suncoast: Mark Twain Had it Right...This is Another Shameless Plug for Sailing AWAY!!!
- 09/08/08 08:04 AM
"Twenty years from now you will be more disappointed by the things that you didn't do than by the ones you did do. So throw off the bowlines. Sail away from the safe harbor. Catch the trade winds in your sails. Explore. Dream. Discover." ~Mark Twain Meet with other local Sailing Enthusiasts to share stories and organize outings. We offer: Sailing ~ Charters ~ Lessons ~ Outings ~ Island Parties ~ Gatherings oh, and (duh!) ...FUN! Good, clean, WET fun! "You Cannot Control the Wind, Only Adjust the Sails" Suncoast Sailing Meetup was formed to "Just Do It!"--whether you're … (4 comments)
suncoast: Going to Sarasota this November for Efest! ~Suncoast Green Alert~
- 07/05/08 09:30 AM
It seems that Tampa is not the only Suncoast community with a GREEN heart--Sarasota is home of E(as in ECO)fest--a community initiative brought to life by Sustainable Sarasota, a Sarasota County government sub-office. Efest takes place on November 15-16 this year (2008), at the Sarasota Polo Club at Lakeview Ranch, and has exhibitors for alternative vehicles, native plants and sustainable agriculture, public and private school outreach programs, from companies such as: Southwest Florida Water Management District Lucuma Designs Green Home Building Pro Flanders Gas The Granary Laurel Park Ventures Vitalife Fitness Simply Pawesome Rainforest Carpentry City of Sarasota GEM Travel Consultants EcoQuest … (3 comments)
Baywood Village in Palm Harbor Florida, and surrounding communties in Tarpon Springs are caught showing Holiday Spirit. "God bless us, everyone," said Tiny Tim... To enter contest, or for more information on this lovely waterfront community, or surrounding neighborhoods in Tarpon Springs and Palm Harbor: … (8 comments)
suncoast: Kind of Exciting! My First Feature Film: Welcome to the Suncoast!
- 10/20/07 01:23 PM
Wow, never thought I'd see the day, but: Drumroll, please! (I'm so excited! I did this--ME...I don't think I've had such a charge since the first day of kindergarten!!) Please come on a sailing tour of Gulf Harbors and Floramar - a lovely deep-water community in Pasco County, Florida--just a short drive from Tampa or St. Petersburg, and right on the Gulf of Mexico. (I do apologize for the techno--it was all i had on the computer when I made this...) When you're ready to make a move to the Suncoast, please
… (11 comments)
suncoast: Where Can We Go for Oktoberfest in Tampa Bay, Florida?
- 10/20/07 06:44 AM
Oktoberfest, ah, the fun, the feast, the BEER!! If you can;t manage to make it to Germany this year for a proper celebration, why not try Oktoberfest at Tampa Bay Downs? Beginning Friday, October 26, all weekend long, through Sunday the 28th - Friday 5pm to 11pm / Saturday 11am to 11pm / Sunday 12pm to 7 pm. Oldsmar's version is the longest-running in West Central Florida, for 167 years! For a list of other places to visit with celebrations this month, visit: Octoberfest 2007 My favorite spot has always been right here in Tampa Bay, of course--don't forget the Festhaus at … (8 comments)
suncoast: Portability - This One's Not a Boating Blog Post
- 10/20/07 05:23 AM
The Florida Association of Realtors reports that "portability...is being embraced by the Governor, Senate, and House," provisions "advocated by both Republicans and Democrats". Sounds really cozy, doesn't it? Imagine all of the Florida politicians in a group hug... So, what are the newest reforms, and what do they mean? Portability: the ability for a Florida homeowner to change residence (the average being once every five years), and to still keep the homestead exemption and tax rate cap when they move (often upwards, in real estate valuation terms). This means that upward mobility would be rewarded by lower taxes on Homestead property. I think it's … (2 comments)
suncoast: Meet My Hairdresser-She's the Best In Tampa Bay, to Me--and 'In the Pink'!
