No White Christmas in Sequim

After Sequim got packed with snow before the Thanksgiving holidays, Sequim did not get the White Christmas, as some people expected. With pretty high winds during the recent days, most everybody who didn't need to go out, relaxed in their warm home enjoying nice company of family or friends and great food and Chrsitmas cookies.

Finally, I find a minute to include a photo of our house when driveway and house were covered in the first snow. The photos were taken right when the first snow had fallen over night. Enjoy this winter image of Sequim.

By the way, Christmas Day was blessed with some nice sunshine and calm weather, which allowed Sequim residents to venture out in Carrie Blake Park or along the Discovery Trail.

Thanksgiving in Sequim with Snow?

Who knows? So far it looks like that Sequim will have 'white' Thanksgiving. On Saturday last week the first - unusual - snow flakes fell on Sequim , after Hurricane Ridge had already received a big load of the white stuff, meaning we will soon see whether the big winter project to keep Hurricane Ridge open 7 days a week and not just on the weekends, weather permitted, will work.

This is not the only challenge for this winter on the Olympic Peninsula. This early heavy snow fall - yesterday more than 8 inches in Sequim, Schools are closed today in Port Angeles and in Sequim! - is defintely a big challenge for Sequim town authorities to keep the streets open with snow ploughs thus prevent accidents and traffic jams. Anybody who needed to go through Sequim town yesterday knows what I am talking about. It was a challenge and those who made it back home safely and with no bumps to their cars, were very happy when they were back in their homes.

Our recommendation for this winter in Sequim. Make sure you have good tires. Best to put some winter tires on. Stock up with food and all the other household necessities. So you can sit back and relax by the fireplace when Sequim will be covered with more snow. Forecast for the Pacific Northwest speaks of a 'winter storm.' Remember it's a La Nina' yearand even moderate climate Sequim is supposed to see some tough winter. Be safe and Happy Thanksgiving in Sequim, WITH Snow.

Sequim Mushroom Show

Hello everybody who loves Sequim and a Sequim vacation,

First of all, thanks to all of our Sequim Town blog followers for being so dedicated with reading about our life in Sequim as retired people and what's it like to come to Sequim on vacation.

I tell you what, life in Sequim is never boring. Even if you cannot do tough hikes in the Olympic Mountains anymore or bike the Olympic Discovery Trail, just hop in your car and drive to one of our many Sequim events. Just as Sequim events attract people from other parts of the Olympic Peninsula, we Sequim residents like to visit events in Port Angeles or Port Townsend. But this time we got lured to a Sequim event, not far from our own house.

Early Sunday afternoon, we did not hop in our car but we hopped on our bikes and rode to the Elk's Lodge in Sequim, where the Annual Wild Mushroom Show took place put together by the members of the Olympic Peninsula Mycological Society. We were extremely surprised about the huge number of people and the number of mushrooms! It must have taken the members a lot of time to pick the variety of wild mushrooms and to display them wonderfully on green moss on different tables, the edible ones separated from the poisonous or not recommend ones!

All the mushrooms had signs which stated their botanical names, whether it's edible and if so, what the taste is like! Three wild mushroom experts helped visitors who had brought mushroom samples or a whole basket with mushrooms to get their mushrooms identified.

Bottom line of the Wild Mushroom Show was sharing with the public that there are many wild mushrooms growing on the Olympic Peninsula - over 300 fungi, can you imagine?! - but a lot resemble each other and it's not always easy to identify the good from the bad. So if you are not certain about a mushroom in your basket, don't eat it.


If you love eating mushrooms, you might want to join the Olympic Peninsula Mycological Society in order to know better next time. As this fall season's weather has been wetter than usual, wild mushrooms are growing everywhere in Sequim and surroundings. Mushroom picking can be fun when spending a fall vacation in Sequim!

Tags: Sequim events, events Olympic Pensinsula, Sequim Mushroom Show

What's up with Sequim weather in September?

Dear Sequim lovers,

Haven't we all been recently wondering what's up with our normally sunny Sequim weather in September? Well, when I opened the front page of Daily Peninsula News today, I and the rest of us curious Sequim residents found the answer, right on the front page. Those cooler, rainier days this September on the Olympic Peninsula are all due to strengthening the 'La Niña' climate phenomenon.

