Today is Sunday, May 19th

I've been enjoying myself thoroughly the last week or so... Living on the coast certainly has it's advantages.  Our walks are such an amazing ritual at this point and it's hard to even think about not seeing and feeling the surf each morning...even walked in the drizzle on Thurs. Speaking of which..Thurs  was a jammed packed day... Between our walk and Broker's Tour, we kept up pace to see about 25 homes..  but then, home to pick up my personal hero, Tracy, cancer survivor and take him to the Relay for Life Texas Hold 'em Tournament at our broker's home in Monte Sereno to play poker... We raised over $7000 and had a blast doing it.!!!  What a fun evening!!  So glad to give back even tho' we both lost...  I lasted through two breaks anyway...

Texas Hold'em Relay for Life 

Friday was another fabulous day where I walked, played with clay (almost done with my surfer gal) and showed a very interesting home on Moon Valley Ranch Road and then, took a trip to Tuscany..
Linda and Jim shared dinner with us and we totally enjoyed being with them!!!

Open house today at 404 Arbolado Drive in La Selva Beach!!!  Another gorgeous day at the beach!!!

Today is May 1st

Well, I find myself awake at 3:00 in the morning so what do I do?  Update a marketing analysis for a home in Saratoga, clean up my email and watch a video online.  I'm a happy gal but I sure wish I could go back to sleep.... maybe I should try?

The days have been warm with a breeze on the coast and I'm enjoying our lives unfolding...

Yesterday was a phenomenal day!!!  T, Riley & I proceeded to the beach early... about 7:30 instead of our usual 8 AM.  The air was warm and soft, almost caressing as we followed the prancing Riley boy down towards Seascape... greeting our beach buddies, feeding treats to their doggies.  It's amazing to be able to start our day that way.

Upon our return, we stopped to say hi to our neighbor and then, were invited in to see another neighbor's home on Toledo and then, watered some potted plants at 207 Toledo ( sale closing in a couple weeks).  Delivered some mail and greeted Linda and then, finally home to coffee, protein drink and the paper on the back deck.  Imagine that?  I actually read the paper the day it was delivered!

Work beckoned and I enjoyed checking in with several clients and catching up on paperwork.  Grabbed a light lunch and off to an inspection at 84 Robak and then, to show several homes to a great Cupertino couple.

Upon my return, Tracy & Riley were outside and we decided that dinner out would be fun so, T came along when we stopped at 1220 Day Valley Trails to deliver my closing gifts.  What a wonderful gift to be a part of my clients' happiness in their new home!!!  They are positively beaming!!!  We are blessed!!

Then, we found ourselves at Cafe Sparrow enjoying a surf & turf and a risotto and a wonderful Barbera from Fiddletown Cellars.

That and the last half of NCIS and a couple more shows and sleep beckoned...

Maybe it will again?

Today is Saturday, July 28th

When you're ready to sell again,  not just list your home; consider the fact that I'll really market your home on both sides of the hill & make sure that it's open & advertised every weekend until it sells.  I advertise on Zillow, Trulia, Realtor.com, MLS Listings, YouTube & Sereno for maximum exposure in addition to print advertising in the Sentinel & the Mercury News. I just sold 200 Sand St. Rio Del Mar in 8 days, 1656 Martin Ave, the Rose Garden in 10 days, a Milpitas listing in 4 days all within the last month. Homes are selling when they're given the right advertising & outreach. I also always do a video with original jazz music.   Your home will sell given the right amount of exposure.  I'd like the chance to try.  This is my neighborhood. I know how to sell it & I'd like the opportunity to  help you get it done. We just returned from a few glorious days in Paso to celebrate my birthday & Tracy.  Our 2nd trip in 3 years. We have survived the most horrible 24 months of our lives  but T is fighting & thriving even thru all the hellacious treatment & setbacks. Our art class - playing with clay, family & friends & walks on the beach sustain us; my business keeps my brain otherwise occupied & happy & staves off senior moments of senility.  Hee hee

Monday, April 29th

I have to say this has been an unbelievable month!!!  I just vented about the ridiculous nature of things seemingly beyond our control BUT I am also very thankful for a month of fabulous sights, sounds and business.  I'm intensely happy with life as it unfolds.

I sold 444 Whispering Pines #95 and closed it within 2 weeks;  sold 279 Aptos Beach Pines and represented those same sellers when they purchased 1220 Day Valley Trails and closed contiguously ...sold 207 Toledo Drive in 10 days and it'll close in a few weeks... now representing buyers on 1213 Andrew Lane and 84 Robak Drive and having fun with my new listing at 404 Arbolado Drive in La Selva Beach...  I've been referred to several new clients and just generally very happily busy figuring out how to solve the puzzles.  Oh yah!

On top of that,  we've heard some great music this month at Kuumbwa and the Rio theatre... Pharaoh Sanders and the Ray Charles tribute band featuring Tony Lindsay of Santana fame and Spang a Lang

Tony Lindsay & me

I knew Tony when I was single cause my hair stylist dated him and we all loved to dance to his music... almost 20 years ago... it was a blast hearing him again...  gotta go dancin' again soon... and last BUT definitely not least the Blue Sky Riders with Kenny Loggins... I can't get their music out of my head!!!

We also were treated to a visit by dear Connecticut friends, Patti Mulligan Githmark and Paul and we toured Monterey with our mates.  So great to see them again!!
The Beta Phi Beta Babes did Pebble Beach...

Anne Marie, Patti & Jayne

Anne Marie, Paul, Patty, Tracy, Jayne & Lou

Amazing sighting on our Rio Del Mar beach... 3 whales!!! If I could figure out how to add a movie I'd show you but I felt sooo blessed to see the huge fins and the outline of these humungous creatures... We've sighted them twice this week including yesterday... they are so close to shore in our little piece of the world and with that I'm going to bed....

