http://activerain.com/blogs/openingdoorsinoakville Oakville, Ontario Real Estate, Oakville neighbourhoods, Oakville properties for sale, Jenny Kotulak broker, en-us http://activerain.com/blogsview/2729130/oakville-ontario-the-heritage-districts <p><strong>The Town of Oakville has three heritage districts as designated under the Ontario Heritage Act.&nbsp; </strong></p> <ul type="square"> <li><strong>Old Oakville Heritage Conservation District </strong></li> <li><strong>Trafalgar Road Heritage Conservation District </strong></li> <li><strong>First and Second Street Heritage Conservation District</strong></li> </ul> <p><strong>&nbsp;<a href="http://www.oakville.ca/assets/2011%20planning/hrtg-DistrictsMap.pdf">Map of Oakville's 3 Heritage Districts</a></strong></p> <p><strong>These three districts are all located in the real estate area called Old Oakville.&nbsp; </strong>Each individual neighbourhood is situated within walking distance of Oakville's vibrant downtown core, Lake Ontario and the Oakville Harbour. Many homes on Trafalgar Road back onto the 16 Mile Creek.<img title="Erchless Estate and Museum" src="http://activerain.comhttp://activerain.com/image_store/uploads/1/7/9/9/8/ar124875041189971.JPG" alt="Oakville Harbour, Erchless Estate &amp; Museum" style="margin: 8px; width: 250px; float: right; height: 188px;"></p> <p>&nbsp;</p> <p><strong>All three&nbsp;very desireable neighbourhoods are located on leafy tree lined streets.&nbsp;&nbsp;</strong>Stately century old&nbsp;homes sit amongst new custom built homes and upscale townhomes and condos.&nbsp; Some of the newer townhomes even offer elevators. Many of the historic homes have been updated carefully to retain it's original charm and integrity.&nbsp; Many proudly display historic plaques with the date and original owner's name.&nbsp; <a href="http://www.oakvillehistory.org/" title="Oakville Historical Society" target="_blank"><span style="color: #0066cc;">The Oakville Historical Society</span></a>&nbsp;is a wonderful source&nbsp;of information&nbsp;not only for homeowners who purchase historical homes but also for anyone interested in&nbsp;Oakville's rich history, all stemming from our beautiful harbour&nbsp;at the mouth of the 16 Mile Creek.&nbsp;</p> <p>Living in Old Oakville has it's benefits.&nbsp;Upscale <strong>Restaurants, Cafes, Boutique Shopping, Performing Arts Centre, Library, Lakefront walking trails, Oakville Club, Curling&nbsp;Club, Tennis Clubs,&nbsp;Boating Clubs and more are all within walking distance of the Heritage Districts.</strong></p> <p><strong><img title="Downtown Oakville Townhomes" src="http://activerain.comhttp://activerain.com/image_store/uploads/6/6/2/4/1/ar124875084014266.JPG" alt="Downtown Oakville Condos, Green Bean Cafe, Towne Square, Oakville Ontario, Jenny Kotulak photo" style="margin: 6px; width: 275px; float: left; height: 206px;">Century old Churches also grace the downtown core.&nbsp; </strong>The Oakville Trafalgar Memorial&nbsp;Hospital&nbsp;has resided&nbsp;on Reynolds Street for over 60&nbsp;years.&nbsp; Construction has begun on the<a href="http://www.newoakvillehospital.com/Pages/News/NewsStory.aspx?s=2640"> new hospital&nbsp;</a>on Third Line and Dundas&nbsp;Street&nbsp;in North Oakville and it will&nbsp;open it's doors in 2015.&nbsp; Other medical arts buildings and many other professional offices&nbsp;are located on and near Lakeshore Road.</p> <p><strong>Residents in the heritage&nbsp;areas are in close proximity to Fortinos on Lakeshore Road and Whole Foods on Cornwall and Trafalgar for all their shopping needs.&nbsp; </strong>Many area residents walk to the GO Station daily to ride the commuter train to Toronto to work.</p> <p><strong>Old Oakville and the heritage districts are not generally known as&nbsp; first time buyer areas.&nbsp; </strong>Smaller starter homes in these areas rarely come on the market for under $600,000.&nbsp; Some buyers are paying up to $1,000,000. for properties, only to demolish the present home and build large custom estates.&nbsp; Some townhomes sell for over $1,000,000.&nbsp; Estates on Lakeshore Road or fronting on to Lake Ontario sell for well into the millions.&nbsp;</p> <p><strong>You don't have to live in the historical districts of Oakville to enjoy what this area has to offer.&nbsp; </strong>The Towne Square in the middle of Oakville's downtown is a gathering place for those out with their kids or dogs, or those looking for a great spot to enjoy a coffee or ice cream cone.</p> <p><strong><img title="Downtown Oakville Condos &amp; Cafes" src="http://activerain.comhttp://activerain.com/image_store/uploads/8/4/4/1/4/ar124875004941448.JPG" alt="Downtown Oakville, Towne Square, Oakville Ontario" style="margin: 8px; width: 275px; float: left; height: 206px;">&nbsp; Oakville really is a wonderful community to call home.</strong></p> <div class="agent_signature"> <p style="text-align: left;">&nbsp;</p> <p style="text-align: left;"><span style="display: none;">&nbsp;</span></p> </div> <div class="agent_signature"> <p style="text-align: left;"><strong><span style="font-family: comic sans ms,sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">If you are thinking of buying or selling real estate in the Oakville, Ontario area, please check out my websites below for information and advice.&nbsp; Then contact me for professional help with all your real estate needs.</span></strong></p> <p style="text-align: left;"><strong><span style="font-family: comic sans ms,sans-serif; font-size: x-small;"><a href="http://www.oakvillepropertiesforsale.com">www.oakvillepropertiesforsale.com</a>&nbsp;</span></strong>&nbsp;<img title="Jenny Kotulak Hall of Fame Award" src="http://activerain.com/image_store/uploads/3/0/1/3/3/ar132658583733103.gif" height="90" alt="Jenny Kotulak Hall of Fame Award" style="margin-left: 6px; margin-right: 6px;" width="90"><img title="Jenny Kotulak Accredited Senior Agent" src="http://activerain.com/image_store/uploads/1/1/9/7/0/ar132658614507911.jpg" height="127" alt="Jenny Kotulak Accredited Senior Agent" style="margin-left: 6px; margin-right: 6px;" width="100"></p> <p style="text-align: left;"><a href="http://www.movingoakvilleseniors.com">www.movingoakvilleseniors.com</a></p> </div> Jenny Kotulak Broker Oakville Ontario Real Estate, Jenny Kotulak Broker (Broker Century 21 Dreams Inc., Brokerage, Oakville, Ontario) Tue, 17 Jan 2012 19:04:10 -0800 http://activerain.com/blogsview/2729130/oakville-ontario-the-heritage-districts http://activerain.com/blogsview/2324909/meet-my-new-clients-bill-sue <p><strong>Bill and Sue** are a&nbsp;typical young Oakville&nbsp;couple.&nbsp; </strong>They both have&nbsp;great but demanding &nbsp;jobs and they love to spend their spare time enjoying Oakville restaurants and theatre with their friends.&nbsp;</p> <p><strong>When they bought their fixer upper home, Bill and Sue had some great renovation ideas, but Bill just didn't have the time necessary to complete all of their "projects."</strong></p> <p>Sue is&nbsp;becoming a tad impatient&nbsp;and she is tired of waiting for Bill to repair even the simplest tasks like the leaky taps.<strong>&nbsp; Sue has the bug.&nbsp; She knows there are some great new homes being built in Oakville with all the bells and whistles &nbsp;that she could move right into.</strong></p> <p>Sue knows that with a newer home there will be no major maintenance issues for many years to come<strong>.&nbsp; She adores her century character home but it&nbsp;just doesn't suit their lifestyle anymore.</strong></p> <p><strong>So Bill and Sue have contacted me to help them with their next move.&nbsp; </strong>I look forward to showing them some great new listings in Oakville in the hopes of finding their next "perfect" home.</p> <p><strong>I will sit down with the couple and show them what the market is doing in their area and what they need to do to make their home more saleable.&nbsp; </strong>A comparative market analysis will give us an indication of the current value of their property.</p> <p>My internet marketing plan will definitely help to get their home the exposure it needs to sell quickly.&nbsp; I plan to work hard for Bill and Sue so that they will be willing to refer my name on to their friends and relatives.</p> <p><strong>Thanks so much Bill and Sue for allowing me to be your partner in real estate.</strong></p> <p><strong>**Bill and Sue are a fictional couple but I look forward to working with Oakville couples just&nbsp;like them. </strong></p><object height="312" width="504"><param name="movie" value="http://www.xtranormal.com/site_media/players/jwplayer.swf"> <param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"> <param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"> <param name="flashvars" value="height=312&amp;width=504&amp;allowscriptaccess=always&amp;allowfullscreen=true&amp;skin=http://www.xtranormal.com%2Fsite_media%2Fplayers%2Fjw_player_v54%2Fxn.xml&amp;file=http://farmprod.content.xtranormal.com/2011-05-30/publish/ae91925e-8b07-11e0-b92e-12313b0f36af.mp4&amp;image=http://farmprod.content.xtranormal.com/2011-05-30/publish/ae91925e-8b07-11e0-b92e-12313b0f36af.png&amp;link=http://www.xtranormal.com/watch/12159692/sell-with-jenny&amp;title=Sell With Jenny&amp;author=jennykotulak&amp;date=May 30, 2011&amp;plugins=gapro%2Cfbit-1%2Ctweetit-1%2Cviral-2&amp;gapro.accountid=UA-5134028-2"> <embed allowfullscreen="true" src="http://www.xtranormal.com/site_media/players/jw_player_v54/player.swf" allowscriptaccess="always" height="312" flashvars="skin=http://www.xtranormal.com%2Fsite_media%2Fplayers%2Fjw_player_v54%2Fxn.xml&amp;file=http://farmprod.content.xtranormal.com/2011-05-30/publish/ae91925e-8b07-11e0-b92e-12313b0f36af.mp4&amp;image=http://farmprod.content.xtranormal.com/2011-05-30/publish/ae91925e-8b07-11e0-b92e-12313b0f36af.png&amp;link=http://www.xtranormal.com/watch/12159692/sell-with-jenny&amp;title=Sell With Jenny&amp;author=jennykotulak&amp;date=May 30, 2011&amp;plugins=gapro%2Cfbit-1%2Ctweetit-1%2Cviral-2&amp;gapro.accountid=UA-5134028-2" width="504"></embed></object><object height="1" width="1"><param name="movie" value="http://www.xtranormal.com/site_media/players/embedded-xnl-stats.swf"> <param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"> <param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"> <embed src="http://www.xtranormal.com/site_media/players/embedded-xnl-stats.swf" allowscriptaccess="always" height="1" width="1"></embed></object> <p>&nbsp;</p> <p>&nbsp;</p> <div class="agent_signature"> <p style="text-align: left;"><strong><span style="font-family: comic sans ms,sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">If you are thinking of buying or selling real estate in the Oakville, Ontario area, please check out my websites below for information and advice.&nbsp; Then contact me for professional help with all your real estate needs.</span></strong></p> <p style="text-align: left;"><strong><span style="font-family: comic sans ms,sans-serif; font-size: x-small;"><a href="http://www.oakvillepropertiesforsale.com">www.oakvillepropertiesforsale.com</a>&nbsp;</span></strong>&nbsp;<img title="Jenny Kotulak Hall of Fame Award" src="http://activerain.com/image_store/uploads/3/0/1/3/3/ar132658583733103.gif" height="90" alt="Jenny Kotulak Hall of Fame Award" style="margin-left: 6px; margin-right: 6px;" width="90"><img title="Jenny Kotulak Accredited Senior Agent" src="http://activerain.com/image_store/uploads/1/1/9/7/0/ar132658614507911.jpg" height="127" alt="Jenny Kotulak Accredited Senior Agent" style="margin-left: 6px; margin-right: 6px;" width="100"></p> <p style="text-align: left;"><a href="http://www.movingoakvilleseniors.com">www.movingoakvilleseniors.com</a></p> </div> Jenny Kotulak Broker Oakville Ontario Real Estate, Jenny Kotulak Broker (Broker Century 21 Dreams Inc., Brokerage, Oakville, Ontario) Fri, 25 Nov 2011 18:13:57 -0800 http://activerain.com/blogsview/2324909/meet-my-new-clients-bill-sue http://activerain.com/blogsview/1171865/oakville-ontario-real-estate-a-great-community-to-live-work-play <p><strong>Oakville, Ontario is located in an enviable geographic position.&nbsp; </strong>Sitting on the shores of Lake Ontario, and centrally located between the large cities of Toronto and Hamilton, the Town of Oakville with a population of approximately 175,000 still retains a small town community feel.</p> <p><strong>The GO commuter trains are full every morning with Oakville residents travelling to their jobs in downtown Toronto.&nbsp; </strong>Luckily, the <a href="http://www.oakville.ca" target="_blank">Town of Oakville</a> has a number of large employers, allowing many residents to live and work in close proximity.<img src="http://activerain.com/image_store/uploads/2/5/9/0/8/ar124883971680952.JPG" height="206" alt="Tim Hortons" width="275" style="float: right;"></p> <p><strong><span style="text-decoration: underline;">Here is a list of Oakville's Top Ten Employers</span></strong></p> <p><strong>1. Halton&nbsp;District School Board &nbsp;- 4</strong><strong>000</strong></p> <p><strong>2. Ford Motor Company of Canada Ltd. - 3491</strong></p> <p><strong>3. Regional Municipality of Halton - 1650</strong></p> <p><strong>4. Halton Healthcare Services Corp. - 1600&nbsp; (Hospital)</strong></p> <p><strong>5. Sheridan College Institute of Technology &amp; Advanced Learning - 1500</strong></p> <p><strong>6. Tim Hortons - TDL Group Corp. - 761 (Franchisers, warehouse &amp; head office for coffee &amp; baked goods)</strong></p> <p><strong>7. Corporation of the Town of Oakville - 690</strong></p> <p><strong>8. Goodrich Landing Gear / Goodrich Aerospace Canada Ltd. - 600</strong></p> <p><strong>9. Omron Dualtec Auto Electronics Inc. - 600</strong></p> <p><strong>10. G.E. Water &amp; Process Technologies - 550</strong></p> <p><strong>Many people are under the assumption&nbsp;that Oakville is not an affordable community to live in.&nbsp; </strong>While it is true that Oakville is an affluent community and many neighbourhoods boast high end homes, there are many areas where home prices are still&nbsp;very affordable.</p> <p><strong>Most of the recent&nbsp;growth in Oakville has taken place north of the Queen Elizabeth Highway.&nbsp; </strong>Builders began developing subdivions in the early 1980's and the new home construction continues today.