La Niña, which started to develop at the end of last month, brought an unusual cooling of the tropical Pacific Ocean and with it quite a number of rainy and cloudy days to the Pacific Northwest, the Peninsula and Sequim. Last year, we had an El Niño year, which is just the opposite of La Niña, which brought above average warmer weather to the area. I and the other gardeners and berry pickers of Sequim naturally loved it. I picked raspberries and blueberries all into the middle of October.

Yes, we still have berry season but the berries, like the blackberries, are getting moldy on the bushes. My raspberries at our house are still OK but at Graysmarsh, I noticed molding of their raspberries depleting them really fast. Because of all the rain, I did not go pick blueberries. Blueberries are different to raspberries + blackberries and don't soak up all that water but who knows how they survive the rain. Just checked with Graysmarsh website. The farm is only open for picking Saturday + Sundays.

Another negative effect of the missing sun in Sequim this fall is that my tomato plants are full of tomatoes but they are all green and don't seem to ripen at all. To tell you the truth I don't care much for green tomatoes. I still have not totally given up on the sun coming out and ripening my tomatoes and raspberries. Who knows with the special weather in Sequim. Hope Sequim with its special location in the rain shadows of Olympic Mountains, is more protected from storms and bad weathers than the rest of the Pacific Northwest and the Olympic Peninsula.

We got to face the truth though. The prognosis for this winter on the Peninsula and in Sequim is colder temperatures, more rain and snow - yes, snow on the Peninsula and of course, more snow for the happy skiers on Hurricane Ridge As we all know a lot of gray weather can make us feel down. Maybe you want to raise your daily dose of vitamin D to fight off the blues. And luckily we have SARC for meeting our friends on a daily basis, get some good exercise in, swim some laps and warm up our bodies in the jacuzzi and sauna. One reason to love Sequim as retirement town.

Bottom line of this post: Be prepared for a tougher Sequim winter season 2010/2011. La Niña is expected to last through early 2011. Hey and if climatologists are not right with their predictions, the better for us.
p.s.
Don't forget most of our Sequim Lavender Farms have online stores for their essential lavender oils. I noticed a great 25% off on lavender oils at 'Jardin du Soleil' when buying online. So I bought a nice 4oz bottle of organic Lavender oil. This Internet Special is valid till September 30th! By the way, this is no advertising but a great bargain for lavender lovers.

Tags: life in Sequim, Sequim weather in September

Hurricane Ridge Road open for winter season

Keeping Hurricane Ridge Road open for winter is exciting news for snowbirds in the Sequim and Port Angeles area. When it was first mentioned that Clallam County authorities consider keeping Hurricane Ridge open each day during the winter season and not just open for the weekends, still always weather permitted - this is 'Hurricane Ridge' after all - I had my serious doubts that this project could be funded.

About two weeks ago the 'Peninsula Daily News' reported that the project was funded with monies coming from the county and both cities, Port Angeles and Sequim and by the National Park Service. Winter sport related businesses and of course, ski and snow lovers must have been thrilled when they heard the news. Remember you will still need snow chains when going up Hurricane Ridge Rd in winter. If you don't have any, buy them early. We bought ours used and saved a lot of money.

Since the money for the Hurricane Ridge project has been raised, detailed planning started by Olympic National Park staff. Now it needs to be determined how many more employees are needed and how many more fuel and sand the snow removal teams need. Anyways, the Olympic National Park will keep the road open daily this November through March, except for avalanche control and weather closures.

Even though we moved to Sequim because of mild winters and little snow, and many of our retired friends did so too, we still consider leaving Hurricane Ridge daily open during winter season a great opportunity of visiting the Ridge. Besides, we are certain that it will attract more visitors to the Olympic Peninsula and Sequim for a winter vacation.
p.s.
Before your Hurricane Ridge visit, call the Olympic National Park hotline for weather updates 360-565-3131.

Hurricane Ridge related articles

Best things to do in Sequim Hurricane Ridge

Tags: Hurricane Ridge daily open in winter, Sequim winter vacation

Another dog show in Sequim this summer

We are not owning a pet, dog or cat, but we also mostly stop at our Sequim dog parks. Sequim dog owners really appreciate the park with two different areas, one for little dogs and one for big ones. As our walk passes the dog park for little dogs, we mostly stop and have a 'talk' to those cuties (there are some yapping ones too) and their proud owners.


