved short sales which can take 6 months).
The view is a block away. (Sorry, no lake view from the
house in this price range.)

How is your weather today and where does it make you want to be?

Further proof of market turn around

    I looked at a 4 bedroom/ 2 bath house in Post Falls yesterday. It was a great house at 2500 square feet in fairly good shape. I had a leasing agent in Boise tell me that this the size of house that is in great demand right now so I was very interested. It was a short sale that had just come back on the market after the previous contract fell through. Good house, great buy. As of this morning, there are 3 offers on it- two are all cash buyers with no contingencies-not even inspections. Cash is King. Multiple offers are getting more and more common as the market heats up. Did I get into this business at a good time or what??

Have we hit bottom?

Flowers on Saturday, Snow on Tuesday

There are signs of Spring in spite of the snow last night.  Just like our goofy weather, the real estate market is changing for the better but in an uneven path. In 2011, the number of houses sold were up but the prices were down when compared to 2010. Nationally, the change from January 2012 to February 2012 was the opposite-number of sales were down but the  prices were up. Here in Kootenai County, both the sales and the prices were up.. The biggest question on everyone's mind is "When are we going to hit bottom?" I do now proclaim- I think we are there. (Risky, I know but note the weasel word- think)
The first sign was the increase of rental rates. All those people that moved in with roommates or Mom & Dad are moving back out on their own. (Did you hear all that celebrating?) With this increase in the  number of renters and few new buildings due to the banks' pull back on construction loans, the rental market went from high vacancy rates to low. As a result, the  landlords have started raising rents. With higher rents, multifamily properties have been able to demand higher sales prices since the value of this type of real estate is more influenced by the income generated than the single family market. So... rates are low and rents are up-now all those renters who have been hesitating to get into the market are seeing that it is cheaper to buy than it is to rent.
I want to buy now while prices are still low! Let me know if you see anything interesting out there!

My First Real Estate Injury

On a cold and stormy day, I had my first solo open house in a vacant house while it snowed 5 inches. It was cold, had no furniture, no internet and I forgot my book. Luckily, I had cell phone coverage so I made phone calls in front of the gas fireplace where I could watch my sign get blown over every ten minutes. Yes, I did have some intrepid customers come and check out the house in the middle of this white mess. They followed my path that I had made while putting my sign back up every time it fell down.
The dangerous part of this adventure came from finding the signs that had immediately blown down on the street corners and were now buried under five inches of snow. I found one by slipping on it where it had fallen into the gutter and spraining my ankle. There you have it- my first real estate injury!

My  Open House House on a nicer day.

My First Property Showing!

 Showing property- North Idaho Style- wearing snowshoes because the property (all 10 acres of it) was under 12 inches of snow.

.

The East view from the property

This is the private drive into the property- the easy part- the road up to the top of hill was scary and I had to drive. At least that white monster of a truck that I have to drive came in handy because 4 wheel drive was necessary.

The name of this place is Rockford Vistas and it is up above Rockford Bay on Coeur d'Alene Lake and the Black Rock Golf Course. There were hoof prints of moose and deer all over the place and it was really quiet. The big question- Is the peace and quiet and the view worth the hassle and expense of a long, curvy, steep private road? Hmmm.......

Snowshoeing on Canfield

I went snowshoeing on Canfield Mountain. At the end of Shadduck Lane, there is a great trailhead in the middle of a really nice neighborhood- Canfield Park. What a place to live- in town conveniences and an incredible trail right outside your door. Snowshoeing is so much fun, great exercise  and (my favorite) no skill required.

View from Canfield above Coeur d'Alene. Awesome vista!

Here is my motley crew- Travis, Sue and Anna. A very in shape group- I had to chase them up the mountain. My excuse is that my boots didn't fit but these are some serious runners that I probably couldn't have kept up with anyways.

Let it Snow!

Finally, it has been snowing for two days and we have about a foot of snow. Goodbye ice skates and Hello snowshoes! (Unless you shovel off the snow, ice skating doesn't work very well)  I am hoping that I will finally get to try my friend Sue's new running snowshoes but I think I better let her break them in first.
The first heavy snow of the year means that all the snow plows and snow blowers are out working to get our cars on the road. My neighbor Art has already had the luxury of getting stuck at the bottom of his driveway. Luckily, he had neighbors at his house at the time to help.This is the time of year that neighbors become really important as they help each other out. As the great Babs sings "People who need people are the luckiest people in the world." 
With the snow is the fervent hope of  children all over this snowy country- "Please, let it be a snow day tomorrow!!!"

