A December Night out in Downtown Portland
Last night we had tickets to the Aaron Meyer Holiday Concert at The Old Church in downtown Portland. With several friends going, we decided to make a night of it and enjoy dinner at the Davis Street Tavern before hand. It really does seem like only a couple of years ago when we checked out this place when it first opened. Like any new restaurant, we always keep our fingers crossed for their success as this is a hard business.
I just looked at the website and could it really be that it opened in 2008? Wow, time sure DOES fly by and obviously, they've been successful! If you go, the dungenous crab bisque is to die for! I had the sturgeon for the entree that replaced my fave Halibut..but gotta say, it didn't disappoint at all.
With our bellys full it was off to the concert. The ladies of the group put our heeled feet down and said we really didn't want to take the walk to The Old Church, so I enjoyed my first Max ride (wish I would have had someone take that picture). Ok..so it was only a couple of stops up, but it's free to hop on and off in the downtown area..gotta love that!
The concert was fun and Aaron Meyer and his band put on a nice show with the Brown Sisters as guest singers. Check out the video ( and afterthought right at the end..I really didn't want to be Un-PC...but risked this oneanyway).
After the concert, we decided to head to The Brasserie for some drinks.....then I gave in (maybe the drinks?) and said it was OK to walk back to where we were parked. The reward was for our friend to pull up in front of Voodoo Doughnut while we all piled out of the car and picked out some funky sweets while he drove around the block.
Now..if you've never heard of Voodoo Doughnuts..well..let's just say it's true to form with the "keep Portland Wierd" theme. Where else can you get married, and buy vegan doughnuts at the same place. Oh..and there are a few items on the menu board that would make many blush when ordering. I stuck with a simple peanut butter, chocolate with rice Krispies doughnut..yum.
We did pack in a bit in one evening, and as I finally went to bed around 1:45AM...I realized that this old chick can still get out and have some fun!
Tualatin Fox Hill Neighborhood Weekly Real Estate Report 12/5/11-12/11/11

How much is my home worth today? Take a video tour of the Property Investment Profile
This report will only reflect the happenings though from 12/5-12/11 2011, so the changes after this will be reflected in next weeks report. There were no changes this week.
The average days on the market for the Fox Hill neighborhood is currently 128 days for all properties (up from 118 in my last report) That breaks down the following way:
*Active Properties: averaged 133 days (this number is skewed by one property that's been on the market for 307 days while the others are under 149 days.
*Pending Properties: (one) was on the market for an average of 97 days ** Note this short sale has been pending since 9/1/11
*Sold Properties: no sold properties going back one month
Please feel free to contact me with any questions or to schedule showings of any of the properties on the market.

* Info taken from the RMLS (Regional Multiple Listing Service) and can change after this posting.
Tualatin, Oregon (pronounced Tu-aah-la-tin) has several sections and neighborhoods but this post highlights the Fox Hill neighborhood. I will admit that I am partial to it as I had the pleasure of living there for several years and got to know several very nice people. I loved that this was the type of neighborhood that people got to know you and your family..and vice versa.
Fox Hill is tucked behind the Legacy Meridian Park Hospital and is bordered between Borland Rd. and Nyberg Ave. This neighborhood is an established neighborhood with most of the homes having been built in the mid to late 80's.
Sitting in a fantastic location for easy access to both I-5 and I-205, this Tualatin Fox Hill neighborhood has it all. Within minutes you can visit Browns Ferry Park with it's natural bird sanctuary that runs along the Tualatin River. I have walked many a mile here!
Unlike many newer neighborhoods, you will find homes in Fox Hill that have larger lots, mature, established landscaping, and tree lined streets. I have started to see some changing here as many of the original owners are starting to downsize and younger families are moving in
Fox Hill is actually comprised of two seperate sections with SW 50th Ave. being the divider. Fox Hill and Bridgeport section falls in the Tigard-Tualatin school district and Fox Hill Park in the West Linn-Wilsonville School District (although there is a tiny section on Suam Way that is Tigard/Tualatin schools). Both are in Clackamas county whereas most of Tualatin is in Washington county.
I can't talk about Fox Hill without mentioning the annual 4th of July parade. This starts and ends at Bridgeport Elementary and all the neighbors line up every year to watch all the marchers, fireman, and neighborhood police. This is not just for folks that live in here, people from all over Tualatin come for the fun.
If you are looking to move to Tualatin, take a drive through the Fox Hill neighborhood and check it out. Feel free to contact me for more information on any of these homes or Tualatin.
Here are a few links that you might find helpful:
Moving to Tualatin Oregon? Here is a compilation of videos of the area.
The City of Tualatin offical page
The Tigard-Tualatin School District
The West Linn-Wilsonville School District The Tualatin Times
Where is it Wednesday...somewhere in Beaverton, OR. 12/14/11
I love how several knew the answer..as well as throwing out more hints, but no one claimed last week's Sleighbells, answer to Where is it Wednesday...somewhere in Sherwood, OR. 12/7/11
Each week I'll be posting a new picture on Wednesday morning(ish). The title of the blog will have the City where the picture is taken and I'll post the answer Wednesday evening...not only here on my blog, but on facebook business page (please click like and add yourself there) as well as tweetin it on my Twitter page and posting on Google+. Remember, you're free to google or use whatever there is on hand.
Hint: A place where both kids AND adults can play.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Big Al's, answer to Where is it Wednesday...somewhere in Beaverton, OR 12/14/11
John is indeed correct and this is Big Al's on Barrows Rd. in Beaverton. Located in the Progress Ridge neighborhood that is right on the border of Tigard and Beaverton, this area has been booming for a couple of years now. When I lived on Bull Mountain back in 2005, they were just building the many condos, townhomes and apartments. Fast forward to 2011 and Big Al's opened up..as well as Cinetopia, and New Seasons.
Big Al's is a place to take go to enjoy bowling, arcade games and a large sports bar and grill. if you want to make day of it, you can start off at Big Al's for some Bowling and games and then head over to Cinetopia for a movie. Oh..and did I mention that Big Al's is not just for bowling and arcade games?...it also has a huge restaurant, private rooms for parties and business meetings as well as lounges for those 21 and over. I know my husband came home one day after having a business meeting here, and he said it was pretty cool. Now..like most bowling places, you can get full service food and drinks at the lanes. Thankfully, unlike bowling alleys of the past, this one is clean, open, and completely smoke free..YES!
I was going to make a video, and did get some pretty good footage...the only thing is that this was a last minute swerve into the parking lot, and I was not "packin" my camera. Hey...I figured my new fancy phone would do just the trick...right? Well..note to self, when taking video,hold the camera in a "camera like" way instead of like a phone. My videos all came out sideways..LOL. Live and learn! So, here are some pictures that I took. Note that it was pretty dark in there, so even if I did have my coolpix camera...they would be dark as well.
This place looks like fun, I might have to dust off my bowling ball and shoes!