&nbsp; While the older sections of Oakville boast large lots and century old homes and &nbsp;trees, these newer areas appeal to buyers for many reasons.&nbsp;Parks, trails, community centres, shopping, new schools, sports fields are all readily available to enjoy.</p> <p><strong>Oakville has it's share of shopping plazas and malls.&nbsp; One of the major reasons, despite being&nbsp;the size of a city, that &nbsp;it&nbsp;retains it's small town vibe is due to &nbsp;the downtown district.&nbsp; Oakville's downtown is welcoming and attracts residents and visitors to annual festivities such as Midnight Madness, Jazz Festival, Sidewalk Sale, Christmas Tree Lighting Ceremony, plus much more.</strong></p> <p><strong>There are pancake breakfasts, tiny tot parades, bathtub races, big bike ride for Heart and Stroke, just to name a few more events and activities.</strong></p> <p><strong>First time buyers in Oakville can still find condo apartments for under $200,000.&nbsp; Condo townhomes range from $250,000 up, and freehold townhomes and&nbsp; semi detached homes&nbsp;can still be purchased&nbsp;in the &nbsp;$300,000's. </strong></p> <p><strong>Older detached bungalows are also available under $400,000, many with great sized yards.&nbsp; </strong>Fixer uppers are also available for the handyman.&nbsp; Many keen renovators have been able to turn a profit on reno projects here. We are findiing that many of today's buyers are looking for turnkey homes, as not everyone has the time or energy to do their own renovations.</p> <p><strong>Larger executive style homes can be purchased for $500,000 and up.&nbsp; Custom built homes and estates are also available over $1,000,000.</strong></p> <p><strong></strong>&nbsp;</p> <p>&nbsp;</p> <p>&nbsp;For&nbsp;more information on what Oakville has to offer&nbsp;please check out <a href="http://www.oakvillepropertiesforsale.com">www.oakvillepropertiesforsale.com</a></p> <div class="agent_signature"> <p style="text-align: left;"><strong><span style="font-family: comic sans ms,sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">If you are thinking of buying or selling real estate in the Oakville, Ontario area, please check out my websites below for information and advice.&nbsp; Then contact me for professional help with all your real estate needs.</span></strong></p> <p style="text-align: left;"><strong><span style="font-family: comic sans ms,sans-serif; font-size: x-small;"><a href="http://www.oakvillepropertiesforsale.com">www.oakvillepropertiesforsale.com</a>&nbsp;</span></strong>&nbsp;<img title="Jenny Kotulak Hall of Fame Award" src="http://activerain.com/image_store/uploads/3/0/1/3/3/ar132658583733103.gif" height="90" alt="Jenny Kotulak Hall of Fame Award" style="margin-left: 6px; margin-right: 6px;" width="90"><img title="Jenny Kotulak Accredited Senior Agent" src="http://activerain.com/image_store/uploads/1/1/9/7/0/ar132658614507911.jpg" height="127" alt="Jenny Kotulak Accredited Senior Agent" style="margin-left: 6px; margin-right: 6px;" width="100"></p> <p style="text-align: left;"><a href="http://www.movingoakvilleseniors.com">www.movingoakvilleseniors.com</a></p> </div> Jenny Kotulak Broker Oakville Ontario Real Estate, Jenny Kotulak Broker (Broker Century 21 Dreams Inc., Brokerage, Oakville, Ontario) Mon, 21 Nov 2011 17:39:49 -0800 http://activerain.com/blogsview/1171865/oakville-ontario-real-estate-a-great-community-to-live-work-play http://activerain.com/blogsview/2522659/-foto-friday-shakespeare-conservation-area-shakespeare-ontario <p><strong>Shakespeare Conservation Area is a quiet little spot great for picnics,&nbsp;hikes in the forest, fishing, or just reading and watching the geese and great blue heron.&nbsp; </strong></p> <p><strong>It is located just north of Shakespeare,&nbsp;also known as one of Ontario's antique hot spots between Kitchener-Waterloo &amp; Stratford.&nbsp; </strong></p> <p><strong>If you haven't heard of Shakespeare, I'm sure it's neighbour to the west, Stratford is more of a household name.&nbsp; Perhaps due to the famous Stratford Shakespeare Festival, or perhaps for being the home of one Justin Bieber.</strong></p> <p><strong>But getting back to the Conservation Area, on a recent visit I noticed that all of the picnic tables had been repaired, with new boards.&nbsp; That was nice to see.&nbsp; I was disappointed however that the boardwalks were all grown over with weeds and it made for a tricky hike around the perimeter of the lake/reservoir.</strong></p> <p><strong>That didn't stop my dog Lola and I from enjoying&nbsp;the late summer&nbsp;sunshine and snapping some photos.&nbsp; I hope these photos will inspire you all to get out and enjoy nature now that the fall season is upon us.</strong></p> <p><strong>Perhaps next time Justin Bieber&nbsp;is home and needs a bit of downtime he can check out the Shakespeare Conservation Area.</strong></p> <p><strong><img title="Shakespeare Conservation Area" src="http://activerain.com/image_store/uploads/8/0/4/9/5/ar131680387259408.JPG" height="450" alt="Shakespeare Conservation Area" width="600" style="margin: 7px; border: black 12px solid;"></strong></p> <p><strong><img src="http://activerain.com/image_store/uploads/1/1/7/1/0/ar131680405401711.JPG" height="450" alt="Shakespeare Conservation Area" width="600" style="border: black 12px solid;"></strong></p> <p><strong><img src="http://activerain.com/image_store/uploads/7/8/8/0/8/ar13168041380887.JPG" height="450" alt="Shakespeare Conservation Area" width="600" style="border: black 12px solid;"></strong></p> <p><strong><img title="Lola getting lost in the weeds" src="http://activerain.com/image_store/uploads/4/7/1/3/7/ar131680418873174.JPG" height="450" alt="Shakespeare Conservation Area" width="600" style="border: black 12px solid;"></strong></p> <p><strong><img title="Taking a gander at the goose" src="http://activerain.com/image_store/uploads/3/2/0/0/5/ar131680424350023.JPG" height="450" alt="Shakespeare Conservation Area" width="600" style="border: black 12px solid;"></strong></p> <p><strong><img title="Soaking up the sun" src="http://activerain.com/image_store/uploads/6/3/9/8/8/ar131680430388936.JPG" height="450" alt="Shakespeare Conservation Area" width="600" style="border: black 12px solid;"></strong></p> <p><strong><img title="Floral Arrangement" src="http://activerain.com/image_store/uploads/6/9/8/9/9/ar131680436799896.JPG" height="450" alt="Shakespeare Conservation Area" width="600" style="border: black 12px solid;"></strong></p> <p><strong></strong>&nbsp;</p> <div class="agent_signature"> <p style="text-align: left;"><strong><span style="font-family: comic sans ms,sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">If you are thinking of buying or selling real estate in the Oakville, Ontario area, please check out my websites below for information and advice.&nbsp; Then contact me for professional help with all your real estate needs.</span></strong></p> <p style="text-align: left;"><strong><span style="font-family: comic sans ms,sans-serif; font-size: x-small;"><a href="http://www.oakvillepropertiesforsale.com">www.oakvillepropertiesforsale.com</a>&nbsp;</span></strong>&nbsp;<img title="Jenny Kotulak Hall of Fame Award" src="http://activerain.com/image_store/uploads/3/0/1/3/3/ar132658583733103.gif" height="90" alt="Jenny Kotulak Hall of Fame Award" style="margin-left: 6px; margin-right: 6px;" width="90"><img title="Jenny Kotulak Accredited Senior Agent" src="http://activerain.com/image_store/uploads/1/1/9/7/0/ar132658614507911.jpg" height="127" alt="Jenny Kotulak Accredited Senior Agent" style="margin-left: 6px; margin-right: 6px;" width="100"></p> <p style="text-align: left;"><a href="http://www.movingoakvilleseniors.com">www.movingoakvilleseniors.com</a></p> </div> Jenny Kotulak Broker Oakville Ontario Real Estate, Jenny Kotulak Broker (Broker Century 21 Dreams Inc., Brokerage, Oakville, Ontario) Fri, 23 Sep 2011 15:06:49 -0700 http://activerain.com/blogsview/2522659/-foto-friday-shakespeare-conservation-area-shakespeare-ontario http://activerain.com/blogsview/2462224/let-s-play-tag-you-re-it <p><strong>Do you use a tagline for your business?&nbsp; </strong>Is it part of your branding or do you change it up every so often when the mood strikes?&nbsp; Is it catchy, humorous, clever?&nbsp; Is it truthful?</p> <p><strong>Are you an expert, a specialist, number 1?&nbsp; </strong>I know lots of you are.&nbsp; Do you have the facts to back up your statements?&nbsp; Be careful if you don't or you may be taken to task.&nbsp;</p> <p><strong>&nbsp;I was leafing through a local real estate magazine today,&nbsp;and made&nbsp;note of different REALTORS&reg; taglines.</strong></p> <p><strong>Here are a few that I came across: <img title="Number 1 - Really?" src="http://activerain.com/image_store/uploads/5/2/1/9/5/ar131372013359125.jpg" height="250" alt="Number 1 real estate agent" width="300" style="margin: 7px; float: right;"></strong></p> <p><strong>The First Name In Real Estate</strong></p> <p><strong>Making Real Estate Easy</strong></p> <p><strong>Moving You Home</strong></p> <p><strong>Experience the "Difference" Of Real Estate</strong></p> <p><strong>Bringing Home Results</strong></p> <p><strong>Exceptional Service Guaranteed</strong></p> <p><strong>Experience.Integrity.Results</strong></p> <p><strong>Service - Above And Beyond Your Expectations</strong></p> <p><strong>Moving You Forward</strong></p> <p><strong>Bringinig People And Homes Together</strong></p> <p><strong>Your Real Estate Consultant For Life</strong></p> <p><strong>Passionate About Your Home</strong></p> <p><strong>A Caring Combination</strong></p> <p><strong>Your Community Expert</strong></p> <p><strong>Your #1 Choice For Real Estate</strong></p> <p><strong>What branding slogans have you used for your marketing?&nbsp; </strong>Do you feel they've been effective?&nbsp; I think most of us are always on the lookout for something new and fresh.&nbsp; Time to share your marketing secrets with us.</p> <p><strong></strong>&nbsp;</p> <p><strong></strong>&nbsp;</p> <div class="agent_signature"> <p style="text-align: left;"><strong><span style="font-family: comic sans ms,sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">If you are thinking of buying or selling real estate in the Oakville, Ontario area, please check out my websites below for information and advice.&nbsp; Then contact me for professional help with all your real estate needs.</span></strong></p> <p style="text-align: left;"><strong><span style="font-family: comic sans ms,sans-serif; font-size: x-small;"><a href="http://www.oakvillepropertiesforsale.com">www.oakvillepropertiesforsale.com</a>&nbsp;</span></strong>&nbsp;<img title="Jenny Kotulak Hall of Fame Award" src="http://activerain.com/image_store/uploads/3/0/1/3/3/ar132658583733103.gif" height="90" alt="Jenny Kotulak Hall of Fame Award" style="margin-left: 6px; margin-right: 6px;" width="90"><img title="Jenny Kotulak Accredited Senior Agent" src="http://activerain.com/image_store/uploads/1/1/9/7/0/ar132658614507911.jpg" height="127" alt="Jenny Kotulak Accredited Senior Agent" style="margin-left: 6px; margin-right: 6px;" width="100"></p> <p style="text-align: left;"><a href="http://www.movingoakvilleseniors.com">www.movingoakvilleseniors.com</a></p> </div> Jenny Kotulak Broker Oakville Ontario Real Estate, Jenny Kotulak Broker (Broker Century 21 Dreams Inc., Brokerage, Oakville, Ontario) Thu, 18 Aug 2011 22:18:23 -0700 http://activerain.com/blogsview/2462224/let-s-play-tag-you-re-it http://activerain.com/blogsview/2436050/all-for-the-sake-of-progress-taking-time-to-question-the-motives-of-others- <p><strong>A year ago we happened to be driving through Woodstock, Ontario on Easter Sunday, on our way to visit my sister in nearby Shakespeare, Ontario for Easter dinner.&nbsp; </strong>We ended up taking a wrong turn in Woodstock and came across what was left of a beautiful turn of the century Church.</p> <p>Only the front wall was still standing in what had been St. Mary's Catholic Church.&nbsp; After doing a little research I found out the property had been sold and the front of the Church had been preserved and was to be incorporated into a senior's home to be built on the property.</p> <p><strong>Little did I know at the time that a year later I would be living only 15 minutes away from Woodstock, in Tavistock.&nbsp; </strong>I recently drove around Woodstock trying to locate the property again and to see if there had been any further progress on the site.</p> <p><strong>Nothing had changed since my last visit.&nbsp; The beautiful facade remains with perhaps&nbsp;a bit of&nbsp;deterioration.&nbsp; </strong>The fence around the Church remains but there is no sign of activity.</p> <p><strong>I felt very sad when I came across a photo of the whole&nbsp;Church as it looked prior to demolition.&nbsp; </strong>A fellow member of Flickr had taken some shots of the abandoned Church before demolition occurred.&nbsp; I've included that photo by Phrenzee below.&nbsp;</p> <p>I have a hard time seeing historic buildings destroyed.&nbsp; While I applaud the intent of the retirement home to incorporate the front of St. Mary's into their plans, I wonder when this will ever happen.&nbsp; The longer the structure sits as is, the more it will deteriorate, perhaps to the point that the developer may nix their original plans.</p> <p><strong>This is all speculation on my part as I have no information to prove me right or wrong, only that over a year has gone by since I noticed this grand old structure and I have no idea how long before that, it had been demolished.</strong></p> <p>Today I'd just like to share the beauty of this once fine gathering place and I hope that it does survive in another form to be enjoyed and admired.