mike in tucson: Crossing Guard On The Road to Onion Saddle in the Chiricuhuas
- 01/10/11 06:07 PM
~ Crossing Guard, Arizona Style ~
I'd never hiked the east face of the Chiricahuas until this past Saturday. I met a friend at 5:00 a.m. at the Triple T Truck Stop on Interstate 10, and we drove east for two hours to the New Mexico line. From there we drove south 1/2 hour on Route 80 until we came to the road to Portal, Arizona. (Right you are; we had to drive west back into Arizona.)
Portal, Arizona isn't very big. Maybe 60 people live there, and not all at once. We stopped downtown to take a photo of … (9 comments)
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mike in tucson: Congress On Your Corner ~ Representative Gabrielle Giffords
- 01/10/11 05:12 PM
~ Congress On Your Corner ~
~ Gabrielle Giffords ~
I haven't been able to blog since Saturday. This evening, though, it became clear to me that Rep. Gabrielle Giffords was doing what all of us, of every political persuasion, want from our representatives, and I want you to share this thought with me.
Gabby Giffords was making herself available to her constituents. She was listening to their concerns.
Whether, like me, you're a Republican, or you're a Democrat, Libertarian or Independent, you have to admire what this Congresswoman was doing in the Safeway parking lot on Saturday … (49 comments)
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mike in tucson: Picture Perfect Sunrise With Rainbow: Chandler, AZ
- 12/29/10 02:55 PM
~ Vertical Rainbow at Sunrise, Chandler, AZ ~
It's a 2 1/2 hour drive from Tucson to Mesa, and my first REALTOR appointment was at 8:00 a.m. I was up at 4:30 and on the road by 5:30. It was dark when I stopped at Starbucks on Cortaro Road, and dawn was beginning to brighten the edges of the sky when I passed Picacho Peak.
Sunrise in December can be especially beautiful in Arizona when the rains come, as they have this month. It's raining tonight as I write this, and the clouds were already in evidence at dawn.
This … (23 comments)
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mike in tucson: 'Twas The Day After Christmas...
- 12/26/10 01:02 PM
~ The Day After Christmas, 2010 ~
Looking west from Tucson Mountain Park
Looking west at the glow of the setting sun, I couldn't help but admire the yellows and oranges painting our Tucson skies. This is a magical time of day in Tucson. While the east coast is hunkering down under blizzard conditions, with more than 1,500 flights cancelled today, it was 60 degrees as the sun faded into the west.
Then I turned toward the south, and instead of orange and yellow, the southern sky was painted deep rose. I knew you'd need a break from the snow. … (12 comments)
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mike in tucson: Hiking in Tucson: Baboquivari and Tucson Estates II Framed By Saguaros
- 12/25/10 11:48 PM
~ Baboquivari framed by saguaros ~
Tucson Estates II
A view from Tucson Mountain Park
In the far distance, that shark-tooth-shaped mountain peak is Baboquivari. It's located about 60 miles west of Tucson on the Tohono O'odham Indian Nation.
In the mid-ground of the photo is my community, Tucson Estates II. You can see that we're surrounded on three sides by this pristine desert eco-system. Especially now, this is wonderful hiking weather!
The antidote for snow
If the cold and damp are getting to you, you might want to consider a second home here in Arizona. Prices are phenomonal, and … (14 comments)
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mike in tucson: Christmas Cactus in the Tucson Mountains: Red and Green!
- 12/25/10 08:16 AM
~ Christmas Cactus on Christmas Day ~
Golden Gate Mountain and Bren Mountain in the background
~ Saguaro Sentinel with Snow ~
Pusch Ridge in the Catalina Mountains, Oro Valley, AZ
_____________________
I'm Mike in Tucson, your preferred Tucson Mortgage Lender.
NMLS #223495SUNSTREET MORTGAGE llc ~ Correspondent Mortgage BankOffices (AZ) Mesa, Tucson, Sierra Vista, Nogales, and Albuquerque, NM.
(I don't copyright my photos anymore. I use them mostly for blogging and creating greeting cards for friends and clients.)
Right click on an image, copy and use it!
Click the Send Out Cards logo below. Send a real card to … (18 comments)
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mike in tucson: Christmas Eve in Tucson Mountain Park, Tucson, AZ
- 12/24/10 06:15 AM
~ December Morning After Rain ~
Golden Gate Mountain in Tucson Mountain Park, Tucson, AZ
December rains set in motion everything the desert needs for a spectacular Spring wildflower show. Nowhere else in these United States have I seen such an expression of joy at the arrival of the rain. We love when it rains.
