Winter in Sequim 2014

Climate change in Sequim, yes or no?

We didn't have a White Christmas this 2014 winter, which we actually didn't during our 8 years living in Sequim. Remember Sequim is located in the 'Banana Belt' meaning even in winter temperatures in Sequim are mostly very moderate - hardly ever under zero - and the weather feels more springlike. 

However, climate change seems to have caught up with Sequim this fall season. It was officially still 'Fall' season when the 'Arctic Vortex' had us in its frosty grip of temperatures between 30 F and 22 F. at the beginning of November. And 2 inches of powdered snow turned Sequim into a magical winter wonderland.

 

Believe it or not, the white scenery lasted at least a week before warm 'Chinook' winds took care of the snow and reminded Sequim residents and plants with temperatures around 60 - 66 F more of spring time than of upcoming winter.

Well let's see what Sequim weather will be like the first months of this new Year 2015.

For everybody, who is already planning their Sequim vacation for summer 2015, our fully equipped 1Bd/1Ba vacation apartment is available for monthly stays in Sequim at the same cheap 2014 rental rates. First available date is July 1st, 2015. Summer rate of $950 (dbl. occupancy). Remember July is the most desired vacation month in summer in Sequim because of the Lavender Festival 2015. We recommend to inquire early.

Happy, Healthy New Year 2015 to all our Sequim visitors!

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.

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.

Sequim: Vacation glimpses of Sequim summer 2012

Greetings to all our Sequim vacation friends. Yes, Sequim is currently in hibernation but that's a perfect time to snuggle up at your fireplace and remember with us all the wonderful adventures you had last summer vacation. Gabriele shares her outing to the Dungeness Lighthouse with all of you. Maybe it this will inspire some to planning new Sequim adventures for 2013.

 

Let's just start with a few of Gabriele's words she wrote with her text and photo submission to us:

"The Olympic Peninsula is so beautiful, and so varied in it's beauty! Of all the places we've visited in the Northwest, Jon and I keep coming back to this area. And Sequim is such a lovely base from which to explore.

We spent a lovely month in Sequim, with Heidi and Keoki, from mid-August to mid-September.

 

 

While staying in Sequim this past summer, we loved exploring the Olympic Peninsula. There is so much to see and enjoy, from Cape Flattery on the west to Port Townsend on the east. By staying at Heidi and Keoki’s vacation rental, we were centrally located to enjoy it all.

 

 

One of our favorite day trips was right in the Sequim area, the New Dungeness Light Station. The light house sits near the end of the Dungeness Spit, one of the world’s longest natural sand spits and part of the Dungeness National Wildlife Refuge. To reach the refuge, you first go through the Dungeness Recreation Area, a very lovely little county park. Make sure you walk along the bluffs overlooking the Strait of Juan de Fuca. It’s very beautiful, especially at sunset. We spent several evenings enjoying the view!

 

 To reach the spit, you park at the Wildlife Refuge (there’s a small fee) and walk down to the water. It’s a half mile through trees and along bluffs with some benches along the way to enjoy the view of the spit. You’ll appreciate the benches on the way back up! The beach is a mix of rock and sand with piles of driftwood; a typical Washington beach, I think.

 

 The walk to the New Dungeness Light Station is 10 miles round trip (11 total, back to the parking lot). They suggest planning for a leisurely 4-6 hours. We took 7 hours, requiring several rest stops and an enjoyable hour at the light station. The best part was, of course, the lighthouse! It’s staffed year-round by volunteers, staying at the station in week-long shifts. The two couples there at the time were wonderful hosts, full of information about what we were seeing. You can climb up to the top of the lighthouse and enjoy an amazing view. They even have little gifts for you, for making the trek to see them!

 

 

I’m glad we hiked to the lighthouse, and I’m sure we’ll do it again. Even if you don’t want to walk to the lighthouse, it’s worth visiting the Dungeness Recreation Area and the Wildlife Refuge. Especially at sunset!"