Here is my only picture of the snow.  I risked driving on skinny little private unplowed roads in my big truck to go see this house over by the Hayden Lake Country Club. Reminds me of Frank Lloyd Wright style with it's flat roof and 50's styling (built in '51). Sorry it is not a better picture but it was really snowing!

Ice Skating

The trail of a skater on Fernan Lake.

With very little snow and relatively warm weather, one winter sport was great last weekend! We skated all weekend on both Fernan Lake and Hayden Lake in the North side at  Sportsman's access. Both places had ice fishermen at their holes which gave us the confidence to venture out on the ice. We could see open water on Hayden which made us a bit nervous so we stayed far away from that. On Fernan, the whole lake was frozen, clear and great skating! As the temperature lowered, the ice started cracking and making a lot of noise. It is so scary  to be above frozen water and have the ice snap, crackle and pop below your feet. We knew it was safe but it still makes your heart jump.

Steve and the dogs getting ready to enjoy the ice on Hayden Lake.

 

 

I really did skate and the miracle is that I didn't break anything!

Tubbs Hill

Tubbs Hill

Happiest Place on Earth (Sorry Disneyland!)

Tubbs Hill is 135 acres of trails and woods right in the middle of CDA. Park at the 3rd Street dock parking lot (East side of the Resort) and start hiking.Leave the town behind and enjoy the bliss of the trails and the wonderful views of the lake. As soon as you leave sight of the resort, you can forget that you are still in town. The main trail loops the hill and is about two miles long. You can avoid the heavier traveled outer trail and head straight up the hill for a more woodsy experience. There are popular swimming beaches on the South side. The hill is also a very popular place to watch the 4th of July fireworks. If you like to run, the main trail is a great hill repeat workout. Remember - "go easy on the downhills and save the knees" (Tribute to Mike Bundy- NIC's famous X country coach). All these pictures are from January in our extraordinarily dry winter of 2012.

The Main Trail- Watch those Rocks!

Here is a view from the west side- you can only see a glimpse of the resort boardwalk as all the man-made CDA starts to disappears from view.

The Upper trail at sunset

Invest or not invest- that is the question.

Investment Properties

Just some history on why and how I got into Real  Estate.  My Uncle Cecil had a car dealership in Nampa when I was growing up. He told me that he made more money selling the land that was under the dealership than he ever did selling cars. That stuck with me. My husband, Steve and I built a warehouse in partnership with our friends. We sold hot sauce on our side and they sold rubber stamps on their side. We eventually bought them out and use it as a rental since we now drop ship the hot sauce.

Dawn and I in the groundbreaking ceremony:

In floor heat- ain't it cool?

The building today with a link to details

Biking in Farragut State Park on January 7th. 

Went biking at Farragut yesterday. My toes froze but it was a great ride. Can you believe how warm it has been? I dislocated my shoulder on my last ride so I stuck to the Lynx trails (easy)  while the teenaged boys took off and rode the more difficult trails. Mollie, my Boston Terrier, ran with me. 

Farragut State Park is 4,000 acres north of Coeur d' Alene on Lake Pend Oreille (pronounced ponderay).  It was the home of the Farragut Naval Training Center during WWII and Idaho's largest city at that time. My step dad attended basic training there and has attended numerous reunions at the park. They even had German prisoners of war at the camp who later attended the reunions. Although cold and remote, it must have been pretty sweet to be that far away from the action. 

Biking, X-country sking, hiking, disc golfing, camping, swimming, and boating are some of the things to do here.

 The best Cross county race (Junior High and High School running)  is at  this park although it is threatened due to the park's (and the nation's) budget problems. Here is a picture of Goat Hill from the race and me trying to shove my bike up it. It is really steep- I can barely hike up it and feel sorry for the kids racing up it but they don't seem to mind.

Start of the New Year

While the idea of this being the last year is scary or weird, it can also be exciting to have the motivation to live each day to the fullest. Bring it on - 2012. I am ready for new adventures!