Last weekend Sequim hosted another one of its famous dog shows when dog lovers from all over Washington make it to Sequim with trailers and motor homes and of course their beloved animals. My friend Sue, herself a passionate dog lover, and I were visit the show in the morning. It was so much fun to watch all those different dogs doing their exercises and competing. A tough work-out for the dog owners as well guiding their dogs around the course as fast as possible and with the least mistakes.

Well, if you are a dog owner and never visited Sequim for a dog show, just check with our Sequim Visitor's Center and they will probably tell you when the next dog show in Sequim will take place.

Tags: vacation in Sequim, Sequim dog show

Sequim vacation July Round-up

Dear Sequim visitors,

Summer finally arrived in Sequim 2 days ago. Spring seemed to drag on forever this year with 4- 8 degrees lower average temperatures. Looks like our Sequim temperatures jump from one extreme to the other. Last weekend, at my garage sale I bundled up with one of my winter coats and the most frequent conversation with buyers was about our recent nippy Sequim weather. However, 3 days later summer arrived in Sequim with temperatures between 75 - 82 F.

Guess what, now people complain about the 'heat' but to tell you the truth I won't because compared to all the heat waves in the Eastern states or Texas or even right here in the Eastern parts of WA state like the Tri-cities or Seattle which experienced a heat advisory with 88F yesterday, we are doing just fine in Sequim on the Olympic Peninsula. So we can't and I won't complain about the sunny warm weather!

We can need all the sun for our fruits to ripen and get sweet and tasty. Yesterday morning, I picked strawberries at Graysmarsh. They tasted much sweeter than the ones a week ago. I was a lonesome picker at 8am and had a nice chat with the 'berry lady'. Raspberries can be picked now as well. I have already arranged with my friend to pick tomorrow morning. I actually also checked the blueberry rows. The early kind rows of blueberries are already full of ripe fruits. I expect Graysmarsh to open those for picking soon, so we will be able to pick all the fruits at one time.

What else is new in Sequim apart from IHop and Goodwill having arrived in Sequim? Well, of course, everybody who loves Sequim, loves the Sequim Lavender Festival. The 2010 Sequim Lavender Festival is coming up on July 16 with all the exciting events like: Lavender Farm Tours, the Lavender Festival Street Fair in Fir St and Music in the Park. What amazes me most is the huge variety of lavenders: all beautiful and with the specific seducing smell of lavender. Just make your way to Sequim and see for yourselves what our Sequim Lavender is like.

Come visit Sequim this summer in July for the Lavender Festival. See you there.

Tags: Sequim summer vacation, Sequim Lavender Festival

Goodwill Grand Opening in Sequim July 15

Goodwill selects July 15 opening date for new Store

Four-day grand opening sale will be community introduction

After we had shared with Sequim residents in April that Goodwill is coming to Sequim, Goodwill's PR manager asked SequimTownBlog again to publish the more information about this Sequim event. This is a press release and no advertising. As we expect this to be useful to Sequim residents and visitors, here is the entire info about the grand opening of Goodwill in Sequim.

"The new Goodwill store will open July 15 in Sequim, filling a former empty retail space with 32,000 square feet of great values and a convenient location for donations of gently used clothes and household items.

A store-opening ceremony will take place that Thursday at 8:45 a.m. at the store, 680 C W. Washington St. The event will include Sequim Mayor Ken Hays, Goodwill CEO Terry A. Hayes and others. After the short event, the store will open to the public at 9 a.m. with a grand opening sale through Sunday.

"We’ve always looked forward to opening a store in Sequim and we're very excited to see this take place," said Hayes, who as CEO of Tacoma Goodwill oversees a 15-county service area including Clallam County. "The store represents an opportunity for jobs in the community while donors and shoppers can support our job training and placement services for people with disabilities or disadvantages."

There are several events taking place during the opening weekend July 15-18, including:

- The opportunity for shoppers to win a DVD player, iPod and $50 gas cards during the event. Other, free giveaways will also be available at the store.

- Live radio broadcasts throughout the weekend, including: KMPS 94.1-FM featuring "Today’s Country: KONP, 1450 AM and 102.1 FM; and KSQM, 91.5-FM.

- Hot dogs and soda, for $2, will be available from Healthy Families of Clallam County. The organization combats child abuse and domestic violence.