 

Thanks again Gabriele for your wonderful photos and words about your hike to the Dungeness Lighthouse. We are looking forward to seeing you and Jon this summer at 'Bell Hill View vacation rental.' Happy holidays for now.

A short update for all rental inquiries: 'Bell Hill View Sequim vacation rental' has a new email. Sequim summer vacation may be booked starting 1/1/2013.

 

Sequim Lavender Festival in the Park 2012

Sequim lavender lovers got their share of beautiful lavender flowers & lavender products at the 2012 Sequim Lavender Festival with two festivals at the same time: Lavender in the Park and the Lavender Street Fair in Fir. However, the weather did not cooperate for the entire time. Sunday, which is normally the day with the best sales of vendors' lavender products, was rainy the entire day. Lucky us, that we visited 'Lavender in the Park' on Saturday.

'Lavender in the Park' photos taken by Sequim Vacation blog:

Sequim Lavender in the Park


Sequim lavender rock garden in the park


Sequim visitors and residents love their rock garden


Music at Lavender in the Park or each Tuesday 6pm during summer


Keoki admires lavender plants


More lavender plants at 'Lavender in the Park'


Meeting our Sequim friends Edie & Brian at Lavender in the Park


Owner of Sequim Raptor Rescue Center attracts big crowd with his talk + owl


Visit Sequim WA site for more information on current and future events on your Sequim vacation.

Tags: Sequim Lavender Festival 2012, Lavender in the Park

Sequim News for July 2012

Dear Sequim visitors,
Let's have a little glimpse about what you can await on your July Sequim visit. Sequim News published by the City of Sequim each month will help us to put today's blog post together.


As usual, let's start with the Sequim weather this July. July did not start as 'summerly', as we all expected after 'June Gloom'. Yes admittedly that was a bit of a disappointment especially when one is waiting for going picking berries + cherries. Our cherry orchard lady told us just yesterday that we will still have to wait another 1 1/2 or 2 weeks, all depending on the sunshine Sequim will be getting. Most important there are cherries on the trees. We just need to patient and wait a bit longer.

What else is new in Sequim this summer?

Music in the Park

Annual Music in the Park during summer started. Concerts take place each Tuesday 6pm at the James Center in Carrie Blake Park. Nice to know what music will be played. So make your selection:
July 3 Dukes of Dabob play Dixieland<
July 10 Mark Whitman Band plays Rhythm & Blues
July 17 Bound to Happen plays variety

July 24 Karaoke Idol - Contest (see sequimwa.gov website for registration)
July 31 Cascada plays Latin Guitar & World Fusion 2012

2012 Sequim Lavender Festival

Sequim Lavender Festival coming up Some of my lavender bushes at the house are already in full bloom. Others are still waiting. It all depends on the kind of lavender. However, we know that by July 20th, the start of the Lavender Festival, all the lavenders on Sequim Lavender Farms, along Sequim's sidewalks (don't miss Hendrickson St for a photo) and people's personal lavender bushes will be blooming beautifully. The wonderful scent of lavender will be lingering everywhere in little Sequim town. It's a lavender extravaganza which thousands of visitors will enjoy when visiting Sequim on the weekend of July 20 - July 22 for the Lavender Festival. Also visit SequimLavenderFarms for more information about events.

Sequim Centennial

Plans are underway for Sequim's 100th birthday party! There are many ways for Sequim residents & visitors to participate and enjoy the celebration. Visit SequimWA.gov for the highlights of Sequim Centennial. The Sequim Centennial Celebration starts October 2012 with lots of events leading to its finale in November 2013, which will make the 100th anniversary of the incorporation of Sequim. Become a sponsor of the Sequim Centennial 2013.

If you are planning a vacation in Sequim , our Sequim Vacation Rental 'Bell Hill View', at a beautiful peaceful location offers a 1Bd/1Ba fully equipped for Sequim vacation.