</p> <p><img title="St. Mary's Church - photo by Phrenzee" src="http://activerain.com/image_store/uploads/3/6/9/1/6/ar131242522661963.jpg" height="600" alt="St. Mary's Church Woodstock, Ontario" width="500" style="margin: 6px; border: black 12px solid;"></p> <p>St. Mary's Church - Woodstock, Ontario - Photo by Phrenzee - Before demolition</p> <p><img title="St. Mary's Church - Jenny Kotulak photo - After demolition" src="http://activerain.com/image_store/uploads/8/6/2/8/5/ar131242543658268.JPG" height="394" alt="St. Mary's Church Woodstock, Ontario" width="600" style="border: black 12px solid;"></p> <p>All that remains of St. Mary's Church - Front shot</p> <p><img title="St. Mary's Church, Jenny Kotulak photo, taken from the back" src="http://activerain.com/image_store/uploads/1/9/3/6/4/ar131242560146391.JPG" height="439" alt="St. Mary's Church Woodstock, Ontario" width="600" style="border: black 12px solid;"></p> <p>St. Mary's Church from the back - All that remains of a grand old Lady</p> <p>&nbsp;-</p> <div class="agent_signature"> <p style="text-align: left;"><strong><span style="font-family: comic sans ms,sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">If you are thinking of buying or selling real estate in the Oakville, Ontario area, please check out my websites below for information and advice.&nbsp; Then contact me for professional help with all your real estate needs.</span></strong></p> <p style="text-align: left;"><strong><span style="font-family: comic sans ms,sans-serif; font-size: x-small;"><a href="http://www.oakvillepropertiesforsale.com">www.oakvillepropertiesforsale.com</a>&nbsp;</span></strong>&nbsp;<img title="Jenny Kotulak Hall of Fame Award" src="http://activerain.com/image_store/uploads/3/0/1/3/3/ar132658583733103.gif" height="90" alt="Jenny Kotulak Hall of Fame Award" style="margin-left: 6px; margin-right: 6px;" width="90"><img title="Jenny Kotulak Accredited Senior Agent" src="http://activerain.com/image_store/uploads/1/1/9/7/0/ar132658614507911.jpg" height="127" alt="Jenny Kotulak Accredited Senior Agent" style="margin-left: 6px; margin-right: 6px;" width="100"></p> <p style="text-align: left;"><a href="http://www.movingoakvilleseniors.com">www.movingoakvilleseniors.com</a></p> </div> Jenny Kotulak Broker Oakville Ontario Real Estate, Jenny Kotulak Broker (Broker Century 21 Dreams Inc., Brokerage, Oakville, Ontario) Wed, 03 Aug 2011 22:46:25 -0700 http://activerain.com/blogsview/2436050/all-for-the-sake-of-progress-taking-time-to-question-the-motives-of-others- http://activerain.com/blogsview/2326939/name-that-photo-if-you-can <p><strong>It's been awhile since I've posted to the Name That Photo group created a couple of years ago by</strong><a href="http://activerain.com/blogs/lizmoras" title="Liz Moras" target="_blank"><strong> Liz Moras</strong></a><strong>.&nbsp; </strong>It&nbsp;is&nbsp;a fun group to post to, one where you submit a photo with or without a clue and let AR members guess what the subject in the photo is.</p> <p><strong>Sometimes the subject in the &nbsp;photo is&nbsp;relatively easy to determine but more often than not, there is some pretty wild guessing going on.&nbsp; </strong></p> <p>I was out an about yesterday and noticed this reflection on the water and it made me think of the<a href="http://activerain.com/groups/namethatphoto" title="Name That Photo" target="_blank"> Name That Photo</a> group.&nbsp; We all know Active Rain members are extremely intelligent people so this may be way too easy for you to guess what the reflection is of.</p> <p>I'm not giving any clues at this point as I'd love to let your imaginations run wild, and get those creative juices flowing.</p> <p><strong>So guess away.</strong></p> <p><img title="Name that photo" src="http://activerain.com/image_store/uploads/3/7/8/5/8/ar130689798985873.JPG" height="375" alt="Name that photo" width="500" style="margin: 7px; border: black 12px solid;"></p> <p>&nbsp;</p> <div class="agent_signature"> <p style="text-align: left;"><strong><span style="font-family: comic sans ms,sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">If you are thinking of buying or selling real estate in the Oakville, Ontario area, please check out my websites below for information and advice.&nbsp; Then contact me for professional help with all your real estate needs.</span></strong></p> <p style="text-align: left;"><strong><span style="font-family: comic sans ms,sans-serif; font-size: x-small;"><a href="http://www.oakvillepropertiesforsale.com">www.oakvillepropertiesforsale.com</a>&nbsp;</span></strong>&nbsp;<img title="Jenny Kotulak Hall of Fame Award" src="http://activerain.com/image_store/uploads/3/0/1/3/3/ar132658583733103.gif" height="90" alt="Jenny Kotulak Hall of Fame Award" style="margin-left: 6px; margin-right: 6px;" width="90"><img title="Jenny Kotulak Accredited Senior Agent" src="http://activerain.com/image_store/uploads/1/1/9/7/0/ar132658614507911.jpg" height="127" alt="Jenny Kotulak Accredited Senior Agent" style="margin-left: 6px; margin-right: 6px;" width="100"></p> <p style="text-align: left;"><a href="http://www.movingoakvilleseniors.com">www.movingoakvilleseniors.com</a></p> </div> Jenny Kotulak Broker Oakville Ontario Real Estate, Jenny Kotulak Broker (Broker Century 21 Dreams Inc., Brokerage, Oakville, Ontario) Tue, 31 May 2011 23:15:56 -0700 http://activerain.com/blogsview/2326939/name-that-photo-if-you-can http://activerain.com/blogsview/2323491/stratford-heritage-weekend-june-3-5-2011 <p><strong>The City of Stratford, Ontario will be hosting their annual</strong><a href="http://www.welcometostratford.com/spring/heritage-events.php" title="Heritage Events Stratford" target="_blank"><strong> Heritage Weekend</strong></a><strong> on June 3rd - 5th.&nbsp; </strong>I have already checked off the events that I'm interested in attending.&nbsp;</p> <p>I am a history nut so that's part of the reason that so many of the weekend events appeal to me.&nbsp; Here is how the <a href="http://www.welcometostratford.com">www.welcometostratford.com</a>&nbsp; website describes the weekend festiviities.</p> <p><strong><em>"Come celebrate the rich heritage of Stratford, St. Marys and Shakespeare on June 3-5 at the Stratford Spring Heritage Weekend with an antiques fair; special guided walks of antique shops and carriage tours of Stratford's heritage district; St. Marys "Once Upon the Thames" Storytelling Festival; a railway heritage show and exhibitions of costumes and the Doors of Perth County.</em></strong></p> <p><strong><em>Stratford, St. Marys and Shakespeare have some of the best conserved 19th century heritage districts in Ontario. Shakespeare is renown for its quality antique shops and informed dealers. St. Marys, has a unique 19th century limestone architectural character unique in English speaking Canada. While Stratford's heritage district stretches for miles, filled with some of the finest 19th century homes, churches, commercial buildings and civic buildings in Canada.</em></strong></p> <p><strong><em>The Heritage Weekend is filled with lots to see and do. Check out the </em></strong><a href="heritage-events.php"><strong><em>calendar of events</em></strong></a><strong><em>."</em></strong></p><iframe src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/4sVuvxMUz3s?rel=0" allowfullscreen="true" frameborder="0" height="390" width="480"></iframe> <div class="agent_signature"> <p style="text-align: left;"><strong><span style="font-family: comic sans ms,sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">If you are thinking of buying or selling real estate in the Oakville, Ontario area, please check out my websites below for information and advice.&nbsp; Then contact me for professional help with all your real estate needs.</span></strong></p> <p style="text-align: left;"><strong><span style="font-family: comic sans ms,sans-serif; font-size: x-small;"><a href="http://www.oakvillepropertiesforsale.com">www.oakvillepropertiesforsale.com</a>&nbsp;</span></strong>&nbsp;<img title="Jenny Kotulak Hall of Fame Award" src="http://activerain.com/image_store/uploads/3/0/1/3/3/ar132658583733103.gif" height="90" alt="Jenny Kotulak Hall of Fame Award" style="margin-left: 6px; margin-right: 6px;" width="90"><img title="Jenny Kotulak Accredited Senior Agent" src="http://activerain.com/image_store/uploads/1/1/9/7/0/ar132658614507911.jpg" height="127" alt="Jenny Kotulak Accredited Senior Agent" style="margin-left: 6px; margin-right: 6px;" width="100"></p> <p style="text-align: left;"><a href="http://www.movingoakvilleseniors.com">www.movingoakvilleseniors.com</a></p> </div> Jenny Kotulak Broker Oakville Ontario Real Estate, Jenny Kotulak Broker (Broker Century 21 Dreams Inc., Brokerage, Oakville, Ontario) Mon, 30 May 2011 00:02:50 -0700 http://activerain.com/blogsview/2323491/stratford-heritage-weekend-june-3-5-2011 http://activerain.com/blogsview/2322258/the-dog-ate-my-blog-and-i-lost-3000-points <p><strong>OK well my dog didn't really eat my blog, but my brand new Playbook did.&nbsp; </strong>I was doing so well with the 31 days of May Blogging Challenge and hadn't missed a day yet.&nbsp; It wasn't as hard as I thought it would be.</p> <p><strong>My husband has been working in Toronto for the last few days so I had the opportunity to spend the night at the Westin Harbour Castle Hotel with him last night.&nbsp;&nbsp;</strong>I didn't arrive until after 9:00 p.m. &nbsp;and realized I hadn't written my daily post yet, so I sat down to write a little ditty.</p> <p><strong>What?&nbsp; The hotel wanted $16.95 for internet service for 24 hours.&nbsp; </strong>I was only going to be there for barely 12 hours and most of that time I would be sleeping.&nbsp; I had just paid $25.00 to park my car for heaven sakes and I just wasn't prepared to pay that much for internet access.</p> <p><strong>Aha, I had my secret weapon with me.&nbsp; My shiny new (well except for the fingerprint smudges) Blackberry Playbook.&nbsp; </strong>I figured this would be a good opportunity to write my first post on my new business tool/toy and since it was tethered by bluetooth to my Blackberry, it would be a no brainer.</p> <p><strong>Well I'm afraid I'm used to a 17 inch laptop screen so at 7 inches my Playbook's size was a little on the shorter side.&nbsp; </strong>But I ventured on.&nbsp; Logged on to AR.&nbsp; Wrote my post, and was feeling&nbsp; pretty proud of myself until I pressed something.&nbsp; I'm not sure what I pressed but I lost my post. Unfortunately I hadn't finished filling out which groups I wanted to&nbsp;send it&nbsp;to so I hadn't totally finished the post enough to submit.</p> <p><strong>No worries I thought.&nbsp; I will just log back on to AR and find it under saved drafts.&nbsp; AR is better now at saving drafts, because I always see "Draft auto-saved" at the top of my posts when I'm writing.</strong></p> <p>Oops, no such luck.&nbsp; My post had gone astray.&nbsp; I was a dead duck.&nbsp; There would be no post from me on May 27th.&nbsp; I was sitting in a beautiful hotel room overlooking Lake Ontario watching the ferries go back and forth to Toronto Island and I was heartsick that I couldn't even complete the simple? task of blogging every day for the whole month of May.</p> <p><strong>What is wrong with me?&nbsp; </strong>In any event, I do plan to finish up the month with the&nbsp;final 4 posts.&nbsp; I know I won't get the extra points because I messed up but I have had fun reconnecting with many blogging friends here and I've met some new members also.</p> <p><strong>I feel like my mind has become more creative, I've been out taking more photos and I've spent more time here reading some really great stuff.&nbsp; This challenge has shown me that it really isn't all that difficult to post on a daily basis but you have to allow for obstacles that may interfere with your journey to complete your task.</strong></p> <p>My decision not to put another $16.95 in the hotel's coffers cost me some points and&nbsp;knocked me out of the competition.&nbsp; But no matter, we are all winners here at Active Rain.</p> <p><strong></strong></p> <p>&nbsp;</p> <div class="agent_signature"> <p style="text-align: left;"><strong><span style="font-family: comic sans ms,sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">If you are thinking of buying or selling real estate in the Oakville, Ontario area, please check out my websites below for information and advice.&nbsp; Then contact me for professional help with all your real estate needs.</span></strong></p> <p style="text-align: left;"><strong><span style="font-family: comic sans ms,sans-serif; font-size: x-small;"><a href="http://www.oakvillepropertiesforsale.com">www.oakvillepropertiesforsale.com</a>&nbsp;</span></strong>&nbsp;<img title="Jenny Kotulak Hall of Fame Award" src="http://activerain.com/image_store/uploads/3/0/1/3/3/ar132658583733103.gif" height="90" alt="Jenny Kotulak Hall of Fame Award" style="margin-left: 6px; margin-right: 6px;" width="90"><img title="Jenny Kotulak Accredited Senior Agent" src="http://activerain.com/image_store/uploads/1/1/9/7/0/ar132658614507911.jpg" height="127" alt="Jenny Kotulak Accredited Senior Agent" style="margin-left: 6px; margin-right: 6px;" width="100"></p> <p style="text-align: left;"><a href="http://www.movingoakvilleseniors.com">www.movingoakvilleseniors.com</a></p> </div> Jenny Kotulak Broker Oakville Ontario Real Estate, Jenny Kotulak Broker (Broker Century 21 Dreams Inc., Brokerage, Oakville, Ontario) Sat, 28 May 2011 23:37:16 -0700 http://activerain.com/blogsview/2322258/the-dog-ate-my-blog-and-i-lost-3000-points http://activerain.com/blogsview/2319056/where-do-i-live-well-it-depends-who-is-asking <p><strong>It's been 4 months now since&nbsp; we pulled up roots in Oakville, Ontario and drove an hour and a bit in a south western direction to Tavistock, Ontario.</strong></p> <p><strong>Oakville - Population 175,000 - Tavistock - Population - 2,400</strong></p> <p>Oakville is a fairly well known name.&nbsp; It's an upscale community on the shores of Lake Ontario midway between the metropolitan cities of Toronto and Hamilton.</p> <p><strong>Tavistock, not so much.&nbsp; </strong>Tavistock's claim to fame is&nbsp;playing host to the annual<strong> World Crokinole Championship</strong>.&nbsp; <strong>This year the games are being held June 4th.&nbsp; </strong>Tavistock only&nbsp;has one stoplight but it controls a wonky 5 way intersection.<iframe allowfullscreen="true" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/USPTKLRUJvo?rel=0" frameborder="0" height="349" width="560"></iframe></p> <p>When people were asking me where I was moving to I often told them Stratford, Ontario.&nbsp; <strong>Stratford is a much more recognizable name, famous for the Shakespeare Festival, and, oh yeah, Justin Bieber.