Elks are roaming on Sequim's meadows

We told our Sequim Town visitors before about the herd of Roosevelt elks roaming in Sequim. Much to the delight of our visitors, not always welcome by the farmers who have to protect their crops from the seemingly always hungry elks.

Recently we read in the Peninsula Daily News that the connection between the collars and the signs on Hwy 101 does not always work right. We had noticed that in the past too but figured it cannot hurt to pay a bit more attention in case the elks are really close-by.

Our friends Erin & Kevin took some nice photos of the elks this summer and shared them with us. Enjoy the photos. Hope you can plan a Sequim vacation for summer 2014 and can take photos of the herd yourselves. Remember you don't won't to get too close to the elks. They can become quite aggressive, especially the bulls 'protecting' the herd.

If you have any questions about Sequim or a vacation in Sequim or moving to Sequim, Just leave a comment and we will answer you.

House for Rent in Sequim - Peaceful location, Walk to Downtown - RENTED!

Dear Sequim town visitors,
You loved your summer vacation in Sequim a lot and consider now seriously to move to Sequim for good but don't know what life will be like for the rest of the seasons, your best first move is to rent a house for a year! This allows you to get to know all the facets of the Olympic Peninsula and find the house of your dreams at the same time. 

Sorry, this Sequim Townhouse is now rented. 

The 2Br/2Ba Townhouse (1290 sft) is conveniently located in the center of Sequim town, yet in peaceful neighborhood bordering Pioneer Park within walking distance to shops, restaurants, medical offices & gyms. The townhouse features open floor plan, skylights, computer nook off dining room, kitchen with Maple cabinets, granite tile countertops, stainless steel appliances, hardwood & carpet flooring. The modern heat pump supplies tenants AC in summer & saves money on electricity in winter. Electric fireplace in living room. Large master bedroom with walk- in closet. Covered front porch and back patio. Attached 2-car garage.

Contact us at SequimRental

Our lunch at the Black Bear restaurant in Sequim

Eating out in Sequim

All our guests at Sequim 'Bell Hill View vacation rental' or visiting friends from out of town, want to know what's a great restaurant to eat out in Sequim.

Well, tastes and favorite meals for dining vary a lot, especially so when it comes to name what is Sequim's best restaurant. So at our vacation apartment we keep all the Sequim town restaurant menus in a folder and let guests decide which restaurant offers their favorite food and the want to try out. Read why the Black Bear diner menu has become a great addition to our Sequim town restaurant menus.

Recently, we heard more and more great feed-backs and reviews about the new 'Black Bear' restaurant next to 'Holiday Inn Express' in Sequim. When my birthday was coming up, it was time to check out the new popular diner on our own. Big surprise when we showed up at an early lunch time 11:30am and found the restaurant parking lot already filled. One space was open just right for us.

We were warmly welcome by a big bunch of carved cute black bears at all kinds of of places. Blooming flowers in hanging baskets and containers were everywhere. And with the blue Sequim summer skies as a backdrop, we did not not know where we should start taking photos. We'll share some with you right here on our Sequim Town blog.

Long story short, when we had settled down at our outdoor table and the waitress showed up in now time, we felt we were at the right place. And we did not get disappointed a bit. Keoki had 'French dip' with a load of crispy French fries - once a year we can indulge! - and I had 'Pecan Crusted Trout'. During our not too long waiting time, we learned more about Sequim in 1969 from the 'Black Bear Gazette', which interestingly served as the menu. We also learned that there are 58 (!) other Black Bear restaurants along the West Coast.

Visiting Sequim? We can definitely recommend a visit to the Black Bear restaurant. Great ambience, fast service and delicious food! We'll be back for dinner.

Happy Fourth of July in Sequim

Exciting events for this year's Independence Day celebration. Sequim residents won't only celebrate 4th of July but as we all know this is Sequim's centennial year. Yes, the city of Sequim of Sequim was incorporated 100 years ago, to be precise on October 31, 1913.

Reason enough for us to celebrate big time:

The Old Fashioned Town Picnic from 10:30am - 4pm at Carrie Blake Park - just a short 5-minute walk from 'Bell Hill View Sequim Vacation Rental' 

All Sequim residents are invited to pose for a community photo at 10:45am in the park

The family friendly picnic will include live music, relay races, horseshoes, croquet and much more. Picnic food will be available for purchase.

For more information on our 4th of July Sequim events of music, food, free contests, other activities visit the SequimWA site.

Happy Fourth of July in Sequim to all Sequim visitors and our resident friends! See you in the Park!

Sequim berry picking season 2013 has started

Yes, our favorite Berry farm Graysmarsh in Sequim has started for this summer season. It's strawberry picking time. Bring your own container and have it weighed before you start picking berries, unless it's really light and the weight does not matter. The sunny weather in Sequim for the last week has definitely helped to ripen the strawberries. Next will be raspberries & blueberries, which we love to pick. U-pick in Sequim at Graysmarsh Berry Farm is open 8am - 4pm Monday - Saturday, 10am - 4pm Sundays.

Remember Lavender Season is coming too. Most of our lavenders at the house are already blooming just the special Grosso lavender is waiting for July to be in full bloom for the Lavender Festival July 19 - 21, 2013.

