Frank Kliewer

Don't Miss the Tulips in Washington State ---

The annual Skagit Valley Tulip Festival in Washington State got off to an early start this year, and now it is in full bloom. With my children here for spring break, the timing could not have been better for a ride up to tulip land and a wonderful adventure in nature's display of marvelous colors.

Red is always one of our favorite tulip colors, but only one of many amazing varieties.

At Tulip Town, you will find artistic displays, food, coffee, and a very warm and cheerful gift shop. The motto at Tulip Town is "To God Give the Glory." There is also a World's Peace Garden on display. The trip can be a spiritual adventure for sure.

The wall murals are well done and give you a real sense of the history of tulip cultivation. Even if it is raining the indoor display is worth the trip with the wonderful wall murals giving you a feel of the outdoors.

We went for a tractor ride out into the fields to witness the display coming out of the earth. This was an extra fun bonus on an overcast and chilly day.

The Tulip Festival is on until the end of the month and well worth the trip, only a little over an hour from our home base in Woodinville.

Tip to those making the trip: Arrive early in the morning.
By late in the morning the tourist buses will begin clogging the narrow farm roads and parking lots. There will be a lot of people to wade through the later in the day you go. This advice applies even more on weekends and sunny days. This year I'd suggest exit 226 off of I-5 and a stop just after 9 AM at the Tulip Festival office at 311 W. Kincaid St. Mt. Vernon, WA. They can give you up-to-date information on the best fields to visit.

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Downtown Woodinville Washington Condominiums --- Close to Everything You Need ---

Living in a downtown condominium in a friendly small town like Woodinville WA, offers a lot of wonderful amenities with a minimum of maintenance responsibilities. Just a short walk leads you to all the amenities you might need or want.

The location of Woodinville, close to major employers, like Microsoft and Boeing provides work opportunities just minutes from your downtown home.

The downtown area of Woodinville offers plenty of selection when it comes to dining and shopping, yet even more facilities abound in nearby Redmond, Bellevue, Bothell, and Lynwood.

Housing accommodations in the downtown area range from well maintained manufactured home park locations, to condos and townhouses. Some single family homes are close in to the downtown area as well.

Public art is everywhere in the parks and along the roadways, giving the area a delightful feeling of joy and sophistication. Commercial and business areas provide all the services one could find useful as well as many medical facilities and doctors. The schools are part of the well respected Northshore School District.

There are a number of different condominium developments around the downtown area, as well as fine apartments for those not in the market for homeownership.

It is not unusual to see a hot air balloon floating overhead. In fact, they are so common with people enjoying the view from above, that a hot air balloon is part of the official City of Woodinville symbol. Golfing and kayaking add to the list of activities like hiking and biking to be enjoyed in the downtown Woodinville area. There are many well maintained trails and parks that allow for a variety of recreational pursuits.

Skiing is not far away, just up the road toward the Stevens Pass world-class venues. Snowboarding and cross-country adventures are also popular in the Cascade mountain range.

Whatever your choice of lifestyle, the Downtown Woodinville, Washington Area offers you a great place to live and enjoy the many wonderful experiences of the region.

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Woodinville Washington Wine Village Area --- A Great Place to Live and Enjoy Life ---

At last count there were over 70 wineries located in the Woodinville Washington area, which includes the Woodinville Wine Village. This area produces some of the best wine to be enjoyed anywhere in the world. The wineries range from the large Chateau Ste. Michelle Winery where huge bottling facilities can be toured in addition to traditional wine tasting; to small boutique type wineries whichproduce some wonderful special taste experiences. The magnificent grounds of Chateau Ste. Michelle also host summer concerts to add to the huge variety of activities to be found in the area.

Housing accommodations in the area range from condos and townhouses to small single family homes and large acreage estates. Great schools and abundant medical facilities round out the general requirements for deciding on an outstanding housing opportunity.

The Woodinville Wine Village Area is in the final planning stages of a European style commercial development with new wineries, restaurants, shops and lodging, to be added to the already magnificent choices like the Herbfarm, the Barking Frog and the Willows Lodge.

In addition to great wines, one of the fine tasting experiences is to be enjoyed at the Redhook Ale Brewery. The daily tours are both educational and very entertaining. The tasting experience is only a dollar and includes the experience of many varieties of their famous locally produced brews.