Happy 4th of July everybody from Sequim!

Tags: Visit Sequim this summer, Sequim Lavender Festival

Sequim Vacation Round-up May 2012

Dear Sequim Town visitors,
We are well aware that temperatures in Arizona and Texas are gradually climbing. So are your ready for your Sequim vacation? Moderate Sequim weather is perfect getting a break from the heat. If you had just known that our normally cooler May in Sequim had turned out to be the nicest spring month ever, we are sure you had planned an early Sequim vacation this May.





Blue skies with snow-covered Olympic Mountains as a backdrop, warm day-time temperatures and all the colorful spring flowers like lilac and cherry blossom trees with their wonderful scent in the air have been spoiling us for most of this month of May. We are thrilled.


Here is our personal short round-up on Sequim May weather and Sequim events.

Our 117th Sequim Irrigation Festival was a full success with 130 entries in our Saturday May 12th parade. As usual, big fun for everybody, participants from everywhere and Sequim spectators, resident and early Sequim visitors. The weather was just gorgeous! BTW we decided the fireworks on Friday night before the parade was absolutely the best we have ever experienced in our 6 years (!) of life in Sequim. It got many 'Aahs' and 'Oohs' from us from our prime seats on our balcony overlooking Sequim town.

Carrie Blake Park invites Sequim residents and visitors for walks, bike rides, jogs or just resting on a bench and watch our plentiful wild life. Sometimes the dear creatures are not that welcome but without them Sequim wouldn't be the same attractive to all of us. The deer ate my beautiful pansies - actually they skillfully bit off the blossoms - and the Canadian geese graze on the new soccer field despite they are not supposed to do so. What can you do? It's their home.


Speaking of the Canadian geese, there are not many of these who have babies this year. We only came across on goose family with seven chicks. They must have just hatched but were already going with mama and papa for a swim in the pond in the park.


Hummingbirds are entertaining us again when having breakfast. All those different looks they have!

Our Peonies and Irises are ready to pop. That's when real spring starts in Sequim.

Our Sequim vacation rental has opened for the 2012 vacation season with guests from Iowa and Missouri. We are looking forward to your Sequim town visit.

Scenery next to your Sequim vacation rental outdoor sitting area. Since this is a favorite deer crossing, it contains mostly ground cover and lavenders which deer do not like.

Tags: Sequim vacation rental

Sequim computer service needed at Sequim vacation rental?

Dear Sequim Vacation blog visitors,

When moving to Sequim from Hawaii in 2006, we faced lots of adjustments as everybody else who moves to an area they are totally new to. Our 12-day Sequim vacation in October 2005 was more or less focusing on finding the perfect Sequim home to buy which we actually did.

Upon our final moving to Sequim in January 2006, we had our hands full moving into our house in Sun Meadows, finding new kindred spirit friends and make ourselves familiar with Sequim town services with priority being shopping. Well, to find the right guy for overseeing the hard and soft ware of our PC and laptop seemed to be quite challenging. I even called my Hawaii computer expert friends occasionally.

We also tried several times our luck with Sequim guys who advertised their Sequim computer service in Sequim publications which worked mostly just OK till we heard from our good neighbors about a computer guy Bob Bennett from Port Angles. Bob had worked for years in the computer business before he finally started his own computer business in the Port Angeles/Sequim area.

Bob solved any of computer issues to our total satisfaction. Best part when working with Bob is that he set up a virtual assistant meaning he can check our computer from his home without having to come for an appointment to Sequim.

Why do we tell you about Bob's computer service in Sequim? Our Sequim vacation rental offers FREE wireless Internet to our visitors. 95% of our guests take advantage of this offer by bringing their laptop to Sequim in order to be connected with friends + family or their Sequim realtor on their Sequim vacation. Good to know that an experienced computer expert is only a phone call away when Microsoft Windows plays tricks on you.

