bend oregon: Bend Oregon Pole Pedal Paddle - 05/21/12 05:02 AM
2012 Pole Pedal Paddle
Pole Pedal Paddle I don’t know about you, but yesterday I felt fat, old, and very lazy . . . all this because I was not one of the 2922 participants in this year’s “Pole Pedal Paddle.”

The event, now in its 35th year, besides being one of the highlights of Bend’s social calendar, put individuals and teams (of various ages, shapes, and colors) through a test of six disciplines. It’s sponsored by US Bank and serves as a fundraiser for Mount Bachelor Sports Education Foundation. Just another of the great events here in Bend … (0 comments)

bend oregon: Pending Sales Soar in Bend Oregon - 03/21/12 08:33 AM
 
Bend Oregon Home Sales . . . February 2012
Bend’s Pending Sales Soar Big news in Bend Oregon real estate for the month of February was the soaring rate of pending home sales.  195 homes in Bend went pending . . . that’s the highest number in almost four years, and, perhaps an indication of some sunnier weather ahead.

Notices of Default Down in Deschutes County Another positive sign of real estate in Bend was a continuing decline in NOD’s–just 143 for the month (throughout much of 2009 and 2010, NOD’s ran between 250 and 400 . . … (0 comments)

bend oregon: Pronghorn Sells - 12/19/11 12:19 PM
Pronghorn Sells! www.bestbendhomes.com
 
Pronghorn Lender Sells Loans  
The real estate landscape in Central Oregon continues to evolve as The Bend Bulletin reported  that Societe Generale, the holder of $43 M in loans  at Pronghorn has sold the note to a “master developer.”
 

 
Email to Pronghorn Members  
An email to members at Pronghorn, sent out by general manager, Spencer Schaub, failed to identify the buyer; but, stated, in part, “We are excited to confirm that a well-established group which has extensive experience with luxury resorts and residential golf communities has been selected . . .”
 
… (0 comments)

bend oregon: Christmas Lights - 12/11/11 04:16 PM
Christmas Lights in Bend Oregon Christmas Lights
I am sorry about getting into an argument about putting up the Christmas lights.
I guess that sometimes I feel like you are pushing me too hard when you want something.
I realize that I was wrong and I am apologizing for being such a hard-headed guy.
All I want is for you to be happy and be able to enjoy the holiday season.
Nothing brightens the Christmas spirit like Christmas lights!
I took the time to hang the lights for you today and now I will be off to the golf course.
… (4 comments)

bend oregon: Central Oregon Lifestyle - 12/03/11 10:21 AM
“Quality of life” is what most people would cite as their reason for living in Bend and Central Oregon. But just how do you measure the quality of life in a given community? Benchmark test scores and drop-out rates for the local school system may be important factors for some (few?) to consider. Others might analyze crime rates, commute times, median income statistics, or even the quality of the powder. Some might be interested in the local air or water quality. CNN’s Money Magazine included Bend Oregon in its “Top 100 Best Places to Live” list for a variety of reasons,
… (1 comments)

bend oregon: Bend Oregon Homes - 12/01/11 07:59 AM
Real Estate in Bend Bend Real Estate The Bend Oregon real estate market, especially the low end, stayed active in April. 133 homes sold in Bend. That’s down about 14% from March’s figure of 155 (March . . . Homes In Bend), but still a number indicating fairly robust activity.
Price Ranges for Homes in Bend The bargain for April was, euphemistically speaking, “an affordable opportunity that needs some TLC.” I guess that’s one way of putting it.

The 1680 square foot home in Bend featured 3 bedrooms and one bath. It was built in 1960; sited on a third … (0 comments)

bend oregon: Bend . . .#1 Town in US - 11/22/11 05:57 AM
“Outdoor Life” Names Bend #1 Town In US I feel a little like Mark Trail with this post.
Outdoor Life Outdoor Life scoured the United States to find places where great hunting and fishing starts right at the edge of town. They came up with their top 200 towns for 2011.

