Sequim Vacation November Round-up

Dear Sequim vacation visitors,

November with cloudy rainy days has arrived in sunny Sequim. Mostly Sequim gets a good share of its annual average 12 inches rainfalls during the month of November. It's a good time to head south, if you have a chance to do so. Jennifer's Sequim summer vacation photos are just perfect to warm your body and soul.

After a beautiful Indian Summer September in Sequim, October surprised us with more rainy days than we normally get. It didn't stop the last berries from ripening and getting eaten. My last raspberries from my own bushes at the house were a little watery though.

What else is new in Sequim? The big town talk is that the German restaurant + Deli 'Sauerkraut' had to close its doors after trying to win the hearts + taste buds of Sequim residents and Sequim visitors for 6 months. As long as our Sequim visitors were here, it seemed to work but since the number of Sequim visitors already goes down in September, little Sequim town with about 6000 residents cannot compensate. We were sorry to hear that the Sauerkraut owners had to file for bankruptcy.


I have a feeling that new businesses starting in Sequim have sometimes too high expectations and don't calculate their numbers right. OK big businesses like Costco and HomeDepot still go big, despite economic slowdown but everybody else who depends on a good number of customers struggles, even Safeway had to adjust their prices to attract daily customers back, which works well for us, the Sequim customers.

Well, Sequim visitors might have left for the winter till spring next year, unless there are a few visitors still roaming the many homes for sale in Sequim and trying to catch a bargain, when real estate prices are still low before it all turns around for the better. Anyways, Sequim is not yet 'hibernating'. I was amazed to hear from a friend who volunteers at the Sequim Visitors Center that they stay open all year round. Great to see that Sequim and its community of retired people are hustling and bustling from event to event, especially at the Sequim Senior Center.

The Fall Arts and Crafts Show is already over. Wednesday 11/8, Elwha River Casino gets visited on the special Senior Day. In addition to the daily activities at the Senior Center, there are tours to museums, nurseries and more. In the center of attraction is the Traditional Thanksgiving Turkey Dinner on November 24 at the Senior Center with 2 seatings.

However, before we start decorating our Sequim homes and houses for the holiday season, let's enjoy a few more of Jennifer's Sequim summer vacation photos - reminiscences of a beautiful Sequim summer vacation 2009. Come visit Sequim in 2010!

Tags: Sequim vacation, Sequim weather, Thanksgiving in Sequim

Sequim Vacation Photos - Summer at Hurricane Ridge

Dear Sequim vacation lovers,
As promised in our recent Sequim Vacation Photo post, we finally took the time to include more of our Hawaii photographer friend, Jennifer Crites, from her Summer vacation in Sequim. We mostly visit Hurricane Ridge in water because the white winter wonderland with the spectacular Olympic Mountains as backdrop is an experience we don't want to miss each winter.


Well, Jennifer's summer Hurricane Ridge photos will make you visit Hurricane Ridge right now. Our Indian Summer weather - today we have for the first time a cloud cover over Sequim, but blue holes are already showing - for the last week makes everybody aah and ooh. We had some great Sequim spring weather this year, no 'June gloom' whatsoever, followed by a hot summer, at least for Sequim temperature records, and looks like this will continue all the way into fall season 2009.

Maybe, the reason for this straight through sunny weather through all the Sequim seasons is El Nino or maybe it's the climate change. Who knows! We enjoy it!

Thanks for visiting our Sequim Town blog for your Sequim vacation plans. Enjoy the summer photos of Hurricane Ridge. It's not too late for a Sequim vacation.






Tags: sequim vacatation rental, sequim vacation, best monthly rate Sequim

Sequim Vacation in Photos Part 1

Dear Sequim vacation lovers,

Today, we have a special post written by our friend Jennifer Crites, renowned travel writer and Hawaii photographer. Read more about Jennifer by visiting our Hawaii blog and her photography website. Jennifer and Jerry spent an extended Sequim summer vacation on the Olympic Peninsula.

