personal life: 2 Chefs Equal One Fine Dinner
- 03/06/24 07:46 PM
I suppose that's not always true, but in this case it was!
My wife and I usually work together in the kitchen for dinner. More often than not she is the chef and I play sous chef, but sometimes we both take on the role of chef depending on the menu. That was the case recently for dinner - and the result was a delicious collaboration.
The main part of the meal was an lemon-infused risotto from an Italian cookbook we really enjoy. For those of you who have made risotto you know it's a little labor and time intensive, but oh so … (13 comments)
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personal life: Hoot Hoot - Not 1 but 2 Owls on Our Roof
- 10/18/19 08:48 PM
Hoot Hoot - Not 1 but 2 Owls on the Roof
We had a wonderful owl experience tonight at our house in Carlsbad, although the photo is not great.
We have been hearing the Great Horned Owls daily for weeks, but don't see them.
This evening, as it was getting dark, I heard an owl that sounded really close. I went out to the back patio and saw it up on the chimney - clear as day. He, or she, was calling to another one nearby, who was hooting back.
Luckily, I was able to sneak back in and grab my phone. More amazingly, whenI … (16 comments)
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personal life: What a Difference a Decade Makes!
- 06/14/19 07:57 AM
What a Difference a Decade Makes!
The title might remind you of the song, in its many versions and recordings from various artists, and even a slight change in title. You know...day, decade. Nevermind. Just a little fun on a Friday.
#1 – I’m 10 years older – see, I can do math. And I’m wiser (at least I think so). And I have more gray hair, and less of it. So what?! I’m alive and have a great life.
#2 – I’ve now been married 10 more years, and next month makes 40 and we’ll be celebrating in Maui. How cool is that? … (63 comments)
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personal life: Some Things Are More Important Than Blogging
- 06/06/18 05:11 PM
Some Things Are More Important Than Blogging
Coming from a long-time blogger, and perhaps being read by a few other die-hards, this statement may sound a little extreme.
But I don’t think so. Hear me out.
Those who are consistent writers, and who bring in referrals, direct buyer and seller business, and website traffic from their posts know how important blogging can be.
Success at blogging is all about sharing great content, being consistent, engaging with readers, offering value to consumers, and knowing the audience you are trying to reach.
That target audience should not be everyone, of course, or you are likely to … (23 comments)
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personal life: Shout-out for Salus HomeCare in San Diego
- 04/19/17 08:21 AM
Shout-out for Salus HomeCare in San Diego
My mother fell, twice, 6 weeks ago and fractured her hip, resulting in a 5 week stay in skilled nursing for some rehabilitation, thankfully about 2 miles from our home. It’s been an intense 5 weeks and many hours each day with visits, various errands, meetings with staff especially physical therapists, taking care of bills, and checking in at her condo twice a day and taking care of her 2 cats, one who gets meds by mouth syringe twice per day for seizures.
She was discharged from the skilled nursing facility (Brookdale) yesterday to return home, … (6 comments)
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personal life: I Love What I Do…Most of the Time
- 02/26/17 01:07 PM
I Love What I Do…Most of the Time
Liz and Bill Spear challenged us, or rather invited us, to share what we love about our job. There’s still time to share yours and get your bonus points for February but time is running out – it’s a short month, remember?
As some others have said, I don’t feel that what I have is a job but a career, a profession. I had jobs for 16+ years in the corporate world in Human Resources until 2002, and this real estate business is far different in so many ways.
But rather than talk about … (47 comments)
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personal life: Which Came First – The Relocation or the Career Do-Over?
- 12/31/16 12:09 PM
Which Came First – The Relocation or the Career Do-Over?
Grant Schneider invited us to share an experience in his ActiveRain Contest: Who Says There are no Do Overs for December 2017. There’s not much time left to get this done, with the deadline on New Year’s Eve at midnight, and as you see I'm down to the wire myself!