</strong></p> <p>&nbsp;</p> <p><strong>I zip down the backroads in 15 minutes&nbsp;to Stratford on an almost daily basis.&nbsp; </strong>My RE/MAX office is there as are&nbsp;my parents&nbsp; and major stores and restaurants. &nbsp; Tavistock offers a local grocery store, drug store, a couple of restaurants, a liquor store, 3 hardware stores, Tim Hortons coffee shop, two gas stations, a couple variety stores and a number of other service providers.</p> <p>The owners of the furniture store also operate the funeral home on the other side of the street. There are also a couple of feed mills and I'm getting used to the different smells eminating from those mills.&nbsp; It often smells like a brewery here actually.</p> <p>Tavistock also offers a quieter environment, and&nbsp;a peaceful setting amongst some of the richest agricultural land in Ontario. Townsfolk wave to you even if they don't know who you are.&nbsp;</p> <p><strong>When I'd tell people in Oakville I was moving to Tavistock, I'd see the blank stare on their faces.&nbsp; </strong>So it was just as easy to say Stratford.&nbsp; I've also told people I live in the Stratford area.&nbsp; Now that we've moved, if people in Stratford ask me where I live they know where Tavistock is.</p> <p><strong>In fact many say "oh you live in Tavi".&nbsp; Yup, Tavistock has a nickname.&nbsp; </strong>Right now I'm just getting used to saying I live in Tavistock.&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; <img title="June 4th, 2011 - Chicken and Crokinole" src="http://activerain.com/image_store/uploads/7/3/9/0/4/ar13064647040937.jpg" height="225" alt="Tavistock Ontario, Jenny Kotulak photo, Tavistock Firefighters, World Crokinole Championship, Jenny Kotulak real estate" style="margin: 7px; float: right; border: black 12px solid;" width="300"></p> <p><strong>I'm not sure when (or if) I will be able to call my community Tavi.&nbsp; </strong>I guess if that word ever does&nbsp;slip off&nbsp;my tongue, I will know I'm here for the long haul.</p> <p><strong></strong></p> <div class="agent_signature"> <p style="text-align: left;"><strong><span style="font-family: comic sans ms,sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">If you are thinking of buying or selling real estate in the Oakville, Ontario area, please check out my websites below for information and advice.&nbsp; Then contact me for professional help with all your real estate needs.</span></strong></p> <p style="text-align: left;"><strong><span style="font-family: comic sans ms,sans-serif; font-size: x-small;"><a href="http://www.oakvillepropertiesforsale.com">www.oakvillepropertiesforsale.com</a>&nbsp;</span></strong>&nbsp;<img title="Jenny Kotulak Hall of Fame Award" src="http://activerain.com/image_store/uploads/3/0/1/3/3/ar132658583733103.gif" height="90" alt="Jenny Kotulak Hall of Fame Award" style="margin-left: 6px; margin-right: 6px;" width="90"><img title="Jenny Kotulak Accredited Senior Agent" src="http://activerain.com/image_store/uploads/1/1/9/7/0/ar132658614507911.jpg" height="127" alt="Jenny Kotulak Accredited Senior Agent" style="margin-left: 6px; margin-right: 6px;" width="100"></p> <p style="text-align: left;"><a href="http://www.movingoakvilleseniors.com">www.movingoakvilleseniors.com</a></p> </div> Jenny Kotulak Broker Oakville Ontario Real Estate, Jenny Kotulak Broker (Broker Century 21 Dreams Inc., Brokerage, Oakville, Ontario) Thu, 26 May 2011 23:13:24 -0700 http://activerain.com/blogsview/2319056/where-do-i-live-well-it-depends-who-is-asking http://activerain.com/blogsview/2317415/wordless-wednesday-so-are-you-still-liking-it- <p><strong>I've been living the rural life for 4 months now and people are always asking me if I'm still enjoying it.&nbsp; </strong>I have to tell them that I still pinch myself (well not literally) when I'm driving down the backroads into town.</p> <p><strong>No matter what the weather there is always something amazing to see.&nbsp; Whether it's the sky, birds, fields, ponds or just the quiet roads.&nbsp; </strong></p> <p><strong>Do I miss the traffic and pollution from the city?&nbsp; Hmm let me think on that one.</strong></p> <p><strong>Here is a field just down the road from my house.&nbsp; I love taking photos of it.</strong></p> <p><img title="What Jenny Sees" src="http://activerain.com/image_store/uploads/9/7/8/1/2/ar130638181321879.JPG" height="450" alt="Back roads Ontario" width="600" style="border: black 12px solid;"></p> <p><img title="Storm coming" src="http://activerain.com/image_store/uploads/1/4/4/8/6/ar130638187668441.JPG" height="273" alt="" width="600" style="border: black 12px solid;"></p> <p><strong>The skies got dark and it started to rain all around us.&nbsp; It missed is though.</strong></p> <p><strong>I love my new surroundings.</strong></p> <p>&nbsp;</p> <div class="agent_signature"> <p style="text-align: left;"><strong><span style="font-family: comic sans ms,sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">If you are thinking of buying or selling real estate in the Oakville, Ontario area, please check out my websites below for information and advice.&nbsp; Then contact me for professional help with all your real estate needs.</span></strong></p> <p style="text-align: left;"><strong><span style="font-family: comic sans ms,sans-serif; font-size: x-small;"><a href="http://www.oakvillepropertiesforsale.com">www.oakvillepropertiesforsale.com</a>&nbsp;</span></strong>&nbsp;<img title="Jenny Kotulak Hall of Fame Award" src="http://activerain.com/image_store/uploads/3/0/1/3/3/ar132658583733103.gif" height="90" alt="Jenny Kotulak Hall of Fame Award" style="margin-left: 6px; margin-right: 6px;" width="90"><img title="Jenny Kotulak Accredited Senior Agent" src="http://activerain.com/image_store/uploads/1/1/9/7/0/ar132658614507911.jpg" height="127" alt="Jenny Kotulak Accredited Senior Agent" style="margin-left: 6px; margin-right: 6px;" width="100"></p> <p style="text-align: left;"><a href="http://www.movingoakvilleseniors.com">www.movingoakvilleseniors.com</a></p> </div> Jenny Kotulak Broker Oakville Ontario Real Estate, Jenny Kotulak Broker (Broker Century 21 Dreams Inc., Brokerage, Oakville, Ontario) Wed, 25 May 2011 23:53:55 -0700 http://activerain.com/blogsview/2317415/wordless-wednesday-so-are-you-still-liking-it- http://activerain.com/blogsview/2315233/are-you-linkedin-just-call-me-34-787-990 <p><strong>If you are a blogger or a social marketer you are aware of LinkedIn.&nbsp; LinkedIn is a professional social media platform.&nbsp; </strong>In March 2011, LinkedIn's membership grew to<a href="http://blog.linkedin.com/2011/03/22/linkedin-100-million/" title="Linkedin Has Over 100,000,000 members" target="_blank"> 100,000,000</a> and they claim that membership expands&nbsp;by 1 Million each week.</p> <p><strong>So where do you rank in the LinkedIn membership&nbsp;stats?&nbsp; </strong>If you are curious you can click on your Profile page and go to View Profile.&nbsp; Look up at the URL in your browser and there will be some words and then a number.&nbsp; That's you.</p> <p><strong>I am ranked at 34,787,990.&nbsp; Certainly not first to jump on this social platform bandwagon but well before the halfway point now.&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; <img title="LinkedIn" src="http://activerain.com/image_store/uploads/2/9/3/7/2/ar130628984427392.png" height="64" alt="LinkedIn" width="64" style="margin: 6px; float: right;"><img title="Networking" src="http://activerain.com/image_store/uploads/3/4/8/8/3/ar130629002338843.jpg" height="169" alt="Social networking" width="225" style="margin: 6px; float: left;"></strong></p> <p>After you completed your profile and started to look for others to network with, did you join any groups?&nbsp; Did you start any groups?&nbsp; Did you give or ask for any recommendations?&nbsp;</p> <p><strong>When I first started it was pretty quiet in my networking circle.&nbsp; LinkedIn was still fairly new and hadn't caught on yet with REALTORS&reg; and others in my sphere of influence here in Canada.</strong></p> <p>In January 2009 I started a group called <strong>RE/MAX Canada.&nbsp; I have to admit it started out VERY SLOWLY.&nbsp; </strong>Once in awhile I'd get a notification that someone wanted to be a member of the group.&nbsp; As of 3 months ago we had 70 RE/MAX agents in the group.&nbsp; Although the name is RE/MAX Canada any RE/MAX agent worldwide is welcome to join.&nbsp; One month ago membership jumped to 110.</p> <p><strong>As of today we have 214 members in the </strong><a href="http://www.linkedin.com/groups?viewMembers=&amp;gid=1679477&amp;sik=1306288512706" title="Join RE/MAX Canada" target="_blank"><strong>RE/MAX Canada Group</strong></a><strong>.&nbsp; Not a huge number but it is the recent growth that impresses me.&nbsp; </strong>Obviously more and more agents are joining LinkedIn and looking for groups to join.</p> <p><strong>Now that the group is growing and I'm the administrator (or owner, as LinkedIn refers the administrator as) I figured it is time to be a little more active with the group.&nbsp; </strong></p> <p>I have started posting interesting articles and links that I feel may be pertinent to the agents in the group.&nbsp; More people are starting to introduce themselves and leave comments.&nbsp; We have RE/MAXERS from all over Canada, the U.S., South America and Europe joining.</p> <p>People are finding the group so that is great.&nbsp; And now that I've taken the RE/MAX Canada name, no one else can lay claim to it.&nbsp; <strong>Obviously LinkedIn is growing rapidly and good group names will be going fast.</strong></p> <p><strong>If you are thinking of creating a group of your own, hurry and lay claim to a name before it is gone.&nbsp; </strong>If you don't want to start a group, look to see what groups already exist that you may be interested in joining.&nbsp; Then contribute or make comments to keep the group active and vibrant.</p> <p><strong>Yes, it is just another networking tool but LinkedIn is a professional site and very well respected.&nbsp; </strong>Many members are posting their resumes and finding great jobs via LinkedIn.&nbsp; Not only will you find your colleagues on LinkedIn but your clients, friends, and many members of your sphere of influence.</p> <p><strong>In my opinion this social media platform is a winner.</strong></p> <p>&nbsp;</p> <p>&nbsp;</p> <div class="agent_signature"> <p style="text-align: left;"><strong><span style="font-family: comic sans ms,sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">If you are thinking of buying or selling real estate in the Oakville, Ontario area, please check out my websites below for information and advice.&nbsp; Then contact me for professional help with all your real estate needs.</span></strong></p> <p style="text-align: left;"><strong><span style="font-family: comic sans ms,sans-serif; font-size: x-small;"><a href="http://www.oakvillepropertiesforsale.com">www.oakvillepropertiesforsale.com</a>&nbsp;</span></strong>&nbsp;<img title="Jenny Kotulak Hall of Fame Award" src="http://activerain.com/image_store/uploads/3/0/1/3/3/ar132658583733103.gif" height="90" alt="Jenny Kotulak Hall of Fame Award" style="margin-left: 6px; margin-right: 6px;" width="90"><img title="Jenny Kotulak Accredited Senior Agent" src="http://activerain.com/image_store/uploads/1/1/9/7/0/ar132658614507911.jpg" height="127" alt="Jenny Kotulak Accredited Senior Agent" style="margin-left: 6px; margin-right: 6px;" width="100"></p> <p style="text-align: left;"><a href="http://www.movingoakvilleseniors.com">www.movingoakvilleseniors.com</a></p> </div> Jenny Kotulak Broker Oakville Ontario Real Estate, Jenny Kotulak Broker (Broker Century 21 Dreams Inc., Brokerage, Oakville, Ontario) Tue, 24 May 2011 22:23:44 -0700 http://activerain.com/blogsview/2315233/are-you-linkedin-just-call-me-34-787-990 http://activerain.com/blogsview/2311262/take-a-hike-to-hullett-marsh <p><strong>A few weeks ago I took my dog Lola for a hike to </strong><a href="http://www.hullettmarsh.org/SAR.html" title="Hullett Marsh" target="_blank"><strong>Hullett Marsh</strong></a><strong>.&nbsp; </strong>This incredible property of over 5400 acres was a delight to see.&nbsp; Lola and I enjoyed our walk so much that I told my husband I'd like him to see it on his day off last week.</p> <p><strong>Hullett Marsh is so large that there are many different entrance points and trails.&nbsp; </strong>We followed a dead end road, parked and headed onto the trail.&nbsp; We passed by swampy areas and a&nbsp;point where canoes can&nbsp;enter into the water, before coming to an old iron bridge where there must have at one time been a road.</p> <p><strong>After crossing the bridge I recognized the area from my last visit.&nbsp; </strong>On my previous hike this particular part of the trail was underwater and I wasn't able to reach the old bridge.&nbsp; My husband and I continued on our way walking along the dykes and enjoying the views of the trees and wildlife.</p> <p><strong>At one point we were overcome by a swarm of bugs.&nbsp; </strong>I have no idea what they were but luckily they didn't bite.&nbsp; I have to admit I made a couple of mistakes prior to our setting out on this particular trail.&nbsp;<strong> I didn't bring the map or look at&nbsp;it before we left home to see how long each trail was.</strong></p> <p><strong>I also didn't bring any extra water or snacks with us.&nbsp; </strong>We walked, and walked and walked.&nbsp; In my mind I felt we should be circling back to the car.&nbsp; Getting pretty tired, I got a bit excited when we saw what we thought was the old bridge we had crossed near the beginning.</p> <p><strong>Then my husband informed me it was a different bridge.&nbsp; How many old iron decommissioned bridges can there be&nbsp;?&nbsp; </strong>At this point we had to make an executive decision to turn around and retrace our steps.&nbsp; It just made more sense to take the long trek back since we had to admit we were a little lost.</p> <p><strong>We finally made it back to the car safely, thirsty and with sore feet.&nbsp; </strong>Our nice little hike had lasted 3 hours with a five minute break sitting by the water on the way back.&nbsp; Needless to say my husband wasn't too happy with me.