Coastal Real Estate and Lifestyles

Thanks to my dear friend Sheila for sending me a link to these photos - I was not aware of Clark Little photos before.  I very much appreciate the power and natural beauty of the surf.

http://www.clarklittlephotography.com/

For when you’re ready to leave the ocean and go to THE lake.  My brother asked what resources I had for an upcoming  Lake Tahoe trip he is planning.  I immediately tapped into my Homescopes partner, Kappy.  Thanks to Kappy Mann in the Tahoe/Truckee region for sending these sites to check out if you’re planning a Tahoe getaway for a Fall weekend, upcoming Holidays, or next summer.  Or just call her directly if you want to talk with a local expert at 530-400-0531.

www.TruckeeReservations.com

www.stayinlaketahoe.com

www.mytahoetruckeevacation.com

www.truckeerentals.com

Kappy notes that a couple of them are Coldwell Banker sites and that she’s worked with them.

If you’re planning a trip, the Tahoe-Sierra destination is a frequently visited area by Half Moon Bay area and San Francisco Bay Area locals for year round recreation.  This is also a destination site for second homes and/or investment properties for San Mateo County residents. 

Diverting myself from my normal business reading first thing in the morning, I allowed myself to get into the Halloween spirit. 

 Check out theses gourds! 

A human face-shaped pumpkin grown in 1938.  With a candle inside one of those on Halloween night… yikes!  or add a little voice box behind it saying “help me…help me…” (that was hubby’s contribution).

Or what about what EPCOT is doing - growing pumpkins in the shape of Mickey Mouse ears…Sounds like an activity for artists who like to use food as their pallette.  It also sounds like a perfect Coastside class - Parks & Rec or a collababoration between one of the farms and a local artist .  With an abundance of farmers and artists, imagine what someone here could create.  There could also be a separate contest for Pumpkin Festival for the best pumpkin “design”.

Blue Sky Farms got our local coastside children involved in growing pumpkins this year with their own contest, including winnners for “Most Lopsided”, “Clearest Complexion” and “Cutest” among other categories.

Whether you enjoy Half Moon Bay’s Pumpkin Festival or make a point of staying away for the town’s annual showcase event, here are a few vendors we visited that you can enjoy without ever stepping foot onto high-energy Main Street during 2 full days of music, food, shopping, haunted house, and basically PUMPKIN everything.

Via Ripatti - www.viaripatti.com - I buy a shirt for my husband here every year.  The artist, Steve Ripatti draws a new design every year and I always look forward to his inspirations.  The clothing is wrinkle resistant, doesn’t fade, and is very comfortable.  The husband and wife team also create beautiful wraps and other pieces for women.

Ladybug Design - www.lady-bug-design.com - nothing to do with ladybugs…this is custom made jewelry from wood.  It’s light-weight, original, and stunning.  This is a regular stop for my daughter and me.  She had many pieces that are not on the website.

Goldenspirits  Candle Works - a new vendor this year from Paradise, CA - I was impressed.  It takes a lot for me to get impressed with candles, consequently I usually don’t buy them.  I bought 4 in various scents and designs.  The early favorite, she predicted, is Citrus Cranberry.  1.530.872.2082

Nzalamba Artworks - www.nzalamba-artworks.com - The website doesn’t do justice to his work.  Paul shared the stories behind the prints he showed us - “Not to Worry”, “At Play”, “Love”, and “The Drums”, which the website does not give you.  When you buy a print, you will receive the story, he told us.

Photography by Pame - pixelpame.com - She had some great photos of Pillar Point Harbor and other local scenes, not showcased on the website.

http://www.miramarevents.com/pumpkinfest/

I took these pics on one of my recent walks around the neighborhoods. Enjoy.

Half Moon Bay welcomes Lance Armstrong’s 2009 AMGEN Tour of California, riding through the Coastside tomorrow, Monday, Feb 16, 2009.  It could be fun to cheer them on if your schedule allows.

A San Mateo County Info alert was sent out to give us the heads up to plan drive times accordingly.  The riders will be coming through the Coastside on a Monday morning after the normal peak commute of around 7:00-7:45 a.m., for Coastsiders driving to school or commuting south on Hwy 1 to Hwy 92 East into the greater Peninsula or Silicon Valley.  Also, the Tour website provides a schedule of estimated times for the various stages of the ride.  Our area is in Stage 2 of the tour.

Below are estimated times of when the riders will be in the specific Coastside areas:

• 9:11 - 9:23 Hwy 1 southbound, Pacifica City limits
• 9:32 Montara/Moss Beach
• 9:39 - 9:59 El Granada
• 9:44 Half Moon Bay, Mirada Rd
• 9:54 Half Moon Bay, Miramontes Point
• 10:06 East on Tunitas Creek Rd

More detail:  Tour of California Stage 2 schedule for Monday, Feb 16, 2009

For local day-to-day interest:  Half Moon Bay coastside offers great trails for biking and a terrific bike shop, The Bike Works.  Here’s what people say on Yelp.