By the time I was finishing high school and heading off to college it had become clear to me I wanted to study psychology, and I had already set a goal of going to graduate school after getting my BA. The path to … (36 comments)
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personal life: Almost Wordless Wednesday: Lieutenant Island Bridge in Wellfleet MA
- 11/30/16 10:56 AM
Lieutenant Island Bridge in Wellfleet MA
Lieutenant Island is located in Wellfleet on the north end of Cape Cod. It truly is an island, being separated from the mainland by a narrow 2-lane causeway accessed by this 1-lane wooden bridge (this is a photo of the bridge we bought at an art fair and it captures the bridge far better than any photos I have).
The causeway crosses through a tidal marsh once you cross the bridge over the small channel, and at many high tides, especially when the moon is full, the causeway becomes impassable for periods of up to a couple of … (10 comments)
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personal life: Visiting A Former Home in the Boston Area - Have you Done This?
- 10/08/16 05:03 AM
I was on a business trip several years ago to Boston for a couple of days and had some extra time before catching my flight back to San Diego, and decided to drive by the condo we lived in before moving to Carlsbad in 2005.
We had always lived in single family detached home (this condo was our 8th primary home) in a subburban (and even rural - see our Bolton MA home above on 1 acre of woods) setting, and moving to a condo in the Harvard Square area of Cambridge, across the Charles River from Boston, was an entirely new … (39 comments)
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personal life: Back on My Bike
- 07/30/16 02:20 PM
Today was the first day back on my road bike after almost 8 years. It was about time to get back to it, plus get some more exercise beside the occasional trip to the gym.
I started riding back in 1999 in Boston when a group of us at work decided to ride in a 3-day AIDS Benefit Ride between Boston and New York. I hadn't been on a bike in probably 20 years! I did the same benefit ride the following year from NYC to Boston. I rode actively in the area, and when we first moved to Carlsbad, and took … (33 comments)
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personal life: Throwback Thursdays: Lifetime Friendship Discovered in a Restaurant
- 06/23/16 06:46 AM
A Lifetime Friendship Discovered in a Restaurant
Sometimes you just don’t know when, or where, an amazing friendship will develop.
Way back in the 1990s we bought our first vacation house, a little 800 SF 3/2 on a large lot ¼ mile from Crosby Landing Beach in Brewster on Cape Cod. We took the 2+ hour drive from Boston often to enjoy weekends away from busy jobs, and all that the Cape has to offer year-round.
The kids were not quite old enough to stay at home alone, and over time got involved with other activities including their horses and friends, and lost interest in … (24 comments)
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personal life: Throwback Thursday: Kramerbooks & Afterwords Cafe - Not a Pickup Joint
- 06/16/16 02:04 AM
Kramerbooks & Afterwords Cafe
Dupont Circle, Washington, DC NW
Kramerbooks and Afterwords Café, more affectionately known as Kramer’s by those in the know, is a very popular bookstore and café in the heart of Dupont Circle in the NW quadrant of Washington, DC.
The Kramerbooks and Afterwords Café's formula - an eclectic collection of books, cool bar, good food, and a variety of live events (music, book signings, readings) - has created an appealing atmosphere for an equally eclectic and hip DC crowd since 1976.
I paid a quick visit in May of 2010 while in DC for the CRS/NAR meetings. Kramerbooks and Afterwords Café has a special meaning … (17 comments)
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personal life: Family Time Means No Blogging Time
- 05/29/16 01:46 PM
Family Time Means No Blogging Time
Special family celebrations – the birthday for our older daughter and the 1st birthday for our granddaughter – took us to LA yesterday morning through this evening. It was wonderful to have the whole family together to celebrate, as well as to enjoy visiting, catching up on life in general, taking lots of photos of festivities, watching the grandkids play together, and enjoying great food. Plus lots of individual personal time.
Times like this are to be cherished, and blogging has to take a backseat to family time.
