...Tons of Fun
Sand in the City is back in Olympia from 27-29 August at the Port Plaza and surrounding area.
Stop on by to check out the amazing sand sculptures, to enjoy live music, dance performances, food and drink, and activities.
The schedule of fun includes:
Master Sand Sculpting Demo
Build and play in the Giant Sandbox
Make & Take Activity Tent
Live Tidepool Touch Tank
Face Painting booths
Sky-high climbing wall
Search for sea shells at Sifting for Sea Treasures
Meet and greet Mini Horses and Donkeys from the Hoofed Animal Rescue of Thurston County
Free Books with South Sound Reading Foundation ...and much more.
Sandy Nelson
Olympia Realtor®
Our community is important to me. I take pride in our beautiful locality, and our quality of life.
Feel free to contact me for questions about local attractions, events, or real estate information.
360-789-7505
www.SandyNelsonRealEstate.com
Olympia's new 13.5 million dollar waste-water treatment facility recently opened its doors to the public and introduced its Water Education and Technology Center (WET), featuring 1.5 million dollars in classroom space, interactive exhibits and educational programs for the public.
Visitors to the WET Center can attend special workshops, calculate how much water they use, take a look at micro-organisms in the waste-water and much more.
Upcoming community events include:
The Drip Stops Here (9-11-2010), a water conservation game that teaches participants how to lower their water use and save money.
Exploring Wetlands (9-18-2010), highlights the different kinds of wetlands and invites participants to make a food chain demonstration project.
Hazards on the Home Front (9-25-2010) explains the hazards of common household products and how to properly use, store and dispose of them.
Visit the new WET center on Saturday the 28th of August for the Sand in the City event to conduct your own sand filter experiment.
For event schedules and news, check out the Get Wet Newsletter:
http://www.lottcleanwater.org/pdf/getwet.pdf
The new LOTT facility was designed by award winning architectural firm, The Miller Hull Partnership and is slated to receive LEED Platinum certification, with 50 percent less energy use than other comparable buildings. The theme of sustainability was also carried out with the use of reclaimed timber from a nearby port warehouse, expansive use of natural light and the use of external window louvers, minimizing solar gain. Reclaimed waste-water is being used for irrigating the grounds, flushing the toilets, and for the building's outdoor pond.
The new building has a friendly and contemporary look, and is intended to compliment the new Hands On Children's Museum, also designed by Miller Hull.
The surrounding grounds incorporate a pond, made up of Class A reclaimed water, complete with a water fountain and connecting walkways.
The entire project is aesthetically pleasing and is the first puzzle piece for the Port of Olympia's East Bay Plaza, which will turn dilapidated port real estate into a modern and valuable community asset.
Sandy Nelson
Olympia Realtor®
Our community is important to me. I take pride in our beautiful locality, and our quality of life.
Feel free to contact me for questions about local attractions, events, or real estate information.
360-789-7505
www.SandyNelsonRealEstate.com
Olympia's annual Pet Parade, which occurs in August has been a favorite local event for over 80 years.
The parade is not only for pets, but also for children under the age of sixteen, who get to dress up and decorate their bicycles, or wagons in a selected theme. The theme for the 2010 parade was Fairy Tales.
Parade entrants are judged in six different categories: Big dogs, small dogs, impersonations, wheels, floats and pets.
It's such a joy to see the care and detail with which the animals, floats and children are adorned. The kids' pride is evident in showing off their pets, such as dogs, kittens, bunnies, goats, and even chickens.
The parade route begins at Capitol Lake's Heritage Park and ends at Sylvester Park, where participants and spectators are greeted with music, free treat bags and free ice cream.
Sandy Nelson
Olympia Realtor®
Our community is important to me. I take pride in our beautiful locality, and our quality of life.
Feel free to contact me for questions about local attractions, events, or real estate information.
360-789-7505
www.SandyNelsonRealEstate.com
Feng Shui literally means "wind" and "water", and in Feng Shui water is associated with prosperity.
Water is an essential element in our lives. It is where life is thought to have originated and it is necessary for survival.
Most people associate water with as abundance, life, luxury and purity.
The sound of water is considered to be tranquil and calming.
Running water releases negative ions into the air, helping create a healthy air quality. It can also drown out nearby noise.
It is no surprise that houses with pools or located near water generally fetch higher resale prices.
If your home is not near water, you can easily capture some of the benefits by installing either an indoor, or outdoor fountain.