The combination of rain on the desert floor, early morning sunshine and cool temperatures in the 50s set the stage for the photo above, on the perimeter of our little community, Tucson Estates II.
Of course, we sometimes (not very often) do get snow if … (25 comments)
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mike in tucson: Girl Scouts Caroling at Tucson's Reid Park Zoo Lights Event
- 12/20/10 11:29 PM
Tucson's Reid Park Zoo puts on this event every year, and we go to see the Christmas Lights. This year we had an extra treat! The Girl Scouts sang Christmas Carols and other songs of the Season like "Jingle Bells" and "Deck the Halls." Look at those smiles! They enjoyed singing for us, but not as much as we enjoyed watching and listening!
_____________________
I'm Mike in Tucson, your preferred Tucson Mortgage Lender.
NMLS #223495SUNSTREET MORTGAGE llc ~ Correspondent Mortgage BankOffices (AZ) Mesa, Tucson, Sierra Vista, Nogales, and Albuquerque, NM.
(I don't copyright my photos anymore. I use … (12 comments)
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mike in tucson: Backyard Wildlife: The Twins Are Back!
- 12/19/10 01:46 PM
~ Mule Deer Twins ~
Living with wildlife
I've posted about these two twice since they made their first appearance in my backyard in the spring. I don't see them often, but I'm sure they're never far away.
The mother somehow broke her right rear leg just above the hoof last fall, and we weren't hopeful that she would survive the winter.
She did, though, and these good looking 10 month olds are hers.
Tucson Estates II
Our little community, Tucson Estates 2, is surrounded on three sides by Tucson Mountain Park, which in turn abuts Saguaro National Park … (54 comments)
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mike in tucson: Denver Zoo: You Looking at ME?!
- 12/17/10 04:23 PM
Yaawwwnnn.... You looking at me?!
I took a couple of weeks off from Active Rain, treked up to Littleton, Colorado and spent a wonderful four days with family. Little India, 2 1/2 years, enjoyed the Denver Zoo with Grandpa Oso, Mommy and little sis Zion.
Don't you know I took the camera?
_____________________
I'm Mike in Tucson, your preferred Tucson Mortgage Lender.
NMLS #223495SUNSTREET MORTGAGE llc ~ Correspondent Mortgage BankOffices (AZ) Mesa, Tucson, Sierra Vista, Nogales, and Albuquerque, NM.
(I don't copyright my photos anymore. I use them mostly for blogging and creating greeting cards for friends and … (24 comments)
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mike in tucson: Time To Pull Your Head Out Of The Sand: Interest Rates Are Up, Up, Up
- 12/16/10 12:58 AM
Interest rates are up, up, up!
Bonds are selling off. Since November 4th, the yield on the 10 year bond has risen more than one full percentage point. That's a big deal, folks.
You'll remember that we started out the month of November with the US Treasury pledging to buy $600 billion in assets. This worked previously, as bond yields fell to historical lows, and buyers were able to buy homes with 30 year mortgages priced as low as 4.000%. It's no longer working.
Both buyers and REALTORS quickly came to rely on mortgages in the low 4s, and many are … (15 comments)
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mike in tucson: Plagiarism In Advertising: Kathryn Harper's Back Link Spam for EssaysService.com
- 12/09/10 08:03 AM
Plagiarism in advertising: Kathryn Harper's Back Link Spam for essaysservice.com
Kathryn Harper most likely is not her real name. English certainly is not her mother tongue. (Read the comment above. Do it slowly, and read out loud.) ...and although she's spamming for a website that offers "top quality writing service," the spammer's comment on my blog gets a grade of "F" for the following:
content,
sentence structure, grammatical coherency and
verb construction.
What's the plural of Thesis?
I went to the website by clicking the live link in the spam comment. Since the spammer has poor English writing … (64 comments)
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mike in tucson: Can Towns Have A Brand? Cowboy Mural in Golden, CO
- 12/05/10 02:33 PM
Branding A Town: Cowboy Mural in Golden, CO
Chances are that the town where you live and work has spent money creating a Tourism Brand. I don't know about you, but when someone spends money to attract people to come to my town, I want to make the most of the money they've invested on my behalf.
That's the way I look at it! I don't live in Golden (yet) but I visited there yesterday. Coming into town, the first thing I saw was the Welcome Arch. I actually felt welcome!
Underneath is the town's brand: Where The West … (15 comments)
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mike in tucson: You're Welcome in Golden, Colorado! It's a Parade!