I think there must be many happy marriages here.  In fact, couples do get married here in Half Moon Bay.  We’re surrounded by pulsating waves, crisp air, great food, soft sand, the list goes on…

If you plan to bring your valentine to the coast this weekend, there’s plenty of places to get that lovin’ feelin’.  Here’s a couple special events that I know of -

Oceano Hotel & Spa, right on the water in Princeton, is offering a Romantic Valentine’s Day Retreat, through Feb 16.

Local pianist, Lisa Spector, offers a Valentine concert for couples on Sat. Feb 14 and for singles Friday, Feb 13 , both at 8 p.m. (call 650-726-5119 for prices, details), per the online Half Moon Bay Review Community page.

Of course, it’s invigorating to join with your significant other, or call a special friend … put on your walking shoes and stroll along one of the spectacular beaches.  Montara’s beach is amazingly beautiful, and there are several just south of Half Moon Bay that can be very serene.

Here’s a list of local lodging including Bed & Breakfasts, restaurants, and other visitor fun.  Check for availability at all these places first.

Since we eat on the coast frequently, I’m taking my valentine (for 30 years) to dinner at a romantic restaurant in San Francisco.  Perhaps we’ll cap the evening with a sampling of the “hot” confection of the moment, a chocolate-covered caramel with exotic salt.

Image provided by Michael Wong, Spring Mountain Gallery, Half Moon Bay, CA.

Finding a few new interesting folks on Twitter this morning, I came across “DariusDunlap”.  He writes a blog about tech, music, politics, etc., which looked interesting, so I started following him.  He tweeted that New Leaf Market will be donating 5% of all sales today to Square Peg Foundation, a program to enhance life skills by working with horses.  This caught my attention because my daughter started riding and living in a world with horses at age 5 and I believe it changed the way she viewed the world.  We still have a horse that needs a new home.  She’s now in college.  Check out this local program, or you could stop by New Leaf on this crisp winter day for some of their delicious warm soup…or stock up on junk healthy snacks for Superbowl Sunday.

Rich, at local vacation home Harbor Vista includes me on his mailing list.  I got this notice this morning…then sent a note to see if I could make this available to my readers as well, so here’s the offer:

We’ve got an open week coming up at our house, from Jan 23 (update:  just booked this afternoon) Jan 25 to 30th.  I wanted to offer it to our mailing list first, at 50% off, or $200/night for Mon-Thurs and $250/night for Fri-Sun, with a 3 night minimum.  Lodging tax or pet fees are not included.

In case you need a reminder of our home’s amenities, our website is http://www.harborvista.us/. 

We recently converted the downstairs to a 4th bedroom, and pictures are available on our site.

I’m also offering February nights at 15% off.

If you’re interested, you can reach me at the number or email address below.

Regards,

Rich Gaushell

(650) 284-4098

owners@harborvistahmb.com”

Check the Coastside page for more fun things to do in the area.

Sustainability.  Sustain a mortgage, sustain a city, sustain a home, and of course, sustain our planet.  This will require a shift in our collective thinking.  Sustainability has yet to reach a tipping point, yet many of us are beginning to make lifestyle decisions based on their sustainability factors.

Home vs investment.  The debate continues as to whether your primary residence real estate purchase is a investment, in the true sense, in addition to your home.  The coming year will see a shift based on the basic question:  “Is this the home I want to be in for several years?” versus “Could this property give me a good return on my investment?”  Those of us looking at retirement strategies are asking this question again.

Conventional wisdom will be questioned.  Buyers and sellers will begin to realize that lives cannot or will not wait for the big guns to get their act together.  We’re in unprecedented times and we’re all adjusting.  Rather, they are beginning to take a hard look at their current financial situation, and will begin to strategize on how to get to the next step in their lives.  Call it thinking out of the box, or tossing old “tapes” that no longer apply.

News source selection.  Consumers have control over where they get their real estate news, but many don’t know it yet.  They still read the newspaper headlines, web news headlines, or mainstream media.  More and more people will select their media sources and news feeds for additional information, or trends, or analysis on issues that they feel is pertinent to the decisions they need to make.  Select your information sources into a custom Reader, download podcasts from respected sources, read the blogs of industry experts.  These sources are becoming more respected and used.

Know your Neighbor.  It just seems like the more deregulated we became, the more isolated we became.  (This is not a political statement, just an observation!)  Connections is a keyword of 2009.  Whether it’s within a local community, neighborhood, office, or industry.  There are more ways than ever to connect; however, connecting will go beyond just adding a name to your “friend” list, or attending the annual picnic.  It will be more about what can we learn from each other, or create together, or share with each other on a regular basis.

Ok, so why did I come up with such a list and why this list of 5 topics?

I started this post because I’m reading articles with the word “sustainable” in them practically every day.  My realization that this concept will continue to evolve beyond just environmental concerns got me thinking about what else I think will change in 2009.  The other four quickly came to mind.  They are just my opinion.

There may be others, they just didn’t come to me this morning.  Share a comment if you have another thought or want to expand on one of the issues.  Let’s make 2009 a good year.  Thanks for reading.

Happy New Year.