Other recreational opportunities include hot air ballooning, golfing at some great courses, and kayaking down one of the rivers in the area all the way to Lake Washington. Hiking and biking add great exercise opportunities in the wonderful picturesque settings that you can find everywhere. Mary and I have biked all the way into Seattle from Woodinville and enjoyed every mile along the way.

It is not far to venture from your home in the Wine Villiage area up into the mountains and enjoy many skiing opportunities as well as snowboarding and cross country adventures.

Whatever your choice of lifestyle, the Woodinville, Washington Wine Village Area offers you a great place to live and enjoy the many wonderful experiences of the region.

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Retreat to Your Wonderfully Located Condominium in Monroe, Washington - - -

The Retreat Condominiums in Monroe, Washington offer a superb opportunity for home-ownership in a great location. These condos are just a few minutes from the 522 freeway which begins in Monroe and gets you all the way into Seattle via a northern route along the top of Lake Washington. For alternative routes, the 522 freeway connects with Interstate 5 or 405, giving you plenty of travel choices.

If you are a skiing enthusiast, or just like spending time in the mountains, the Retreat Condominiums in Monroe provide a fine starting point in an easterly direction on US 2 toward the world-class ski resort area at the summit of Stevens Pass. No matter if you prefer snowboarding or skiing or Nordic cross-country adventuring, Stevens Pass is just the place for you to enjoy the white stuff.

Another favorite destination along the US 2 route is the Bavarian-like village of Leavenworth where festivals and beautiful scenery abound. One unique feature of interest in Leavenworth is the Nutcracker Museum where you can view over 5,000 nutcrackers, some dating from prehistoric times. Further on down the road is Wenatchee, located in North Central Washington, known as the "Apple Capital of the World" for all the magnificent apple orchards in the region. An abundance of lakes and rivers also make this area a major supplier of hydroelectric power for Washington State.

The Retreat Condominiums in Monroe are near fabulous paved walking and biking trails that interconnect small neighborhood parks. It is a real plus to have opportunities for exercise and recreation close to home. A favorite is Lake Tye Park where you can go fishing, play basketball or soccer, skateboard, picnic, or play tennis. Lake Tye Park is 20 acres of fun in addition to the 42 acre lake.

The Retreat Condominiums offer a reasonable commute to a variety of business locations in the Puget Sound area, while giving you a prime jumping off point to great recreation and vacation destinations.

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Nature Lovers --- The Bear Creek Community in Woodinville, Washington is Great Real Estate, But You Have to Share the Fish ---

It is hard to say for sure, if our real estate is in Woodinville (sphere of influence), Cottage Lake (census district), Ring Hill (voting precinct), or the Bear Creek Community (just a stone's throw from that salmon spawning run). Whatever you want to call our home community, it is special to live within these wonderful designations.

If we are talking about Bear Creek, then we need to discuss the obvious derivation of the name. The nearby creek is home to a very occasionally seen shy brown bear. The two paintings in this post are part of a three painting set. They are done in acrylic and each is 24" square on canvas in their original size.

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Along with the occasionally bear sighting, frequent flyovers by bald eagles are sure to amaze. Mary was caught in a trance earlier today watching an eagle soaring above, not moving its wings, and just gliding gracefully in spirals.

The third painting I did in this set, not included with these two, is of an Orca. I'm saving it for my post on the San Juan Islands. No Orcas have been sighted in Bear Creek, but the trio represents the dominant species (humans aside) of land, sea, and air. The other interesting commonality is their preferred diet of salmon. Which, we are a bit fond of ourselves as well.

One of the seasonal activities along Bear Creek is the annual salmon spawning run. Information booths are set up with directional signs on the roads leading folks to this amazing event along our creek.

Many styles of homes are available for purchase in a range from small bungalows to large acreage estates. There is a property type for everyone.

In addition, great schools in the Bear Creek Community are part of the highly respected Northshore School District. Employers within easy commutes include Microsoft and Boeing with many other employment opportunities within a short distance along tree-lined highways.

Excellent restaurants, wineries, shops and other necessities are within a short travel time from the natural environment of the Bear Creek Community. And be sure to check out the Bear Creek Country Club, and its 18-hole championship golf course.

If you need a good doctor, or other medical attention, we've got you covered with a great selection.

Come and enjoy, but be sure to leave the salmon in the creek for the long-time inhabitants.

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