Sara Goss, Realtor, Houston Bay Area, Texas

It's here! . . . .
. . . . . time again for the art auction fundraiser:

The Arts Alliance Center at Clear Lake (TAACCL), located in Houston's Bay Area, is seeking artists to participate in the auction by donating an artwork. The proceeds benefit programs and contributions are greatly appreciated.

The Small Works by Great Minds auction will be Thursday, October 15, 2009, from 6 - 9:30 pm at The Arts Alliance Center. Small works by area artists will be auctioned live, and in silent auctions. Only small size work accepted, approx. 11" X 14" (2D works) or approx. 11" X 14" X 11" (3D works).

Artwork will be plentiful, the food should be tasty, catered by Cactus South American Grill, and if that's not enough stimulation then buzz by for the entertainment by Fuzzy Side Up. You won't want to miss this exciting time!

Tickets to the event are $10 per person. Advance purchase is available on the website, http://www.taaccl.org/, in person during business hours (Tue.-Fri. 10am-6pm, Sat. 10am-2 pm), or the evening of, at the door. Participating artists receive complimentary tickets, depending on participation--a donation of the full proceeds from the auction of your work entitles you to 2 complimentary tickets. A donation of half of the proceeds entitles you to one.



Small Works by Great Minds donated artwork may be in any medium, of any subject. The small format of donated works is less burdensome to artists and more affordable to patrons. To encourage bids, value should be under $300.



Deliver your small works to the Center on Sat., Oct. 10, from 10am-2pm. The works will be displayed for preview and bidding beginning Tue., Oct. 13 until the Thursday evening auction. Artists must confirm in writing if they are going to participate, by Wed., August 5th. You may pick up a form at the Center or contact them for more details.





The Arts Alliance Center at Clear Lake
2000 NASA Parkway / Nassau Bay, TX 77058
Phone: 281.335.7777


See y'all there!!



SARA GOSS, REALTOR®
HatmakerGroup.com GMAC Real Estate
Search Listings: www.har.com/saragoss

Serving the Houston Bay Area of Texas, helping families sell their houses and helping families find the home of their dreams.

I received an unexpected call today, from overseas. It was a friend of mine who has dropped out of contact for a few months, not even a couple of email keystrokes, since she landed a job there. I was overjoyed! "I've missed you!" We chattered away about family and life and musings on the little and the big things. Had to cut it short, used to wait until the cell phone was out of juice, but being an international call . . .

I met her wearing my real estate hat, was the listing agent to lease her house. This was a referral, so there was a referral fee. On a rental. (new agent you guessed it) I took the referral and proceeded to see what I could do with this small transaction. Since I was in the neighborhood on a regular basis I took the time to cruise slowly up and down the streets, comparing visual differences in the community sections, if any. Yep, I noticed a few trends from section to section. Did some walking too, handing out some marketing pieces and talking to neighbors. I watered the plants if they looked dry when I was there. Brought in a few things so the house had a human presence, not an empty feel. We talked to each other, off and on, not always business.

I leased the house, and was asked to help the family with another transaction (or two). Now they are friends as well as clients. I don't think I could pinpoint when that happened. Working as a real estate agent has led to other great friendships too, I wish I had entered the field sooner. I don't take the difficult things or especially difficult people personally, they were like that before they ever met me. I work for my clients and that has led to rewards far beyond the commission payments. Client, friend, and in the end they often become both.

©2009 Sara Goss All rights reserved


SARA GOSS, REALTOR®
HatmakerGroup.com GMAC Real Estate

Serving the Houston Bay Area of Texas, helping families sell their houses and helping families buy the home of their dreams.

Texas EquuSearch, headquartered in Dickinson, Texas, needs volunteers to provide search and recovery for missing people. Searches are conducted by foot, horse, water, air, all-terrain vehicles and dog teams. Volunteers are needed to help search in every mode.

Those with special rescue skills, such as cardiopulmonary resuscitation, advanced lifesaving skills and field craft, are also needed. To be a volunteer you must be over 18 years old, have no past felony convictions, but you can be living in any state.

Members of TexasEquuSearch - Search and Recovery Teams search to help find missing persons, attend training seminars about search and rescue, attend general meetings, and plan and attend other activities such as trail rides, parades, cook-offs and other community events and projects.

