Photo of the Day | Hong Kong Skyline 1986
In 1986 I was was doing a lot of photography. Both my wife and I were taking college photography classes, and doing some semi-professional work.
This photograph was taken from the top floor of a hotel parking lot on Kowloon looking across the harbor toward Hong Kong Island. I wanted to capture the skyline with the lights from the passing boats to add the interest. I had scouted various locations during several of my Hong Kong layovers, and this was the best.
This was a timed photo of about 5 minutes so that's why you see the boat lights but the boats are not visible.
The boat at the dock on the left is a people ferry that goes from Kowloon to Hong Kong Island. It was there and stationary the entire time. On the right is a freight barge at a long dock which serves to frame in the image and add more color.
The lines of light coming in towards the bottom and curving left is a tour boat that I knew was scheduled to arrive. So I set up and waited for about a half hour for that boat to come in; and as it arrived I opened the shutter to begin the time. The light lines are the boats navigation lights, and the light shining beside it on the water is the lights that were inside the tour boat, reflecting on the water.
I had taken a bunch of shots before this tour boat arrived, and this turned out to be the best. It was worth the half hour wait. When I took the negative to Image West to develop, they liked the photo and asked permission to use it in their calendar.
The Camera
The camera was a Pentax 6 x 7, and with that large negative you can get a huge print. We have a 24 x 32 inch print framed and hanging on one of our walls. I would love to go to Hong Kong again and get a new shot with the skyline changed after 24 years. Maybe next year.
Val Vista Lakes Clubhouse 25th Anniversary Celebration Info
For information about homes for sale in Val Vista Lakes contact Captain Bill Travis.
New HOA Laws Affect Realtors in AZ
Governor Jan Brewer signed three bills that will affect Planned Communities like Val Vista Lakes in Gilbert AZ, and Beachclub Village, a condominium sub community of Val Vista Lakes.
These bills became effective on July 29, 2010
OPEN HOUSE HOURS
Associations may not limit the hours for an open house for sale except that the association may prohibit an open house being held before 6:00 a.m. or after 10:00 p.m.
OPEN HOUSE SIGNS
FOR LEASE SIGNS
Val Vista Lakes Clubhouse 25th Anniversary Celebration Info
For information about homes for sale in Val Vista Lakes contact Captain Bill Travis.
View Community Videos by Captain Bill Travis
VAL VISTA LAKES CLUBHOUSE ANNIVERSARY CELEBRATION DETAILS for Sept 24th 2010
Val Vista Lakes is celebrating it's 25th Anniversary at the Clubhouse on September 24th 2010. On September 25th the celebration will continue at the Fry's Shopping Plaza at Val Vista Drive and Lakeside Rd.
In a separate article we'll discuss the schedule for September 25th. This article is for September 24th events.
TIMELINE:
6-7pm Cocktails, a Historical Display, and Silent Auction
7-8pm Dinner and Presentation
8-11pm Entertainment and Dancing
DETAILS:
6-7pm
Val Vista Lakes resident Diane Chambers is Chairperson of the Historical Display project. She and her team of volunteer members will have a History of Val Vista Lakes display set up in the West Wing.
There will also be a silent auction occurring. Proceeds to benefit our Val Vista Lakes Elementary School.
7 8pm A sit down dinner will be provided by Lena's Flowers and Catering of Gilbert AZ. There will be a dual entree consisting of Demi Glazed Roast with Walnut Crusted Chicken. A vegetarian meal is available.
Ticket Cost
Tickets are sold in advance at the clubhouse and cost $25 each. The ticket includes:
Notes:
A presentation will occur near the end of the dinner.
Banquet Room photo, above right, provided courtesy of the Val Vista Lakes Banquet Department
8-11pm Entertainment and Dance music provided by the Big Zephyr Band
The Big Zephyr band, owned by drummer Bill Babin, is an exciting Party/Cover band that plays popular party and dance music from the 1960's to the present.
They perform all over Arizona and anywhere up to a 3,000 mile radius from the Gilbert AZ area.