"Goodwill is looking forward to a great relationship with the community over a long time," said Jane Taylor, Tacoma Goodwill Board of Directors president. "Besides jobs, it’s a convenient place to drop off gently used clothes and household items."

The store will be located in the former Rite Aid building, 680C W. Washington St., in the Safeway shopping center. Architects BCRA and Mountain Construction remodeled the store improvements, including expanded space for donations. Goodwill hired about 40 people, including donation attendants, cashiers and supervisors.

Tony Anderson will be the new store’s manager. Anderson has been with Goodwill since 2008, working in a variety of positions in Goodwill stores in Lacey and Olympia.

"I’ve always wanted to live up here on the Peninsula since I first visited," said Anderson. He said he hoped shoppers would feel welcome in the store, where families could find great values.

The store will be the second located in Clallam County and the 26th for the agency, headquartered in Tacoma. Other Goodwill stores in the region are located in Port Angeles, 603 S. Lincoln St., and Port Townsend, 602 Howard St. Store hours are Monday-Saturday, 9 a.m.-9 p.m., and Sunday, 10 a.m.-7 p.m.

Goodwill has already been providing job training and placement services for Sequim-area residents through a program giving older workers experience to get back into the workforce. For a list of donation or store locations or to find out more about Goodwill programs and services, go online to www.tacomagoodwill.org"

Tags: Goodwill store opens in Sequim, Sequim shopping

Hummmingbirds are back in Sequim

Coming to Sequim from Hawaii, we did not know hummingbirds but as soon as we had built our house and saw all the hummingbird feeders at our neighbors' houses we got interested. And ever since we have those little guys come visit us at the hummingbird feeder on our balcony, in easy view from our dining table, we became 'addicted'.

Some Sequim friends told us that they had a special hummingbird kind even through winter. That gets pretty involved because the water in the feeder freezes and needs to be taken in at nighttime. Anyways, they were very proud to get those little guys through our Sequim winter. We noticed even in spring when mornings are still cold the hummingbirds have a hard time to get warmed up. One would always fly to the top of our neighbor's tree and sit there in the full sun till he warmed up.

Now it's easy for them, and everybody spoils them. Amazingly, there are still enough hummingbirds for everybody in Sequim who hangs out a hummingbird feeder. Just make sure not to put too much sugar in it. It's not good for the humans or the hummingbirds. We have also learned not to fill up the feeder with too much sugar water. It goes bad over time. Rather take a bit and fill it up anew more often.

If you have not watched Keoki's hummingbird video last year, here it is again.

Tags: Hummingbirds in Sequim

Sequim Aquatic Recreation Center goes high tech

As regular Sequim Town blog visitors you know that one of the reasons we love Sequim so much is because it's a town which offers the ingredients to keep you young and in good shape and health. It's all up to you! We love biking the Olympic Discovery Trail, hiking in the Olympic Mountains or just walking Carrie Blake Park!

Of course, there are also those months when outdoor activities are limited because of the weather. Rain shadow and blue holes are good but Sequim is still in the PNW. When we investigated about Sequim as our retirement option, we read about SARC Sequim Aquatic Recreation Center. We say it again 'This is the biggest bonus the Sequim retirement community enjoys DAILY!. The Center offers any cardiovascular or muscle-building machine you can dream of - come and see for your selves - two pools, jacuzzi, steam sauna complement the workout with nice recreation and relaxation features.

SARC has changed and improved a lot ever since we joined 4 years ago when moving to Sequim. It seemed to me that SARC had achieved a high level in quality equipment and exercise classes, including Keoki's very own 'Easy Stretch class' on Monday and Wednesday mornings at 10:30am, but it still got better. When I walked into the aerobic workout room over a week ago, there were two new cross-trainers, my favorites ,and 5 new treadmills equipped with its own TV. I brought my airplane headphones and tried one of the cross-trainers. Really nice!

Reading when on the cross-trainer does not come easy and a 20-30min workout can stretch when not doing anything but pumping your arms and legs. With the new TVs, any workout becomes a piece of cake. Interestingly, the first week the machines stayed surprisingly empty but as it was and is with any technology, seniors need a little while to adjust to the challenges of new buttons. The figured out computers and cell phones. Sequim seniors will line up at the new machines pretty soon. Thanks SARC for going high tech!