&nbsp; When we got home I checked the map and found the little trail we ended up on was the second longest one at the Marsh.</p> <p><strong>We'd just done a nice little 7 kilometer or almost 4 and a half mile hike.&nbsp; </strong>I will definitely go back to Hullett Marsh to try the other trails but I will definitely be a little more prepared next time.&nbsp; Here are a few memories from our hike that I brought home with us.</p> <p><img title="Hullett Marsh" src="http://activerain.com/image_store/uploads/2/5/5/4/2/ar130612078724552.JPG" height="450" alt="Hullett Marsh, Clinton Ontario, Jenny Kotulak photos, Jenny Kotulak real estate, Stratford RE/MAX" width="600" style="border: black 12px solid;"></p> <p><img title="The Bridge" src="http://activerain.com/image_store/uploads/1/5/6/8/1/ar130612097918651.JPG" height="450" alt="Hullett Marsh, Clinton Ontario, Jenny Kotulak photos, Jenny Kotulak real estate, Stratford RE/MAX" width="600" style="border: black 12px solid;"></p> <p><img title="Raccoon Eyes" src="http://activerain.com/image_store/uploads/7/9/4/8/8/ar130612108588497.JPG" height="450" alt="Hullett Marsh, Clinton Ontario, Jenny Kotulak photos, Jenny Kotulak real estate, Stratford RE/MAX" width="600" style="border: black 12px solid;"></p> <p><img title="Bug Swarming" src="http://activerain.com/image_store/uploads/9/5/8/8/9/ar130612118198859.JPG" height="450" alt="Hullett Marsh, Clinton Ontario, Jenny Kotulak photos, Jenny Kotulak real estate, Stratford RE/MAX" width="600" style="border: black 12px solid;"></p> <p><img title="Great Views" src="http://activerain.com/image_store/uploads/8/5/0/9/7/ar130612125679058.JPG" height="450" alt="Hullett Marsh, Clinton Ontario, Jenny Kotulak photos, Jenny Kotulak real estate, Stratford RE/MAX" width="600" style="border: black 12px solid;"></p> <p>&nbsp;</p> <p>&nbsp;</p> <p>&nbsp;</p> <div class="agent_signature"> <p style="text-align: left;"><strong><span style="font-family: comic sans ms,sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">If you are thinking of buying or selling real estate in the Oakville, Ontario area, please check out my websites below for information and advice.&nbsp; Then contact me for professional help with all your real estate needs.</span></strong></p> <p style="text-align: left;"><strong><span style="font-family: comic sans ms,sans-serif; font-size: x-small;"><a href="http://www.oakvillepropertiesforsale.com">www.oakvillepropertiesforsale.com</a>&nbsp;</span></strong>&nbsp;<img title="Jenny Kotulak Hall of Fame Award" src="http://activerain.com/image_store/uploads/3/0/1/3/3/ar132658583733103.gif" height="90" alt="Jenny Kotulak Hall of Fame Award" style="margin-left: 6px; margin-right: 6px;" width="90"><img title="Jenny Kotulak Accredited Senior Agent" src="http://activerain.com/image_store/uploads/1/1/9/7/0/ar132658614507911.jpg" height="127" alt="Jenny Kotulak Accredited Senior Agent" style="margin-left: 6px; margin-right: 6px;" width="100"></p> <p style="text-align: left;"><a href="http://www.movingoakvilleseniors.com">www.movingoakvilleseniors.com</a></p> </div> Jenny Kotulak Broker Oakville Ontario Real Estate, Jenny Kotulak Broker (Broker Century 21 Dreams Inc., Brokerage, Oakville, Ontario) Sun, 22 May 2011 23:31:01 -0700 http://activerain.com/blogsview/2311262/take-a-hike-to-hullett-marsh http://activerain.com/blogsview/2309998/there-s-nothing-wrong-with-being-bold-is-there- <h1 id="colorName"> <strong>When you think of the word jack o'lantern what colour comes to mind?&nbsp; </strong>If you're thinking orange, you are correct.&nbsp; We've been living in our new house now for almost 4 months and I'm beginning to crave a little more colour on our white walls.</h1> <p><strong>In the past, I'd say my colour scheme has always been quite conservative.&nbsp; </strong>I've always leaned towards neutrals with a touch of blue for bathrooms.&nbsp; In our new house we have a high wall in the stairwell leading to the second floor.&nbsp; There are two windows in this area so it is quite bright.</p> <p><strong>I had a painting hung on the wall and one of the colours in the painting was calling out to me.&nbsp; </strong>I grabbed my Benjamin Moore colour charts and tried to do a little colour matching.&nbsp; I&nbsp;ended up&nbsp;picking &nbsp;jack o'lantern 2156-30&nbsp;and it &nbsp;is not for the faint of heart.</p> <p><strong>Here's how Benjamin Moore describes jack o'lantern: </strong></p> <p><strong>"This color is part of Color Preview. A collection of bold, saturated colors that brings spaces to life for those looking to illuminate their world with pure, extraordinary color."</strong></p> <p>Well my hallway has certainly come to life.&nbsp; I only did the one focal wall as I didn't want to "illuminate my world"&nbsp; too much.&nbsp; I'm quite pleased with the results.</p> <p><strong>I have now brought bold into my house.&nbsp; There's nothing wrong with being bold - is there?</strong></p> <p><img title="Before" src="http://activerain.com/image_store/uploads/9/5/3/2/5/ar130603563252359.JPG" height="600" alt="White walls, Staircase" width="450" style="border: black 12px solid;"></p> <p><strong>Before - White Walls</strong></p> <p><img title="After" src="http://activerain.com/image_store/uploads/6/9/5/9/4/ar130603569449596.JPG" height="600" alt="Jack o'lantern" width="450" style="border: black 12px solid;"></p> <p><strong>After - Jack o'lantern</strong></p> <p><strong></strong></p> <div class="agent_signature"> <p style="text-align: left;"><strong><span style="font-family: comic sans ms,sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">If you are thinking of buying or selling real estate in the Oakville, Ontario area, please check out my websites below for information and advice.&nbsp; Then contact me for professional help with all your real estate needs.</span></strong></p> <p style="text-align: left;"><strong><span style="font-family: comic sans ms,sans-serif; font-size: x-small;"><a href="http://www.oakvillepropertiesforsale.com">www.oakvillepropertiesforsale.com</a>&nbsp;</span></strong>&nbsp;<img title="Jenny Kotulak Hall of Fame Award" src="http://activerain.com/image_store/uploads/3/0/1/3/3/ar132658583733103.gif" height="90" alt="Jenny Kotulak Hall of Fame Award" style="margin-left: 6px; margin-right: 6px;" width="90"><img title="Jenny Kotulak Accredited Senior Agent" src="http://activerain.com/image_store/uploads/1/1/9/7/0/ar132658614507911.jpg" height="127" alt="Jenny Kotulak Accredited Senior Agent" style="margin-left: 6px; margin-right: 6px;" width="100"></p> <p style="text-align: left;"><a href="http://www.movingoakvilleseniors.com">www.movingoakvilleseniors.com</a></p> </div> Jenny Kotulak Broker Oakville Ontario Real Estate, Jenny Kotulak Broker (Broker Century 21 Dreams Inc., Brokerage, Oakville, Ontario) Sat, 21 May 2011 23:44:04 -0700 http://activerain.com/blogsview/2309998/there-s-nothing-wrong-with-being-bold-is-there- http://activerain.com/blogsview/2308599/the-shakespearean-gardens-stratford-ontario <p><strong>Hidden almost&nbsp;out of sight, just off the Huron Street bridge in downtown Stratford, Ontario lies the</strong><a href="http://www.sentex.net/~lwr/pans/shakegardpan.html" title="Shakespearean Gardens, Stratford, Ontario" target="_blank"><strong> Shakespearean Gardens.&nbsp; </strong></a>This well manicured English garden offers a formal setting with boxwood hedges,stone walkways, benches and&nbsp;gazebo&nbsp;yet comes alive with the brilliant colour of&nbsp;an amazing array of flowers, herbs,&nbsp;shrubs and trees.</p> <p><strong>The views from the garden are just as impressive with the historic&nbsp;Perth County Courthouse to one side and the gently flowing Avon River on the other side.&nbsp;&nbsp;</strong>Stone steps and a pathway&nbsp;along the Avon&nbsp;River lead you&nbsp;underneath the old Huron Street bridge and towards the Shakespeare Festival.</p> <p><strong>The tulips were&nbsp;brilliant on my recent visit and I'm looking forward to&nbsp;seeing what is next to bloom.&nbsp; </strong>The <strong>Shakespearean Gardens </strong>is one of those little pieces of heaven that you can sometimes find in the middle of a city.&nbsp; The perfect spot to bring a book, sit on a bench by the river and enjoy the sights and smells of an old English garden.</p> <p><img title="Stratford Shakespearean Gardens" src="http://activerain.com/image_store/uploads/4/5/7/9/6/ar130594344769754.JPG" height="413" alt="Shakespearean Gardens, Stratford Ontario, Jenny Kotulak photo, Jenny Kotulak real estate, Stratford RE/MAX" width="550" style="border: black 12px solid;"></p> <p><img title="Avon River, Stratford Ontario" src="http://activerain.com/image_store/uploads/2/6/9/3/9/ar130594359893962.JPG" height="413" alt="Shakespearean Gardens, Stratford Ontario, Jenny Kotulak photo, Jenny Kotulak real estate, Stratford RE/MAX" width="550" style="border: black 12px solid;"></p> <p><img title="Perth County Courthouse" src="http://activerain.com/image_store/uploads/6/1/0/2/3/ar130594370532016.JPG" height="413" alt="Shakespearean Gardens, Stratford Ontario, Jenny Kotulak photo, Jenny Kotulak real estate, Stratford RE/MAX" width="550" style="border: black 12px solid;"></p> <p><img title="Spring has arrived" src="http://activerain.com/image_store/uploads/3/8/2/1/4/ar130594385341283.JPG" height="600" alt="Shakespearean Gardens, Stratford Ontario, Jenny Kotulak photo, Jenny Kotulak real estate, Stratford RE/MAX" width="450" style="border: black 12px solid;"></p> <p><img title="Singular Beauty" src="http://activerain.com/image_store/uploads/8/7/4/4/4/ar130594395244478.JPG" height="413" alt="Shakespearean Gardens, Stratford Ontario, Jenny Kotulak photo, Jenny Kotulak real estate, Stratford RE/MAX" width="550" style="border: black 12px solid;"></p> <p><img title="The Big Boys" src="http://activerain.com/image_store/uploads/5/8/0/9/9/ar130594401299085.JPG" height="600" alt="Shakespearean Gardens, Stratford Ontario, Jenny Kotulak photo, Jenny Kotulak real estate, Stratford RE/MAX" width="450" style="border: black 12px solid;"></p> <p><img title="Eye on the Avon" src="http://activerain.com/image_store/uploads/2/8/1/5/2/ar130594410025182.JPG" height="413" alt="Avon River, Stratford Ontario, Jenny Kotulak photo, Jenny Kotulak real estate, Stratford RE/MAX" width="550" style="border: black 12px solid;">S</p> <p>&nbsp;</p> <div class="agent_signature"> <p style="text-align: left;"><strong><span style="font-family: comic sans ms,sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">If you are thinking of buying or selling real estate in the Oakville, Ontario area, please check out my websites below for information and advice.&nbsp; Then contact me for professional help with all your real estate needs.</span></strong></p> <p style="text-align: left;"><strong><span style="font-family: comic sans ms,sans-serif; font-size: x-small;"><a href="http://www.oakvillepropertiesforsale.com">www.oakvillepropertiesforsale.com</a>&nbsp;</span></strong>&nbsp;<img title="Jenny Kotulak Hall of Fame Award" src="http://activerain.com/image_store/uploads/3/0/1/3/3/ar132658583733103.gif" height="90" alt="Jenny Kotulak Hall of Fame Award" style="margin-left: 6px; margin-right: 6px;" width="90"><img title="Jenny Kotulak Accredited Senior Agent" src="http://activerain.com/image_store/uploads/1/1/9/7/0/ar132658614507911.jpg" height="127" alt="Jenny Kotulak Accredited Senior Agent" style="margin-left: 6px; margin-right: 6px;" width="100"></p> <p style="text-align: left;"><a href="http://www.movingoakvilleseniors.com">www.movingoakvilleseniors.com</a></p> </div> Jenny Kotulak Broker Oakville Ontario Real Estate, Jenny Kotulak Broker (Broker Century 21 Dreams Inc., Brokerage, Oakville, Ontario) Fri, 20 May 2011 22:18:16 -0700 http://activerain.com/blogsview/2308599/the-shakespearean-gardens-stratford-ontario http://activerain.com/blogsview/2305512/i-am-a-patient-person-i-am-a-patient-person-i-am-a-patient-person <p><strong>I am a patient person.&nbsp; Does it look like I'm a patient person from the title of this post or does it look like I'm yelling?</strong></p> <p>I'm not yelling and actually I think I am a fairly patient person, although email and blogging etiquette would have you believe that I am yelling since I've used capital letters.</p> <p><strong>I'm trying hard to be patient while waiting for the yard in our new home to be graded and sodded.&nbsp; </strong>This is all part and parcel of buying a newly built home.&nbsp; When buyers are looking for homes and trying to decide whether to buy new or resale, it's important to weigh out all the different &nbsp;issues.</p> <p><strong>When you buy resale you inherit the previous owner(s) landscaping, whether you like it or not.&nbsp; </strong>Buying new, you have a clean (in my case muddy) slate to incorporate your own gardening ideas.&nbsp; There are additional costs involved with the new build though.</p> <p><strong>Once our sod is down we have to fence the yard for the dog&nbsp;and build a deck to be able to sit outside and enjoy the warmer weather when it gets here.&nbsp; </strong>I have sent two emails to our builder asking when they will come and clean up all the debris on our property.&nbsp;&nbsp; <img title="My back yard" src="http://activerain.com/image_store/uploads/7/6/0/1/3/ar130586309431067.JPG" height="300" alt="83 Liebler" width="400" style="margin: 7px; float: right; border: black 12px solid;"></p> <p>We've done our best to pick up the sharp pieces of aluminum, nails, broken bricks, insulation, etc, but I can't wait to have some soft green lawn to walk on.&nbsp; I received a reply this week after resending my first email a month later.</p> <p>"Sorry Jenny I didn't respond, as we were well off the start date for any<br>exterior work and following up with the graders at that time they were<br>unable to provide me with any dates.&nbsp; They understand homeowners are<br>anxious to get the exterior work started but normally residential<br>grading, sod, etc. does not get started until the end of May / June.<br>Tarion allows the Builder 270 days of seasonable weather from the date<br>of possession to get the Seasonal Items completed.&nbsp; The grading trucks<br>have not even started their seasonal grading to date.&nbsp; They are hoping<br>to start this month (weather permitting).&nbsp; As well, we have had a very<br>wet Spring.