Dungeness River Festival

After our good news for potential Sequim residents that Sequim got listed as one of the Best Retirement Towns by the Water, let's see what is happening this weekend in Sequim. Everybody who visits Sequim or lives in Sequim as attracted by the Dungeness River. If you are around this September weekend 9/26 + 9/27/08, come and visit the Dungeness River Festival.

What is it what attracts us most to Dungeness River? The people of Clallam County community of Sequim, Carlsborg and Dungeness love the river, the wildlife and beautiful scenery around it. We love to walk along the Dungeness or just stop on the Railroad Bridge at Audubon Center to take in the beautiful scenery watching the running river and listening to nature before we continue on our walk or bike ride along the Olympic Discovery Trail.

The River Center, River Center Foundation Jamestown S'Klallam Tribe and Olympic Peninsula Audubon Society are hosting the event from 10am to 4pm Friday and Saturday at Railroad Bridge Park, Hendrickson Rd. Admission is free. The 2-day festival is not only celebrating nature and the great outdoors but educates and entertains visitors and residents of all ages. Come and join us at the Dungeness River. You might be lucky and spot some salmons in the river. See you at the River tomorrow. We will be there with our bikes!
p.s.
This Sequim blog post includes the first photos taken by our new friends, Ron and Mary Nell from Texas, on their recent Sequim Vacation. They fell in love at first sight with Sequim and its beautiful scenery of the Olympic Mountains and the Straits of Juan de Fuca. Our blog visitors will get a chance to read and see what Ron and Mary Nell did on their Sequim vacation. Thanks guys for allowing us to use your photos!

If you plan a Sequim Vacation or buying real estate in the Sequim area because you want to move to Sequim, come back for more beautiful Sequim photos from Ron!

Tags: Sequim, Travel, Vacation, Olympic Peninsula, Olympic Discovery Trail

Best Retirement Towns by the Water

Just a short notice today that Sequim advances on list of best retirement towns! Our friends from Hawaii who follow our new life in Sequim on our Sequim Vacation blog, recently told us that Sequim is listed on Wallet Pop on their 'Road Map to Retirement 2008' as Number 3 of '6 Top Towns on the Water':

"Many baby boomers dream of retiring somewhere by the water. These half-dozen places are on a lake, a river or an ocean -- yet they won't sink your retirement budget." This is what their site is stating about our favorite retirement town Sequim:

Pros: Water, mountains, culture and a small town all at once.
Cons: The Pacific is a tad nippy for a swim.
Located two hours north of Seattle, Sequim (pronounced skwim) offers a lower cost of living and an easier pace than its burgeoning neighbor to the south. For about $300,000, you can get a three-bedroom house there. Read more about Sequim as a retirement option on their site.

Happy to share this information with everybody who put Sequim on their list of best retirement towns. Come and see for yourself. Enjoy a Sequim Vacation combined with house hunting and stay with us at our Sequim Vacation Rental.

p.s.

Speaking of house hunting. Remember our post about the Sequim house for sale auction in Sun Meadows. The winning bidder got the house for $205,000. Congratulations! That was one happy bidder!

Tags: Sequim, travel, vacation, best retirement town, vacation rental

Sequim Home for Sale Auction

We just made it back from a short vacation to the LA area to visit family, Keoki's sister and my niece and families. We had a great time but are happy to be back home again and picking up on our exercise and swimming routine after SARC was closed for maintenance for 2 weeks. It's time to follow-up on our Sequim Vacation blog.

Sequim visitors can get a little lost with our shopping options in Sequim, so my original plan was to write a few shopping tips for Sequim visitors on vacation. Well, that was my intention till I found this morning this advertising on craigslist Olympic Peninsula Homes for Sale '$100,000 Sun Meadows Real Estate Auction (Sequim)'

I actually did not believe my eyes when the Sun Meadows house which our friends had tried to sell for Sale by Owner at $279,000 for over a year - they got two offers for $250,000, which they did not accept - is now up for auction at $100,000. I know the home owners had to move on into an assisted living home and just let go of the house.

I could not resist and called the phone number with the craigslist Sequim Home auction ad. I reached Carl Reed at Connect Realty who gave us auction info by email. The address of the property is America Blvd. in Sun Meadows of Sequim. Interested buyers can inspect the home from 10:00am to 5:00pm both this Saturday and Sunday. The auction will be will be a 'round-robin auction' by phone.