Tags: Sequim Aquatic Recreation Center, retire in Sequim

Rocket Shuttle transportation from Sequim to Seatac Airport

Dear Sequim lovers,

Don't know whether our last post about Goodwill coming to Sequim, got you off you seats but here is some really good news for Sequim residents and visitors.

We all love little Sequim town on the Olympic Peninsula with its beautiful scenery of mountains and ocean and peaceful, friendly suburban life style. Only drag may be at times when you want to go traveling and have to make it to SeaTac Airport. We just came back from our last vacation. For the first time, we had made a reservation with the Rocket transportation shuttle service to and from Seattle Airport instead of driving our own car.

It worked out great. We paid $170 RT for the two of us. When you take the extra parking fees in Seattle for parking our car into consideration, we got ourselves a good deal. Of course, the longer you stay on vacation, the better the deal with the 'Rocket' shuttle becomes.

Best part we thought when choosing the Rocket shuttle was they pick us up and drop us at our house. Both drivers were extremely friendly, courteous and di a great job with the driving, especially through the always heavily congested area in Tacoma. And they were not any slower than we are driving our own car to Seattle, which takes us mostly 2hrs. We also appreciated the help of their dispatcher Cathy who'd informed the driver that we were a bit late (our plane from Phoenix was delayed). With her help, things worked out well and we didn't have to wait an extra 3 hrs at the Airport for the next shuttle to leave. Air travel is stressful and exhausting enough these days.

The Rocket shuttle drivers also told us that they take people to other places in Seattle, like hospitals for doc's appointment etc. Anyways, we had a good, positive experience with the Rocket Shuttle service and will use it again. We hope many more Sequim residents will use this service, so it will stay in business for many years to come. You can book reservations for the Rocket Airport Shuttle Monday - Friday 8am - 5pm.

Tags: Sequim Airport Shuttle, Rocket Airport Shuttle to SeaTac

Goodwill coming to Sequim

Sequim residents and visitors, especially those who are seriously interested in moving to Sequim, paid close attention to the introduction of builders impact fees for new homes in Sequim. The future will tell how this decision will affect the number of application for building permits. Our opinion: If somebody wants to move to Sequim, then he will do so, with or w/o impact fees.

A few days ago, Sequim Town Blog received the following interesting press release about a new store opening in Sequim soon. We decided to publish the complete press release, as it is of interest for our residents and Sequim visitors alike. Press release by Goodwill:

Goodwill coming to Sequim - New Store will provide jobs, donation site and great value!

SEQUIM – A new Goodwill store will open this July in Sequim, providing local jobs, a donation site for gently used clothes and household items, and great values for families to stretch their dollar in tough economic times.

The store will be located in the former Rite Aid building, 680C W. Washington St., at the corner of West Washington Street and North Fifth Avenue. Signs announcing the arrival of Goodwill at the site should up this week with Mountain Construction providing store improvements. To staff the 32,000-square-foot store, the agency is hiring about 30 people, including donation attendants, cashiers, supervisors and a store manager, with forms available at www.tacomagoodwill.org.

"Goodwill provides the community with a variety of services and our stores are long-term investments," said Jane Taylor, president of Goodwill’s Board of Directors and an agency volunteer. "In these tough economic times, Goodwill can help families and be a place for people to get that first job or second chance."

The store will be the second located in Clallam County and the 26th for the agency, headquartered in Tacoma. Other Goodwill stores are located in Port Angeles, 603 S. Lincoln St., and Port Townsend, 602 Howard St. Goodwill has already been providing job training and placement services for area residents through a program giving older workers experience to get back into the workforce.

Tags: New store in Sequim, Sequim shopping

Sequim Council approved impact fees for new home builders

Welcome back to Sequim Town Vacation blog,

Decision is made by Sequim council: Building a new house in Sequim will soon cost Sequim home builders more money. We discussed the issue of impact fees as a means for Sequim town to make some extra money to maintain streets, parks etc. in our recent post 'What is new for Sequim home owners?'

On March 222 Sequim city council and its manager Steve Burkett voted to adopt new impact fees in order to keep Sequim's infrastructure up-to-date. Starting in July 2010 new home builders in Sequim will have to pay for each single-family home an extra $4,868 in impact fees. Those charges will be added on the current $15,800 cost of a building permit.