</p> <p>The grading contractors work for several builders and XXXX is not<br>sure which sub-division they will start in as they will need to check<br>the soil conditions and check which lots (sub-divisions) have dried out,<br>etc.&nbsp; Unfortunately, we don't really have an answer for you but exterior<br>work will be starting shortly as long as the weather holds.&nbsp; If I hear<br>anything from site I will advise.&nbsp; Thank you."</p> <p><strong>A pretty standard reply I guess, although I don't understand the part about the grading trucks having not started their seasonal grading.&nbsp; My son is in the pool business and my neice's husband owns a drainage business and both have been working steady for a month with grading equipment.</strong></p> <p><strong>So I patiently or not so patiently wait.&nbsp; Like it or not, this is one of those things that is out of my control.</strong></p> <p>&nbsp;</p> <div class="agent_signature"> <p style="text-align: left;"><strong><span style="font-family: comic sans ms,sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">If you are thinking of buying or selling real estate in the Oakville, Ontario area, please check out my websites below for information and advice.&nbsp; Then contact me for professional help with all your real estate needs.</span></strong></p> <p style="text-align: left;"><strong><span style="font-family: comic sans ms,sans-serif; font-size: x-small;"><a href="http://www.oakvillepropertiesforsale.com">www.oakvillepropertiesforsale.com</a>&nbsp;</span></strong>&nbsp;<img title="Jenny Kotulak Hall of Fame Award" src="http://activerain.com/image_store/uploads/3/0/1/3/3/ar132658583733103.gif" height="90" alt="Jenny Kotulak Hall of Fame Award" style="margin-left: 6px; margin-right: 6px;" width="90"><img title="Jenny Kotulak Accredited Senior Agent" src="http://activerain.com/image_store/uploads/1/1/9/7/0/ar132658614507911.jpg" height="127" alt="Jenny Kotulak Accredited Senior Agent" style="margin-left: 6px; margin-right: 6px;" width="100"></p> <p style="text-align: left;"><a href="http://www.movingoakvilleseniors.com">www.movingoakvilleseniors.com</a></p> </div> Jenny Kotulak Broker Oakville Ontario Real Estate, Jenny Kotulak Broker (Broker Century 21 Dreams Inc., Brokerage, Oakville, Ontario) Thu, 19 May 2011 23:46:07 -0700 http://activerain.com/blogsview/2305512/i-am-a-patient-person-i-am-a-patient-person-i-am-a-patient-person http://activerain.com/blogsview/2303504/census-2011-a-portrait-of-canadians-and-the-places-they-call-home <p><br><strong>It's Census time in Canada.&nbsp; </strong>It comes once every five years and all Canadians would have received their questionnaire recently in the mail.&nbsp; I'm not big on filling out forms anymore and prefer to do so online whenever possible.&nbsp; I "key" faster than I write and being left handed it saves me from getting ink smudges on my fingers.</p> <p><strong>I found the Government site to complete the census form online but "due to technical difficulties" the site was "currently unavailable" and I was informed to complete my paper questionnaire and send back via snail mail.</strong></p> <p><strong>I do love technology - when it works.</strong></p> <p>I did find some interesting information however, while viewing the Government site.&nbsp; For quite a few years now I've been working on my family history and I've often used past census's to find my ancestors.&nbsp; The trouble for genealogists is that census information is kept private for 92 years.&nbsp; <img title="Family history" src="http://activerain.com/image_store/uploads/5/3/4/6/7/ar130574689476435.jpg" height="263" alt="Shakespeare Ontario, Ontario cemeteries, Perth County genealogy, Jenny Kotulak photos, Shakespeare Ontario farms, " width="350" style="float: right; margin-left: 6px; margin-right: 6px; border: black 12px solid;"></p> <p><strong>Therefore the "newest" census that I can have access to for information purposes is 1911.&nbsp; </strong>Another Canadian Census now being performed is the Census of Agriculture.&nbsp; Now that I've recently moved to a smaller community in the heart of Ontario agricultural land I've taken more interest in my neighbouring farms and the agricultural industry.</p> <p><strong>I found the 2006 census information to be very interesting, especially that the average age of a Canadian farm operator is 52 and that only 2.2% of Canada's total population are farmers.</strong></p> <p>"The Census of Agriculture provides a statistical portrait of Canada's agriculture industry and its farm operators and families. Read about what's new for this Census of Agriculture and find answers to all your questions. <br>The last Census of Agriculture, in 2006, told us that Canada's agriculture industry has:&nbsp;"</p> <ul> <li>229,000 farms</li> <li>67.6 million hectares of total farm area</li> <li>35.9 million hectares of land in crops (excluding Christmas trees)</li> <li>15.8 million cattle</li> <li>15.0 million hogs</li> <li>125.3 million hens and chickens</li> <li>$248.3 billion in farm capital</li> <li>$42.2 billion in total gross farm receipts</li> <li>2.2% of Canada's total population (known as the farm population)</li> <li>327,000 farm operators, of which</li> <li>27.7% are female and</li> <li>52.0 years is their average age.</li> </ul> <p>&nbsp;Are we to assume then that farmers are aging and farms are&nbsp;decreasing in numbers?&nbsp; I guess we will have to wait to see what the 2011 Census results tell us.</p> <p><strong>So if you are Canadian and you haven't completed your Census yet, please do so.&nbsp; </strong>I'm heading over to the Government website to see if the technical problems have been resolved.</p> <p>&nbsp;</p> <div class="agent_signature"> <p style="text-align: left;"><strong><span style="font-family: comic sans ms,sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">If you are thinking of buying or selling real estate in the Oakville, Ontario area, please check out my websites below for information and advice.&nbsp; Then contact me for professional help with all your real estate needs.</span></strong></p> <p style="text-align: left;"><strong><span style="font-family: comic sans ms,sans-serif; font-size: x-small;"><a href="http://www.oakvillepropertiesforsale.com">www.oakvillepropertiesforsale.com</a>&nbsp;</span></strong>&nbsp;<img title="Jenny Kotulak Hall of Fame Award" src="http://activerain.com/image_store/uploads/3/0/1/3/3/ar132658583733103.gif" height="90" alt="Jenny Kotulak Hall of Fame Award" style="margin-left: 6px; margin-right: 6px;" width="90"><img title="Jenny Kotulak Accredited Senior Agent" src="http://activerain.com/image_store/uploads/1/1/9/7/0/ar132658614507911.jpg" height="127" alt="Jenny Kotulak Accredited Senior Agent" style="margin-left: 6px; margin-right: 6px;" width="100"></p> <p style="text-align: left;"><a href="http://www.movingoakvilleseniors.com">www.movingoakvilleseniors.com</a></p> </div> Jenny Kotulak Broker Oakville Ontario Real Estate, Jenny Kotulak Broker (Broker Century 21 Dreams Inc., Brokerage, Oakville, Ontario) Wed, 18 May 2011 16:01:45 -0700 http://activerain.com/blogsview/2303504/census-2011-a-portrait-of-canadians-and-the-places-they-call-home http://activerain.com/blogsview/2301227/welcome-or-not-walmart-is-coming-to-stratford <p><strong>The 10 year expensive&nbsp;battle is over.&nbsp; Walmart is coming to Stratford, Ontario.&nbsp; </strong>Not in its' desired location or original size but none the less ground will be broken in 2012 to pave the way for the mega box store to put down roots in the Stratford community.</p> <p><strong>The city has spent $1.4 million dollars on legal fees alone in their fight to keep the retail giant&nbsp;at bay&nbsp;with their efforts to preserve the downtown retail businesses.&nbsp; </strong>Many downtown merchants are concerned that Walmart's arrival&nbsp;will put additional stress on businesses already facing challenges.</p> <p>The new location, still in the City's east end is a smaller parcel of land, meaning the size of the department store will&nbsp;shrink from the desired 135,000 square feet to 90,000 square feet. <img src="http://activerain.com/image_store/uploads/3/5/8/9/1/ar130568810419853.jpg" height="168" alt="Wal Mart" width="299" style="margin: 6px; float: right;"></p> <p><strong>Big box stores versus local merchants is a common battle faced by most communities.&nbsp; </strong>While it is sad to see some mom and pop businesses suffer, many do survive and thrive as they cater to a different type of clientele.</p> <p>There is no denying that these large anchor stores bring jobs and&nbsp; keep dollars in the community.&nbsp; Here in Stratford, you must travel a half hour away to Kitchener or Woodstock, Ontario to find a Walmart or Home Depot.</p> <p>&nbsp;<strong>Walmart's biggest competition in Stratford is Zellers,&nbsp;a chain&nbsp;stores&nbsp;that have recently&nbsp;been bought out by Target.&nbsp; </strong>If the existing Zellers store eventually converts to a Target, it will be interesting to see the two big American giants go head to head vying for their share of business from Stratford's 32,000 residents.</p> <p><strong>Will Home Depot and Chapters be far behind?</strong></p> <p>&nbsp;</p> <p>&nbsp;</p> <p>&nbsp;</p> <p>&nbsp;</p> <div class="agent_signature"> <p style="text-align: left;"><strong><span style="font-family: comic sans ms,sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">If you are thinking of buying or selling real estate in the Oakville, Ontario area, please check out my websites below for information and advice.&nbsp; Then contact me for professional help with all your real estate needs.</span></strong></p> <p style="text-align: left;"><strong><span style="font-family: comic sans ms,sans-serif; font-size: x-small;"><a href="http://www.oakvillepropertiesforsale.com">www.oakvillepropertiesforsale.com</a>&nbsp;</span></strong>&nbsp;<img title="Jenny Kotulak Hall of Fame Award" src="http://activerain.com/image_store/uploads/3/0/1/3/3/ar132658583733103.gif" height="90" alt="Jenny Kotulak Hall of Fame Award" style="margin-left: 6px; margin-right: 6px;" width="90"><img title="Jenny Kotulak Accredited Senior Agent" src="http://activerain.com/image_store/uploads/1/1/9/7/0/ar132658614507911.jpg" height="127" alt="Jenny Kotulak Accredited Senior Agent" style="margin-left: 6px; margin-right: 6px;" width="100"></p> <p style="text-align: left;"><a href="http://www.movingoakvilleseniors.com">www.movingoakvilleseniors.com</a></p> </div> Jenny Kotulak Broker Oakville Ontario Real Estate, Jenny Kotulak Broker (Broker Century 21 Dreams Inc., Brokerage, Oakville, Ontario) Tue, 17 May 2011 23:13:05 -0700 http://activerain.com/blogsview/2301227/welcome-or-not-walmart-is-coming-to-stratford http://activerain.com/blogsview/2300479/-star-sighting-in-stratford-no-it-was-just-the-phantom-of-the-oprah <p><strong>It was all over Twitter and Facebook on Friday.&nbsp; Oprah Winfrey was attending the Grapes of Wrath at the Shakespeare Festival here in Stratford, Ontario.</strong></p> <p>Could it be true?&nbsp; Nope-rah.&nbsp; <strong>Well then how could this false rumour get started?</strong>&nbsp; <strong>It seems someone tweeted that there was a film crew from Oprah's TV network OWN&nbsp;at the Rheo Thompson Candies store in downtown Stratford.</strong></p> <p>That part was true.&nbsp; There was a taping going on for the TV show "Fearless in the Kitchen" with chef and cookbook writer/television personality<strong> <a href="http://www.christinecushing.com/page.php?id=76" title="Fearless In The Kitchen" target="_blank">Christine Cushing</a></strong>.</p> <p><strong>Fans of Oprah gathered in front of the Avon Theatre having been "tipped" off that&nbsp;the Queen of daytime television&nbsp;would arrive for the 2:00 p.m. matinee of The Grapes of Wrath.</strong></p> <p><strong>Not so - Oprah was a no-show.&nbsp; Both&nbsp;Stratford's mayor and the general manager of the Stratford Shakespeare Festival confirmed that no tickets had been set aside for Oprah and no one had been informed that she would be visiting the Festival City</strong><strong>.</strong></p> <p>Typically if a superstar celebrity comes to Stratford to see a play at the Festival, the police are aware and security is put in place.&nbsp; Last fall Tom Cruise and Katie Holmes were here with their daughter to take in the theatre.&nbsp; There was even a "live" sighting of them at a local toy store.</p> <p><strong>Of course Stratford's own home grown celebrity Justin Bieber comes and goes with much less fanfare.&nbsp; </strong>Justin pops in occasionally&nbsp;to visit his friends and grandparents and there are always local Justin sightings.</p> <p><strong>Celebrity sigtings are common during Festival season.&nbsp; Many of the actors move to the city temporarily and many now call Stratford home full-time.</strong></p> <p><strong>I shall keep my camera handy Justin case I find my own celebrity sightings.</strong></p> <p><strong></strong></p> <div class="agent_signature"> <p style="text-align: left;"><strong><span style="font-family: comic sans ms,sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">If you are thinking of buying or selling real estate in the Oakville, Ontario area, please check out my websites below for information and advice.&nbsp; Then contact me for professional help with all your real estate needs.</span></strong></p> <p style="text-align: left;"><strong><span style="font-family: comic sans ms,sans-serif; font-size: x-small;"><a href="http://www.oakvillepropertiesforsale.com">www.oakvillepropertiesforsale.com</a>&nbsp;</span></strong>&nbsp;<img title="Jenny Kotulak Hall of Fame Award" src="http://activerain.com/image_store/uploads/3/0/1/3/3/ar132658583733103.gif" height="90" alt="Jenny Kotulak Hall of Fame Award" style="margin-left: 6px; margin-right: 6px;" width="90"><img title="Jenny Kotulak Accredited Senior Agent" src="http://activerain.com/image_store/uploads/1/1/9/7/0/ar132658614507911.jpg" height="127" alt="Jenny Kotulak Accredited Senior Agent" style="margin-left: 6px; margin-right: 6px;" width="100"></p> <p style="text-align: left;"><a href="http://www.movingoakvilleseniors.com">www.movingoakvilleseniors.com</a></p> </div> Jenny Kotulak Broker Oakville Ontario Real Estate, Jenny Kotulak Broker (Broker Century 21 Dreams Inc., Brokerage, Oakville, Ontario) Mon, 16 May 2011 22:22:26 -0700 http://activerain.com/blogsview/2300479/-star-sighting-in-stratford-no-it-was-just-the-phantom-of-the-oprah http://activerain.com/blogsview/2298497/speechless-sunday-at-the-aberfoyle-mill <p><strong>I enjoy&nbsp;visiting and photographing historic old mills in Ontario.