Sean Keene Salem/Keizer Realtor

I just wanted to wish everyone here on Activerain a Happy Holiday and a wonderful New Year.

I have been inspired by the recent Lexus commercials. I want to know what was the greatest Christmas gift that you have every received. I also want to know what the worst gift was.....I will start it off.

I would have to say that the best gift I ever received was a Big Wheel when I was about 5. The reason that it is the best is that it is the first Christmas that I can really remember.

I remember walking out into the living and seeing the Christmas tree lite up in front of the wall with the wood paneling (Just showed the house and it still has the paneling). There in front of the tree was my black, red and yellow Big Wheel.

The worst is most defiantly when I was 12 years old. My sister who was 8 years older then me thought that I needed a photo of her for Christmas. She wrapped it up in a big box and made a big deal about her present for weeks before Christmas.

I opened up my sisters present first because I was so excited and there it was, my sister looking back at me. What a let down.

 This information was taken from Wikipedia because sometimes they just can say it better.

Bush's Pasture Park (90.5 acres) is a public park and botanical garden in Salem, Oregon, United States. It is also the site of the Asahel Bush House, which is on the National Register of Historic Places.

The park and Italianate Victorian house date to 1877-1878 when they were built for Asahel Bush, founder of the Oregon Statesman newspaper and subsequently of the Ladd and Bush Bank. In 1882 Bush added a still-extant conservatory for his daughters, claimed to be the first greenhouse west of the Mississippi River. It is now filled with period plants.

Today the park contains trails, picnic areas, playgrounds, tennis courts, natural groves of old Oregon White Oak trees, cherry and apple orchards, and a rose garden with over 2,000 roses. Willamette University's McCulloch Stadium (football, track and field) and Spec Keene Stadium (baseball) are located in the park, hosting a variety of university and community events, such as the Salem Jaycees' Kids Relays and the amateur soccer team the Cascade Surge of the USL Premier Development League. The park also has a soap box derby track that is home to the Salem Soap Box Derby and downhill skateboarding events.

The park is open daily to the public. Tours can be taken of the Bush House Museum for a small admission fee, and the Bush Barn Art Center is free and open to the public. Both the Museum and the Art Center have rotating exhibits and are operated by the Salem Art Association. The Art Association also organizes the Salem Art Fair and Festival in the park each year on the third weekend of July

As we near the end of the year, it is nice to reflect back on a wonderful year in Salem, Oregon. I couldn't help but take a moment to celebrate all of Salem's great things. And so, with these thoughts, I've decided to share my Top 10 reasons why everyone should choose Salem for today and tomorrow!

#10 Small Town Feel. Nearly 152,500 people live in Salem making it the 3rd largest city in Oregon, yet still feels small and distinct.

#9 Clean ware, clean air, clean energy sources. Many admire Oregon's environmental commitment. You might not know that Salem was the first state capital to be named a Green Power community but the EPA-Environmental Protection Agency.

#8 Outdoor Recreation. Salem offers an abundance of outdoor activities ranging from walking, hiking, water sports and more. Minto-Brown Island Park with over 900 acres of wooded area is a favorite of Salem residents and their dogs. Just a half-hour drive and you can enjoy Silver Falls State Park, the largest park in Oregon, or within an hour you can ski at Hoodoo or smell the ocean air.

#7 Downtown. New life has come to Salem's Downtown with the help of business owners, residents and organizations such as Go Downtown! and SYP Action_downtown. Collectively the goal has been to increase visibility in our downtown area, while keeping it clean, making it interesting and inviting new merchants.

#6 Educational Opportunities! Salem is so fortunate to have Willamette University in the hear of downtown. With 165 years of history and the distinction of being the First University in the West, Willamette is one of Salem's true gems. One cannot forget about Chemeketa Community College who enrolled almost 65,000 students in the 2007-2008 academic year. In addition we have Christian based college, CorbanCollege. They offer 50 majors and study programs along with two new Master's programs.

#5 The State Capital. With an historical election year, it is time to get involved. Many important decisions will be made right here in Salem, many of which will effect our futures.

#4 Centrally Located. Whether you are a commuter driving to Portland or Eugene, or your family is heading off on a vacation adventure, Salem is centrally located in the Willamette Valley.

#3 Housing is still affordable in Salem. Did you know that Salem is ranked #2 in the nation for appreciating markets, and currently listed at 4.7% according to www.housingpredictor.com last Report.

#2 Riverfront Park. Our Riverfront Park hosts an array of opportunities throughout the year. Celebrations such as the Worldbeat Festival, the 4th of July activities, the bite of Salem and new this past summer, Movies in the Park, are just a few.

And finally, my #1 reason Why Salem? Why Now?

#1 Our History, our Gems! There are many...The Elsinore Theater, Deepwood Estates, Willamette University, Mission Mill, A.C. Gilbert House, McMenamins-Boone's Treasury and Thompson's Brewery, the State Capital Building, the Reed Opera House and many many more.

This list is simply a reflection of some of my favorite things about Salem. My goal is to share the pieces of Salem I love and appreciate. You will undoubtedly have your own additions to this list, but the end result is all the same--Salem is a wonderful place to call home, today and tomorrow.

The current building, constructed from 1936 to 1938, and expanded in 1977, is the third to house the Oregon state government in Salem. Two former capitol buildings were destroyed by fire, one in 1855 and the other in 1935.

New York architects Trowbridge & Livingston conceived the current structure's Art Deco design, in association with Francis Keally. Much of the interior and exterior is made of marble. The Oregon State Capitol was placed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1988.

A variety of artwork is displayed on the exterior of the building. Sculptor Leo Friedlander used Vermont marble for the large relief sculptures on both sides of the main entrance. One sculpture depicts Meriwether Lewis, William Clark, and Sacagawea, with a map of their expedition's route on the reverse; the other shows pioneers and a covered wagon, with a map of the Oregon Trail on the reverse.

The capitol grounds cover three city blocks and include Willson and Capitol parks. Near the west entrance of the capitol is a replica of Philadelphia's Liberty Bell. This bell is one of 53 full-sized replicas made in France and donated by the United States government to each state. Oregon received its copy on July 4, 1950. Throughout the grounds are native trees and shrubs, including blue spruce, Oregon-grape (the state flower), giant sequoia, coast redwood, Japanese maple, dogwood species, Bradford pear, cherry tree species, English holly, rhododendron, and magnolia tree species. One Douglas-fir tree was grown using a seed that rode aboard Apollo 14 to the Moon in 1971 and was transplanted to the capitol in 1976 from Oregon State University.

I just thought it would be good with Thanksgiving coming up to give people a chance to say what they are thankful for this year.

I am thankful that after 40 years my father has been able to put his life back together since my mother passed away from cancer two months ago.

I am also thankful for a wonderful wife and three healthy children (They are all prefect might I add). My wife has been one of the greatest things to ever happen to me and she has been one of my biggest supporters in my personal and professional life.

So what are you Thankful for???????