things to do: Moving to Salem Oregon: Things to do-French Press
- 09/17/10 03:46 PM
“Well this sure is a crap-hole,” I said. “Gee hon, what do you really think? It’s not that bad,” chided my husband jokingly, as he opened the door to go inside. “Hmmpf,” was all the retort I could muster that day. It was early in the morning and I really needed some coffee before my wit had a chance to wake up. “Hey…we can always go next door over there and get some coffee when we are done here?” he laughed.
I looked over to where he was pointing and saw the little barbecue joint there looking like it was … (14 comments)
things to do: Top 8 for a kids play date
- 01/01/10 08:12 AM
Everyone needs a top 10 list for their blog. I think it's a blogging rule or something. I've never been one to follow the crowd so I'm doing a top 8 list instead. So without further ado, here is my top 8 list of things that I think are the best things for younger (think under age 6 or so) kids in Salem Oregon...in no particular order.
8. A.C. Gilbert Discovery Village. We locals call this the Gilbert House. They changed the name to Discovery Village a few years ago, but old names die hard. With the … (4 comments)
things to do: Get a head start on Christmas...in the summer
- 12/06/09 01:22 PM
Everyone has their holiday traditions. My family and I celebrate Christmas and so our traditions revolve around that holiday. Our family tradition for this holiday actually starts in the summer. I know, kind of weird folks that we are, but here's why.
The Christmas Cottage.
In Lincoln City on the south end of town, is this small little store called the Christmas Cottage. My husband and I discovered it several years ago before we had children. We started a tradition that whenever we went to Lincoln City or Newport over the summer, we would stop into the store … (4 comments)
things to do: Fall in Salem Oregon
- 09/27/09 06:15 AM
I was walking home with my kids from school the other day and my daughter looked up and saw the first oak leaves turning yellow on a tree on the street. “It’s autumn,” she said. I love fall because I think of warm potato soup with homemade french bread, apple muffins, and pear bread. Fall is that perfect time when you get some cool weather, have a steaming cup of hot cider, and feel your body warm to the touch. I have blogged about Bauman Farms which has the best family harvest festival in the area, in my opinion. But we … (5 comments)
things to do: Salem Oregon Relocation: Our local parks
- 08/06/09 03:55 PM
One of the great things about Oregon is our many parks. Typically the reason folks move to this area is to be able to be close to nature. Salem is fortunate that we have several local parks that are all within a 30 minute drive. Each has it's own unique features that make it special for a day out. Minto-Brown Island Park North Fork Park
North Santiam State Park
Riverfront Park Silver Falls State Park
If you are considering relocating to the area, stop by some of these areas on your visit and see what our area … (5 comments)
things to do: Visit what our local Salemites have to say!
- 07/01/09 09:22 AM
There is a new website called Salemites.com that is a local gathering place for local folks to talk about what is happening in our area. We are fortunate to have many local bloggers giving all sorts of different persepctives on our city. This can be an invaluable tool for those of you looking to relocate to our area. So I have made a master list here for you of our local non-real estate industry blogs. Head over and check some of them out. We have some great local writers and good information about local happenings!
Salem life and events … (4 comments)
things to do: Finding yourself in a jam on what to do with the kids?
- 06/23/09 07:03 AM
I always relish June 1 every year. Typically Oregon strawberries start to ripen and are just waiting to be plucked and eaten. Every year we take the kids to a local u-pick and pick strawberries. We eat a lot of them over the winter so we pick a bunch and freeze them. There is nothing like waffles with Oregon strawberries and fresh whipped cream on Christmas morning. (Seriously, waffles and hot cocoa rock!)
Finding organic strawberries is hard because slugs love them. I grow some organic strawberries in my yard here in Salem Oregon every year and it's a constant … (5 comments)
things to do: Lillipads, bike paths, and duck butts...oh my
- 05/22/09 01:27 PM
You all are probably expect some totally cool and witty post. The poor Salemites are cringing as I'm talking about duck butts and Minto Brown Island in the same thought...so here's the deal.
We had a fabulous weekend last weekend so we went to Minto-Brown Island park here in Salem Oregon. Minto has a pond, bike/walking paths, off-leash dog area, and a play structure for kids. It's a great HUGE park area here in Salem Oregon.
So when we stopped at the pond to feed the ducks and geese...who were well trained on getting food from humans, … (16 comments)
things to do: The luck of the Iris
- 05/17/09 02:55 PM
Okay, St. Paddy's day has passed, but I needed a catchy title to get you to look at my cool pictures. Salem Oregon is surrounded by many small towns that have annual community festivals. Last month, it was the Tulip festival in the Woodburn area, and this month is the Iris Festival in Keizer. The entire month of May is dedicated to the Iris.
Schreiner's Gardens has the Iris gardens, as well as many other flowers. I was up there last week just tooling around with my camera and thought I would share what you can see. You can … (5 comments)
things to do: Wooden Shoe Tulip Festival in Woodburn Oregon
- 04/22/09 10:07 AM
When I moved from Portland down to Salem Oregon, I was worried about leaving all of my big city things to do behind. Salem is a much slower paced city, despite the fact that it is the state capital. I did learn to slow down, which was hard, and in the process learned to enjoy many of our local community festivals. Salem Oregon is surrounded by many smaller cities that have their own unique identity and festival. Right now, the Wooden Shoe Tulip Festival is going on. Now, we had a funky spring this year and so the tulips were a … (6 comments)
things to do: Grab a glass and enjoy our local Pinot Noir
- 03/19/09 11:40 AM
Okay, okay...this post really has little to do with Salem Oregon real estate...unless you are relocating here and want to learn about Oregon. I like wine and like to support our local vineyards because we have some good wine here. The WSJ (Wall Street Journal) had a nice article and video about Oregon wines.