Water features have been incorporated into landscapes since ancient Chinese and Roman times. They are gaining increasing popularity for their soothing qualities and are being sold in all shapes and sizes, as well as for any budget.
It is not difficult to make your own water feature in just a few simple steps, as outlined in this do-it-yourself video: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=s1VBevZnWF0
If you're not the handy type, the South Sound is home to many water feature retailers. One such resource is Pietra Garden Arts in Lacey.
Sandy Nelson
Olympia Realtor®, GRI, ASP, Built Green
360-789-7505
www.SandyNelsonRealEstate.com
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All the real estate information on the Internet can not compare to the real time, on-the-ground expertise of a local, skilled Realtor ®. Among all the South Sound real estate resources available, the most powerful tool is my phone number.
Planning a home purchase or the sale of your home will be much more enjoyable when you work with a friendly and knowledgeable professional. I'm dedicated to helping you make informed decisions and providing you with exceptional skill and service.
I was looking for a surprise getaway destination for me and my husband that is not too far from Olympia and discovered Edgefield, just outside of Portland.
Edgefield Manor, built in 1911, used to be the Multnomah County's farm for poor people. The operation included a dairy, gardens and farm land. In 1947 the site was turned into a nursing home and ultimately closed down in 1982. The McMenamin brothers, famous for fixing up historic buildings and turning them into pubs, restaurants and hotels, purchased Edgefield in 1990 and began refurbishing the buildings and grounds. Edgefield is now an whimsical and down-to-earth hospitality village with restaurants, hotel, bed and breakfast, winery, beer gardens, brewery, spa, gardens, golf, and much more.
Edgefield is a designated National Historic Landmark and is rumored to be haunted. The only spirits I've encountered there were of the beverage kind, but I can see how that idea could be believable. Much effort was undertaken to bring the past inhabitants to life by naming rooms after colorful previous residents and by writing their stories on the walls. Most of the colorful art in the building is of people of another era. If one looks closely, faces can be discovered peering down on you from exposed piping.
The array of diversion is so extensive, that one has to practically stay overnight in order to experience all Edgefield has to offer. When checking in, guests receive a map of the property, which can be your itinerary, as well as tour guide. Don't rush the discovery process, though, because much of the treasure of Edgefield lies in the whimsical details such as real gas lanterns, ornate rain gutters, and hidden art. While waiting for the movie to start in the pub building, I noticed that the round dots on the wall fresco were really faces, and I located one of the seemingly identical faces that was different, only one.
The outdoor soaking pool contains an island interspersed with beautiful flower shaped copper sculptures. If that isn't artsy enough, they also served as flame emitting torches, and to top it off, if you're in the pool underneath them and pull on a string, they also serve as a shower.
I could go on and on about all the interesting features of this unique property, but suffice it to say that we had a lot of fun exploring the grounds, enjoyed the comfortable rooms (warning: not all rooms have en-suite baths) and loved the delicious food.
You can get more details and make reservations here: http://www.mcmenamins.com/54-edgefield-home
If you visit Edgefield, also make time to stop at the nearby Multnomah Falls, the second highest year round water fall in the United States.
Living in Olympia, we are so fortunate to have so many interesting destinations at our doorstep. I only wish someone with a vision would step in and turn the historic Tumwater brewery into a similar landmark destination.
Sandy Nelson
Olympia Realtor®
Our community is important to me. I take pride in our beautiful locality, and our quality of life.
Feel free to contact me for questions about local attractions, events, or real estate information.
360-789-7505
www.SandyNelsonRealEstate.com
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As a your full service Realtor and Accredited Staging Professional in the Olympia, Lacey, Yelm, Dupont and Fort Lewis area, I specialize in single family residential property and military relocation.
Who wouldn't want to own their own little piece of this beautiful place?
See pictures of the beautiful Olympia area and local neighborhoods here
You'll want to talk to me when it comes time for buying or selling a home in the greater Olympia area. I'm truly passionate about real estate, and I know what you want: You want a professional who is competent in her field, dedicated to your needs and passionate about her work. You don't just want marketing; you want superior marketing that gives your property an edge over the other properties listed on the market. You want your interests protected with warranties and guarantees. Everybody offers service; you want exceptional service, where every detail is attended to. You want a clear understanding of what you can expect. If you needed an operation, want the best surgeon. If you were sued, you would seek the sharpest attorney; so when it comes to real estate, a major investment, you'll want to turn to me and my team. Quality doesn't just happen by chance. It's accomplished by high expectations, intelligent planning, tireless effort and skillful execution. My services are designed to make your needs the focus of my actions. If you are, or ever have been in the military, you'll appreciate that I have been affiliated with the US military for over 20 years. And as such, you'll understand how familiar this makes me with relocation issues. I appreciate the service of our military and their family members and want to put myself at their service for all their housing and relocation needs.