Sunday, April 28th

Here's a question I'm grappling with...  Why didn't we all choose to be politicians?  They are soo far above the rules that you and I play by.  Did you hear that our elected very quietly repealed the law that makes it illegal for them to benefit from insider trading?  If you or I used insider knowledge; we'd be prosecuted and end up in jail like Martha Stewart. How about the fact that the sequester had hampered air travel and the elected wanted to go home to their constituencies from DC and suddenly, within a week they drafted and passed legislation to get themselves home without delay.

How about the fact that my medical insurance premiums have gone up by 28% in just over a year and yet, had I been elected to federal office;  I'd have free medical for life... even if only elected to one term?  Why aren't the elected eligible for social security instead of their compensation for life with cost of living increases?  Why aren't those elected perks referred to as entitlements as well?

I am disgusted and frustrated that the media hasn't focussed on any of these issues and that we are constantly being ignored or our wishes denied.  90% of the people want gun control and the Senate can't get a bill passed.  Spineless bought and paid for politics at its best!!!  I'm sick of all of it...are you?  Now what do we do about it?

Easter Sunday into April Fool's Day

It's the wee small hours of the morning and I'm awake for some insane reason... woke up to pain in my back and the sound of rain drops on the roof and  the thought that I had to reorder my Netflix queue...huh?  so I did... reorder the queue...

We had a very peaceful Easter... it had rained Sat. night and the air was clean and the sun appeared on schedule to warm our morning so that our walk on the beach was on wonderfully compacted sand in a negative tide as the air caressed.  We walked quietly wishing all a good morning and a Happy Easter as we tried to find our way...  sometimes talking is hard... we misunderstand each other's intent and there in starts the trouble....

Listening to the last hour of  "Prairie Home Companion" and  "Wait, Wait Don't Tell Me" we ate our breakfast and relaxed.  I felt truly grateful for a day off.  It doesn't happen very often.  I enjoyed the chance to just be.  We had been to Carol and Chuck's for a wonderful happy hour on Sat. after an open house at 207 Toledo Dr. filled with folks and we were off to an intimate Easter celebration at Carla's... a gathering of  Tim, Marit, Carla, Hayley and T and I.  We sat and talked and decorated eggs... Marit and Tim were competing for top honors... Tim with the egga Pope and Marit with Marie Antoinegg.

Marit's Marie with her head

and Beheaded

Tim's The Egg Pape 

We all did at least one egg if only for presents... dinner was delicious with ham and scalloped potatoes, carrots and salad and cheesecake made by T & A.  On our way home, we swung by Jayne's and brought a plate and greeted Lynn & Bob.  Flowers are in bloom and the Joseph's coat roses are spectacular at their home.

Quietly we wound our way home in the rain showers in time to see "The Good Wife" and climb into bed.  A very good day...

We watched "Flight"  and "The Sessions" Friday evening... Flight was pretty hard to watch as the addiction took hold of Denzel but the movie was compelling.  The Sessions was outstanding!!!  I highly recommend it!!  Amazing acting and such an amazing young man and Helen Hunt was truly great!! Humanity is the perfect enigma and some people thrive no matter what they face...

Played with clay for a few hours on Friday as I coached a first time buyer on the art of making an offer.  I had sculpted a Dungeness crab that needed the finishing touches of glazing and the mermaid is drying and just about a week away from firing.  Tracy's seal is all ready adorning a post... wow!

Annie glazing the crab

T's Seal

444 Whispering Pines #95 just closed escrow and Anjuna is free again to enjoy some free time.  My other 2 escrows are moving along steadily towards fruition.  We'll be reviewing offers on 207 Toledo Dr. on Wed. and I hope they bring happiness to both the buyers and the sellers.... Win Win

Happy Easter and Happy Passover!!!  I'm going back to sleep... I hope....

Today is Friday, March 15th

The Ides of March is upon us and it's brought some unbelievably beautiful weather to the central coast.  what magnificent colors and smells and beauty!!!  What fun!!!   I just finished "The Paris Wife" which is our book club selection for next month and I LOVED it!!!!   What a great read... Hemingway was definitely a unique character and it was fun to read about the authors of that era and what they might have been like.... Ezra Pound, Gertrude Stein and on and on...

Life has been very good to us...  we've been enjoying our walks to the beach and hearing music at Kuumbwa Jazz Society AND we caught Paula Poundstone at the Rio....  lots of fun!!!  and I've lost 13 lbs so far since Nov.  I love the "Lose IT!"  app!  I've hit my goal weight now I'm gonna see if I can make it to the weight that my license says... we'll see...

The best news:  I'm working on 3 escrows... YAHOO!!!  we needed that!!!  I've had several deals cancel over the last couple months so, it's great to have these wonderful people on board.  Man, is it the right time to sell?!!!  Multiple offers and prices jumping...  it's such an amazing turn around!  If you're hesitating or wondering whether it's the right time to sell... let me tell you:  It is!!!!  Call me!!!

Anyway, we're hoping to plan a trip to Hawaii some time soon but first, it's time to make hay while the sun shines...  Several referrals have  come my way and I love working with referrals!!!  I adore working with people... funny to finally get it.... but it is a dream come true to get to know people and assist them with realizing their dreams...

Tracy is sooo good!  He's had a lot of fun this past month sculpting a menagerie of wild life... I had the sickness so, I was forced to work my way back to health and ignore playing with clay.  I can't wait to see our work displayed upon the yard posts...  I just finished a mermaid sitting on a surfboard and my Dungeness crab was fired in my absence last month.  Tracy, on the other hand, has sculpted Riley, a sea lion, an otter, a raccoon and a crow!!!  Can't wait to see the finished products!!!!