We are happy that we did not postpone the building of our new Sequim home after we had bought our new town lot with those wonderful views of the Olympic Mountains. Building in 2007 saved us in hindsight a lot of money. Well, we don't know how much money the City of Sequim can rake in with that new impact fee, if the applications for building permits stay the same low as in 2009.

We have been talking and are still talking to quite a number of people who found Sequim Town Vacation blog on the Internet and have serious plans to move to Sequim for good. Most of them, don't want to go through the hassle of building a new home - who does when being retired and looking for an easy relaxed life. The majority wants to buy a house in Sequim which fits best their budget and expectations.

Also read our post about 'Sunland Golf Course'.

Tags: Sequim real estate, impact fees for new Sequim home builders

Sequim Golf Course Sunland

Dear Sequim lovers,

We noticed that the early spring on the Olympic Peninsula also attracted Sequim home buyers back to the area. Alas, the top bargain price of the 'Best Sequim Home for Sale' is still to high for potential home buyers. It was the same for us when we went house hunting on our Sequim vacation in October 2005. As retired people, we needed to stick with a Sequim home within our budget. Honestly, I loved the peace, the privacy and the beautiful green scenery at Sunland - though we are not golfers - but at that time, sellers still had the edge and prices were just not matching for us.

So, what's new at Sunland for current homeowners and what should future Sunland homeowners know? A couple months ago, the Sunland golf club membership had fallen below what would support keeping the course open. Sunland golfers have attemped to enlist new members even opening it to outside players, but it seems to have come down to having the homeowners vote on whether to increase the homeowners fees to support the golf course. There are 180 homeowners but not all are golfers. It would be interesting to know how many of the Sunland homeowners are active golfers. Bottom line, the non-playing golf homeowners don't seem to care to pay, so others can push the ball around the grass.

The big argument is that the value of Sunland homes benefits from keeping this private golf course well maintained. The entire Sunland Golf Course issue has become a big 'dispute' and 'The Peninsula Daily News' gets frequently letters concerning this topic. Even though, it's none of my concerns, I've found it quite interesting that members and investors of Sunland Golf & Country Club demand that all Sunland homeowners unilaterally be mandated to contribute $300 per year to support the golf course. And if homeowners wouldn't comply, a lien could be placed on their home. Can they do that?

Another letter to the editor claimed that the sole purpose of the $300/yr is to recover the money that a group of club members invested in a new 1-million dollar sprinkler system. They could do so with the assessed payment for 5 years. Nothing has been finalized yet, last I read in letters to the editor they are planning a vote but no date has been set. If they vote not to support the golf course, the home values could go down and of course the other way the Sunland homeowners' fees would go up. Something to think about when looking at homes for sale in Sunland.

Tags: Sequim Golf Course, Sequim Sunland Golf Community

Best Price Sequim Home for Sale

Dear Sequim town visitors,

We are so happy to hear from people who found our SequimTown blog and appreciate all the information we post here for future retirees to read about our life in sunny Sequim.

We received a number of emails about our recent post 'What is new for Sequim homeowners?'. Believe me the discussion about the new impact fees to keep Sequim's infrastructure maintained is not letting up and is still going on. We will have to wait for final result till March 22 when the City Council will make its decision.

If you follow our Sequim blog regularly - easy to do just click the link on the side bar where it says 'Subscribe by email' - you know that Sequim Real Estate always attracts my attention, even though we are no realtors. But hey Sequim is a retirement town and people from all of the nation want to move here, just as we did from Hawaii.

We wrote in the past about houses for sale in Sequim and want to continue that tradition today. This Sequim Luxury Home of our friends is back on the market with the biggest price drop we've seen so far ever the housing bubble burst in Sequim! Our friends want to move on with their lives and move back to CA, where all their 3 children and families live.

Luxury Sequim Home for Sale with spectacular Water and Mountain Views

Best price Sequim Home for Sale New Asking Price $449,000


Architect designed modern Victorian home built in 1999 on two lovely quiet acres affords magnificent views from every room of the Olympic Mountains, San Juan Islands, Strait of Juan de Fuca, Mount Baker, Sequim Lighthouse and Victoria. This Sequim home is 3588 square feet with multiple levels filled with light and openness. There are three bedrooms, one office/den, three full bathrooms, one 3/4 bathroom, large family room, dining room with cathedral ceiling, balcony overlooking dining room, formal living room with octagon, large recreational room, utility room with handicap shower, wine cellar, indoor shop, 2+car garage and garden shed. Wrap around front porch and back patio built with Timbertec deck.