- 10/11/07 11:17 PM
This is Susan, she us a wonderful person, friend, and hair extraordinaire! She fought (*and won!) her battle with breast cancer a couple of years ago. When I first met her, she had opted for a double mastectomy as a preventative measure. I'm sure she hates it that I haven't come back to get my bangs trimmed (I've been busy...), but I thought this was more important... The Breast Cancer site is having trouble getting enough people to click on their site daily to meet their quota of donating at least one free mammogram a day to an underprivileged woman. It takes less … (10 comments)
suncoast: My Safe Florida Grant Program - A "Must-Do" for Florida Residents!
- 10/10/07 01:21 PM
Now that we've weathered another season (thus far) hurricane-free, don't you think it's time to look forward and make sure that you're really prepared for the next storm? Many Florida residents may not even be aware that there is a FREE program available to help you do just that! What does MySafeFloridaHome offer? For starters: A free wind inspection--a certified inspector will come ot your home and give a top-to-bottom assessment of how wind (read:hurricane)-resistant the structure is. This is as far as I personally have gotten, but I have gotten the very-detailed report, which, granted is somewhat meaningless to me. So, … (11 comments)
suncoast: Being Mindful
- 10/08/07 09:45 AM
Thanks to Jackie for bringing me back around to my thought for the day: Being Mindful. I was driving back to my office today, thinking, no--pondering, which is what I tend to do while driving (luckily my attention still tends to be on the road, even so...), the concept of being mindful. I mean, really--it's one of those oxymoronic words, isn't it? If your mind is full, there's no more room for the good stuff, right? And what the philosophers seem to mean by it is having an 'open' mind--taking out the trash, right? I dunno--inquiring minds, right?! Anyway--it occurred to me that the … (10 comments)
suncoast: I've Hit the Big Five-OH!
- 10/08/07 07:13 AM
It's Raining, It's Pouring... You thought I was talking about my age, didn't you? Talk about well-preserved, eh? Nope, not age, I posted my 50th post on AR the other day, and didn't even realize it! I dunno, maybe not such a big deal for some, but I thought it was a moment to mark! Another couple of moments, from the weekend sailing: Happy Birthday, Sandy! How do you work the timer on this...oh, there it is--Hi! We had another beautiful weekend on the wonderful waters of the Gulf's Suncoast... just waiting for you to join us! So, click on the picture and come along next … (12 comments)
suncoast: Home Staging Project in Process: Beacon Woods Lovely Home
- 10/04/07 08:24 AM
I realized that I posted this initially just to the "Stage it Forward" group, but I've had such a wonderful, helpful response I really want it here in my blog as well. Here's the inital post, and the first comments and suggestions I've gotten--once I've applied the suggestions I will post pictures of the 'Before" and "After"! I have a listing, that, now that it's finally in 'show' condition--the piles have been moved OUT of the living room and into the garage...the living/dining area is totally, completely WHITE. There is very little furniture left in the house, but I thought if I … (4 comments)
suncoast: What IS "Bad Credit"? And can you still get a loan or purchase a home?
- 10/03/07 08:43 AM
We just held our debut "First-Time Homebuyers Seminar" last night, which went very well, I think. There were some really great questions, both in and out of the workshop, such as those on credit reporting and credit repair. First--a large portion of our seminar does include quite alot of information on FICO scoring, the "why's" and the "how's", and what it all means to the average homebuyer. "Bad" credit is a whole 'nother ballgame, but I will tackle a few misconceptions here. What's "Bad" credit?A FICO score of under 619 is considered by lenders to be "very high default risk," and is virtually unfinanceable at … (8 comments)
suncoast: The Fed Cut Rates, but My Pants are Still Too Tight!
- 09/21/07 06:20 AM
Ok, what does the Fed have to do with my pants? About as much as cutting rates has to do with fence-sitting homebuyers jumping off the fence...unless maybe it's barbed wire and they leave some denim there. Yet, even so, it seems the minute the rate cut was announced, the calls and emails started to flow--"Can I see this listing?" and "What do you think about refinancing now?" Am I complaining? Heck, no! It's a GREAT time to buy, no doubt about that--there are so many good deals out there, not to mention wonderful down-payment assistance programs just on the brink of … (3 comments)
suncoast: Dunedin, Florida - Home of The Fenway Hotel
- 09/21/07 05:55 AM
It recently came to my attention that there is a local movement to Save Dunedin's Historic Fenway Hotel, located on beautiful and historic Edgewater Drive in Dunedin, Florida. I can remember from my earliest childhood the drive down Edgewater, the uniquely 'Florida' look of the tall King palms which still line the drive, even after losing a few in the hurricanes which ravaged our coast a few years back.