To be honest we both never heard of such an auction. Anyways, everyone interested in the auction will need to leave an initial bid at the home, or by phone for those out of state, during the inspection period. The real estate company will be calling everyone who left an initial bid at 8:00pm on Sunday and giving them an opportunity to advance the high bid. This process will continue in round-robin fashion until only one bidder is left. That bidder will be given the opportunity to purchase the home at the high bid price.

I don't know whether this will turn out as the super deal for a cheap house in Sequim but we are very curious what the final price for this Sequim home will be. If you want to see the house online and lots of photos, we still have it on our website (second listing) Sequim Home for Sale by Owner, Sun Meadows, Near John Wayne Marina. Good luck, if you are entering this Sequim home for sale auction.

Last but not least, if you are looking for a unique upscale luxury Sequim house, don't miss our post Sequim Home. Again, we are not realtors but just regular people who love Sequim and like to help friends who are selling their Sequim home. For all those who look for real estate in Sequim, it's a buyer's market!

Tags: Sequim, Vacation, Travel, Real Estate, Sequim Home for Sale

Sequim Home

Ever since we have moved to Sequim, exploring this town and its splendid surroundings plus meeting new friends has been a top priority in our daily Sequim life. As we told our Sequim blog visitors, the easiest way to make new friends is at SARC Sequim Aquatic Recreation Center. First it's just saying hello and then it's more talk and finally, and after that, it's having the new friends over for dinner and playing some cards.

This is how we met Beate and Jesse several months ago, who had originally moved from California to Sequim. Recently, they told us that they miss their children and grandchildren, which are all still living in the CA area. Going back and forth does not seem to be an option for them anymore.


Now, their biggest project is letting go of and selling their beautiful Sequim house. As we did in the past with other Sequim Homes for Sale by Owner, we told them we are happy to help and share the house information with our Sequim town blog visitors. Most of Sequim visitors are looking for Sequim real estate as an investment for later or buying a house to retire in Sequim. So, Beate and Jesse invited us to a house tour...

Driving on a private country lane lead us into the large turnaround. The home welcomed us before we even entered it. Warm, old-fashioned with many flower baskets, yet modern, it made us admire the work of the Seattle architect who had designed it. We really wanted to settle into the hammock on the sunny porch and look at the mountains but our friends saw us, so we got ready for the house tour. We went inside and were surprised to find a formal entry hall as warm as any room. Light from everywhere. As ex-Hawaiians, we loved that! A fireplace can be lit right in the entry during the winter season.


From the house it's an easy walk to the Dungeness Spit, where committed hikers can approach the 5-mile hike to the Dungeness Lighthouse or paddle along the coast in a kayak. Jesse is a passionate fisherman and goes out with his 20ft boat to catch some big fish, as you can easily see from out photo. We were lucky as we got invited to a fresh catch dinner of King Salmon. What a treat! Jesse showed us his special place outside the house - pretty mosaic fish/vegetable cleaning trough - where he can prepare the fresh fish. Before having dinner, I went with Beate to pick some fresh berries from her organic garden for dinner dessert. So delicious! Keoki and Jesse played some pool downstairs in the guest quarters in the meantime.


My favorite place is the kitchen. Who minds having to cook while watching all that is going on outside through 3 large windows! Mt. Baker is an ever impressing sight with its snow-covered summit.

One sees the Dungeness lighthouse being dwarfed by humongous container vessels, and the cruise ships heading to Alaska which look like ghost ships all lit up when it gets dark. I liked the upstairs a lot also, but best of all coming down the elegant staircase made me feel like a queen. Yes, weird, but true.

And why would B & J want to move away from this? I guess dreams change, especially with the arrival of 3 grandkids too far away ...

Well, if you want to see more house photos, description in detail and all the inside and outside features of this Luxury Sequim Home go to Sequim Homes for Sale. For a house viewing appointment with Jesse and Beate, send us an email at Sequim Town blog and we happily connect you with them.

Related Sequim Real Estate Articles

Sequim Home for Sale in Sun Meadows

Sequim Home with a View

Sequim Home for Sale

Tags: Sequim, Real Estate, Sequim Home, Vacation, Sequim Home for Sale