Sequim Elk Herd

When talking about Sequim, one cannot forget to mention the Sequim Elk Herd. Even if you won't see them on your visit to Sequim, you will be made aware that they are around. The Sequim Town Welcome sign says it all...this is the town where the elks (still) live. It's not to everybody's delight.

As the Sequim elks are roaming around freely and don't know any boundaries, they are not really that welcome by the farmers or gardeners. Sequim town is growing fast, so the area where they can hang out without interfering with residents' life gets smaller and smaller. For quite some time, there have been talks to relocate the elks to another area. For now, they are still here.

The Highway 101 flashing caution lights remind us of their presence and the need for caution on this stretch of highway.Some of the Sequim elk wear transmitting radio collars. The Washington Department of Fish & Wildlife monitors the herd by using portable receivers with directional antennas. In addition, collar signals are sent to an innovative system of receivers along Highway 101 just east and south of Sequim. These receivers pick up the elk signals, triggering flashing lights on elk crossing signs to warn motorists when elk are close enough to be a collision danger.

The Sequim elk herd is comprised of approximately 100 Roosevelt elk who consider the Sequim area part of their range. They move about in the foothills east of the Dungeness River, south to approximately Blyn, east of the City of Sequim and north to Port Williams Road. When not in the forest, they graze in farm fields and lawns. Fences do not normally bar their movement. We got a good look at the elks, just the other day when they were hanging out on a big open meadow off Sequim Bay Rd which leads to Sequim Bay Marina.

Luckily, I had my camera and got a few nice shots. A camera with a telescope would have been better but we take what we get. Of course, we were not the only people who stopped to have a good look this amazing picture of the Sequim elk herd. We were happy to see them so close but definitely everybody tried not to agitate the elks and keep a nice distance to the elks. The Sequim elk herd is not tame, although they may appear to be. Normally, they avoid close contact with people and generally move away when approached. However, they may show signs of agitation if people get too close or when people or cars block what they consider to be an escape route. The elks can move very rapidly when reacting to danger.

Let's enjoy the Sequim elks as long as they are around. Have a great weekend in currently not so sunny Sequim!
p.s.
Hope you had a chance to visit the Sequim Garden Show last weekend.

Tags: Sequim Sights, Sequim Elk Herd

Sequim Garden Show

Hello to all current and future Sequimers,

After showing you the beauty of Sequim Bay Marina in our last post, here is a short note on our new Sequim house construction. We are still on schedule. Insulation got in this week and finally our big picture window for the living/dining area. What a view of Bell Hill and the Olympic Mountains! New photos coming soon!

Remember Sequim is rich in festivals and other annual events. I nearly forgot to mention this weekend's Sequim Garden Show. the Boy's and Girl's Club in Fir St will be transformed into a gardener's paradise during the the 9th Annual Soroptimist Annual Garden Show. More than 80 vendors represent all facets of gardening - from plants and landscaping to sunrooms. For more information, visit their website Sequim Garden Show.

Well, since we are talking about March events in Sequim, let's mention this one too, organized by the Olympic Peninsula Bird Fest: Grab your binoculars and come to the Olympic Peninsula Bird Fest Friday March 30 to Sunday April 1, 2007 in Sequim, Washington. Visitors will find guided birding trips, boat tours, kayaking, salmon banquet, and many other presentations.

Today, we would also like to invite Sequimers to join our Sequim blog. If you like to write and would like to share some information with people who consider to retire in Sequim or want to come for a vacation to sunny Sequim, please, let us know. Anything goes: from Sequim real estate, Sequim Festivals & Events, Sequim weather, Outdoor activities...whatever you like.

We are looking foward to hearing from you with your Sequim article (short is fine). Have a great weekend. The Sequimmers

Tags: Sequim, vacation, travel

Sequim Bay John Wayne Marina

Sequim Bay Marina

After our little visit to the Sequim Lighthouse, it's more sightseeing time for new Sequim residents or visitors who come on vacation to Sequim. One of our favorite areas to walk to is the Sequim Bay Marina or even better know as John Wayne Marina. It's a nice 1 mile walk from Sun Meadows subdivision. Great place to hang out, watch the boats and the wild life in the ocean and on land and just enjoy a peaceful place.

