Chris Fisher of StagersLISTWebsites.com

Just wanted to take a moment to mention how great Mary DeBella is. The Staging Expo is heading to the Portland area 9/13/08 and Mary is our local event coordinator. She has been advertising, lining up sponsors (who bring cool stuff to give away), organizing food, accomodations, everything. Mary is truly a professional and we feel very lucky to have her on board for this Expo. It is going to be a lot of fun.

Some of the speakers & topics:

Christine Rae, Staging Expert/Trainer and Author of "Home Staging For Dummies" presenting about "TRENDS IN YOUR MARKETPLACE"

Kym Hough, Experienced Staging Professional from California will present "Marketing Your Business Daily"

Terrylynn Fisher, a 31 Year Realtor Professional from California presenting "How to Become a Collaborator With Your Realtor"

Mary DeBella, Home Staging Professional, will present "Inventory and Warehouse Management"

Plus there is a furniture factory tour, a $1,000 raffle prize, and more!

If you are able to attend the event, please visit www.StagersLIST.com to register. There is a banner ad in the top left. The investment is only $20 for RESA members and $25 for non-RESA members. Our local (East Bay Area, California) was a HUGE success. The feedback we've received is great, the staging professionals who attended seem to value the information provided.

Some of the sponsors Mary has lined up (there will be booths at the Expo for sponsors, as well as raffle prizes during the expo):

Thank you again Mary for working so hard to ensure The First Annual Pacific NW Staging Expo will be a success!

I have realized it is the middle of summer vacation and I promised Rhiannon and her BFF Amelia we'd do some little day trips. So far, we haven't. I also noticed I've had a total of 3 days off since March. I have a lot of work to do, StagersLIST.com is taking up a lot of time, and so are my other clients.

So I made a bit of a compromise for this Friday. My daughter is in a summer program that gets out at noon. I'm going to take Amelia with me to pick her up, then we'll head over to San Francisco. First stop... Well, an appointment with one of my clients... BUT that won't take long AND there is an Italian restaurant a few doors down (the kids love spaghetti), so we can start with lunch after my appointment!

Also, my client, Mark Peterson-Estrada does Reiki treatments and has offered Rhiannon and I a free treatment. It will be nice for her to meet him in person and decide if she's interested in that (I'm pretty sure she will be). Mark participates in/sponors some wonderful, healing community support programs. See, it's a good Stop 1!

Once websites have been discussed and our tummies are full of spaghetti, we will head off to the Fisherman's Wharf area, "San Francisco's Most Popular Destination". We are planning our day trips so that we only have to park once or twice, since parking is a big deal in San Francisco, as I'm sure it is in other busy cities.

Rhiannon was at Pier 39 on a "grandpa day" a few weeks ago and noticed the Ripley's Believe it or Not Museum, which they didn't have time to visit. Also in this area we have chosen to visit the Wax Museum and the Aquarium. Big bonus, I've found coupons for admission on all three (click a link to print the coupon).

There's plenty more to do in the Fisherman's Wharf area, but we only have from about 2:30 or 3pm until closing time at 11pm (hopefully we'll be done before then), and I think we'll wrap it up at the Hard Rock Cafe (most restaurants validate 1-2 hours of parking). You could also take a dinner cruise, visit Alcatraz, shop till you drop, walk to Ghiradelli Square and get some chocolate... it could easily be a full day or weekend trip. You can also look at the sea lions, who have their own webcam, which is one of my favorite things. They're very cute as they sun themselves on the pier. There are too many things to list. Don't forget your "Escaped from Alcatraz" or "I Heart San Francisco" t-shirt.

Some things to remember when you visit Fisherman's Wharf:

• Wear your sunscreen, even if it doesn't seem hot.
• Wear comfortable walking shoes!
• It's very crowded so keep an eye on the kids.
• Don't be in a hurry, there's a lot to take in.
• Have a great time!

- Chris

More links, in case you didn't get enough, here are the websites for the attractions we are visiting:
Aquarium of the Bay
Ripley's Believe it or Not! Museum
Wax Museum

Some friends and I recently went on a wine tasting trip in Sonoma. Our favorite winery was the Robledo Family Winery. The wines were delicious (I even loved the chardonnay and I usually only drink red). We were served by one of the Robledo sons, who told us the story behind the name of each wine as well as the grapes used to make them. There was also a cute little Robledo grandson wandering around and admiring our limo. This is a charming and inviting family winery. Mama Robledo is even the one doing the cooking today for the Cinco de May celebration!

From the family website:
"We think every bottle of wine produced by Robledo Family Winery is a small triumph. The quality of our wine displays viticulturist Reynaldo Robledo's skills of grape culture. He overcame his humble beginnings as an immigrant field worker to become one of the most successful vineyard consultants and winery owners in California Wine Country. More than anything, Robledo Family Winery is a success because Robledo shares his knowledge and passion with his children and his grandchildren."

Their wine club is even family oriented. You can sign up as:

• Padrinos (Godparents) - One case every three months, Feb, May, Aug & Nov
• Tios (Uncles/Aunts) - One case every four months, Mar, July & Nov
• Primos (Cousins) - Six bottles every three months, Feb, May, Aug & Nov.

With the membership, you receive a 30% discount on all wine and a 20% discount on clothing/merchandise. Not a bad deal!

Robledo Family Winery
21901 Bonness Road
Sonoma, CA 95476
707-939-6903

Tasting room open by appointment Monday-Sunday 10am - 5pm & 11am - 4pm