Marge Draper DRE#01202747 Menlo Park, Palo Alto Personal Professional Service

A few days ago I blogged about going to see the Tall Ships at the Port of Redwood City. The port is the only deepwater port south of San Francisco. We don't get anything glamorous like cruise ships so when the Tall Ships come to port, it's an event!

I was asked for pictures so when my husband and I went to see the ships, he took pictures for me. You can see the crew in the rigging.

These ships are replicas built in the 1980's. The Hawaiian Chieftain has a plank deck with tar and oakum between the planks. They will be sailing from San Francisco to Sausalito later this month. Call 800-200-5239 or go to www.historicalseaport.org for more information.

The tall ships are at the port of Redwood City until March 7. This is an annual treat in the Bay Area. They also dock at the Port of Oakland and at San Francisco.

If you feel you must go down to the sea again or have read any of the stirring novels about sailing ships, a visit to the Port of Redwood City may be in order!

My husband has read every one of Patrick O'Brian's novels set on the high seas more than once. I had no idea that a conversation I overheard in my periodontist's office would lead to a decade's long obsession for my husband. The dentist was talking to his patient and going on how wonderful the books are. I was looking for a nice little Christmas present for my hubby, and when I heard that conversation I knew I had to get to Kepler's and buy the first book of the series!

Strangely, we haven't ever gone to look at the ships while they are here, but Sunday is supposed to be a very mild day (in the 70's) and the admission is only $3.00. Maybe we'll see you there!

I bought a beautiful plant at my local Trader Joe's in mid-December called a Christmas Rose. It had glossy green leaves and snow white flowers. What attracted me and the other woman who was browsing through the plants with me were the profusion of flowers and the number of unopened buds.

We both wondered what a Christmas Rose is. There didn't happen to be any instructions in any of the plants. I have a Lenten Rose that is in a planter on the northwest-ish side of my house. The Christmas Rose looks very different than the Lenten Rose. It turns out they are both in the Hellebore family - Genus Helleborus.

I bought the plant. That happens to me often at Trader Joe's, well, almost any other store, too. The price must be right though.

I knew the plant would look perfect in my foyer. I set it up on a plant stand in a spot of honor. Then got busy with other things. About three days later, I looked at the plant to see if it needed water. It didn't need water, it needed emergency CPR! All of the newer soft stems were half wilted.

I went to my 'go-to' source of plant how-to. The Sunset Garden Book. The Christmas Rose is not a house plant! It needs cool weather. My home is in Northern California just south of San Francisco. It gets cold here, at least we think so, but not COLD! I thought I was being kind to the plant protecting it from the cold.

With plants, my mantra is that whatever I do with a plant will either kill it or cure it. If something is clearly in trouble then you really can't hurt it.

A couple of hours outside in the planter got all of the stems I thought would surely die looking as perky as it was originally. Now I have to find a permanent spot for it. It would fit right in with the others in that planter.

So if the Christmas Rose you bought and placed in your home, looks like it will die, put it outside right away!

If you're looking for a home with a marina location, One Marina is a condominium complex being built on a lagoon on Bair Island Road. It's easy to find: take Whipple Road to Bair Island Road and there you are!

There are currently three units available. We were able to tour several of the completed model units in Building One.

I must say the photos for the listings do not do them justice. Often times, if you are an experienced open house visitor, you may come away from a property feeling somewhat disappointed. You were led on by the photos. This won't be the case here. I think the reason for this is that these units are designed with interesting design features; a great room with kitchen, living room and entry, and an option for some very nice higher end finishes. Another interesting option is to have the interior doorways taller than the normal 80 inches. It's amazing what a difference eight foot doorways make to a hallway and a room.

The three units range in price from $499,000 to $679,000. The lowest priced unit has 2 bedrooms, 2 baths and is 1249 square feet. The next unit at $599,000 has 2 bedrooms, 2.5 baths and is 1416 square feet. The 3 bedroom, 2.5 bath unit with 1498 square feet is listed at $679,000.

Ultimately, there will be 24 buildings placed around the lagoon with the units right on the lagoon to be built last. There are boat slips planned as well. The representative of the developer, Polaris Group, indicated it will take about three to four years for all of the construction to be completed.

The Polaris Group has plans to make a connection from the complex to downtown Redwood City by way of a tunnel that will first accommodate pedestrians and bikes and then to work with the city of Redwood City to expand that for automobile traffic.

I would recommend that, first of all, work with a real estate professional. In order for your REALTOR to be paid a commission, they must accompany you on your first visit and they must register with you. This is the general rule for anyone considering a purchase at a new development. Your real estate professional will be experienced in negotiation and can help you through the process.

Friends and I had lunch at Cafe Primavera at Allied Arts on Thursday. Before meeting up with my friends, I took a walk around the place to reacquaint myself with it. I needed to shop and the Guild seemed a perfect place to do it.

The Allied Arts Guild has been a meeting place and more since 1929. It is located at 75 Arbor Rd. in Menlo Park, CA. The easiest way to find the Allied Arts Guild is to turn on Cambridge Ave. off El Camino Real. It doesn't matter which way you are driving on El Camino there is only one way to turn on Cambridge. Drive all the way until Cambridge T's into Arbor and you are there.

Allied Arts is owned and operated by the Allied Arts Guild Auxiliary. They are one of six auxiliaries that raise funds for the care of children at the Lucile Packard Childrens' Hospital which is part of the Stanford University Hospital complex. The Artisan Shop is staffed by volunteers from the Auxiliary.

The Artisan Shop is located just across from the cafe. The shop is full of gifts for the holiday season and has an abundance of seasonal decorations, too. I found an ornament made of gold colored wire for our tree. I also found a felted purse for my sister whose birthday is in March. There is much more, of course, but one can only shop for so long. I'll go back!

Since the Allied Arts Guild was founded to provide a place for artists to work, there are studios and retail space for the things the artists create. I stopped by an art Gallery and enjoyed some time looking at the paintings hanging there. They also have some prints and cards for purchase in addition to the paintings.

If you want to shop local, this is a great place to do it. You will get out of the cookie cutter style of shops and into shops that are carrying things that are produced locally and/or are one-of-a-kind.