Among many other places, they have performed in:
I've spoken with band leader Bill Babin who says their band has a large playlist of songs to choose from and will work very hard to keep people dancing and enjoying the music. They play exciting party music that is enjoyed by people of all ages.
Whether you like to dance, or just like to sit and watch the band and dancers and listen to the music, you will enjoy this band.
You can listen to some of their music samples at this link: Big Zephyr Band Music Samples
Below are some photos of the Big Zephyr Band and audiences.
The photos are provided courtesy of the Big Zephyr Band.
Val Vista Lakes Clubhouse 25th Anniversary Celebration Info
For information about homes for sale in Val Vista Lakes contact Captain Bill Travis.
View Community Videos by Captain Bill Travis
Below is a brief video of the beautiful and tranquil waterfalls at the Val Vista Lakes Clubhouse
ONCE EVERY 823 YEARS -- It's Happening Now -- You're Witnessing History
Just a little trivia that someone passed on to me
August 2010 has the following:
It happens all in one month, and it won't happen again for another 823 years.
Enjoy it while you can because I don't think we'll be here when it happens again.
You can find this on the Mirror of Tomorrow dot org.
Have a great Sunday.
For information about homes for sale Spectrum at Val Vista contact Captain Bill Travis.
View Community Videos by Captain Bill Travis
SAVE IT or LOSE IT
What do you do when you've spent one hour writing an article without saving it, and accidentally close that browser page?
You lose all of your work. That's what you do. Then you want to scream, pull your hair out and kick yourself in the rear for being so stupid.
I write my blog posts on the AR platform as a matter of choice. I could use a number of programs to write them, and then copy and paste, but I prefer writing directly to AR. What's lacking on the AR platform is the ability to hit a "Save" button periodically like you can on an MS Word, or Excel program.
In the upper right of the page is a message that says: Draft auto-saved at 06:28 PM, or some other time.
Do not believe that.
It lies to you.
It does not auto save.
The only way I know to "Save" is to scroll down and click on "Post Blog Entry".
If you write your blog posts on the AR platform here is what you need to do to Save your work:
Your initial work is Saved and you're safe to begin writing the blog
I use the following sequence in writing my blogs:
If, after entering the video embedding code you need to go and edit more text, then prepare yourself that you'll lose the video and have to go re-enter the embedding code.
When you get in a hurry and forget to save the work along the way, it will one day catch you and you'll lose your work like I did. Build good habits to prevent that sort of waste of time.
Val Vista Lakes Clubhouse 25th Anniversary Celebration Info
For information about homes for sale in Val Vista Lakes contact Captain Bill Travis.
View Community Videos by Captain Bill Travis
Val Vista Lakes Homes for Sale in Gilbert AZ is Captain Bill's specialty. He lives there and is active in the community. He works with first-time-home-buyers, move-up buyers and Short Sale Homes
Val Vista Lakes is my primary community specialty because we have lived in Val Vista Lakes for the past six years, frequent the Clubhouse, and am active in the community.
Therefore, I know a lot about the community, the Val Vista Lakes Clubhouse, its' internal management structure, the lakes, the community real estate market, the sub-communities, and the goals of the community. I'm also very knowledgable about other great communities in Gilbert AZ including The Islands, El Dorado Lakes, Power Ranch, Spectrum at Val Vista, Agritopia, and Seville, which a a golf community and the largest planned community development in Gilbert.
There are many qualities and skills that go into being an excellent real estate home sales professional. There is integrity, which is an absloute must; in-depth community, market knowledge, marketing savvy, internet marketing materials and skills; effective negotiation skills and a high-quality professional network, all of which are hallmarks of how I work.
That said, in my experience as a Gilbert AZ, and Metropolitan Phoenix and East Valley real estate 
professional, I've also found that providing the very best service is essentially about putting my real estate clients first. This means keeping myself accessible, answering my phone (or returning calls promptly) being a good listener as well as a good communicator, and responding quickly to your needs.
