Yes, and on Superbowl Sunday. There shouldn't be a Mardi Gras anywhere on the planet on Superbowl Sunday! But FRESNO? I don't think the word Fresno and Mardi Gras should be in the same sentence. Add to that it was sprinkling and COLD - at least when it started - weather improved slightly.
It was held in the Tower District which is Fresno's equivalent of the French Quarter.
It WAS COLORFUL, I'll grant you that.
(see this blog for more on the Tower District)
Note: I was running out from under cover so I wouldnt get my camera wet and failed to realize that my flash was not synced to the camera. I had the flash on so I could get some fill light in and not have terrible high contrast images. Well, I ended up with a bunch of crummy cantrasty jpegs which I was gonna just trash but decided to redeem them.
©Randy "Lazarus" McAtee
Owner/Broker: Lazarus Realty
Children’s Hospital in Madera California is truly one of the gems of California’s Central Valley. The hospital is perched right above the San Joaquin river basin just north of Fresno on hwy 41. I’m not a doctor or a hospital analyst but my layman’s guess is that this is truly one of the best - if not THE BEST - children’s hospital in the state of California. I pulled into the hospital the other day as the sun was setting and got these shots. They start at the entrance and then I went around the hospital clockwise. As I left I took a final picture of the giraffe and you can see the moon rising in the backround.
© Randy "Lazarus" McAtee
Owner/Broker: Lazarus Realty
One of the basic tenants of Orthodox Christian faith comes from the Psalms:
"God is the Lord and has revealed himself to us"
Theophany - refers to the revelation or "shining forth" of God on earth. When Jesus Christ was baptized the Spirit of God descended up him in the form of a dove and Father spoke from heaven saying "This is my beloved son..."
It was at his baptism that Jesus Christ was revealed to the world as the Son of God.
During Theophany we have a blessing of the water and the blessed water is taken home and used later when the priest comes for the annual house blessing and also used at times when we are sick, etc. We believe that when Jesus Christ entered the water as God in the flesh, the water, the earth's most essential element, and the earth was blessed.
These are the beautiful words of the hymn we sing on this day:
When Thou, O Lord, wast baptized in the Jordan, the worship of the Trinity was made manifest! For the voice of the Father bare witness to Thee, and called Thee His beloved Son! And the Spirit, in the form of a dove, confirmed the truthfulness of His word. O Christ our God, who hast revealed Thyself and hast enlightened the world, glory to Thee!"
Here are some shots i got:
If you live in the Fresno area or are considering relocating to the Fresno area you can learn more about the Orthodox Faith and St. Peter the Apostle Serbian Orthodox Church here.
Please don't let the word "Serbian" discourage you from visiting or contacting the church. The founders and many of the parishioners are Serbian. But this fellow is Irish and we have Russians, Hispanics, East Indian, Filipinos, etc -- there is plenty of cultural diversity.
©Randy "Lazarus" McAtee
Owner/Broker Lazarus Realty
Well I just saw a news report that said the the median price of Fresno homes in December was $249,000. In the update for November the median price was at $255,000 so the market saw another dip ~~~~~YAWN~~~~~ .
As a reminder the peak was June of 2006 with a median price of approx $314,000 so prices are down approx 22% from the highs.
if you look carefully in the forth picture you can see a cat down by the bridge. It looks larger than a bobcat to me; I suspect its a cougar. The coyote hung out by the road for a LONG time. I wish I got more captures of it.
Yosemite is only about an hours drive from Fresno - that's to the main gate - then its another 35 miles to the valley floor - so figure 2 hours. I hope to visit Yosemite again in the spring. Just so you know, those two handsome young men are two of my five sons. The two young children were just passers by that I couldnt resist :)
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Help For Buyers and Sellers in the Fresno CA Real Estate Market. We serve Fresno, Sanger, Selma, Folwer, Kerman, Reedly, Kingsburg, Hanford, and Squaw Valley. Members of Fresno and Kings County MLS
Howdy!
My name is Randy McAtee, but I often go by “Lazarus” and folks ask me why Lazarus?
Simple: Lazarus is the name I was given when I was baptized into Christ in the Orthodox Christian Church (which happened to be on Lazarus Saturday) Thus, Lazarus is my Christian name.
I am married to wonderful woman (31 years) who is the mother of our six children: 5 boys, 1 girl. We have been blessed
with 5 beautiful grandchildren and still have 3 boys living at home with us. Speaking of home, we have lived in the same home in a great northwest neighborhood for 21 years. I am a native Californian, born and raised in Marin County.