When we visited this home, we got a exciting tour of the Sequim house by the owners and couldn't believe what a special place they have created over many years. Please, also read more about and see more photos of this Luxury Sequim Home for Sale. I tell you what, no words can do justice to the the real house experience.

So please, if you are interested in buying this Sequim home, send us an email and we will connect you with the owners and Sequim realtor for setting up a viewing appointment. For those who don't qualify but still would love to see this magnificent house, there will be an 'Open House' soon. We will post the date and time here on our SequimTown blog. Remember it is a buyer's market in Sequim!

Tags: Best price Sequim home for sale, Luxury Sequim home for sale, biggest price drop Sequim home

What's new for Sequim home owners?

Well, the 'Economic Slowdown" did not go around the city of Sequim, as Sequim home owners might have hoped for. Sequim City struggles to make ends meet just like the rest of the nation. The big question is where to get the money from for improvements of streets, parks, public transportation, police etc.

Financial means for education seems to be taken care of after a recent vote for Sequim Schools where 61% of Sequim residents voted for a higher property tax for Sequim home owners to generate some extra money for Sequim education. The votes included Sequim residents who don't own a home and won't be affected by the higher taxes, at least not at first glance. Eventually, home owners who rent out a second home will try to get some money back from their tenants by raising their rent!

We were actually quite happy when we noticed that our high Sequim property tax had gone down for 2010 but that 'saving's evaporated with the recent vote approval for raising the taxes for schools which meant another $200 more property tax on a Sequim estimated home value of $250,000. Quite a steep raise, we think.

Still there remains the question where to get the money from for keeping Sequim's infrastructure updated and in good shape. Well, the solution seems to be very easy, at least according to a consultant the City of Sequim hired. The 'magic word' is introducing 'impact fees' to new home owners and builders. If the City of Sequim approves the new impact fees, then new Sequim home owners will have to pay an additional $9036, whether they build a new home for $1million or $200,000! The new impact fees would cover Sequim town's future expenses for improvements of infrustructure, parks, transportation, general government and police.

This will be a tough decision to be made by the City Council and Sequim City's new manager Steven Burkett. Naturally, the new impact fees find strong opponents among Sequim builders and realtors. Imagine in 2005 about 190 new building permits were issued for Sequim and area, whereas in 2009, it was only 11 building permits. Sequim builders and realtors believe that those steep impact fees in a slowed-down economy, will have further negative effects and might turn off potential home builders from building in Sequim. The Sequim consultant argues that better parks and infrastructure will attract new home builders to Sequim. What do you think?

Tags: Sequim town, impact fees Sequim, Sequim home owners

Hurricane Ridge reopened for March 2010

Hello Sequim visitors,

Yes, our Sequim weather is still amazing. Spring is two months early. All our cherry blossom trees are in full bloom as most of the daffodils are. No tulips opened yet but they are getting there. With all the reports from the East Coast with another blizzard and electricity blackouts, we Sequim residents really feel very blessed. I just hope that we won't get any late frost in April killing the real Cherry blossoms that would be a bummer.

Anyways, here is more good news for Sequim residents and visitors who love skiing, snowboarding or snowshoeing or just enjoy some wonderful time in the snow. Hurricane Ridge Rd and Hurricane Ridge facilities reopened last weekend. A group of about 50 visitors enjoyed their first time visit on Sunday up on Hurricane Ridge - Olympic Park entry fee was waived -, after the road had to be closed over a month ago due to a huge washout of the road. Construction was finished sooner than expected.

March is actually a wonderful month for a visit in the snow on the mountain. Remember Hurricane Ridge is open on the weekends depending on conditions. Make sure to call Olympic National Park for Hurricane Ridge weather update before you get on the road 360-565-3131. This is an automated service which gets updated frequently during the day. Have fun in the snow on Hurricane Ridge.

Mild winter in Sequim January 2010

Dear Sequim Town visitors,

When the rest of the nation was in the tight grip of ice and snow during this January, Sequim and the Olympic Peninsula experienced one of the mildest winters in a long time. January 2010 is our 5th winter in Sequim. The El Nino year, which starts taking effect at the beginning of January, made Sequim's January more look like a spring month, if you believe it or not.