One of the most memorable structures still standing along this lovely drive is the Fenway Hotel--built in the 1920's, and opened to the public in an historic first-time broadcast by WGHB (now WFLA, … (6 comments)
suncoast: First-Time Homebuyers Seminar Land O'Lakes Pasco County Florida
- 09/19/07 01:46 PM
Free First-Time Homebuyers Seminar de-mystifies the home-buying process and saves you time, money, and worry--even if you've already bought a home before. In just two hours you will walk out armed with all the information you need to feel confident in beginning your home search in today's market. Topics covered: Understanding your credit score.What lenders are looking for when approving you for a home loan.Information on buying a home with little or no money down.How to get pre-approved to buy a home that you can afford.Help answering the question: "Am I ready to buy a home?"How to choose the right real estate and … (6 comments)
suncoast: Beacon Woods in Bayonet Point, Florida ~ Lovely Home in a Great Community!
- 09/06/07 12:09 PM
Search More Listings in Beacon Woods and Hudson, Florida Tour the Lovely Community of Beacon Woods, courtesy of Katrina Madewell. Tampa Bay Real Estate - Suncoast Homes for Sale in St. Petersburg|Tampa|Clearwater|Palm Harbor|Trinity|Gulf Beaches|Safety Harbor|Crystal Beach|Ozona|Oldsmar. By Referral Only means telling someone you care for about someone you respect~ Please Don't keep Me a Secret! … (11 comments)
suncoast: Baywood Village, a Palm Harbor, Florida Well-Kept Waterfront Secret
- 09/06/07 10:13 AM
Since the late 1950's, a lovely, quiet waterfront boating community has graced the Suncoast of Florida, just North of sleepy downtown Sutherland-now known as Old Palm Harbor, and just South of the famous Tarpon Springs Sponge Docks. The area is known as Baywood Village, although the 564 homes which comprise the neighborhood are actually 5 separate subdivisions, all uniting under the single umbrella of the Baywood Village Association, a voluntary association with over 300 members. What began thirty years ago as a primarily retirement or vacation home neighborhood is now close to 90% year-round owner occupied, 43% of whom commute to downtown Tampa or … (2 comments)
suncoast: En Garde! Fencing in Clearwater, Florida (Suncoast Sparring!)
- 08/30/07 05:43 PM
Yes, folks, the Law of Attraction has certainly been going to town in my life lately, here in Palm Harbor, Florida, home of several "Laws of Attraction" meetup groups...or should I say sparring with my Intentions? Through a unique and enlightening series of fortunate events, I have met and become involved with a number of really terrific people and new passions, one of which is fencing, which I have come to find, is not only another wonderful way to work on focus, but also one heck of a great workout! The instructor, and now good friend, Kirk, warned us at the first class … (9 comments)
suncoast: Adventures in Sailing
- 08/30/07 04:27 PM
You may (or may not) be asking yourself: "Where has that Lola been lately? Why, she used to spend half her weekend in the Rain...now, well..." I can't think of anything better to do here on our beautiful Suncoast of Florida, then to be out on the water--wind in my hair, sun in my face, the only sound the flapping of the sails, hum of a rudder, swoosh of the wake behind... OK, I flatter myself, I'm sure I haven't been missed--even so, I've been having Adventures In Sailing! Yay! As my good friend Capt. Bob would say: "Believe me, my young friend, there … (8 comments)
All things Florida and Tampa Bay--from the area's natural wildlife, to the local wild nightlife! Tampa Bay Real Estate - Suncoast Homes for Sale in St. Petersburg|Tampa|Clearwater|Palm Harbor|Trinity|Gulf Beaches|Safety Harbor|Crystal Beach|Ozona|Oldsmar. By Referral Only means telling someone you care for about someone you respect~ Please Don't keep Me a Secret!
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"Twenty years from now you will be more disappointed by the things that you didn't do than by the ones you did do. So throw off the bowlines. Sail away from the safe harbor. Catch the trade winds in your sails. Explore. Dream. Discover."
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