Perfect timing for getting away from hot Hawaii and enjoying a cooler weather in Sequim between the Olympic Mountains and the Straits Juan De Fuca. As a professional photographer, Jennifer could not resist 'catching' the beautiful scenery around us on her Sequim vacation with her camera. Please, enjoy Jennifer's Sequim vacation in photos Part I.

When on her Sequim vacation, Jennifer visited Crescent Lake and took this fun summer photo of youngsters enjoying the cool lake water.

"We had an absolutely wonderful time on the Olympic Peninsula thanks to our hosts, Heidi and Keoki. Not only did they provide us with maps, brochures and newspapers covering sights and events in the area, they spent time giving us their personal recommendations as to what to see and do, including where to shop for groceries.

We were greeted so warmly the moment we arrived, and felt right at home immediately (what a treat to find bowls of fresh blueberries and raspberries waiting for us on the kitchen counter). Thank you Heidi and Keoki for providing us with a home away from home (we loved everything about the apartment, including the full kitchen and sleep-number bed), and for making our stay so memorable. We can’t wait to return. Following are a few of our visual memories from the scenic Olympic Peninsula."

Thank you Jennifer for all the nice words you have to say about our 'Bell Hill View' vacation rental in Sequim and about us and of course, for contributing all those wonderful photos of
Sequim and area to our Sequim Town blog.

Crescent Lake area: an easy hike through forests and across picturesque wooden bridges to a stunning waterfall.





The hiking trails at Fort Worden near Port Townsend lead past scores of old military bunkers and gun emplacements, and fantastic views of the Strait of San Juan de Fuca.


Tags: Sequim vacation, Sequim photos

Organic berries in Sequim

Dear Sequim and berry lovers,

As I love any kind of berries and Sequim is berry country, this post has been on my to-do list for a long time. So, let's forget for a moment our recent 'Sequim Real Estate Update August 2009'.

In summer 2006, we experienced the abundance of berries in Sequim and surroundings the first time. I don't mean the berries in the stores but I refer to fresh berries on the bushes. We discovered strawberries + raspberries at U-Pick Graysmarsh Berry Farm in June + July and blueberries in August + September. I felt in Berry Paradise but then I remembered that I had read many times that strawberries and raspberries are more prone to picking up any bad stuff from pesticides or herbicides.

After we had sold our house in Sun Meadows with our own blueberry and raspberry bushes, I went to Henery's Nursery and picked up a number of raspberry bushes for putting in at our new house. We were surprised to see all kinds of different raspberries ripening on our bushes last year, even sweet yellow raspberries. However, we faced a problem with the deer. All our houses on Oak Hill are former deer country. The deer don't know that we live now here and still roam around at night - motion lights don't disturb them at all - and even at bright daylight.

Keoki built a fishing line protection around our raspberry bushes this year and the deer really stayed away from 'frequently 'pruning' our raspberries by munching on the fresh sprouts. The deer don't like to bump their noses into the fishing line. Our neighbor told us that trick, and it works! We have now a steady supply of fresh organic raspberries.

Coming back to our post title 'Organic berries in Sequim'. We were pleasantly surprised when Graysmarsh this spring announced that they grow now organic strawberries on separate fields. I paid a bit more more money and the plants and fruits were not as big as the non-organic, but the fruits were really tasty.

However, something interesting happened when the blueberries got ripe at Graysmarsh Farm. Newspaper ads said 'Organic Blueberries' for $2 U-Pick. As this was on the high end of U-Pick berries in Sequim, I decided to check it out and asked for the organic blueberry fields but there were none. It was the same old bushes where I had picked before. When asking about this at Graysmarsh, I was told that the raspberries + blueberries had ALWAYS been organic. They just had not said so, and they are not certified organic. The blueberries just got magically 'upgraded' to organic because people like to hear 'organic'. If only somebody could keep an eye on that name game with the word organic!

