I’m back!

On By sallyljacobsonIn Cascade Mountains, Central Oregon, Cream Golden Retreiver, Golden Retriever, real estate, UncategorizedLeave a comment

Let’s start with the most important first – our new puppy Waffles!  9 weeks old and a source of PURE JOY for all who meet her !  She’s a cream golden retriever.  We knew we couldn’t duplicate Lady, so having her look a little different but still be the same sweet temperament really helps deal with losing Lady.    My daughter came up with the name as a joke and the rest of us loved it,  much to her chagrin, it stuck.

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She loves to chew, of course and in addition to all her play toys, friends have suggested all that she has here – ice cubes in a bowl, both chewable.  A water bottle for chewing and the crackling noise.  My favorite rug works for her, too.  Ha.

IMG_4779Waffles is waiting at the bottom of the stairs for the kids to come down – please note the corner of the stair that was not meant to be a chew toy!  She’ll do a little yip to get their attention; she hasn’t figured out they are teens and can sleep through anything.  Don’t you just want to hug her and play with her?!

IMG_4814When we’re not playing with Waffles, we’ve been doing a ton of hiking this summer, even with forest fires and smokey skies.  This is Suttle Lake with a view to Black Butte – an easy 3 mile hike around Suttle, a harder straight up hike to the summit of Black Butte.

In the last few years, we’ve had more forest fires and brush fires because our forests aren’t being optimally managed, and our climate is becoming drier.  Scary combination.  The price of living near our gorgeous forests.

I’ve also been working too much!  This is 778 S Wrangler, Sisters, Oregon, a home I have listed for sale at $534,500 in a new neighborhood.  A charming little town, famous for the Quilt Show and local artists, this neighborhood is near the 5 Pines Lodge,  (a famous engagement/wedding destination) Shibui Spa (try it, you won’t want to leave), Three Creeks Brewing (award winning beer), Islas Rio (you’ve never had mexican seafood like this), the Sisters Athletic Club (you have to be in great shape to recreate as much as we do) and the Sisters Movie Theatre (fun setting, beer & food available).  It’s become more popular to get out of a car based existence, so people are moving to Sisters to walk to all the shops, restaurants and schools. The National Forest is 1/2 mile south, so it’s never hard to get out in the woods when you need a break. Pretty much paradise.

IMG_2272This is 801 S Wrangler, almost done, for sale at $486,500.  A huge corner lot, the yard to the left has a southern exposure and no possibility of having anyone live right behind you – perfect.  It’s so fun to have families come through my open houses and realize they can live a beautiful life in a new home – all without the pollution of a car!

IMG_5016Waffles usually has her head resting on my foot as I work, but she just fell asleep in the middle of playing with her stuffed animal – pretty cute, eh?!  Happy Monday!

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Pilot Butte & Lady

On By sallyljacobsonIn UncategorizedLeave a comment

Our gorgeous outdoor treadmill !  I’ve been so busy helping clients the last few months that I haven’t been hiking it as much as I used to.  Plus my golden retriever died , so too tough to go without her .  13 years of wagging her tail up and down the whole hill and getting petted by every passerby .  My heart aches . Last pic of her in the snow .

State Nordic Race

On By sallyljacobsonIn Bend Oregon, Mt. Bachelor, Nordic skiing, Skiing, TravelLeave a comment

In Oregon, we have Bill & Ginny Martin to thank for our great high school nordic programs.  They have really worked hard to offer it to all kids and we are lucky enough to have them working with our high school.  The culmination of the whole year is the State Nordic Races, and this year it was really fun.

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Friday was the classic race and we knew it was going to be cold – 20 degrees  and we couldn’t even see the top of Mt. Bachelor due to the wind and snow. Ouch.

 

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I had the fun of standing at this corner to keep regular daily skiers who paid to use the area from going across the blue belts and into the race course.  Then the racers would fly down from the left and the other skiers would be in the way. It was so funny.  I could have taken 10 pictures of almost crashes but I was too busy trying to get them out of the way!

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At the end of the day Friday, we were ready to head home and get warm.  My toes were cold for 3 hours.  So proud of my daughter who detests the cold and who just learned to ski this year – she did great!

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Dan took the carload of girls up on Saturday – and look at that weather! The difference a day makes in the mountains.  Eliza had a another good day skate skiing and is VERY happy to be done for the year.  Great sport!

 

Bend is GROWING!

On By sallyljacobsonIn Bend Oregon, Central Oregon, Dreams, real estate, TravelLeave a comment

Well, we all knew that.  We’ve been discovered. Every top 20 list of places to live has had us on it for years, darn it.  Our little ski town is growing to something much bigger.  The culture that is coming with all the people is fun, but the impact on our roads, traffic and dare I say it, air pollution, is causing growing pains.