I practice my profession with the support of two full time Realtor team members, who make up the "Key Group". As a "Key client" you enjoy the benefit of having three professionals with a wide range of expertise and training at your service at all times. Our designations include ABR (Accredited Buyers Representative), GRI (Graduate Realtor Institute), ASP (Accredited Staging Professional) and SRES (Seniors Real Estate Specialist).
What else do you get with me? You get a person who believes in giving back to the community. I try to accomplish that by serving on my neighborhood association board, supporting Habitat for Humanity and by being actively involved with the American Cancer Society's annual Relay for Life event. 
My Mission:
Memberships, Designations and Affiliations:
"Sandra is a woman of integrity and is unfailingly professional."
-Yvonne Pawelek, Ft. Lewis
" We enjoyed working with Sandy so much! Sandy's professionalism, attention to details, and understanding of real estate market are all outstanding"
-Jennie and Hirsch Diamant, Olympia
"...Her style effectively blends friendliness with professional objectivity and she approaches her work with enthusiasm and commitment."
- Ulla Torres, Lakewood
"You were so great working with our kids and both of them have said that over and over. How lucky to have you as a friend and to have you be a real estate expert."
-Diane Laslie, Olympia
"Sandy, thank you so much for all your hard work and help. You made buying our new home one of the easiest and best experiences we could have anticipated."
-Lilian and James Getchman, McCleary
"Sandy was instrumental in helping us buy our home. She listened to what we wanted and as a result we were able to narrow our search significantly and find exactly what we were looking for within a week.
Sandy's presence throughout the buying process was very reassuring and her advice was always genuine and spot on. We never got the impression that she was 'out to sell' but more so that she was there to ensure that we made decisions that were in our best interest.
Sandy made the purchase of our first home relatively effortless and quite fun. We have had no qualms in recommending her to our friends and will definately rely on her real estate expertise in the future."
-Jay and Prim Jeyasingam, Lacey
"I flew into town and only had a short week to look for houses. Sandy had the patience to show me pretty much ALL the houses between Dupont, Lacey and Olympia! 50 houses! Need I say more? Never grumpy, never grouchy that, even after a week, I hadn't found a house yet that I liked. On my last day I finally found a home that was suitable for our family. I signed the offer, left town and Sandy did everything else! We did not have to worry at all, and that alone took a huge load off my shoulders. I will recommend her to my friends anytime."
- Susanna Haynie, Olympia
"We have purchased several homes in the past, and experienced a variety of real estate agents, ranging from the poor to the exceptional. Sandy definitely fits into the latter of these two categories. Sandy is a consummate professional - she tirelessly searched for a property for us, and didn't waste our time looking at listings she knew would not interest us. When she did find us that perfect property, she continued to work closely with us, and even attended our closing to ensure we understood the process. When we decide to sell and/or purchase a property in the future, Sandy will by the first call we make."
-Brian and Yvette Jones, Olympia
...Our loan representative referred us to Sandy Nelson. From the first time we talked, she was genuinely excited to help us, especially since we were a military family using a VA loan, which she had lots of previous experience navigating.
From the first time we met, we found Sandy to be very in-tuned with what we were looking for and very anxious to help us...
Though we didn't work for weeks or months finding our first home, we would have never found it if it wasn't for Sandy. She is so pleasant to work with and has truly become a friend for life. What we love about Sandy is that she's there for you after you find your home, she doesn't just close the sale and forget all about you. She was there on moving day, providing our friends and family with food and drinks, and she's always so thoughtful. We recently celebrated our first year anniversary in our new home and there was Sandy, giving us flowers to celebrate the ocassion right along with us.
I strongly encourge all of my friends and co-workers to contact Sandy if they're looking for a great real estate professional they can trust. She definitley made our first home buying experience a very pleasant one. We'll always be thankful to her and consider her a friend!
- Gina and Jerry Hobbs, Lacey
ActiveRain Corp. is not responsible for the accuracy of the site's content (which is written by members of the ActiveRain Real Estate Network) and does not endorse the views of the real estate agents, mortgage brokers, and others listed here.
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