Last but not least, we have some good news for guests who would like to escape hot summer in Arizona or Texas and spend July at our fully equipped 1Bd/1Ba Sequim  'Bell Hill View' Vacation Rental. July has become available for your  monthly stay. If you are interested, email us with subject line 'Sequim Rental July'.

Early Summer in Sequim in 2013

Dear Sequim blog visitors,
You would probably would like to know how we are approaching summer in Sequim this year. Sequim was pretty lucky with no snow during all the winter months. Moderate winters and moderate summers are features which attract people to visit or to move for good to this lovely retirement town.

This year 2013 brought a very early SUMMER - yes summer, not spring - to the Olympic Peninsula and Sequim. Residents couldn't believe it when early May temperatures broke all the high records for decades. The summerly weather had everybody working in their gardens, getting on their bikes and walking Carrie Blake Park or the beautiful Discovery Trail.

Well, today the spell seems to be broken by some fog and drizzle rains. Flowers, bushes and new veggie seeds can need the wet sprinkles from the sky instead of the sprinkler system.

Here are a few photo impressions from this year's early summer in Sequim:

Carrie Blake Park

A geese couple built their nest on the little island in Carrie Blake Park. 'Papa' goose watches on land that the mother does not get disturbed when sitting on the eggs.

Lilac bushes at the holiday rental

This early Sequim summer, we paid for the first time close attention to the many colored lilac bushes, as seen in this photo. The scent of Lilac is in the air in entire Sequim town. Reminds us of Lavender season and scents in July for the Lavender Festival.

View of Olympic Mountains

Lots of aahs and oohs from Sequim visitors when walking through town or going west on Olympic Discovery Trail with all the different views of the Olympic Mountains. Despite our early summer spell, they still carry loads of snow sparkling in the sun.

More Mountain views in May

Going for a walk through Carrie Blake Park scenery

Hanging basket at 'Bell Hill View' vacation rental

Sequim residents have a long time tradition of hanging baskets all along Washington Street  and of course on their own houses as well. It was time to hang our basket with those beautiful flowers indicating that 'Bell Hill View' Vacation rental is open for business for the summer season. Please, email to Sequim Rental.

5 Best reasons to spend a Summer vacation in Sequim

Dear Sequim researchers,
When you found our Sequim Town blog in your Google search, you were already familiar with little Sequim Town in general but were in search of more details for spending a summer vacation there. Here are our 5 best reasons for spending a summer vacation in Sequim. Remember this is our very personal opinion as residents of Sequim for over 6 years:

1. Take a summer vacation in the town where you want to retire

OK you have heard so many good things about Sequim, and even know how to pronounce it, this little retirement town on the Olympic Peninsula but have NEVER been there. Take a summer vacation in Sequim and find out whether it's the town where you'd like to retire. That's at least what we did and what we recommend to everybody. Talk to as many people as possible, when you are here. To regular folks like us. Just ask them "And where are you from?" This opens all the doors to interesting stories.

2. Summer vacation looking for a house in Sequim

That's for those folks who know for sure that they want to move to Sequim and retire there. Do all your homework when you are still at home checking 'Sequim Houses for Sale' on the Internet. Not only real estate businesses but also 'Homes for sale by owner'. Get familiar with different areas, pros and cons of its subdivisions. Then start making a list of homes for sale matching your budget and expectations. Upon our arrival in Sequim, we checked the location and neighborhood of these house and were quite surprised that a lot did NOT meet our criteria. When we had downsized our list of homes, we contacted the realtor of our choice for real viewings. Sequim home prices were up when we bought in 2005 but now it's still a buyer's market.

3. Best things to do in Sequim in summer

Of course, a summer vacation here - BTW most years, Indian Summers last to September + October - is the perfect time of the year to explore Sequim, the Olympic Peninsula, the Olympic National Park and even Victoria in BC on Vancouver Island. Best to take a longer monthly stay, so you won't feel rushed and can have some relaxing time picking berries. Delicious fresh blueberries, raspberries and blackberries are in season. So is the wonderful lavender. If you want to stay with us for July during Lavender Festival season - 2013 Lavender Festival is July 19 - 21, make your reservation early.

4. How to socialize and make friends in Sequim?

We get quite a number of emails from people who have lots of questions about Sequim BEFORE they come and WHEN they are staying at our 'Bell Hill View Sequim Vacation Rental'. We perfectly understand. So we take the time to answer as many and as detailed as we can. A casual pizza dinner at our house on their arrival night mostly gets the conversation going. As a follow-up, our guests visit the Sequim Senior Center and Sequim Aquatic Recreational Center, our two biggest places to find kindred spirit friends. The following is a view of Bell Hill in the fog which comes from Sequim Bay.

5. Escape the summer heat of Texas, Arizona, Pennsylvania, California

Yes, you finally can breathe again outdoors on your summer vacation in Sequim. No racing for the next air conditioned building or having to spend summers indoors in your AC home because of the extreme heat in double digits. That's when we Sequim residents say "Good that we live in Sequim!" Sequim enjoys mild winter AND mild summers which makes any outdoor activity like walking, hiking, biking or kayaking a real fun summer activity. Walk along shady Railroad Bridge along Olympic Discovery Trail.

Well, what else can we say? See for yourselves and spend a vacation in Sequim this summer.
p.s.
BTW all these wonderful photos were taken by our Sequim vacation rental guests Sue and Cathy from Missouri who spent July 2012 with us. Thank you so much. Read their testimonial.