Sequim Bay Marina was constructed in 1985 on 22 acres of land donated by the John Wayne family. John Wayne frequented Sequim Bay waters aboard the family yacht – the “Wild Goose”. Today, the marina features permanent and guest moorage, excellent marine services, a restaurant, showers, laundry and banquet facilities, and provides boat launch ramps, fuel facilities, public beach access and picnic areas. John Wayne Marina is easily accessible from Seattle, the San Juan Islands and Canada. Transient morage is usually available for those who wish to boat up to Sequim Bay and enjoy the weekend.

Have fun enjoying Sequim Bay Marina on your boat trip or just on foot, as we do. Have a fun time in Sequim. The Sequimers
p.s.
Here is some useful information on the Sequim Bay Yacht Club. Boat lovers may contact John Wayne Marina Harbormaster Ron Amundson P: (360) 417-3440 or by Email Ron.

See a map for directions to John Wayne Marina.

Tags: Sequim John Wayne Marina, Sequim Sights

Sequim Lighthouse

Sequim Lighthouse
As this blog is not just referring to our life in Sequim but also is supposed to tell Sequim visitors about things to do and places to go, we are starting a few Sequim Sightseeing posts.

One of our trips when on vacation in Sequim was a hike to the Dungeness Spit. It was quite foggy that day (at least by the ocean), so we were quite surprised to find other hikers and even kayakers taking off from the beach. We were not sure how many of the tourists who started their walk on the beach along the the Dungeness Spit in the direction to the Sequim Lighthouse ever made it. We are still planning on doing the 5-mile walk to the end of the Dungeness Spit and resting at the Lighthouse. Summer time will be the right time to go on the adventure.

For now, let's share some information on the Lighthouse. First of all, the Lighthouse is still working because of the New Dungeness Light Station Association. Association members pay a 'keeper's fee' for an opportunity to live and work at the historic lighthouse. Annual membership family membership is $30. The Dungeness Light Station is completely maintained by the volunteer keepers, many of whom stay a week at a time at the station. To find out more about the schedule openings, go to Dungeness Light Station Keepers.

The sound of waves softly rolling ashore and eagles soaring overhead are awaiting you. Serenity now! Have a fun vacation in Sequim. The Sequimers

Tags: Sequim Sights, Sequim Lighthouse, Sequim Vacation

Sequim Senior Center

First thing we noticed when we moved to Sequim - actually the sign was big enough to already spot it when we were on our Sequim vacation - was the Sequim Senior Center. The Senior Center and Sequim Aquatic Recreation Center are probably the most prominent places where retired seniors in Sequim meet and socialize.

For just $30 membership fees a year, seniors can enjoy a wide spectrum of activities or classes to keep mind and body in optimal shape or just having fun meeting other seniors. Most classes are free but selected classes require a fee. Here is a selection of the free activities at the Sequim Senior Center: Bingo, Scrabble Stretch Yoga, Pinochle, Taxaide, Senior Workout, Walking Group, Spanish, Knitting, Tae Kwon Do, Diabetes Support and more.

Frequent Tours and trips find a great resonance amongst the members of the Sequim Senior Center. Senior tours in March include trips to Tacoma's 3 Museums, trip to Phoenix and Marysville among others. The center is a non-profit organization and many members volunteer their time to keep it operating.

We are looking forward to seeing you at SARC and the Sequim Senior Center. The Sequimers.

Tags: Sequim Senior Center, Sequim

Sequim Stretch Class at SARC

Hi everybody,

When you move to Sequim, the first and most important action, after buying a house, is signing up with Sequim Aquatic Recreation Center SARC. This will keep you in the best shape of your life plus contribute to meeting new friends in Sequim.

The annual membership is quite affordable, especially when you are a senior. With your SARC membership you don't only get access to all the fantastic gym exercise machines and aquatic recreation, but you will also get a huge discount on all classes Yoga, Tai Chi or Stretch Class.

After we moved to Sequim in January 2006 and got settled in, we joined SARC and Keoki started teaching his Easy Stretch class. He had been teaching his stretch class in Hawaii for over 20 years to senior citizens. This was a great opportunity to continue spreading the word of the importance of stretching for health in the lives of Sequim senior citizens. Now, he teaches the Easy Stretch class twice a week Mondays and Wednesdays 10:30am - 11:30am at SARC.

