Monterey, CA

Next Monday, Nov 30, 2009, we will not be having our regular team meeting. Instead I hope to meet many of you at 11:00am to work on decorating our office for the holidays. This will be coordinated with setting up tables in the office hallway to collect toys and clothing for distribution to families in need.

This will be the 5th year in a row that Keller Williams Carmel has worked with the Salvation Army Holiday Toy Drive. They will deliver barrels, and we will set up an area where all our donations can be gathered. Please watch for sales and great buys at the local stores. All donations must be new items. Please do not wrap them since it is easier to know who to give the gift to, if it can be seen. Toys, books and art supplies for any age are welcome. Also shoes and clothing in all sizes, keeping in mind that many teenagers where adult sizes.

If you don't like shopping, but wish to donate money, our office agreed to collect cash, and then go out and buy toys. Our fund has already been started with a gift from Gerry Lukenas, of $100.00. Thanks to Nancy Saunders for organizing this event. www.californiacoastlands.com/

Thank you and Happy Thanksgiving to each of you!

Once Upon a Party
Sunday, November 22nd 5:30-7:30pm

The party planning company Once Upon a Party is turning ONE and will be celebrating their party at MY Museum! Join them for cake, raffles and giveaways! Make sure you dress your little ones up in a costume. Hope to see you there!

It's Free, but reservations are required! Please call 831.883.8591

Thanksgiving Day November 26 the Salinas Rural Fire Department will hold a "turkey trot" toy drive from 7-10am at the Creekside Terrace parking area of the Fort Ord Public Lands. Please come by and bring a toy. It is a great cause and makes so many so happy. All toys benefit the Kinship Center adoption programs. There couldn't a better way to start your holiday then to make a child happy.

You can also take a pre-feast hike, bike or trail ride and burn off some extra calories!

The unexpected often appears as Angelica Blatt gazes out her window.

That's why Blatt positions her Nikon within easy reach. She can grab her camera, focus in and, with a snap, capture the moment in all its digital glory.

Blatt lives in a gated community off River Road.

From her house, she sees the winter moon rising and the valley floor silvery in the morning mist.

She also sees the silent migration of foxes, coyotes, deer and other natives as they crisscross the land.

In bitter cold, in hail and rain, the animals roam, seeking enough food and water to get them through the day and night.

Much of the wildlife drifts in from nearby Toro Regional Park. No fence separates those untamed lands from Blatt's property, and the animals move at will.

"Like this big bobcat," Blatt said. "It walked by my kitchen window and along the side of the house. I happened to have my camera on the table.

"I grabbed it and went out the door. I can't believe I did that."

Blatt, who has lived in her house five years, has seen a few tarantulas, too, and wild turkeys.

"And a huge king snake," she said.

Hawks glide through a nearby canyon. Quail hunch and rustle through the underbrush. Bunnies hop and stand on their back legs to reach and nibble little plants.

Blatt sets out feeders for hummingbirds, which dart and hover and stop, quivering a fluorescent purple and green in the air.

Like so many in Monterey County, Blatt and her family - she has twins 2 1/2 years old - live in a house on land that connects to expanses still untamed.

Monterey County is among the dwindling number of places on Earth where anyone hiking in a regional park or along the shore of the bay may suddenly encounter a spectacular natural moment.

Everything from whales breaching to dolphins feeding to the ghostly silhouette of a mountain lion crossing a trail.

One day at Blatt's house, a buck with antlers peered into her window. He was apparently curious about the two-legged creatures within.

"He wasn't startled," Blatt said. "He just sort of munched along. I got a really neat picture of that buck."

The bobcat that walked past her house sprinted down the hill once Blatt stepped out her door.

"My adrenalin was going," she recalled. "The bobcat looked back at me. I snapped its photo.

"I didn't even think about being afraid."

THIS IS A COPY OF AN ARTICLE THAT APPEARED IN THE SALINAS CALIFORNIAN AND OFF 68 NEWSPAPERS. MORE PHOTOS TO FOLLOW!

Come to Las Palmas Ranch to live. You will be surrounded by lots of natural beauty and lots of open space.

Currently there are 6 homes available for sale ranging in price from $290k to $909k of which 4 of those homes of short-sales..the market seems to have picked up. Earlier this year we had nearly 40 homes for sale. I think buyers have realized there are good buys out here and it is a great place to live!

I have lived at Las Palmas for over 10 years and in four sections of Las Palmas. We currently live in Prominence which has a total of 40 homes each one situated on 1 to 2 acre lots and is a gated section with

magnificent views of the Salinas Valley and beyond!

We often use the swimming pool to take the kids for a swim, get some exercise in the lap pool or just relax in the hot tub!

Set in the heart of Las Palmas Ranch II is the Buena Vista Middle School and Monterey County Library. Our girls love story time at the library.

You will also find hiking trails and lots of wildlife in the area. Las Palmas Ranch II is contiguous with Toro Regional Park.

So come to Las Palmas to live!

Please give me a call 831/406-1455. I am a satisfied resident of this brilliant community!