The State of Oregon Pinot
You can visit my website for a list of local Salem area vineyards. Evesham Wood is really great wine, and I have been known to bring it to the closing table for some of my buyers. Enjoy! … (5 comments)
Every community has their special events and hidden gems. Pumpkin patch's are nothing new, but you really have to attend the pumpkin patch at Bauman Farms to see something special.
You are greeted with this year's theme which was pirate oriented. This large hay boat is a maze. Complete with large irrigation tube slide, this was a hit with many people this year.
I don't care who you are...these irrigation tube slides are fun.
That is just at the entry. Head over to the zip lines for … (3 comments)
One of the great things about living in Oregon is just the natural beauty that surrounds us. What makes living in the Mid-Willamette Valley so great is the ability to get to the coast and out to the mountains fairly easily.
This past Saturday it was around 105 degrees here in the valley. This is a rare event for an August in Oregon, but it's been a weird year weather wise.
We decided to head to North Santiam State Park, which has the Santiam River running through it. The Santiam River is a popular river for rafters … (3 comments)
things to do: Silver Falls in Silverton Oregon
- 07/29/08 09:42 AM
When I moved to Oregon 18 years ago, I was ready to do some serious hiking. I love forests, creeks, rivers, just being outdoors. One of the first places we visited was Silver Falls State Park. Silver Falls is located in Silverton, Oregon. With 10 waterfalls within the boundaries of the park, this is really one of Oregon's gems. There is a small dam in place to create a nice water play area for children. Just a few feet deep this area is very popular during our summer days. There are so many amenities within the park. Paved paths for walking … (6 comments)
It was hot, really hot this weekend. Our summers in the valley are normally quite moderate, but we seem to get one week every July that hits the 90's and 100's. This past weekend was no exception.
My kids wanted to go to the Riverfront Park here in Salem. When we first moved to Salem from Portland about 10 years ago, Riverfront Park was a fairly new park. It was one of many projects slated to reinvigorate the downtown area, and it really is a fantastic addition. The park has a great play structure...well actually two. One … (6 comments)
As I was taking pictures of tulips the other day at the Wooden Shoe Tulip Festival, it got me thinking about the perception that it rains all of the time in Oregon. So I did a little research and according to WeatherBill The 10 rainiest cities in the U.S. by amount of annual rainfall are: Mobile, Alabama--67 inches average annual rainfall; 59 average annual rainy days Pensacola, Florida--65 inches average annual rainfall; 56 average annual rainy days New Orleans, Louisiana--64 inches average annual rainfall; 59 average annual rainy days West Palm Beach, Florida--63 inches average annual rainfall; 58 average annual rainy days … (12 comments)
things to do: Salem Oregon's Capitol Mall
- 03/31/08 08:56 AM
"Doesn't it rain in Oregon, like 365 days a year? Someone told me you guys only get 30 days of sun a year."
I hear this constantly from people looking to relocate to Salem, Oregon. Concerned about the massive downpour of rain that they think we get here, they don't think they can handle the doom and gloom of Oregon.
Just for the record: it does rain here. But we do get sun, contrary to rumors otherwise. Today is March 31, 2008 and this picture was taken this morning. Looks like a sunny day to me. As I was downtown … (3 comments)
things to do: It's Time for the Tulip Festival in Woodburn Oregon
- 03/24/08 02:57 PM
It's always a sign of spring here in the Willamette Valley when the Wooden Shoe holds the annual tulip festival. The festival started on March 20th, and runs through April 20th with over 170 varieties of tulips to see. After 23 years, the tulip festival always reminds me of why our Oregon rain is such a good thing. The height of the tulip color should hit in the next 1-2 weeks.
During the weekday they have: Wooden Shoe Gardens full of tulips Children's play area Tulip Cafe and Dutch sausages Cow Train Tulip Tram Weekend activities include: Crafters Market Place Wooden Shoe Making … (4 comments)
things to do: The Dog lover's guide to Salem Oregon parks
- 01/13/08 05:56 AM
There are a lot of dog owners in Salem Oregon, myself being one of them. I decided to write a brief blog for those other dog lovers out there, who might be relocating to Salem or are new and maybe not sure of what is out there. Dogs are allowed in all Salem city parks as long as they are on a leash. Mutt Mutt dispensers are available in most parks for scooping poop in case you forget your own bag. Currently there are two off leash dog areas here in Salem proper Minto Brown Island park and Orchard Heights Park. … (0 comments)
things to do: Parents, please don't let your kids jump on the table...
- 12/23/07 12:06 PM
What? Okay let me back up a little bit. It is pouring rain here in Oregon today and NASTY out, so I decided to take my kids (7 and 5) to the Oregon Museum of Science and Industry today in Portland. I fully intended to write this blog about how great OMSI is, and if you have a membership to the AC Gilbert House here in Salem you can get into OMSI for free. So I brought my camera to take pictures of the new displays for my blog as the theme in the Science Playground is river animals. My 5 year … (1 comments)
Neighborhood real estate at its best delivered to you by a Principal Broker licensed in the state of Oregon. Get a peek into my inner data geek with my extensive Salem Oregon real estate trending graphs, or stick around to see if my sarcastic wit rears its ugly head. Either way, read, hopefully enjoy and find it helpful, then you know the drill...call/email/tweet me for help with your real estate needs.
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