Just come by and check out the fun stretching your body (easy full body stretches!) and a guided relaxation at the end. Get your energy flowing with a nice chant, just as the Hawaiian people do. You are gonna love it. If you want to get into a nice regular stretching routine, you can also buy Keoki's Easy Stretch video: A video combining 30min of full body stretches and 10min of guided relaxation to the sound of gentle ocean waves, with your guide Keoki. Stretch with Keoki's exercise video in the privacy of your home. Read more below about the benefits of stretching and how this Hawaii stretch & relaxation video had developed.

Feel free to contact us for more information on the 'Easy Stretch video - Body/Mind Relaxation'. You may also visit our website Hawaii Stretch Video for benefits of Stretching and Testimonials from Happy Easy Stretchers.


New Easy Stretch DVD is now available at low price $24.95 + FREE shipping through PayPal's secure server. Sold USA + Canada Only:

Sequim residents can call us 360-504-1157 for buying Easy Stretch video or DVD. No S/H fees apply. See you at Stretch Class in Sequim. Keoki, stretchguy

Tags: Sequim Stretch class, Stretch Video, Stretch DVD

Sequim Aquatic Recreation Center

Just a short message from the Sequimers today:

After Keoki got finally done with his 14-day jury duty in Port Angeles, we are happy to be back to our exercise routine to visit three times a week the Sequim Aquatic Recreational Center. Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays are our work-out days.

What makes the SARC, short form for the long word, so attractive to retired residents in Sequim, like us, is that you can get a whole body and mind workout done. The gym offers more machines than you have seen anywhere else and more than you can actually use during one visit. You have to make decisions. Personal trainers are available, if you don't know how to use the machines best. After our workout, we use the stretching area in one part of the gym.

After all the hard work exercising on bikes, treadmill, cross trainer etc., it's great to finish with a relaxing lap swim (don't want to go for recors) or just relax in pool, jacuzzi and sauna. How better can it get?! We always tell people that SARC is a worthwhile reason to buy a house in Sequim and move to sunny Sequim on the Olympic Peninsula. More on our life in Sequim soon. The Sequimers.

Tags: Sequim Aquatic Recreation Center, Moving to Sequim

Sequim Home with a View

Hi again from the Olympic Peninsula,

We are quite sure our most recent post about our friends' Sequim Home for Sale got your interest, provided you are discussing to move to sunny Sequim, just like we did.

Got to tell you this. Before we went house hunting in Sequim during our fall vacation in 2005, we had done our homework online. We showed up in Sequim with a long list of houses and addresses, which we thought were worthwhile looking at, as they met our price range and location expectations. No realtor involved! We wanted to get a first impression of the house, property and surrounding and not being talked into things.

This approach of Sequim house hunting worked well. The online listings don't always show you the whole picture...how close is the next door neighbor or the highway or a new subdivision under construction. After two days, our list of about 12 Sequim houses was down to maybe two or three houses for sale. Now, it was time to get a realtor involved and things got interesting.

We noticed pretty soon that with buying a house in Sequim, the question is: Do you want Mountain View (Olympic Mountains ) or Ocean View (all the way to Victoria, Vancouver Island) or even both? We furthermore noticed that Ocean Views, like from Bell Hill were rated higher than the Mountain Views. Much over our budget, what we wanted to spend on a house in Sequim. For houses with ocean views from upscale Bell Hill neighborhood, you have to dig deep into your pocket.

Bottomline of today's post, if you want to have a house with a view in Sequim, you have to pay for it, just like everywhere else. We had found a nice house in Sun Meadows with a glimpse of the Olympic Mountains but nice sunny exposure and both fell in love with it at first sight plus the price was right. Well, our new Sequim house will have nice mountain views. We won't complain! Love from the Sequimers. Stay tuned on our Sequim Life.

Tags: Sequim Home for Sale, Sequim, vacation

Sequim Home for Sale

More on our Sequim life...

We mentioned in an earlier post that we'd like to help friends to sell their Sequim house FSBO. Today we want to take the chance and promote their home for sale in Sun Meadows, just a short 1 mile drive to Sequim town and to John Wayne Marina. So, we would like to tell you a little bit more about their house in Sun Meadows and show you a few photos.

