Christine O'Shea-Realtor Assoc.~ Princeton NJ and Naples Florida

Welcome Students is popping up all around Princeton lately. The Class of 2012 is coming to campus. Registration day is August 30^th, but a lot of students and families are seen touring the 500-acre Princeton University Campus.

Princeton is rich in history with traditions and lore and has been hailed by generations of Princetonians as "the best old place of all".

Princeton was the very first college to call her campus a "campus".

On a beautiful, crisp summer day I decided to take a stroll thru the University grounds and take in the beauty of the Princeton University Campus

A trip to the Trenton Farmers Market is always on the top of my list, I was introduced to is 14 years ago and was immediately hooked.

Located outside of Lawrenceville and Ewing, the Trenton Farmers Market is on Spruce Street. The market is open Sunday 10-4 and Tuesday thru Saturday 9-6. The market dates back to the early 1900s with farmers coming from all over the "Garden State: by horse and buggy to Trenton to sell their produce. In 1939 it was incorporated into the Trenton Farmers Market and in 1948 opened the Spruce Street location.

Part of the Jersey Fresh Program, The Trenton Farmers Market is open all year long and only allows produce sold that has been grown on that vendor's farm. Along with fresh produce, there are fresh and dried flowers, baked goods, a food court and a crab shack. There are also vendors with selling wares from jewelry to toys and socks.

It is truly a delight to the senses to see, touch and smell the fresh vegetables. My favorite is to buy tomatoes, onions, peppers, some fresh bread from the bakery and cheese, go home, slice up the produce thin and make a sandwich.

Absolutely the best any season of the year, if you are in the area it is not to be missed.

Located in Princeton Borough between Bayard Lane and Chambers Street (behind our NATIONS Real Estate office) is Bank Street. I first discovered Bank Street when looking for a parking space and thought it was an alley. Much to my delight, I discovered a variety of Victorian Homes and un-metered parking spaces with a two hour time limit.

Bank Street is designated "Historic District Preservation" by the Princeton Borough Historic Preservation Office.

The homes on Bank Street were constructed in the late 19^th century as "modest residences". They are two story buildings, eleven total on the street. The homes are single and twins, featuring bay windows and wood sitting porches decorated with spindle valances. The exterior accents are also scalloped, diamond and fish scale. There are approximately eleven properties on the street, mostly all seasonally decorated for the holidays and now in the summer with plantings, flower boxes and decorative bird houses. The homes, sitting close to the street and each other are reminiscent of another time and place.

The Jersey Fresh Festival is this weekend, Saturday and Sunday August 9^th and 10^th at the Hopewell Valley Vineyards, 46 Yard Road, Pennington between noon and 5 p.m.

The festival includes live music, food vendors and is held rain or shine. Admission is $10.

Located in Mercer County, New Jersey, Hopewell Valley Vineyards is in Pennington, Hopewell Twp. The Hopewell Valley Vineyards is owned b y Sergio and Barbara Neri. Sergio is a native of Milan Italy and purchased the 75 acres in Pennington in the late 1990's and started growing his own grapes in 2001. Currently Hopewell Valley Vineyards has 21 acres of Grapes planted.

New Jersey, known as the garden state, has approximately 25 wineries to date and is the fifth largest wine producing state in the U.S.

The Festival should be a lot of fun with wine tasting, food vendors and music and wine from New Jersey Wineries for sale.

Come on out and enjoy the beautiful countryside in Hopewell, NJ. Hope to see you there

The Butterfly Festival is this weekend at the Stony Brook Millstone Watershed on Saturday, August 9th from 10-4.

The address is 31 Titusmill Road, Pennington, NJ 08534. You can also visit www.thewatershed.org for directions and more information.

There will be local vendors, food, games and a Butterfly Costume Contest for the children. It sounds like a lot of fun for young and young at heart along with providing education about earth friendly practices for the environment, nature lead hikes and events at the Kate Gorrie Memorial Butterfly House featuring the last generation of Monarch Butterflies before they migrate south for the winter.

Hope to see you there!