Average daytime temperatures January 2010 in Sequim were between 46 - 52 F. To be honest, we don't and won't complain! Keoki has been playing tennis with his Sequim tennis buddies at the Sequim High School tennis courts all through this 'winter' so far. I myself love to jog or bike to SARC these days trying to catch some sun on my way.

As mentioned, in our latest post about 'Hurricane Ridge closure', the recent warm Sequim temperatures make our spring flowers believe 'Spring is here'! Tulips, daffodils and primrose survivors come up in my flower bed. We also noticed beautiful patches of snow bells and crocus around Oak Table restaurant.

Well, speaking of Sequim restaurants, Sequim 'Oak Table restaurant' is not just a nice place to admire early spring flowers in January, but definitely a great Sequim restaurant we can warmly recommend to Sequim visitors and residents. We had never eaten there before but our good neighbors Sue and Bob shared their 44th wedding anniversary for a delicious lunch at Oak Table. Each one of us 4 had a different meal and really liked it. The nice ambiance and a friendly, efficient waitress made this lunch at Oak Table restaurant a full success.

Not all Sequim restaurants made it through the Economic Slowdown. After the German restaurant 'Sauerkraut' at Rock Plaza had to close after only being in business for 6 mos., Sequim Town Blog received an email a few days ago that the 'Cedar Creek' restaurant in 5th Ave closed too. Cedar Creek must have been in business for about 2 yrs. and seemed to be doing just fine. It's sad to see another Sequim restaurant closing its doors.

But tell you what one Sequim restaurant closes and another one opens. Just the other day, we read on the Peninsula Daily News that a Chinese Restaurant offering 'All you can eat' buffet has moved into the 4000sft place of the Sauerkraut. This new restaurant at Rock Plaza is supposed to open in a month.

Last but not least, an update on the closure of Hurricane Ridge Rd due to a 'washout' from all the rain the Olympic Mountains had received at higher elevations in January. Well, upon closer inspection, the damage to the road proved more severe like a 'landslide', so there is no way to get the road fixed faster than the 6 weeks estimate after it happened. Good news is that reconstruction of the road to Hurricane Ridge is already in full process. Sequim residents and visitors who love skiing and snow-shoing on the weekends on Hurricane Ridge can still have hope to do that in March 2010.

Tags: Sequim mild winter weather, Sequim warm January 2010, Olympic Peninsula, Early Spring in Sequim

Hurricane Ridge is cut off - January 2010

Residents and visitors alike love to go snow shoeing and skiing the slopes of Hurricane Ridge during the winter months. Even though the Ridge is only open during the weekends, it attracts quite a number of people on a sunny winter season weekend.

As we reported in our December Sequim Round-up, Sequim and the Olympic Peninsula experienced unusual very mild winter weather in December and now continuing all the way into January. We had several days when the warm Chinook winds were blowing and bringing Sequim weather temperatures around 58 F in the shade. Currently, we have 54 F in the shade but with sun all over Sequim. I am ready for my walk through Carrie Blake Park!

Anyways, let's get back to Hurricane Ridge. Last Friday the Ridge experienced really hurricane winds with over 80miles/hr. When Sunday morning came and Sequim town was warm, sunny and had no winds whatsoever, I decided to call the Hurricane Ridge weather station for an update to check whether it's worthwhile a visit. Well, at 8am Sunday morning, the road to Hurricane Ridge was still closed and wind gusts up to 40miles/hr were reported. This was enough for us to hear. So we postponed our Hurricane Ridge visit in the snow to another Sunday.

This opportunity might not come too soon. Here is what had happened later on Sunday. Hurricane Ridge road had to be closed just north of Heart O' the Hills campground area about five miles south of Port Angeles because of a road slip-out. Repairs could take 1 month to 6 weeks. Part of the road had slipped down during heavy rains. Ski and Snowboard Classes are supposed to begin January 30/31. The manager of the hurricane Ridge ski area still hopes for a temporary solution to bypass the problem area. Let's hope so!

Hurricane Ridge related articles

Tags: Sequim vacation, Olympic National Park, Hurricane Ridge closed, January 2010 Sequim