To cut a long story short. We pick our organic U-Pick blueberries for $1.50/pound at a small farm, which we know for certain that they does not use any chemical sprays or animal fertilizers. And best of all, everybody can pick organic blackberries in Sequim, just make sure not to pick along walkways where Sequim town might have sprayed to keep the weeds from growing. Sequim's blackberries are juice and sweet as ever!
p.s.
I almost forgot to update our Sequim vacation rental features. We have now for our guests a washer and dryer in the garage available. Cassie from CA will be the first one to try it out on her September stay. She is looking for a nice Sequim house to rent for herself for moving to Sequim for good. If you have a nice 2Bd/2Ba Sequim house for rent, please, email us.

Tags: organic berries in sequim, sequim home for rent, sequim vacation

Sequim Real Estate Update August 2009

Welcome back to our Sequim Town blog visitors,

First things first. We had a great break from the reported heat wave with nice cool temperatures as we are used to. Today, temperatures are climbing more than usual though. It's now 1pm and thermometer in the back of our house shows 79F. I think I will delay my walk through the Carrie Blake Park to later this afternoon, when the sun is not so strong.

Somebody told us that our Sequim hummingbirds also migrate. As we had not seen any for over a week, we stopped hanging out the feeder. We definitely miss our little friends. We have been seeing the Canadian geese crisscrossing the skies frequently. They must be gathering and getting ready for their way south!

Well, the birds move south where it's warm and toasty but you might want to move north to the Olympic Peninsula. Most of our Sequim blog visitors are the ones who love Sequim, the Olympic Mountains and our plenty of water around it for a vacation. Another group of mostly retired people have heard about Sequim as a wonderful retirement town - small town living with big town amenities!

Today's Sequim vacation blog post is an update on the real estate market in Sequim and Clallam County, which is especially for those who want to move to Sequim sooner or later. A recent article in the Peninsula Daily News "2nd Quarter home sales rise in Clallam, Prices fall" states that sales of existing home sales grew slightly in Clallam County while prices for homes dropped compared to the 1st quarter. The price of a median home is currently $212,100, which is a drop of 15.2% and somewhat below state average. There are many more real estate stats listed in the article.

Bottom line: Sequim real estate is welcoming buyers. The buyer's market is strengthening. Visit Sequim and see for yourselves what houses are available and at what prices!

A good way to find out whether Sequim living is right for you, is staying in Sequim for a month, maybe even at different months of the year. We offer the best monthly rates for a fully equipped 1Bd/1Ba Sequim vacation rental with top amenities at premier, peaceful location, near Park + Shopping! We are happy to share our knowledge of life in Sequim and moving to Sequim with everybody who stays with us!

Tags: Sequim real estate, Homes for sale in Sequim, Sequim home bargains

Heat Wave in Sequim

Has Sequim ever seen such hot temperatures like the 92 F the other day? I seriously doubt it. That's definitely the highest summer temperatures we have experienced since we moved her in January 2006. It does not seem like this heat wave will stop today. Writing this post at 11am, actually temperatures are not too bad: 23C or 74F.

I also checked my Wunderground Sequim weather forecast logo on our Sequim Town Blog and found out that this is totally off, just as our Acuweather forecast in the Peninsula Daily News is. Best you give us a call as our friends did who just moved from Hawaii to Portland OR where they encountered 104 F yesterday.

Let's get things straight. This is the Pacific Northwest which probably never had a heat wave like that in the past. I was so surprised to hear on our Seattle Kiro News last night that most Seattle houses don't have AC. Well, why should they. They never needed it in the past. Temperatures in Seattle were soaring yesterday and are expected to reach 100F today. Movie theaters are having great business because they are air conditioned. Any place which has AC gets some extra business these hot summer days in the the Pacific Northwest.

When we designed our new house in Sequim, we were wondering whether to save the $8000 on a fancy heat pump for an area which is known for its mild winters and cool summers. OK for resale value we decided to get the heat pump, which can also function as AC unit for your entire house. Can you imagine how happy we are that we had done that.

People in Sequim and Seattle are trying to keep their houses cold with portable AC units. Naturally, these are sold out everywhere. Our friend's heat pump in Sun Meadows just failed the other day. Keoki tried to make it work again but no such luck. She had to call the heat pump company and is now lined up with 72 customers all waiting for repair of their heat pumps. There is a 2-day waiting time.