Why should somebody move to Sequim? Sequim enjoys mild weather, truly spectacular scenery, and the bounty of land and sea. Read more about this special place called Sequim. Best of all, homes and real estate can still be acquired at an affordable price, even though Sequim has seen a steady, strong growth in real estate market value over the last few years. If you liked what you read about Sequim and the Olympic Peninsula, this might be the perfect home for your retirement in Sequim.

Beautiful Sequim 1786sq.ft 2 Bd/2Ba home + den (office) and attached finished 528sq.ft double garage for sale by owner in peaceful neighborhood of Sun Meadows, with a short 1-mile drive to John Wayne Marina in Sequim Bay (perfect for boat lovers) or to Sequim town for shopping and other activities. House enjoys the advantage of great Southern exposure and beautiful mountain views. House is built with high quality Hardi Board siding (no rotting, no termites!) and 20-year composition roof.

This one level 2004 built Sequim home features an open floor plan with beautiful vaulted ceiling and oversized south-facing windows in spacious great room providing dramatic views of Olympic Mountains & sunsets with seasonal sightings of eagles, Canadian geese, ducks, birds and frogs. Laminate hardwood floors, custom window treatments, lots of closets and cupboards make this house your new perfect home in sunny Sequim. Spacious kitchen features plenty of maple cabinets & Island with slide out drawers for additional comfort and convenience provides additional storage space plus nice preparation area or extra seating for bar stools.

This Sequim House is SOLD.

Good luck with your Sequim house hunting project. Your comments are welcome.

The Sequimmers

Tags: Moving to Sequim, Retire in Sequim, Sequim home for sale

Sunny Sequim on the Olympic Peninsula

How better can the weather get in sunny Sequim?!

It's the beginning of March. Today, the sun has been shining since the early morning, temperatures are at 60 degrees F (that's about 15 Celsius Centigrade!) in the shade, and everybody is outside, either doing caring for the early spring flowers (we have the first daffodils blooming, I see crocus at other places) or doing a nice neighborhood walk through Sun Meadows or do a jog like myself.

We are very happy about this nice dry spring weather. First, we were both sceptical about building a house over 'winter' but just as last year, when we moved to Sequim, the months January and February were quite dry. Perfect for our new Sequim house construction. To be honest, we have long given up paying to the weather forecasts from our local TV stations Komo4News from Seattle, as the forecast in 95% does not apply to Sequim. Just recently, Seattle got hit by an ice storm leaving lots of crashed commuter cars, behind. Sequim did not even have any rain. Yes, Sequim is in the rain shadow of the Olympic Mountains and has the famous blue hole. We are more than happy to retire in Sequim!

Stay tuned on Sequim life from two retirees. Greetings from the Sequimers

Tags: Sequim weather, Sequim rainshadow

Breaking news from our life in Sequim

Hi to all our friends in Sequim, in the US and the rest of the world,

We wanted to keep you updated on our new life in Sequim but it looks like with all the new things happening in our life, we lost you after our last post Christmas in Sequim.

The Sequimers are back! Here is what happened in the meantime. In December last year, we bought a nice lot in Sequim on a little hill of oak trees overlooking Bell Hill and a panoramic views of the Olympic Mountains. This was supposed to be a real estate investment. However, it turned out that Keoki could not resist the urge to build right there.

So, now you know what kept us busy after that. We put all our efforts in selling our current Sequim house in Sun Meadows as a for Sale by Owner, which we had done before. To sell a house or condo FSBO takes a lot of commitment and strategy. As usual, we received the biggest response from Craigslist with people from Californa, Oregon and Alaska making viewing appointments.

As everybody knows, the real estate market had considerably slowed down, even in the much desired retirement town of Sequim. We were lucky. Our buyer found our sign on the way to his boat in the marina. Escrow closing will be 3/15/07. It looks like we can still rent our house for another month from the new owner of our Sequim house, which we appreciate a lot. Now our full focus is on the house construction of new house in Sequim city limits.

If you know of anybody who is still looking for a Sequim home for sale, we can help. Our Sun Meadows friends Arlyne and Bill want to sell their house FSBO. Their Sequim house for sale has lots of privacy and beautiful mountain views. Look at photos Sequim Home for Sale. Our friends would like to move into an assited living home in Tacoma. We would be happy to help them to sell their house.

That's it for today. We will stay in touch about our Sequim life more frequently. Stay tuned with Life in Sunny Sequim. The Sequimers

Tags: Sequim home for sale, Sequim house construction