&nbsp; </strong>On my way home from a meeting in Toronto last week I decided to stop by the <strong>Aberfoyle Mill </strong>near Guelph, Ontario.&nbsp; This old mill is now&nbsp;a well known restaurant and although I didn't have time to eat, I took a stroll around the property and snapped a few photos.</p> <p><img title="Aberfoyle Mill" src="http://activerain.com/image_store/uploads/8/5/2/5/3/ar130551586035258.JPG" height="450" alt="Aberfoyle Mill, Jenny Kotulak photos, Jenny Kotulak real estate" width="600" style="border: black 12px solid;"></p> <p><strong>The Aberfoyle Mill was built approximately 1859</strong></p> <p><img title="Aberfoyle Mill" src="http://activerain.com/image_store/uploads/5/8/5/1/7/ar130551601371585.JPG" height="450" alt="Aberfoyle Mill, Jenny Kotulak photos, Jenny Kotulak real estate" width="600" style="border: black 12px solid;"></p> <p>There was a large pond with gazebo and this waterfall right beside the Mill.&nbsp; It was a dull, drizzly day but this would be a beautiful spot to sit and relax after a meal at the Mill.</p> <p><img title="Aberfoyle Mill" src="http://activerain.com/image_store/uploads/6/2/3/9/4/ar130551610949326.JPG" height="450" alt="Aberfoyle Mill, Jenny Kotulak photos, Jenny Kotulak real estate" width="600" style="border: black 12px solid;"></p> <p>Now that I've had a chance to stop and explore the exterior of the Mill, I'm looking forward to returning for a meal and a view of the interior.</p> <p><img title="It's All Greek To Me" src="http://activerain.com/image_store/uploads/7/0/1/9/5/ar130551618359107.JPG" height="600" alt="Aberfoyle Mill, Jenny Kotulak photos, Jenny Kotulak real estate" width="450" style="border: black 12px solid;"></p> <p>This sign was on the side of the building.&nbsp; Obviously someone has a sense of humor.&nbsp; I must admit I've never seen this sign before.&nbsp;</p> <p>It is so nice to see that many of these old mills have either been restored for all to enjoy or have been reincarnated as restaurants, shops, museums or libraries.&nbsp;</p> <div class="agent_signature"> <p style="text-align: left;"><strong><span style="font-family: comic sans ms,sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">If you are thinking of buying or selling real estate in the Oakville, Ontario area, please check out my websites below for information and advice.&nbsp; Then contact me for professional help with all your real estate needs.</span></strong></p> <p style="text-align: left;"><strong><span style="font-family: comic sans ms,sans-serif; font-size: x-small;"><a href="http://www.oakvillepropertiesforsale.com">www.oakvillepropertiesforsale.com</a>&nbsp;</span></strong>&nbsp;<img title="Jenny Kotulak Hall of Fame Award" src="http://activerain.com/image_store/uploads/3/0/1/3/3/ar132658583733103.gif" height="90" alt="Jenny Kotulak Hall of Fame Award" style="margin-left: 6px; margin-right: 6px;" width="90"><img title="Jenny Kotulak Accredited Senior Agent" src="http://activerain.com/image_store/uploads/1/1/9/7/0/ar132658614507911.jpg" height="127" alt="Jenny Kotulak Accredited Senior Agent" style="margin-left: 6px; margin-right: 6px;" width="100"></p> <p style="text-align: left;"><a href="http://www.movingoakvilleseniors.com">www.movingoakvilleseniors.com</a></p> </div> Jenny Kotulak Broker Oakville Ontario Real Estate, Jenny Kotulak Broker (Broker Century 21 Dreams Inc., Brokerage, Oakville, Ontario) Sun, 15 May 2011 23:35:00 -0700 http://activerain.com/blogsview/2298497/speechless-sunday-at-the-aberfoyle-mill http://activerain.com/blogsview/2296955/what-happened-in-vegas-must-be-shared-on-active-rain <p><strong>This past March I had the opportunity to attend the RE/MAX Convention in Las Vegas.&nbsp; </strong>I had been to Las Vegas a few years ago for the NAR Convention but this was&nbsp;my first time attending an international RE/MAX conference.&nbsp; There were agents there from 50 countries and I'd never attended seminars before with 3 -4 thousand agents in one room.&nbsp; <strong>A little overwhelming to say the least.</strong></p> <p><strong>The awards ceremony was very exciting as I was presented my RE/MAX Hall of Fame award from CEO Margaret Kelly.</strong></p> <p>My colleagues and I found our way to the Outlet Mall a few times and explored many of the hotels and restaurants.&nbsp; I took in Cirque de Soleil's "O" and put a few quarters in the slot machines.&nbsp; Well they don't actually take change so I guess those were bills I was slipping in the machines.</p> <p><strong>I was fortunate enough one day to meet up with Active Rain's own</strong><a href="http://activerain.com/blogs/jnovak" title="John Novack" target="_blank"><strong> John Novak</strong></a><strong>.&nbsp; </strong>John picked me up and took me for the grand tour of the Vegas Strip.</p> <p><strong>It's hard to put into words the glitz and glamour John showed me and I'm sure the word "wow" came out of my mouth a few dozen times.&nbsp; </strong>I know John has seen it all before and he has shared many of his Las Vegas photos with us here on Active Rain.</p> <p>I can't thank John enough for&nbsp;showing me some sights I wouldn't have seen&nbsp;otherwise.&nbsp; <strong>I was afforded a great photo opportunity from the 36th floor of <a href="http://themartin.com/Page#/HomePage" title="The Martin Condos" target="_blank">The Martin</a> condo residences.&nbsp; </strong>We visited the model suites and took in the amazing views from the balconies.&nbsp;</p> <p>Who wouldn't want to live there in the heart of all the action with first class amenities?&nbsp; Unfortunately I didn't strike it rich at the slots so I wasn't able to put down a deposit this time around.</p> <p><strong>Thanks again John for being my personal tour guide &nbsp;and here's what I took away from our time together.</strong></p><object id="vp1WMJSK" height="240" classid="clsid:d27cdb6e-ae6d-11cf-96b8-444553540000" width="432"><param name="movie" value="http://static.animoto.com/swf/w.swf?w=swf/vp1&amp;e=1305424223&amp;f=WMJSK8SoRY41VDFBdTzcOA&amp;d=35&amp;m=b&amp;r=240p&amp;volume=100&amp;start_res=240p&amp;i=m&amp;options="> <param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"> <param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"> <embed src="http://static.animoto.com/swf/w.swf?w=swf/vp1&amp;e=1305424223&amp;f=WMJSK8SoRY41VDFBdTzcOA&amp;d=35&amp;m=b&amp;r=240p&amp;volume=100&amp;start_res=240p&amp;i=m&amp;options=" allowfullscreen="true" id="vp1WMJSK" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" height="240" width="432"></embed></object><p>Create your own <a href="http://animoto.com">video slideshow</a> at animoto.com.</p> <p>&nbsp;</p> <p>&nbsp;</p> <p>&nbsp;</p> <div class="agent_signature"> <p style="text-align: left;"><strong><span style="font-family: comic sans ms,sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">If you are thinking of buying or selling real estate in the Oakville, Ontario area, please check out my websites below for information and advice.&nbsp; Then contact me for professional help with all your real estate needs.</span></strong></p> <p style="text-align: left;"><strong><span style="font-family: comic sans ms,sans-serif; font-size: x-small;"><a href="http://www.oakvillepropertiesforsale.com">www.oakvillepropertiesforsale.com</a>&nbsp;</span></strong>&nbsp;<img title="Jenny Kotulak Hall of Fame Award" src="http://activerain.com/image_store/uploads/3/0/1/3/3/ar132658583733103.gif" height="90" alt="Jenny Kotulak Hall of Fame Award" style="margin-left: 6px; margin-right: 6px;" width="90"><img title="Jenny Kotulak Accredited Senior Agent" src="http://activerain.com/image_store/uploads/1/1/9/7/0/ar132658614507911.jpg" height="127" alt="Jenny Kotulak Accredited Senior Agent" style="margin-left: 6px; margin-right: 6px;" width="100"></p> <p style="text-align: left;"><a href="http://www.movingoakvilleseniors.com">www.movingoakvilleseniors.com</a></p> </div> Jenny Kotulak Broker Oakville Ontario Real Estate, Jenny Kotulak Broker (Broker Century 21 Dreams Inc., Brokerage, Oakville, Ontario) Sat, 14 May 2011 21:59:04 -0700 http://activerain.com/blogsview/2296955/what-happened-in-vegas-must-be-shared-on-active-rain http://activerain.com/blogsview/2295707/friday-s-fotos-meet-miss-casey <p><strong>There are lots of cat lovers on Active Rain.&nbsp; I know that well as I've seen lots of great feline fotos over the past three years.&nbsp; </strong>Some of you have met my dog Lola as she has been&nbsp;featured in&nbsp;an occasional post&nbsp;accompanying me on a hike or out exploring backroads Ontario.</p> <p><strong>We have never had a cat as my husband suffers from allergies and his eyes usually water and he begins sniffing shortly after coming in contact with the little critters.</strong></p> <p>Recently our 20 year old&nbsp;daughter became the proud owner of a kitten.&nbsp; She is at College in a different city&nbsp;so isn't living at home.&nbsp; We cautioned her about the care and commitment required to be a pet owner.&nbsp; Not to mention the cost of food, vet bills, etc.&nbsp; She wanted a male kitten after being told it is cheaper to neuter than to spay an animal.</p> <p><strong>She happily brought home her "male" kitten and the name game began.&nbsp; Even I contributed a few, but none to her liking.&nbsp; </strong>Finally her little fluffball tabby had a name.&nbsp; <strong>Casey.</strong></p> <p><strong>The day came for my daughter to take Casey for his first vet checkup and needles.&nbsp; Surprise, surprise, Casey turned out to be female.&nbsp; </strong>Would a name change accompany the sex change?&nbsp; Nope, male or female, Casey it is.</p> <p><strong>My daughter and Casey came for a visit last week and Casey made herself at home.&nbsp; </strong>I think she explored every square inch of this house.&nbsp; And my husband was away so we didn't have to be on allergy alert.&nbsp; Of course I just had to grab my camera to catch Casey in action.&nbsp;</p> <p><strong>Lola didn't know what to make of Casey and Casey certainly wasn't fearful of Lola.&nbsp; </strong>I could almost be talked in to getting a Casey myself, &nbsp;except for my husband's allergies.&nbsp;</p> <p><strong>They have medication for allergies - don't they?</strong></p> <p><img title="Casey" src="http://activerain.com/image_store/uploads/4/4/3/4/6/ar13053434664344.JPG" height="450" alt="Casey" width="600" style="border: black 12px solid;"></p> <p><strong>Casey playing with my tulips.&nbsp; That's me in the photo, with my mom, grandmother and great grandmother.</strong></p> <p><img title="Smile You're On Candid Camera" src="http://activerain.com/image_store/uploads/5/6/4/9/5/ar130534356659465.JPG" height="450" alt="Casey on Candid Camera" width="600" style="border: black 12px solid;"></p> <p><strong>Casey giving me the eye.</strong></p> <p><img title="Lola" src="http://activerain.com/image_store/uploads/2/0/5/1/6/ar130534365461502.JPG" height="450" alt="" width="600" style="border: black 12px solid;"></p> <p><strong>My darling daughter and my little Lola - Out on the pontoon boat last fall with her cousin</strong></p> <p>&nbsp;</p> <p><strong></strong></p> <div class="agent_signature"> <p style="text-align: left;"><strong><span style="font-family: comic sans ms,sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">If you are thinking of buying or selling real estate in the Oakville, Ontario area, please check out my websites below for information and advice.&nbsp; Then contact me for professional help with all your real estate needs.</span></strong></p> <p style="text-align: left;"><strong><span style="font-family: comic sans ms,sans-serif; font-size: x-small;"><a href="http://www.oakvillepropertiesforsale.com">www.oakvillepropertiesforsale.com</a>&nbsp;</span></strong>&nbsp;<img title="Jenny Kotulak Hall of Fame Award" src="http://activerain.com/image_store/uploads/3/0/1/3/3/ar132658583733103.gif" height="90" alt="Jenny Kotulak Hall of Fame Award" style="margin-left: 6px; margin-right: 6px;" width="90"><img title="Jenny Kotulak Accredited Senior Agent" src="http://activerain.com/image_store/uploads/1/1/9/7/0/ar132658614507911.jpg" height="127" alt="Jenny Kotulak Accredited Senior Agent" style="margin-left: 6px; margin-right: 6px;" width="100"></p> <p style="text-align: left;"><a href="http://www.movingoakvilleseniors.com">www.movingoakvilleseniors.com</a></p> </div> Jenny Kotulak Broker Oakville Ontario Real Estate, Jenny Kotulak Broker (Broker Century 21 Dreams Inc., Brokerage, Oakville, Ontario) Fri, 13 May 2011 23:31:54 -0700 http://activerain.com/blogsview/2295707/friday-s-fotos-meet-miss-casey http://activerain.com/blogsview/2289380/historic-ontario-mills-harrington-grist-mill <p><strong>I love searching out and photographing old historic mills in Ontario.&nbsp; </strong>Before I moved to Tavistock, Ontario a few months ago, I went online to check out old mills in the area.&nbsp;</p> <p><strong>About 15 minutes from my house,&nbsp;down Maplewood Sideroad lays the quaint village of Harrington, Ontario.&nbsp; </strong>It's hard to miss the Harrington Pond and the old Grist Mill but on my first visit I ended up driving right by.&nbsp; It was the middle of winter and as I turned around to go back my right side wheels went into the ditch.</p> <p><strong>I now know that the snowplows here push the snow way over and the road looks wider than it really is.&nbsp; </strong>Luckily a couple of kind gentlemen came to my rescue and one pulled me out with his 4 wheel drive truck.&nbsp; Once I was out I decided to go straight home and never try&nbsp; a u-turn on a country road in the winter again.</p> <p><strong>I've since been back to the mill a couple of times.&nbsp; </strong>The pond is beautiful&nbsp;with ducks and swans swimming by.&nbsp; There are picnic tables along the river making this a great spot to enjoy a bite to eat while enjoying the scenery.