In any case, Sequim summer 2009 is definitely different, compared to its past history, with high temperatures beyond the 80F mark. Everybody is used to high temperatures in TX, AZ and HI but in Sequim?!

We expect Sequim temperatures to come down again to our regular summer temperatures between 70 - 80 F on this upcoming weekend. We will keep you updated on Sequim summer. Stay cool this summer wherever you live!
p.s.
Our next post will be about U-pick berries in Sequim. Are there any organically grown berries available? That will be the question.

Tags: Heat wave PNW, hot summer Sequim, Sequim town

Hummingbirds in Sequim

Dear Sequim Town blog visitors,

Believe me this year's Lavender Festival in Sequim was a huge success. It was our third Sequim Lavender Festival ever since we moved here but this one went through the roof. One could hardly make his way through the street fair and the buses to the Sequim Lavender Farms had even people waiting in line for the next bus, at least when we went by the bus stop.

I was also under impression that the number of business booths had increased whether it was lavender products - the seducing smell was everywhere - or hats, jewelery, signs, leather bags, t-shirts, you name it, you could find it at our street fair in Fir St.

Now, let's jump to our today's post topic. When we moved to Sequim from Hawaii in 2006, we knew all about Sequim weather, annual precipitation, number of people living here, house prices and such. However, we did not know that Sequim is an oasis of hummingbirds. Actually, we did not know much about humming birds because those fun little creatures are not around in Hawaii. Read what Wikipedia has to say about hummingbirds.

Finally, when spring 2009 came to Sequim, we decided to set up a hummingbird feeder on our kitchen balcony where our little dining table is located for taking our meals. After we had watched how all our friends and neighbors enjoyed many visits by their little hummingbird, we wanted to have our own hummingbirds too, and believe us so we do. The following hummingbird video will show.

After having set up the hummingbird feeder on the balcony and adding some sugar water 1/4 cup on 2 cups of water, we had to wait a few days till the birdies showed up. What still amazes me is that the hummingbirds would still try our feeder with all the other hummingbird feeders out there by our Sequim neighbors.

Now, we love our little hummingbird friends on their daily visits and miss them when they don't show up. Anyways, watch Keoki's hummingbird video. He took it with our new digital camera - amazing what those modern cameras can do theses days - and we uploaded it to youtube. Enjoy our Sequim hummingbird video!

Tags: Sequim Lavender Festival, Sequim vacation, Sequim hummingbirds

Sequim 13th Lavender Festival biggest Sequim Event of the Year

The 13th Annual Sequim Lavender Festival is looking round the corner. We already see more visitors in little Sequim town. The big lavender festival event days will be this weekend Friday 16 - Sunday 19 at 10am - 6pm. Last year the lavender was not yet in full bloom for the Festival after a colder and wetter spring season but believe us this year, all the Sequim lavender fields are blooming and sending out this intoxicating and seducing smell of lavender.

We have friends from Hawaii visiting and will be happy to share all the great things in Sequim to do during the Lavender Festival. Sequim visitors and residents alike can buy tickets for the farm tours at $15 a person, children under 12 are free. This lavender ticket allows you to tour all the 7 Sequim Lavender farms like famous Lost Mountain Lavender Farm, Purple Haze, Jardin du Soleil Lavender and more. You may watch and listen to growers share their techniques about growing, drying and using lavender. You can use the tour bus on all three days for free.

In addition to visiting the lavender farms and buying lots of freshly cut lavender and lavender products there, the lavender street fair will offer 150 crafts and lavender booths, food, music and shopping in downtown Sequim. We had such a great time last year and will definitely return.


I never added my photos from the last year's Lavender street fair. Here are Sequim photos to give you a taste of what you may expect at the Sequim street fair. Enjoy Sequim, the Lavender festival, the very friendly Sequim people and our Sequim street fair photos.

Here is some special information for dog owners:

Sequim's famous and unique 'dog sitting' program for the Sequim Lavender Festival operated by Gentle Paws, provides safe comfort for your dog while you enjoy the street fair and the lavender farms. Sorry dogs cannot be allowed on the farms. You will find the location downtown Sequim where the tour buses to the Lavender Farms take off.