Quality of Life  made up 40% of the criteria; Outdoor Score (Gun Friendliness, Fishable Species, Huntable Species, Proximity to Public Land and Waters and Trophy Potential) was 60%.
Bend Rated #1 Surrounded by millions of acres of Forest Service land, grassland and wetlands, and hundreds of miles of fishable … (0 comments)

bend oregon: Oregon Dog Parks - 11/22/11 05:49 AM
Musings of a mutt . . . Bend Oregon dog parks!  
While I grew up in one of the swankiest gated communities and live in one of the nicest homes in Bend Oregon, at heart, I’m just a pooch.  I know that my aristocratic air and erect carriage are a bit misleading. Reality is I’m a dog who likes to pee where he wants, scratch what he wants, and bark whenever he wants at whomever he wants.  That’s just the way life is.
 

 
I like to occasionally scare the kids or joggers in my neighborhood, but I’d … (0 comments)

bend oregon: No Lime in My Beer - 11/13/11 06:40 AM
"Love Your Life A Little More . . . Visit Bend" Sure, we've got worries . . . unemployment, the economy, the earth quake/ tsunami in Japan. But, we've also got a pretty incredible lifestyle here in Bend . I focus on the positive and write about hamburgers and snow-tubing. Visit Bend has just produced the following video to air on TV this summer:

"Bend offers more ways to play outdoors than any destination on the planet. We know that 99% of people won't ever climb Monkey Face or kayak off a waterfall, but you will be inspired to tackle … (0 comments)

bend oregon: Stuck in the Middle of Bend (Oregon) - 11/13/11 06:35 AM
 
 
Stuck in the Middle of Bend by John and Sandy Kohlmoos
 
Stuck in the Middle of Bend (Oregon)  
A cool song made the rounds this week in Bend.  It was written by one Holly Hamilton to the tune of Stealer’s Wheel’s “Stuck in the Middle With You.”  With lyrics like-
 
Don’t know why I moved here at all; from California, this place feels so small
 
I was lured here for a better life . . . that was when I was somebody’s wife Check it out:
 
Stuck in the Middle of Bend  
… (0 comments)

bend oregon: Bend Named No. 2 ‘Death-Defying City’ in the U.S. - 11/13/11 05:48 AM
 
Bend Named No. 2 ‘Death-Defying City’ in the U.S. by Rocco (posthumously)
The Dumbest Post of All time? I’m not sure it’s the lamest, but surely it must be close.  Bend Oregon is known for a lot of great things . . . clean air, affordable housing prices, short commutes, a salubrious climate boasting 300 sunny days a year, a million golf courses, a great ski area . . . in short, a tremendous lifestyle.

Along comes Livability.com (who?),  having just released their infamous list . . . “Top 10 Cities To Defy Death”, a weird compilation of … (0 comments)

bend oregon: Deschutes County, Oregon . . . Economic Stress - 11/11/11 04:17 AM
Economic Stress in Deschutes and Crook Counties Stress in Deschutes and Crook Counties A recent article in the Bend Bulletin points to Crook and Deschutes counties as having recorded the worst indicators of economic stress in Oregon . . . and some of the highest in the nation, as reported in the latest Associated Press Economic Stress Index (it’s probably more fun to play with the chart than it is to read the rest of the post!).

The index measures all U.S. counties’ economic stress based on their levels of unemployment, bankruptcies and foreclosures. The measurements are based on October … (0 comments)

bend oregon: Notices of Default . . . Deschutes County - 05/24/11 10:32 AM
I decided to go with all the positive gridiron photos as the Ducks play Auburn next week in the ultimate BCS  game.  Certainly more interesting than Notices of Default in Deschutes County, a bit more uplifting too.

Notices of Default A Notice of default is usually looked upon as the first step in the foreclosure process (though not all NOD's result in foreclosure). The notice is customarily filed after a mortgage is at least 90 days delinquent.  NOD's are tracked  in an effort to assess real estate trends . . . they can give us an idea as to the … (0 comments)