</p> <p><strong>The<a href="http://www.ocl.net/projects/harrington_grist_mill/history.shtml" target="_blank"> Harrington Grist mill</a>was built about 1844 out of hand-hewn pine timbers and topped with a split shingle roof.&nbsp; A fire in 1923 destroyed the original mill but it was rebuilt so the mill&nbsp;basically operated&nbsp;from 1846 - 1966. </strong></p> <p><strong>The Upper Thames Conservation Authority acquired the property and the mill has been restored by the&nbsp;Harrington Community Club. The original oat roller and running gear remain on display.</strong></p> <p><img title="Harrington Grist Mill" src="http://activerain.com/image_store/uploads/3/1/2/7/7/ar130525581177213.JPG" height="450" alt="Harrington Grist Mill, Harrington Pond, Harrington Ontario, Jenny Kotulak photos" width="600" style="border: black 12px solid;"></p> <p><img title="Harrington Grist Mill" src="http://activerain.com/image_store/uploads/4/8/1/0/6/ar130525598060184.JPG" height="450" alt="Harrington Grist Mill, Harrington Pond, Harrington Ontario, Jenny Kotulak photos" width="600" style="border: black 12px solid;"></p> <p><img title="Harrington Grist Mill" src="http://activerain.com/image_store/uploads/1/2/0/0/7/ar130525607070021.JPG" height="450" alt="Harrington Grist Mill, Harrington Pond, Harrington Ontario, Jenny Kotulak photos" width="600" style="border: black 12px solid;"></p> <p><img title="Harrington Grist Mill" src="http://activerain.com/image_store/uploads/7/4/4/2/1/ar130525612012447.JPG" height="450" alt="Harrington Grist Mill, Harrington Pond, Harrington Ontario, Jenny Kotulak photos" width="600" style="border: black 12px solid;"></p> <p><img title="Harrington Grist Mill" src="http://activerain.com/image_store/uploads/9/5/8/9/1/ar130525617419859.JPG" height="450" alt="Harrington Grist Mill, Harrington Pond, Harrington Ontario, Jenny Kotulak photos" width="600" style="border: black 12px solid;"></p> <p>&nbsp;</p> <p> </p><hr> <div class="agent_signature"> <p style="text-align: left;"><strong><span style="font-family: comic sans ms,sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">If you are thinking of buying or selling real estate in the Oakville, Ontario area, please check out my websites below for information and advice.&nbsp; Then contact me for professional help with all your real estate needs.</span></strong></p> <p style="text-align: left;"><strong><span style="font-family: comic sans ms,sans-serif; font-size: x-small;"><a href="http://www.oakvillepropertiesforsale.com">www.oakvillepropertiesforsale.com</a>&nbsp;</span></strong>&nbsp;<img title="Jenny Kotulak Hall of Fame Award" src="http://activerain.com/image_store/uploads/3/0/1/3/3/ar132658583733103.gif" height="90" alt="Jenny Kotulak Hall of Fame Award" style="margin-left: 6px; margin-right: 6px;" width="90"><img title="Jenny Kotulak Accredited Senior Agent" src="http://activerain.com/image_store/uploads/1/1/9/7/0/ar132658614507911.jpg" height="127" alt="Jenny Kotulak Accredited Senior Agent" style="margin-left: 6px; margin-right: 6px;" width="100"></p> <p style="text-align: left;"><a href="http://www.movingoakvilleseniors.com">www.movingoakvilleseniors.com</a></p> </div> Jenny Kotulak Broker Oakville Ontario Real Estate, Jenny Kotulak Broker (Broker Century 21 Dreams Inc., Brokerage, Oakville, Ontario) Thu, 12 May 2011 23:16:46 -0700 http://activerain.com/blogsview/2289380/historic-ontario-mills-harrington-grist-mill http://activerain.com/blogsview/2291666/go-daddy-go-go-daddy-be-gone <p><strong>I registered 3 domain names with Go Daddy a couple of years ago and I'm kicking myself for it now.&nbsp; </strong>I've puchased most of my domain names through my Point 2 Agent website and have them automatically pointed to my homepage or a separate page I create.</p> <p><strong>When I moved a couple of months ago I had to change internet service providers so I lost my email addresses.&nbsp; </strong>That in itself was very frustrating and I highly advise that you use an email address that is not tied to a service provider that you may not always have permanent access to.</p> <p><strong>I have switched to a Gmail address and life is much simpler.&nbsp; </strong>I have been notifying all of my contacts of my new email address and when I decided to go into my Go Daddy account to point my domains elsewhere, it asked for my client number.</p> <p>Most websites require a user name or email address to sign in.&nbsp; Not Go Daddy.&nbsp; They need your client number.&nbsp; Well I had no idea what that was as I haven't been on the site for a couple of years.&nbsp; In order for them to send your client number to you, you must enter your email address.</p> <p><strong>Well my email address has changed as I mentioned above and it is no use to send my client number to my old address.&nbsp; </strong>So I attemped to change my email address with Go Daddy but it was quite a process.&nbsp; Every other site I wanted to change my email address with, I was asked for the new address and a confirmation was sent to that address asking if I had requested the change.</p> <p><strong>Easy peasy.&nbsp; Not so with Go Daddy.&nbsp; This is what they ask for.</strong></p> <p> </p><p><strong>"Thank you for contacting us. To further process this change, we require a color copy, scan, or digital picture of the information be sent to change@secureserver.net.</strong></p> <p><strong>1. A readable government issued photo id. We must be able to clearly identify the pictured person, name, signature, and expiration date on your government-issued ID.</strong></p> <p><strong>At that time we will either inform you of what is needed to process your request, or we will let you know that your request has been completed.</strong></p> <p><strong>If you need further clarification please contact us at (480) 366-3334 or email us at change@secureserver.net.</strong></p> <p><strong>FOR FASTER SERVICE PLEASE REPLY DIRECTLY TO THIS EMAIL. REQUIRED DOCUMENTS CAN BE ATTACHED TO THIS EMAIL."</strong></p> <p><strong>HUH?</strong></p> <p>Have they heard&nbsp;of something called the Privacy Act?&nbsp; I sent them an email and told them I was not forwarding any personal identification to them over the internet just to change an email address.</p> <p>They responded by telling me in lieu of the documents I can just give them the last 6 digits of the credit card they have on file for me.&nbsp; I decided to call them instead as I was getting nowhere fast.&nbsp; Hmmm, no toll free number on their website.&nbsp; Did I really want to make a long distance call from Canada and end up waiting on hold for who knows how long?</p> <p><strong>I decided to check Google to see if perhaps there was info there pertaining to&nbsp;a toll free number.&nbsp; Sure enough someone mentioned that although Go Daddy doesn't advertise it on their site, they do have a toll free number.&nbsp; 1-866-Go Daddy.</strong></p> <p><strong>When I phoned them I ended up speaking with a friendly young man who went ahead and changed my email address and said he would send an email with my client number.&nbsp; Now how difficult was that?&nbsp; He didn't ask my for my Government ID or my first born.</strong></p> <p>Prior to finding the toll free number I emailed Go Daddy again asking them if they had a toll free, 1-800 number.&nbsp; Here was their response.</p> <p><strong>"Thank you for contacting Domain Services.&nbsp; We do not have an 900 number.&nbsp; You may call customer support at 480-505-8877 or email them at support@godaddy.com"</strong></p> <p><strong>Well, first of all I didn't ask them for a 900 number.&nbsp; Aren't those the numbers advertised on late night TV that cause a lot of heavy breathing and enormous phone bill charges?</strong></p> <p><strong>I was happy to send an email back to Go Daddy support advising them that indeed they do have a toll free number. </strong></p> <p><strong>The young man I spoke with today sent my client number to me so I am going in to the site now (hopefully) to move my sites.&nbsp; </strong></p> <p><strong>I know Go Daddy is a large company but it sounds like a Micky Mouse operation to me.&nbsp; <img src="http://activerain.com/image_store/uploads/5/9/2/8/8/ar130516690388295.jpg" height="266" alt="" width="189" style="margin: 8px; float: right;"></strong></p> <p><strong></strong></p> <p> </p><p><strong></strong></p> <div class="agent_signature"> <p style="text-align: left;"><strong><span style="font-family: comic sans ms,sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">If you are thinking of buying or selling real estate in the Oakville, Ontario area, please check out my websites below for information and advice.&nbsp; Then contact me for professional help with all your real estate needs.</span></strong></p> <p style="text-align: left;"><strong><span style="font-family: comic sans ms,sans-serif; font-size: x-small;"><a href="http://www.oakvillepropertiesforsale.com">www.oakvillepropertiesforsale.com</a>&nbsp;</span></strong>&nbsp;<img title="Jenny Kotulak Hall of Fame Award" src="http://activerain.com/image_store/uploads/3/0/1/3/3/ar132658583733103.gif" height="90" alt="Jenny Kotulak Hall of Fame Award" style="margin-left: 6px; margin-right: 6px;" width="90"><img title="Jenny Kotulak Accredited Senior Agent" src="http://activerain.com/image_store/uploads/1/1/9/7/0/ar132658614507911.jpg" height="127" alt="Jenny Kotulak Accredited Senior Agent" style="margin-left: 6px; margin-right: 6px;" width="100"></p> <p style="text-align: left;"><a href="http://www.movingoakvilleseniors.com">www.movingoakvilleseniors.com</a></p> </div> Jenny Kotulak Broker Oakville Ontario Real Estate, Jenny Kotulak Broker (Broker Century 21 Dreams Inc., Brokerage, Oakville, Ontario) Wed, 11 May 2011 22:24:24 -0700 http://activerain.com/blogsview/2291666/go-daddy-go-go-daddy-be-gone http://activerain.com/blogsview/2289753/backroads-ontario-shakespeare-conservation-area <p><strong>Shakespeare, Ontario is well known for its antique stores, quilt and home decor shops, pie and bakeshop,&nbsp;and stop off spot for tourists on their way to Stratford to see a play at the Stratford Shakespeare Festival.</strong></p> <p>Just a mile or so north of the only stoplight in Shakespeare you will find the Shakespeare Conservation Area.&nbsp; This is one of my new favourite spots to take Lola for a walk.&nbsp; You can walk all around the pond which is bordered by farmer's fields.&nbsp; The large trees are home to many varieties of birds.</p> <p><strong>Shakespeare Conservation Area is a day use only park so it's a great spot to enjoy a picnic or just kickback and&nbsp;watch the geese and ducks.&nbsp; On my visit this evening I spotted two blue herons flying over the pond.</strong></p> <p><strong>If you are looking for a quiet spot in the country to enjoy a little peace and quiet, put&nbsp;Shakespeare Conservation Area in Perth County&nbsp;on your&nbsp;bucket list.</strong></p> <p><img title="Trilliums" src="http://activerain.com/image_store/uploads/8/6/9/0/6/ar130508214160968.JPG" height="413" alt="Trilliums, Shakespeare conservation area, Jenny Kotulak photo, Jenny Kotulak real estate" width="550" style="margin-left: 3px; margin-right: 3px; border: black 12px solid;"></p> <p><strong>First Trilliums of the season</strong></p> <p><img title="Shakespeare Pond" src="http://activerain.com/image_store/uploads/3/3/1/0/3/ar130508229230133.JPG" height="413" alt="Shakespeare Conservation area, Jenny Kotulak photo, Jenny Kotulak real estate, Stratford real estate" width="550" style="border: black 12px solid;"></p> <p><strong>Shakespeare Pond</strong></p> <p><img title="Shakespeare Conservation Area" src="http://activerain.com/image_store/uploads/8/8/8/2/4/ar130508240842888.JPG" height="413" alt="Shakespeare Conservation area, Jenny Kotulak photo, Jenny Kotulak real estate, Stratford real estate" width="550" style="border: black 12px solid;"></p> <p><strong>Farm beside Conservation Area</strong></p> <p><img title="Forest Trail" src="http://activerain.com/image_store/uploads/9/6/5/9/9/ar130508259099569.JPG" height="550" alt="Shakespeare Conservation area, Jenny Kotulak photo, Jenny Kotulak real estate, Stratford real estate" width="413" style="border: black 12px solid;"></p> <p><strong>Trail around Shakespeare Pond</strong></p> <p><img title="Picnic Area" src="http://activerain.com/image_store/uploads/9/5/3/5/9/ar130508269995359.JPG" height="413" alt="Shakespeare Conservation area, Jenny Kotulak photo, Jenny Kotulak real estate, Stratford real estate" width="550" style="border: black 12px solid;"></p> <p><strong>Picnic Area</strong></p> <p><img title="Family Swim" src="http://activerain.com/image_store/uploads/5/6/3/8/4/ar130508298748365.JPG" height="550" alt="Shakespeare Conservation area, Jenny Kotulak photo, Jenny Kotulak real estate, Stratford real estate" width="498" style="border: black 12px solid;"></p> <p><strong>Family Swim</strong>&nbsp;</p> <p><strong></strong></p> <div class="agent_signature"> <p style="text-align: left;"><strong><span style="font-family: comic sans ms,sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">If you are thinking of buying or selling real estate in the Oakville, Ontario area, please check out my websites below for information and advice.&nbsp; Then contact me for professional help with all your real estate needs.</span></strong></p> <p style="text-align: left;"><strong><span style="font-family: comic sans ms,sans-serif; font-size: x-small;"><a href="http://www.oakvillepropertiesforsale.com">www.oakvillepropertiesforsale.com</a>&nbsp;</span></strong>&nbsp;<img title="Jenny Kotulak Hall of Fame Award" src="http://activerain.com/image_store/uploads/3/0/1/3/3/ar132658583733103.gif" height="90" alt="Jenny Kotulak Hall of Fame Award" style="margin-left: 6px; margin-right: 6px;" width="90"><img title="Jenny Kotulak Accredited Senior Agent" src="http://activerain.com/image_store/uploads/1/1/9/7/0/ar132658614507911.jpg" height="127" alt="Jenny Kotulak Accredited Senior Agent" style="margin-left: 6px; margin-right: 6px;" width="100"></p> <p style="text-align: left;"><a href="http://www.movingoakvilleseniors.com">www.movingoakvilleseniors.com</a></p> </div> Jenny Kotulak Broker Oakville Ontario Real Estate, Jenny Kotulak Broker (Broker Century 21 Dreams Inc., Brokerage, Oakville, Ontario) Tue, 10 May 2011 23:07:26 -0700 http://activerain.com/blogsview/2289753/backroads-ontario-shakespeare-conservation-area