One of the biggest areas of impact is our schools. Most schools are overcrowded and aging quickly.  Extra classrooms added on outside, or more kids crammed into each room and hallway are normal.  We are building them, but more people are pouring in. The first day of school last September had 500 more kids showing up than we had planned for.

This map shows our current schools and the proposed schools and updates that would be built if we pass a bond measure in May for $268MM.  That’s peanuts compared to other school districts in Oregon.  We’re starting to get the word out now so residents will understand how serious the need is.  I thought y’all might be interested!

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So yes, feel free to move to Bend, just know that our growing pains are strong and we are dealing with them as quickly as we can.  And plan on riding your bike when you get here so you don’t add to the traffic mess!

 

 

Drive to the Columbia Gorge/Hermiston

On By sallyljacobsonIn Bend Oregon, Columbia Gorge, real estate, Travel, Water skiLeave a comment

My son had his Regional Wrestling tournament in Hermiston last Friday/Saturday, so Dan and I took off work to watch him qualify for state.  It’s a long drive from Bend, 155 miles, about 4 hours.  We haven’t been on the road much since returning home from our 19 month RV adventure, so we were happy to go!

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We’ve had a ton of snow this winter, more than most.  I’ve driven this road dozens of times and never seen snow, so I think this is beautiful!  Outlines the mountains.  I should have taken a picture of every semi we saw on it’s side, however, this road was ice 2 weeks ago.  Never seen so many off the road.

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As you drop down, getting closer to the Gorge, this is the view!  You can barely see the windmills on the ridge.  This was a big controversy when they first were installed.  People didn’t want them, but they really make sense.  The wind through the Columbia Gorge is very strong and frequent. Why not use it to generate power?  People were vocal in their opposition, so they aren’t all over the gorge, just certain areas.

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They look small from a distance but one “arm” alone is as long as a semi and they cost over a million dollars each!

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The Columbia River separates Washington from Oregon. We’re on the Oregon side where the better/bigger highway is. This is the river Lewis & Clark came down! Imagine that in a small boat.  I’ve seen the waves swamp small motorboats and the wind can come up without warning.  Then they made the mistake of “camping” for awhile on the Washington side, before the Natives told them the Oregon side was a little drier. From there they headed to Astoria Oregon and spent one very wet winter.

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Dan,  Dom, Nate & my Dad, Ray.  Dom was out of the tournament early because he got hurt.  Nate wrestled 5 times, ending up taking 6th at Regionals, enough to qualify for a varsity letter as a freshman, but not in the top 4 for state.  Who cares?! We’re proud of him for how hard he worked.  Great team of young men.

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We were able to leave before 8 pm, and this is the  view we had for about 20 minutes as we drove west.  Just gorgeous!  That’s Mt. Hood on the left.

 

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This is my “oh wow” shot. Came around the corner and saw this.  The wanderlust in me wants to know where that train is going.  The water skier in me wishes I was down on that clear glass water having an evening run.  So glad we hit the road to Hermiston!

The Road Less Travelled – by snowshoe

On By sallyljacobsonIn Bend Oregon, Central Oregon, Mt. Bachelor, snowshoeing, Travel2 Comments

I think it’s funny that snowshoes are looked down on these days – it used to be a huge novelty and a great way to get outside in the peaceful winter forest.  Now most people downhill or do cross country Nordic skiing.  Yes, it gets you there faster, but it’s not the quiet break that I need.

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All the paper trail maps were taken, so I took a picture just in case.  I’ve snowshoed here for years, but better safe than sorry. Easy to get turned around.  I took the orange toure to the more difficult, and wound back around to the Meissner shelter.

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Pretty well beaten down after our 50″ fell, unfortunately, it was also really loud because the ice had formed on top. But really, how can you complain about anything when you’re out here alone?!  Literally, the road less travelled because everyone else is zipping around the big trails on nordic skis.

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The new warming hut, built by incredible volunteers, with a woodstove inside.  It was only 14 degrees, so I didn’t stay long – quick snack, lots of water.  Met 3 very nice ladies from Wyoming and Canada.  You can barely glimpse the view to the south – but it stretches out to the west, too, with the door facing it now.  The hut used to face east, which was great for keeping the wind out, but really, the view is to the west. And no, I didn’t take a picture!

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Beyond happy me.  It’s Wednesday and I brought a whole car load of Nordic girls for practice and then went for a walk on my own.  Paradise.

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If my snowshoes could talk, the stories they would tell! Bought in January 2000 in Durango, Colorado, they have been all over on trails and in Bend during snow storms.  They are MSR’s, the type the Colorado ski rescue group used to use.  Not sexy like the sleek new ones, but I’ve never gotten stuck anywhere and nothing has broken off.  I love where they take me and how I have a different outlook every time I come back.  Perfect day!