Texas EquuSearch continually trains its members in classes such as orientation, mapping, search techniques, safety, compass use, and many other topics. They encourage all members to attend.

Also needed are financial donations to fund search and rescue missions, equipment, fuel, food, lodging for the Search Coordinators and expenses to get the Mobile Command Center to the search site. Texas EquuSearch is a non-profit organization that only receives funds from individuals and grants from organizations.

Texas EquuSearch Office
P. O. Box 395, Suite B / Dickinson, Texas 77539
Office: (281) 309-9500


SARA GOSS, REALTOR®
HatmakerGroup.com GMAC Real Estate
Search Listings: www.har.com/saragoss

Serving the Houston Bay Area of Texas, helping families sell their houses and helping families buy the home of their dreams.

Do you grocery shop at Kroger? If so, you may carry their Kroger plus card for discounts and rewards. This card is also a way for organizations to receive a donation when you shop and scan the Kroger card. You, the shopper, must choose the recipient of the Kroger Neighbor to Neighbor Donation Program for your member card. Your qualifying purchases can help benefit Bay Area Habitat for Humanity - Houston, Inc., Texas.

A new year for the program begins July 1, 2009, ending April 30, 2010. You can designate Bay Area Habitat for Humanity - Houston, Inc. at the check-out. Present the bar code on the letter you can print out by clicking here:
http://www.krogerneighbortoneighbor.com/pdf/10000083070.pdf



Every time you shop at Kroger until April 30, 2010 and use your enrolled Kroger Plus Card, Kroger will contribute a percentage of your qualifying purchases to the Kroger Neighbor to Neighbor Donation fund at no extra cost to you.




To search for other organizations:
http://www.krogerneighbortoneighbor.com/search.php


SARA GOSS, REALTOR®
HatmakerGroup.com GMAC Real Estate
Search Listings: www.har.com/saragoss

Serving the Houston Bay Area of Texas, helping families sell their houses and helping families buy the home of their dreams.

Summer is West Nile virus (WNV) season in Galveston County, Texas. Simple mosquito bites are annoying enough but the mosquito-borne WNV can be dangerous and even deadly. WNV can cause encephalitis, a serious brain infection. There are steps all of us can take to prevent and protect against the illness.

Mosquitoes carry the disease, after feeding on infected birds. The mosquitoes can transmit it to humans, and also birds and other animals. The virus is detectible year round, it is now part of our environment, but more so during the warmer months. Here are some steps to help prevent infection:

1. . Use an insect repellent with an EPA-registered agent (ex: DEET, Picaridin, Oil of Lemon Eucalyptus*, or IR3535) on yourself and all family members when you are outside. This is especially important during dawn and dusk, as mosquitoes are crepuscular creatures and most active during those times.
*Do not use oil of lemon eucalyptus on children under the age of three.

For information on insect repellents and their use: http://www.cdc.gov/ncidod/dvbid/westnile/qa/insect_repellent.htm.

2. . Wear clothing to resist mosquitos bites, especially at dawn and dusk. Long pants and long sleeved shirts are helpful.

3. . Secure your home against mosquito intruders: screens, windows and doors should be in good repair and without gaps or holes.

4. . Mosquitoes can breed in very small levels of water and standing water should be removed from your property. Some ways to do this include:
Empty and remove anything that can hold water. Whether holding water or being a container was its original purpose or not.
Keep yard debris out of the storm drains. Putting fats down your garbage disposal can lead to clogged storm drains and standing water.


FOR YOUR SAFETY: Do not pick up a dead birds without protection. Use gloves or an inverted plastic bag which you then wrap around the bird without touching it directly. Per Galveston County Health Department it is okay to place it in your routine trash.

For more information:
Galveston County Health District Epidemiology Services, 409-938-2322.


Did you know there is a: Galveston County Mosquito Control District
A truck will spray areas to control the adult population of mosquitoes.
To request a spray: 1-800-842-5622
Email: mosquito.control@co.galveston.tx.us


SARA GOSS, REALTOR®
HatmakerGroup.com GMAC Real Estate
Search Listings: www.har.com/saragoss
Serving the Houston/Galveston Bay Area of Texas, helping families sell their houses and helping families buy the home of their dreams.