- 12/04/10 04:10 PM
Christmas Parade in Golden, Colorado
If you don't live in Golden, Colorado, doesn't this sign on Washington Street make you feel welcome?! I'm up in Colorado to visit grandkids, and today I went with them and their Daddy to the Christmas parade in Golden. We didn't know that the parade was scheduled today; serendipity is a wonderful thing!
Behind me, Table Rock seemed to preside over the proceedings.
Santa was riding on a motorcycle, and his sidecar was filled with treats and goodies for the children along the route.
Carolers dressed in 19th century garb strolled the avenue, … (12 comments)
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mike in tucson: Breaking In A New Phone: Droid Pro
- 12/04/10 01:38 AM
I finally gave up my Blackberry, after having been a fan for two generations of that business-focused phone.
I had been considering the I-Phone. My choice of the Droid Pro gives me a business phone that incorporates the best features of Apple's phone and RIM's Blackberry.
It was our Information Technologies guy Ron Spiegel who made the recommendation of the Droid Pro, and I couldn't be happier with my choice.
Business Related Improvements
These are the business related improvements over the I-Phone and the Blackberry from my point of view:
1. Hard Keyboard and touchscreen combo. (This is what killed the … (17 comments)
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mike in tucson: This Is Why They Call It A "Forest" of Giant Saguaros
- 11/28/10 03:22 PM
~ Forest of Giant Saguaros ~
Sunday evening, and I took a break from NFL football to capture the last rays of the setting sun for my Active Rain blog ~ and for you.
The sunset was beautiful, but this view, looking away from the setting sun, captured my imagination.
These Giant Saguaros are taller than telephone poles, and the camera doesn't do them justice.
You'll get a better idea of their size from the photo on the right.
Standing next to a Giant Saguaro, one feels small and insignificant. In our "it's all about me" society, this probably is … (17 comments)
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mike in tucson: Catalina Foothills Sunset from Skyline Drive
- 11/26/10 02:31 PM
~ Catalina Foothills Skyline Drive Sunset ~
Tucson, AZ
Talk about giving thanks! I'm thankful to live in a part of the world where I can stick my camera out of the window and capture this, all the while speeding along at 45 mph down Skyline Drive on my way home. Happy Thanksgiving weekend to you all; I'm blessed to know you.
_____________________
I'm Mike in Tucson, your preferred Tucson Mortgage Lender.
NMLS #223495SUNSTREET MORTGAGE llc ~ Correspondent Mortgage BankOffices (AZ) Mesa, Tucson, Sierra Vista, Nogales, and Albuquerque, NM.
(I don't copyright my photos anymore. I use them mostly … (19 comments)
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mike in tucson: Credit Tips For My Borrowers (Stuff You NEED to Know)
- 11/23/10 11:03 AM
Credit tips for my borrowers, by Mike in Tucson, mortgage lender
The question: "I want to improve my credit. Should I pay off charge-offs and collections?"
How the system works:
Take a look at that yellow piece of the credit pie on the right. Length of credit history is 15% of your overall credit score.
Among the data tracked by the Credit Bureaus is this little gem: "date of last activity." It shows on your credit report as DLA.
Let's say that you've come to me for a purchase money mortgage because your agent referred you. Let's say further that you … (31 comments)
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mike in tucson: Adventures in Lending: Sand Shark in the Desert
- 11/23/10 02:11 AM
~ Sand Shark ~
Planning for the unexpected
I'm doing a refinance for a borrower, and the property appraised at $328,000. That's less than the owner had hoped for, but just fine for the $172,000 refinance.
Even so, because the property is not on a paved road, I made it a point to drive out and see the neighborhood for myself. This is something I recommend for any lender because of the difficult real estate market that's our reality right now.
Eyeball the property before your appraiser does. It will give you an idea as to what problems may crop … (12 comments)
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mike in tucson: Full Moon Over Tucson on Saturday Night
- 11/20/10 02:30 PM
~ Full Moon Over Tucson ~
Actually, Sunday will be the full moon.
From Gates Pass this evening, though, you would have been hard put to tell the difference. The setting sun painted the tops of the mountains in the foreground with its deepest color of the day.
You really do have to come visit this place sometime this winter. It's magical. It really is.
_____________________
I'm Mike in Tucson, your preferred Tucson Mortgage Lender.
NMLS #223495SUNSTREET MORTGAGE llc ~ Correspondent Mortgage BankOffices (AZ) Mesa, Tucson, Nogales, and Albuquerque, NM.
(I don't copyright my photos anymore. I use them … (41 comments)
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