This lounge is right next to the bowling lanes in the main floor


The young woman working was nice enough to show me these private meeting rooms..Can you see the tables??? Yea..they were dark!


Cash in those winnings!





Big Al's Beaverton. 503-748-6118. 14950 SW Barrows Rd. Beaverton, OR 97007.
Past Where is it Wednedays:
Oregon Convention Center...answer to Where is it Wednesday...somewhere in Portland, OR 11/30/11
Island Cafe, answer to Where is it Wednesday...somewhere in Portland, OR 11/23/11
Clackamette Park, answer to Where is it Wednesday...somewhere in Oregon City 11/16/11
Willamette General Store, answer to Where is it Wednesday...somewhere in West Linn, OR 10/26/11
SakeOne, answer to Where is it Wednesday...somewhere in Forest Grove, OR 10/19/11
Lee Farms, answer to Where is it Wednesday...somewhere in Tualatin, OR 10/5/11
So, you want to buy a floating home in Portland
I can't remember how the idea of buying a floating home came about, but my hubby and I are now the proud crazy owners of one. We started looking in the summer and after the bank (yes..it was bank owned) turned our initial offer down, they had a change of heart after labor day...and with two years of vacancy to accept our second offer (lower this time around..what were they thinking?)
I've been one to say if you can do it, now is the time to buy when prices are low...and in the floating home community, as well as any second home residence, prices are at some really nice lows and opportunity is there!
So far, this is what we've learned about buying a floating home in Portland.
1. It's called a floating home..not a houseboat..or a boathouse and you can't drive it out on the water. You CAN move the home to another rented slip in another moorage...but that's something we're not planning on doing as we love the location. Floating homes are held into place in the slip by chains.
2. Even though you see these homes on the MLS, a floating home is considered personal property much like a car. You still go through the title company, but you get a title..similar to a car title. Oh..and unlike buying a car, you can't get away from Uncle Sam here..yes, there are property taxes..go figure. Ours are about $1,100 for the year.
3. Their are only a few lenders that will finance these...so it's best to hire an agent (like we did) that knows who they are. Most times many owners will carry the loan for the buyer. The other option of course is to pay cash.
4. When purchasing a floating home, you'll need a dive survey to see below the home. Most homes in Portland use log, stringers and foam as a "foundation" to keep the home afloat. This can cost you about $500.
5. You'll also need an above ground inspection because they are just like regular homes in that
respect.
6. Most moorages rent the slips..such as the one we are in. The fee's range from $500 and up typically which covers slip rental, water, sewer and garbage.Some will sell the slip as well which can cost almost as much as the home, but then you just pay a lower monthly HOA (home owners association) fee instead of a slip rental fee.
7. A honey pot is not where you'll find Whinnie the Pooh or one of those "port-a-potty" type things at outdoor events...it's how your plumping is connected to the public sewer system.
8. Only a few insurance companies will insure floating homes...and the cost is higher.
9. They need to be balanced....so if you re-do the kitchen with granite and the weight is not even, you'll need to hire a dive company to come and add some foam to equal out the weight.
10. You have to carry everything down....and up the ramp. Garbage, furniture, groceries....everything. Who needs a stinkin stairstepper right?
So far, we can see that this is a different kind of community. Our new neighbors have been a great source of information which they've shared freely. This Friday the Portland Christmas Ship parade will go right past our new home..so I'm looking forward to getting some hot chocolate, bundling up and watching the show!
In the next couple of months, we'll be doing some work to fix it up on the inside...I'll be posting about the progress as well as our experiences! Here are some pictures.





December Blooms in my West Linn Oregon yard
Oh baby it's getting cold outside....but yet taking a stroll around my yard, I was actually amazed at some of the blooms that are still hanging in there in mid December! One of the great things about living in Portland is the fairly mild climate that is great for gardening. I love a really nice mixture of evergreens, perrenials and annuals to have something to look at through the year. It's one of life's wonders that even the most fragile looking flower has such strength to hold up to the elements. Here are some photos of some very hardy plants!
This azalea is a new one that is not only everygreen but blooms all season. It did live up to what it said...although..I think it's finally giving in to the cold...sigh.





I can never remember what the name of this annual is...but it has been blooming since the spring! It doesn't look like December in Oregon from this photo!

Although not a flower...I love the all year round color of Cora Bell. It comes in so many beautiful shades and can tolerate a shady area. Love it!

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