Bigfoot in the Woods Great legends of the Northwest ogopogo swims   I could not resist  writing a Haiku about a few legends of the northwest. ogopogo is believed to have been sighted in some of the deep lakes, and is much like the Lockness Monster. While big foot is considered to be a giant ape like creature that some have claimed to live in the forests of the Northwest. 12/23/2008

This time of year it is a lot of fun at the Windermere office in Allyn. We have selected our Christmas family, bought all of the gifts, and have gathered together to wrap them. It is a great time. We play holiday music, joke around, and share home baked goodies. I know first hand that it is better to give than receive. I thought I would share some of our office Holiday Spirit with you and ask in return that you,share a little of your holiday spirit with us. How does your office celebrate?       Thought I add a few Pictures of the Group wrapping Presents for our Christmas Family.                12/23/2008

While I was driving around LakeLand Village in Allyn, Washington today, I took Snaps of Houses that looked like Kids where living there and of Houses where Kids probably do not live there. Can you Tell which House has Kids living there? Do you think its the House with the Red Border or the Green Border?                             Let's Try Another Set:                    One More.                      I am sure by now you guessed correctly. The Winter Wonderland of our Community is really quite Beautiful.  And many of the Residents are very creative. One more Photo that shows the Critters that Make LakeLand Village their Home.     Merry Christmas Everyone.        12/23/2008

In a recent blog (There are no dreams too big....No mountain too high. A young man from Allyn, WA reaches the top and never stops dreaming), I couldn't hold my excitement any more about my son graduating from college. Our son received his diploma yesterday as a Dr. of Chiropractic medicine. As a mom, I can't even begin to explain the feelings that are in my heart everytime I think of our son walking up to the podium to receive his diploma - Dr. Sean Benjamin Spaulding, Dr. Of Chiropractic medicine and I beam from ear to ear, it gives me goosebumps, brings tears of joy to my eyes  and warms my heart all at the same time. While reflecting of the days events, I couldn't help but think of all of my kids and how proud we are of all of them and you know - we did an okay job as parents. I also... 12/22/2008

Just wanted to share with everyone a site I found for free music to play while you play on line. I am including a link to Pandora Radio. I find that music can really be inspiring when your writing. Pandora Radio also chooses music for you- that is in the jandra of your previous selections , so every song is tailored to your specific tastes. You may even discover something new! 12/21/2008

 I know all of us have had clients that hold on to an idea of a price because their neighbor got it two years before. Or they know that their house will sell in the first few weeks because the last time they sold their home- it had a showing on the first day... and then an offer. Now they know the market has changed, and it may take a few weeks.  As much as I want to give everyone I meet with hopes of a quick sale it just isn't a realistic option at this time.Sure in some cases it still occurs, but it is not the norm. What I have found is that my clients are responding to stats. They can clearly see through all of the stories, and hype to what a real market is performing at. Our Broker has us using Trend Graphics, but there are many options available. Even through your MLS. I am now ref... 12/21/2008

  This is one of my favorite places to stop and have a quiet moment.Normally this quiet trout stocked lake has small ripples that flow across it and invoke peaceful moments. Yesterday my silent little lake was covered in a white sparkling crust of snow. The Canadian geese walked on it over to a shallow spot where they took a little dip. the birds flickered above as they sprang from tree to tree. The soft cloud cover sprinkled us from above with snowy sparkles. It was a perfect day at the lake in Allyn Washington's LakeLand Village. 12/21/2008

Yes, Valerie, there really is a Santa Claus.... His name is Ron and he is my husband and my "Santa Claus."  He drove for two days through blinding snow and blizzard like conditions to make our dreams and wishes come true... My husband and I had decided it was too dangerous for our daughter to try and drive back from Pullman, WA even with chains on her little car due to the heavy snow that has been pounding the area for over a week now. He was going to get her... He tried to do it Thursday only to be  turned back because of the weather. He couldn't get far even in the 4x4 truck with chains. Too dangerous. He decided he'd try again the next morning. He set out even before the crack of dawn Friday (3:30AM), went into work for a couple of hours to help out and set out around 7AM from there.... 12/21/2008

I was really excited about attending the fire festival at the Seattle center this year as it welcomed the winter solstice.There will not only be performers handling the fire but actual fire sculptures. Unfortunately, and ironically the winter snow storm we are experiencing has caused them to cancel the fire portion of the event. Go figure fire and snow don't mix? I have provided a link for you to the event so you can get the latest information. It has now been rescheduled for January 10th & 11th. I am looking forward to seeing fire represented as art, and the various ways they bring it to life- including a fire water fountain. Oh, and did I mention the event is FREE! 12/21/2008

I took a lot of pictures yesterday as my family went on a winter walk. This was one of my favorite photos. I can't seem to get enough of the snow. I am really enjoying the weather. It is still coming down fast here. The kids are starting to loose their enthusiasm for sledding and sliding. Now they are doing a lot more watching and sleeping. I can't wait to get back outside! 12/21/2008