Tags: Sequim Computer Service

Hurricane Ridge visit October 2011

Whenever we Sequim residents have visitors, we share with them the beauty of the Olympic Peninsula like Crescent Lake and Hurricane Ridge. Hurricane Ridge is attracting more visitors on their Sequim vacation after funds were raised last year to keep Hurricane Ridge open all year round 24/7. This is a big commitment for the Olympic National Park and the responsible authorities. Port Angeles and Sequim businesses expect more visitors this winter from skiers, snow-shoers and hikers to visit winter wonderland at the Ridge.

On our first Sequim vacation in September 2005, we encountered the first snow of the season on Hurricane Ridge. It was funny to see people in flipflops and shorts walking around in the snow. No snow this week though, and it's already end of October. We had paid attention to the general weather forecast for the Peninsula for this week and figured Tuesday would be a nice day to have some sun on our visit to Hurricane Ridge.


Before driving up, we checked with the daily Hurricane Ridge weather and street update 360-565-3131, which we definitely recommend to everybody to call who plans a visit to the Ridge. At 9am the fog was still hanging over Hurricane Ridge and the streets still had a bit of ice. We postponed to 2pm.


When arriving at the Visitors' Center, we double checked the Hurricane Ridge webcams whose images are now available there on good size monitors. Great for visitors who are still uncertain whether it's worthwhile driving up to the Ridge. The webcam images looked promising and we made our way up to Hurricane Ridge through some low hanging clouds into beautiful sunshine. No winds blowing which is very rare on Hurricane Ridge. We walked around to enjoy the views, sat a bit in the sun and took some photos. Please, enjoy our latest Hurricane Ridge photos.

Tags: Visit Hurricane Ridge, Hurricane Ridge photos from Sequim Vacation

Plan your 2012 Sequim Vacation

What about a 2012 Sequim Vacation?

If you are living in any of those hot summer states like Florida, Arizona, Texas or Pennsylvania and suffered through the 2011 double digit summer temperatures for months, why don't you plan your 2012 vacation in Sequim. Our Sequim vacation rental with a fully equipped kitchen, living room, bedroom and outdoor sitting area, where you can really sit during moderate Sequim summer temperatures.



You may enjoy our peaceful, upscale neighborhood next to Carrie Blake Park, Discovery Trail and a short drive to John Wayne Marina offers everything one needs for a monthly getaway in the refreshing and invigorating air from the mountains and the ocean in Sequim on the Olympic Peninsula. Sequim Vacation Rental amenities:

- high speed Wifi connection for your laptop

- FREE long distance phone within US and Canada

- 'Select Comfort Bed' for your best sleep at night

- comfortable lazy boy love seat in living room

- more TV and music channels than you have at home

and so many more top vacation rental amenities all for the same low monthly rate starting from $850/mo., a rate where you can stay at the Holiday Inn Express in Sequim for 4- 5 nights. OK our Sequim vacation rental doesn't have a swimming pool but SARC with pool, jacuzzi, steam + hot saunas + top scale exercise equipment is a short walk or drive away and available for affordable $49/mo. per person for your Sequim vacation.

Enjoy also all the Sequim wild life & magnificent nature during your monthly stay at 'Bell Hill View' Sequim Vacation Rental

Enjoy the views of Bald Eagles nesting on trees in and around Sequim


Gorgeous mountain views of Olympic Mountains when biking or walking Olympic Discovery Trail

Deer roaming the hills behind our house and nibbling on our raspberry bushes

Canadian geese raising their goslings in Carrie Blake Park

Hummingbirds love Sequim and our hummingbird feeder

Ducks entertaining themselves and park visitors

2011 Summer is over. Now it is the perfect time to plan your 2012 Sequim vacation. Our Sequim Vacation Rental is as good as it gets.

Tags: 2012 Sequim Vacation, Sequim vacation rental for hot summers