I had a 28 year career as an international airline pilot for Pan Am where my passengers, who were the company's clients, were my primary concern. It was of paramount importance that my passengers had to reach their destination comfortably and safely. We worked hard to make that happen.
That "client first" philosophy has always been my business approach and it requires me to continually improve my skills and ways of doing business in the Val Vista Lakes and Gilbert AZ real estate business.
In addition, I've found that the latest technologies are enabling me to do everything I've always done, only much more quickly and efficiently. They've also helped me to extend the range of services I provide to my clients.
I have knowledge and proficiency in handling short sale negotiations for either Buyers or Sellers
Free MLS Searches for Val Vista Lakes, Gilbert AZ, Chandler, Mesa, Tempe, Scottsdale and the entire Phoenix Metropolitan area are made available to my clients.
So when you decide that you'd like to buy or sell a home in the Metropolitan Phoenix and Valley areas, even if it's a short sale situation, don't hesitate to contact
Captain Bill Travis at
Bill@CaptainBillRealty.com, or
(480) 226 1630, or
visit the web site at
www.CaptainBillRealty.com
Val Vista Lakes Homes in Gilbert, AZ
Gilbert AZ is home to Val Vista Lakes, a beautiful "oasis in the desert" community in north central Gilbert. This master planned community is located in the East Valley of the Phoenix Metropolitan Area.
Captain Bill not only specializes in working with residential home buyers in sellers in Gilbert's Val Vista Lakes, he is also very active in the community. He is a Past President of the Lakeside sub-association HOA, and a former board member of the Val Vista Lakes Master Home Owners Association. He continues to serve on the Lakeside at Val Vista Lakes Board of Directors; and he works on various commities of the Val Vista Lakes master board. He is very active in, and cares about the community.
Val Vista Lakes in Gilbert AZ consists of 4 lakes, with two of them joined together and having access to the Val Vista Lakes Clubhouse. There are 24 sub-associations (7 of them gated), 1976 single family homes, 500 apartments, plus 63 town homes, 198 condominiums, and a number of businesses.
There are plenty of walking areas, parks and greenbelts. The The Val Vista Lakes $10,000,000 clubhouse boasts a weight room, cardio room, handball courts, banquet rooms, 8 championship tennis courts, BBQ pit, junior olympic swimming pool, sand volley ball court, and a sandy beach swimming pool, all set on the picturesque Val Vista Lakes waterfront.
The award winning residential home community has single family homes priced up to over $1,000,000.
The Val Vista Lakes Clubhouse and grounds, because of the beautiful banquet room and waterfront view, is a very popular wedding venue.
Val Vista Lakes Clubhouse in Gilbert AZ is featured in many of my blog posts here on Active Rain. It has many photos and much information about the community and surrounding areas. The Val Vista Lakes Clubhouse grassy oval, sitting on the waterfront, and under the wonderful man-made Holiday Mountain with it's picturesque waterfalls is a perfect spot for your wedding ceremony.
Val Vista Lakes Gilbert AZ Water Fall on Man Made Mountain
Val Vista Lakes Clubhouse Ceremony on Grassy Oval Photo Courtesy Val Vista Lakes Banquet Department
The beautiful Val Vista Lakes Clubhouse banquet room with its' 200 person capacity, where you can bring your own vendors is a great spot for the reception, and is a featured wedding venue in The Knot.
Val Vista Lakes Homes by Captain Bill
View Val Vista Lakes Gilbert AZ Clubhouse in a larger map
The designations next to a Realtors name denote the advanced education the agent has had to specialize in certain real estate fields.
ABR Acredited Buyer Representative
ePRO Advanced education in computer technology and internet marketing techniques
BBS Business Brokerage Specialist
GRI Graduate Real Estate Institute - advance studies in all phases of real estate transactions
CDPE Certified Distressed Property Expert - advance studies in working with banks on Short Sales
CDRS Certified Default Resolution Specialist - advance studies in working with banks on Short Sales
CRS Certified Residential Specialist - I am a member and candidate working on the designation
CNE Certified Negotiation Expert
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