I dropped out of college and am still wondering what I want to be when I grow up. Prior to marriage I was doing mission work in Mexico ( I do speak some Spanish amigo) and was a puppeteer. Marriage and the subsequent offspring forced me to get a real job :(
I have been a California licensed Contractor (in good standing with zero complaints and zero law suits) since 1988. My license classifications are B, C2, & D65 — which means I am a General Contractor with specialty licenses in Insulation & Acoustical, and Weatherization and Energy Conservation. My license # is 555829.
I enjoy trading stocks and consider myself a micro-cap miner, i.e. I specialize in finding small companies with huge growth potential. Little secret: I have made far more money trading stocks than I have selling real estate.
In 2007 I took up photography and many of the pictures on my site were taken by me. I currently shoot with a Nikon DX200 & DX300 using an assortment of lenses. Not to brag, but the real estate pictures I take when I list a property are top quality. On occasions I do photo shoots for other agents. You can view a sample of a home I shot here.
In 2002 I got back in touch with my inner Puppeteer and built an entire Punch and Judy Theatre. I built the puppets, the props, the stage 
- everything- I even sewed all the little outfits myself. It took me 6 months. In 2006 I got frozen shoulder and have been unable to perform until recently (regained 90% range of motion in 2009).
This is my 8th year in Real Estate and in May 2006 I opened my own brokerage: Lazarus Realty. My license No. 01357881.
I enjoy being self-employed and independent. I don’t like it that public opinion of Realtors is low. I’m highly critical of our industry, since its one of the few industries where one can take some online courses for 2 or 3 months, pass a test, and then call themselves professionals.
I hope that you will find some useful information on my blog. Whether your a friend, former client, prospective client, or a real estate agent feel free to comment or contact me anytime.
AND… if you need the services of a knowledgeable, honest, and reliable Realtor© in the Fresno area - CALL ME: 559-301-1647
Randy “Lazarus” McAtee - aka The Blogging Broker
WHAT CAN'T I DO?
Atten: Randy "Lazarus" McAtee
Dear Randy:
Just a note to thank you for all of your help and expertise in previously selling my 7 -Units on Fairmont Avenue in Fresno, and your recent help in finding the right home for me in the Fresno area at the lovely "Stonebridge".
After meeting with you, I felt very comfortable and recognized your ability to represent me as a seller, and now as a buyer.
Presently living in a 45-Unit Condominium Comples in the Bay Are for 27 years and being on the Board of Directors, many as Treasurer, I have dealtwith many different Realtos and Title Companies due to sales and purchases in this building. I have also owned apartment houses over the years. I recogniz your ability to dot all of the i's and cross all fothe t's, which is very commendable.
Thanks you again. Should I need future help, you will be the person I will call and you are the one I will highly recommend.
Sincerely,
H. K.
_____________________________________________
To: Lazarus McAtee
Lazarus Realty
Fresno, CA
Dear Lazarus,
We just wanted to express our appreciation to you for the outstanding job that your company did for us regarding the sale of our home. We appreciated the knowledgeable advice received in preparing and pricing our house for sale. Also, the frequent and timely communication with us throughout the whole process from listing to closing was excellent. In today's very difficult housing market, we were so very glad to have listed our home with Lazarus Realty. There are many details involved in getting a house from listed to sold, so please accept our thanks in getting our house sold in less than two weeks!
Obviously, we would not hesitate to recommend Lazarus Realty to anyone looking to buy or sell a home. Again, thank you!
Sincerely,
Eric & Yoly Miller
___________________________________
Lazarus I want to thank you on behalf of my family. You have helped us in many ways. You helped us to find our home. When times were hard for my family I did not know who to call. But for some reason your name came to mind. I made a call to you. We were in alot of financial trouble and we were close to losing our home.
You helped us find a way to get through a tough time. You loaned us the money we needed to catch up on our mortgage and that gave us time to find a way to keep our home. Not too many people would loan money out of their own pocket. We did not know when we could pay you back, and I think you might have known there was some risk. But you gave from your heart. And I am very happy that we were able to pay you back.
We are still in the same home and with your help and some answered prayers we are making it. I dont just see you as a financial adviser, I also see you as a friend and an answer to our prayers. When we did not have a place to turn to, we were led to you.
I just want you to know, If you ever need anything please call me and I will do my best to help.
Thanks Lazarus.
The Torres Family
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