Yes, guilt sets in, when the usual time for … (26 comments)
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personal life: Throwback Thursdays: Italian Road Noise
- 03/31/16 08:46 AM
Some buyers here complain about potential road noise at the homes they are considering. But it doesn't compare to what you might get living in one of these village homes.
This was the main street through the small town in Montagnana where we stayed in the Chianti region of Tuscany. Only a 3-foot sidewalk separated these homes from the Italian drivers whizzing by.
… (43 comments)
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personal life: Easter Eggs Before and After
- 03/26/16 12:14 PM
One of the pure joys of Easter for us these days is having the grandkids around. It always brings back fond memories of times with our kids who are now grown, as well as being a youngster my self and experiencing the fun of coloring eggs, getting an Easter basket of goodies, eating a ton of chocolate (well, things have changed a little), and hunting for colored eggs.
It's a colorful time. Limited only by your imagination and the patience of parents and grandparents.
Hope you enjoy your Easter, too, however you celebrate!
… (18 comments)
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personal life: Throwback Thursdays: The Kilauea Lighthouse on Kaua'i
- 03/24/16 12:50 AM
The Kilauea Lighthouse on Kaua'i
Having spent many years living in New England, I've seen alot of lighthouses, from Cape Cod to Maine. Many of them were still active.
On a recent visit to Kaua'i I read about the Kilauea Lighthouse, which we could see across the ocean from our condo in Princeville (bottom close-up photo). It was a must visit, of course. Sadly, it was closed for tourism during that time all the federal parks were closed. But we enjoy the views anyway. Next trip back perhaps we do the tourist thing.
… (26 comments)
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personal life: Throwback Thursdays: A Lieutenant Island Family Beach House, No Longer
- 03/17/16 01:41 PM
A Beach House on Lieutenant Island in Wellfleet MA is VERY Special
Some houses are very special, for a number of reasons, and the one we owned for 9 years on Lieutenant Island in Wellfleet, MA on Cape Cod was such a place - probably our very favorite house even though it was a vacation home.
Lieutenant Island is a very special place, and unique in a number of ways. It is purely residential, there are no services other than utilities, and a good number of 100 homes or so on the island are not year-round homes. The island is private so the … (26 comments)
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personal life: Buzzing Bees Boggle the Mind in Carlsbad
- 03/04/16 08:15 AM
Buzzing Bees Boggle the Mind
I arrived home yesterday afternoon from showing several properties in Temecula to find a huge swarm of buzzing bees in my driveway and side yard. I wasn 't even sure what it was till I got close and parked.
Needless to say I thought it best to not get out of the car in the midst of whatever they were doing...looking for a new home I suppose.
They moved slowly away from the car so I took my chances, and of course couldn't resist a photo or two. I should have taken a video - the buzzing was that … (33 comments)
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personal life: Throwback Thursdays - I Thought We Had Escaped the White Stuff!
- 03/03/16 09:37 AM
Throwback Thursdays
I Thought We Had Escaped the White Stuff!
When we left Boston in the early spring of 2005 I thought we had escaped the white stuff.
When we were buying our first home in the La Costa area of Carlsbad in January of 2005 there was a major storm back in New England, indeed they labeled it a blizzard. We were in California for showings, writing the contract and getting into escrow while this was going on back east. It seemed appropriate affirmation of our decision to migrate west. This is my daughter standing in the snow next to her apartment during this … (37 comments)
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personal life: Is Everything in Balance and Do You Know When it's Not?
- 02/03/16 01:32 PM
Is Everything in Balance
and Do You Know When it's Not?
Sometimes the idea for a post comes first.
Other times my musings flow from the viewing of an interesting photo.
It's pretty easy to tell that things are in balance, from the bottom to the top, in this rock sculpture at the beach in Cardiff by the Sea. And we would clearly know when an inbalance has occurred - it's pretty obvious.
My musings upon seeing this photo made me think about the balance, or perhaps inbalance, in our personal and business lives.
We often talk about the importance, indeed the necessity, of balancing one's personal … (12 comments)
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I suppose that's not always true, but in this case it was!
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