Sequim Lavender Festival Related Articles

Sequim Lavender Festival Video
Visit Sequim Lavender Festival 2008
Sequim Lavender Festival

Tags: Sequim, Sequim lavender festival, Sequim vacation

Sequim 1991 RV Motorhome Class C 19' For Sale

1991 Coachman self contained RV Motorhome 19ft for Sale Motorhome Class C in excellent condition Asking price $8,900

SOLD within 4 Days!

We bought this nice looking motorhome van in 2006 from the original owner who always kept it in the garage. The motor home is in good, clean, attractive condition, inside and outside. When we built our house here in Sequim in 2007, we included a motorhome garage for best storage. However, with our house building + moving in project taking up most of our recent time, we hardly used the motorhome since we bought it in 2009.


Class C Motorhome features:

- 1 ton Chevrolet 5.7L - 350 CID
- 50,000 Original miles
- New computer, New Tires
- Automatic, cruise control, Interior Convenience Group
- NEW batteries: 1 automotive + 1 deep cell 12 Volt
- Dometic refrigerator with new cooling unit 2003
- Refrigerator runs on gas, electric or 12 Volt
- Atwood 6 Gal gas water heater, electric ignition, new 2003
- Wedgewood 2 burner propane stove
- Samsung Microwave
- JVC Cassette player w/rear speakers
- Coleman Rooftop air conditioner
- Suburban furnace
- 12 volt Vacuum
- Sofa bed w/memory foam + overhead bed
- rear toilet + shower/tub
- plenty of cabinet space
- 10' Awning
- 4 stabilizing jacks



This Class C Coachman Motorhome 1991 runs great. It can be easily driven. Motorhome gets 15mpg on Hwy. The motorhome van is great for short term vacation trips or guys driving to a job site away from home.

If you are interested in this Class C motorhome for sale at asking price of $8,900 and live in the Sequim, Olympic Peninsula or Seattle area, give us a call for a viewing appointment of our Coachman motorhome 360-504-1157.

Tags: Sequim, Motorhome for Sale, Class C motorhome for Sale, RV 19' Coachman for Sale

Olympic Peninsula Biggest Open House Weekend

Dealing with Sequim vacation and Moving to Sequim, we could not skip this information. Yesterday, we received a brochure in our mail 'The Biggest Open House Weekend on the Olympic Peninsula' this Saturday June 27 + Sunday 28. The brochure was published by the Peninsula Daily News. What it basically means, Sequim and Port Angeles realtors joined the biggest Washington state wide open house weekend announced for this weekend.


One of the headlines on the front cover of this Open House brochure reads 'Over 100 Open Houses this Saturday and Sunday'! I could not resist and counted all the houses for sale listed in Port Angeles and Sequim with open house dates, hours and realtors: 116 homes + lots all together, 43 of those listings were for Sequim.

This is a great effort by WA and Olympic Peninsula realtors to get the housing market moving again. As in the rest of the nation, not much moved or sold in the past 1 to 1 1/2 years. I myself as a lay person see one reason for the current stagnation in the Sequim real estate market that house prices came down somewhat from the inflated prices yet they are still high (too high), especially, when everybody struggles to make ends meet in these days of economic slowdown.

People who originally wanted to move to Sequim, put their project on hold and rather stay where they live right now. This way saving money on expensive moving costs or house closing costs. Quite a number are not able to sell their homes in CA, AZ or Hawaii because they don't want to take huge losses.

Perusing the 100 homes for sale listings, I noticed that there are not many homes under $200K available for purchase. If so, they are really very old, manufactured homes or really small. First time home buyers might get tempted when viewing those homes, especially with the $8,000 tax credit.


We will have to wait and see whether this biggest Open House Weekend on the Olympic Peninsula will be a stimulus for Sequim home buyers. I hope that Sequim realtors were smart enough to advertise it way ahead on Craigslist or ads in CA and AZ.

Tags: Sequim real estate, WA biggest open house weekend, 100 houses for sale