I went to the home page a few minutes ago and looked at all the names of the new members we had sign up just today. There are a ton, and they are from all over as you know. I decided then to dig a little deeper and I went back months and years. The smallest amount of new member I found, and I did not look at every day is 67. A lot of them were over 250 new members in a single day...Wow. The day I signed up August 17th,2008 there were over 100. It was a lonely Saturday on floor that I began googling our area to see what would come up. I saw Active Rain was in the top three in most of my searches- so I thought I would check it out. By the end of the day I was set up and blogging. Floor went really fast and now I think I am addicted. So I thought I would ask- How did you find Active Rain ?... 12/19/2008

I just came across a great site for resizing, editing and enhancing pictures. If you are anything like me I am rarely satisfied with the pictures I take. I am most critical when I am taking a picture of a listing and placing it on line. I want it to be PERFECT! This new site snip shot will let me change whatever I need to. Most of the time it is lighting or maybe cropping out the toys or family dog. Just thought you might want to check it out, so here is a link.   12/19/2008

I woke up this morning to the sun light sparkling on the new fallen snow. My children were home all snug in their beds,because school is out until next year. I made my husband coffee, and then he walked to work. Next I had a cup, and sat in my newly remodeled (thank God it is done) dining room, and looked out the window to the frosty world beyond. As I sipped my hot cup of coffee, I found myself thinking of all of the wonderful people in my life. Some are gone now, but the memories remain, and they make me smile. I feel so blessed. With the cat curled up in my lap purring, and the kids waking up and making their way downstairs, I find my self looking forward to what the rest of the day will bring. I think I will start by baking, and filling the house with the irresistible scent of cooki... 12/19/2008

Darkness Disappears In The Quiet Light of Morning I own The World    For those of you who would like to write their own haiku- it is a very simple poem that originated in Japan. The first line is 5 syllables, the second is 7 syllables, and the third is 5 syllables again. They are usually about nature, but I have seen them on anything from Spam to toilet paper. We also have an Active Rain Haiku group you can post to. 12/19/2008

I have heard others refer to the news anchors, and reporters as their personal "operatives" out there getting the scoop on what is happening locally, nationally, and globally. To those of you who depend on the validity of the information you are receiving: You may want to venture outside at some point since your "operatives" have been known for only sharing the parts of the truth- that make you want to hear other parts of truth,and in the end there really isn't much truth, and if you put all of the truths together you may get a whole new kind of truth. Who knows if you go outside it may be 75 and sunny, with a slight chance of world peace. 12/19/2008

What is the weirdest thing you have done to close a home or property? Tammy has a great story, and it totally tops mine. This is not a competition, unless you want it to be, but I would love to hear the outrageous things you went through to get the job done!  Here is mine although after reading it, you will realize it is defiantly more someone else's! I had to help clean out under a house this year so it would pass inspection. There were two bloated dead raccoons and debris. The Seller "hired" the work done. The Listing Agent was family so guess who got the "job". Any way the house had to be reinspected, and the inspector was not satisfied with the clean up job. So under the house went myself, my partner Michelle, Kristan from our office and his son Franz.I actually never really made it... 12/19/2008

I thought since I posted pictures of our quaint little snow dusted town of Allyn, that you deserved to see the other side of our beautiful winter wonderland. It reminded me of the 12 days of Christmas... 12 sledding kids, 11 sliding drivers, 10 tow trucks, 9 insurance calls, 8 hazard lights blinking, 7 flares a blazing 6 people staring 5 frosty fingers on each hand 4 counter steers 3 brake lights flashing 2 panicked drivers AND...1 relieved Subaru driver that made it through all of the mess and lived to blog all about it!       12/18/2008

This black beauty is a genuine snow tracking motor vehicle. Today, I have discovered the pureness, the toughness and the nimbleness of an AWD Turbocharged 2.5 liter four cylinder (good for 243 hp at 6000 rpm)...Arrgh!...The Subaru Legacy 2.5 GT. Winter has arrived big time here in the Pacific Northwest and this very dependable AWD Subaru handled the snowy drifts, icy highways and snow covered coastal back roads as advertised. Throughout the day, I observed countless vehicles of various Models and Drive's that were trapped in ditches, spinning out of control or failing to traverse a snow cover hill... But this sleek bad boy had no prob-lem-o. Can you tell that I love my Subaru? 12/18/2008

  WINTER WONDERLAND IN ALLYN WA Our recent snowfall in Allyn WA this morning brought oh approximately 6 inches of fresh snow and some slippery conditions for sure. My husband was on a store run for several neighbors who couldn't get out in the snow and he took these pictures around the neighborhood of LakeLand Village. It is a winter wonderland and the beauty is breathtaking as the snow settles in for the upcoming days. When my husband asked if there were anything we needed at the store, we both decided to check with others on our street and in the neighborhood to see if they needed anything from the store as well, knowing that there are many who could not get around in this weather and had no other means to get to the store.  There were quite a few and with list in hand off we went. Af... 12/18/2008

The snow finally came and I wanted to share some rare pictures of Allyn, Washington buried in snow. My husband and I went for a walk with out three daughters to get these pictures, and by the time we got home the flakes were flying!I hope you enjoy the pictures, and get a chance to come by and visit us...The Windermere office in town is always open!           These pictures were taken in color, but it is hard to tell with all of the snow!           12/18/2008