Patty Carroll

It's a sunny Saturday morning in beautiful downtown Vancouver and the Vancouver Farmers Market is getting into full swing. The market is alive with area residents and visitors in search of fresh floral arrangements, herbs, fruits and vegetables, as well as handcrafted items to add a special touch to their own homes or to give as unique and memorable gifts.

Some of the specialty items available this week include ornamental metal/iron work, lawn ornaments, outdoor benches and furniture, handmade children's clothing, handcrafted purses, and a variety of pet items & treats.

Other items include homemade jams & jellies, nuts, handmade soaps, washable tote bags and a variety of other items.

And, of course, there's the ever-popular food area with a variety of foods from around the world prepared on site for you.

Open Every Weekend Through October
Saturday 9AM-3PM and Sunday 10AM-3PM

Located in the heart of downtown Vancouver, Washington between 6th and 8th Streets next to beautiful Esther Short Park, the Vancouver Farmers Market is home to over 200 vendors. For more than 18 years, local farms, small businesses, and artisans have been bringing quality goods and products to thousands of area citizens and visitors. You'll discover fresh produce, plants and flowers, baked goods, delicious food, unique accessories for yourself, home, or garden, and a lot more. Vancouver Farmers Market-a friendly place where you can chat with the people who have grown or made your purchase, grab a bite to eat, listen to music, stroll through the park, watch the kids play, and just enjoy a wonderful, relaxing day.

Learn more about the Vancouver Farmers Market at http://www.vancouverfarmersmarket.com/

Patty & Scott Carroll - RE/MAX Equity Group, Vancouver WA

You gotta love Costco.  Free Samples ... Lunch for $1.50 ... now Cash Back on Gas Purchases! 

With the current cost of gas and the number of miles real estate agents drive, we thought we would share information about a program we just recently discovered at Costco.  It's designed specifically for Business Owners and is called TrueEarnings Business card from Costco and American Express.  There is no annual fee with your paid Costco membership and you earn 1-5% back on your purchases (see below).

Card Overview:

• No annual fee with your paid Costco membership.
• No limit to the cash back you can earn.
• Flexibility to pay in full or over time

Cash Back Rewards include:

• 5% Cash Back for Buying Automobile Gasoline - anywhere not just Costco
• 3% Cash Back When You Dine Out
• 2% Cash Back When You Travel
• 1% Cash Back When You Shop Everywhere Else, Including Costco

Get more details about this card at: https://www143.americanexpress.com/cards/home.do?pmccode=162#CARDS/162/0/0/0

Patty & Scott Carroll - RE/MAX Equity Group, Vancouver WA

Here are some of the events coming up this week:

April 12:

Healthy Kids Day (10:00a - 2:00p)

Enjoy under water Easter egg hunt, obstacle courses, crafts, family games, vendors and demonstrations.

Location: Clark County YMCA - 11324 NE 51st Cir, Vancouver

April 12 & 13:

Vancouver Farmers Market (Saturday, 9:00a - 3:00p/Sunday, 10:00a - 3:00p)

Family, pet-friendly place to spend the day right across the street from Esther Short Park. Get fresh produce, plants & flowers, baked goods, delicious food, unique accessories and lots more.

Location: 8th & Esther St, Vancouver

April 13:

Senior Connections Expo (11:00a - 4:00p)

Senior Expo with exciting services, ideas and resources will be available for active, healthy and independent senior lifestyles. With over 125 exhibitors, free health screenings, live music, interactive and informative presentations, prizes and giveaways and an art show, this is an event not to be missed!

Location: Hilton Hotel & Convention Center - 301 W 6th St, Vancouver

Patty & Scott Carroll - RE/MAX Equity Group, Vancouver WA

Dogs are the greatest. They are always excited to see us, they love us unconditionally, and they are an endless source of entertainment and amusement. But what do you do when you go to work and/or have to be away from the house for hours at a time? We've found the answer: Happy Puppy Park!

Owned by Brenda Anderson and Robin Curry, the Happy Puppy Park® offers a place to bring your dog for a fun-filled day of socializing with other dogs, running through a field without a leash, playing in a pool of water, and other general fun lovin' dog stuff.

For a small fee, the Happy Puppy Park® will 'dog-sit' your dog and give it the love and attention you can't give it while at work. You don't have to leave your dog outside, alone, and scared for 10 hours a day anymore!!!!

The facility is truly remarkable. It looks more like a children's playground than a dog park. They have large open areas for dogs to run and frolic. There are slides and playstructures. There are places to dig and, on the warmer days, swimming pools and sprinklers to help keep the dogs cool. There is structured play time, nap time and eating time.

We're always amazed how clean the park is. There are 20? 30? 40? dogs at any given time and never a poop in sight!

We have 3 dogs that go to Happy Puppy Park each week ... Brodie (Cairn Terrier), Belle (Lhasa Apso) and Zeus (Mastiff mix). We and they whole-heartedly agree with Happy Puppy Park's tagline ... "Happy Tired Dogs Make Tired People Happy!"

Learn more about Happy Puppy Park at http://www.HappyPuppyPark.net.

Patty & Scott Carroll - RE/MAX Equity Group, Vancouver WA

We came across a great restaurant this morning in the Fishers Landing area of Vancouver. It's called Artino's Bakery & Cafe and is conveniently located near the intersection of SE 192nd Ave & SE 34th St. They have a great selection of breads, pastries, soups, salads and sandwiches to eat in their restaurant. They have a very nice catering menu that includes box lunches, gourmet meals for buiness functions / special events, as well as after hours in-house catering options. They even make wedding cakes!

We tried their mocha and cinnamon scone and enjoyed both of them very much. The things that struck us about Artino's were the variety of foods made fresh in their restaurant, the quality of the products, and the friendly, personalized service.

The History of Artino's

In 1952, Helen (Artino) Splaver followed her dream to open an Italian bakery in Tucson, Arizona. It was one of only two Italian bakeries in the city at that time and was an immediate success. Helen's sister Rosina, and her father Anthony Artino helped her start the bakery and they produced authentic Italian bread, cookies, pastries and cakes. She called the new business "Artino's Italian Bakery", which was based on her maiden name.

After just a few years, Helen had to close Artino's due to health problems. But Helen was not one to quit and after her recovery, she continued to bake bread, cookies, pastries and cakes for family and friends. In 1960, she opened a small restaurant, "Helen's Luncheonette", and served Italian food, homemade pies, cookies, pastries and cakes.

For the next 30 years, Helen continued to make cakes and pastries for weddings, showers, birthdays and special occasions. At the age of 82 she was still baking Italian cookies for resale in one of the local Italian deli's in Tucson.

55 years after the first Artino's opened, Helen's grandson Tony Splaver, continued the tradition of fine baked goods and food by opening "Artino's Bakery & Café" in Vancouver, Washington. The new Artino's is the result of Tony and his wife Michelle's dream to open a bakery and café using Helen's recipes. They also offer lunch and imported Italian espresso coffee drinks by illy. Tony loves to bake and has added some of his own recipes to build a menu of bakery and lunch items that are uniquely delicious.

Check them out!

Artino's is located at 19005 SE 34th St, Ste 106, in Vancouver. Their phone number is (360) 213-1010. You can also visit them online at http://www.artinosbakery.com/. They are open 7 days a week: Mon-Fri, 5:30a-6:00p; Sat, 7:30a-5:00p; and Sun, 8:30a-4:00p.

Patty & Scott Carroll - RE/MAX Equity Group, Vancouver WA