Next Thursday grab your sweetie, pack a picnic and head on down to the park in Fair Oaks Village for a free outdoor concert. You'll meet lots of your neighbors there... usually 400 - 600 will come out to sing, dance, toe tap or howl at the moon!  Sponsored by the Fair Oaks Recreation and Parks District, the summer Concerts in the Park happen every Thursday, 7-9pm from June 10th through August 26th. Upcoming performers are: Moonlight Swing Band, August 5th ( for the Big Band sound) John Skinner Dance Band, August 13th (popular music by a great local dance band) Lightening Hand, August 19th (Classic and original blues rock) Capitol Pops Concert Band, Aug 26th (Broadway, popular and patriotic)     Thanks to the trumpeter at BigStockPhoto         07/30/2010

We're lucky in Fair Oaks to live with one of our nation's crown jewels... the American River Parkway.  Right in our back yard!  It's miles and miles of natural beltway bordering the river as it winds and bend through Fair Oaks on it's way to the San Francisco Bay and Pacific Ocean. Go for a walk and you'll be amazed at what you discover. From Fair Oaks Images But to really amp up your experience, take along a Certified Naturalist for an informative tour. Naturalist Traci Barsuglia has created an amazing resource for you at www.naturalist4hire.com. Staffed by Certified Naturalists, they offer group or individual tours of the American River Parkway, Capitol Park, William land park, the Wren Wetlands, the American Eagle Mine Trail, and more throughout the entire region. In my 20s, I worked... 07/29/2010

Jane just got out of medical school pumped up to buy her first home.  After checking out all Fair Oaks homes close enough to the American River Bike Trail for her to bike to her new hospital, we made an offer on one.  She was in heaven, and her daughter said she didn't know homes that beautiful existed.  It had a HUGE back yard (nearly a full acre), with expansive grassy areas bordered by bamboo and cottonwood trees that rustled in the breeze. Jane wanted to garden and plant fruit trees... from this yard, she could feed a small country! It doesn't get any better than this. After acceptance of our contract, we did a whole house inspection, a sewer scope, and viewed the seller's pest inspection. Hmmmm.... a number of problems... electrical, plumbing... the usual.  But also a HUGE cottonwo... 07/25/2010

Dang! It just happened again! My buyer's daughter transferred $20K into their account, because they're really buying the condo for the daughter with her money. (The daughter has bad credit, but a wad of money, so Mom and Dad are making the purchase for her).  Now we need to show proof of where the money came from - which means copies of the original check, copies of the cashed check, copies of her birth certificate, marriage license, and dog's vaccination.  OK... I jest about the last 3, but DON'T MAKE DEPOSITS WITHOUT SPEAKING TO YOUR LENDER ABOUT THE CONSEQUENCES TO YOUR LOAN. Federal guidelines mandate we need a paper trail for every cent of money that goes through your bank account. Getting these verifications take time... time that can throw a serious wrench into your loan process.... 07/23/2010

A small ocicat, at the moment, is curled up into a tight ball in my lap. She knows that making herself very small is the only way to sit on me while I am typing which, for whatever reason, she absolutely must do at this very moment. Who knows what goes through the mind of a cat? She came into the bedroom this morning at 4:00 AM and meowed at me. Twice. She rules the other cats, both of which are much bigger than she and male. I had considered writing a post about the differences between men and women -- such as Men are from Seattle and Women are from Hawaii, but I've changed my mind and instead want to tell you about a unique ranch home in Fair Oaks that is coming on the market today as a short sale. This 1980 home in Lake Natoma Heights has 3 bedrooms and 2 baths. You can tell from the... 07/23/2010

"You're a Good Man Char.... (err e err e eRRRRRRRR...).. lie Brown".  Yep, sound like Fair Oaks to me. Roosters settling in for the night, crowing their contentment, as The Fair Oaks Theatre production of "Charlie Brown" enchants it's intimate audience under the twinkling stars. Tucked into our quaint little hamlet by the river is our charming Amphitheater - opened to the dazzling sky, right in the heart of Fair Oaks Village. Since '83 it has been home to the Fair Oaks Theatre Festival with plays, productions, performances and even occasional weddings sprinkled in. It's such a cool place. The outside is adorned with pastel scenes of Fair Oaks by local artist Hugh Gorman - a tribute to his late sister, Mary. To me, the magic of living in Fair Oaks is epitomized by these local productions... 07/22/2010

The day after tomorrow, I am moving my late-80's parents to Fair Oaks from the Las Vegas Area.  My Mom plays cards 4 nights a week at her Sun City club house, and goes to the casinos on occasion (OK... all the pit bosses know her by name, and some even know MY name!) My Dad is pretty content to snooze in his chair all day, then wake up to go to bed.  A periodic drive will triple his activity level. What the heck are they going to do all day in Fair Oaks?  I like walking the river, and .... OK so I work all the time, but if I weren't selling real estate all day I would still LOVE Fair Oaks. But criminy... she's 87! What's she going to do without her clubhouse???? So I started checking around, and found that she has 4 Senior Centers within a 10 minute drive of her home.  And criminy - she... 07/13/2010

Today is the Fourth of July – our Independence Day. Although we all think we know all about it and how our country came to be and our own history, every year we are exposed to facts that we either never knew or that we have forgotten. We may know that the original flag had 13 stars or that the current flag has 13 stripes, but do we know who was the oldest to sign the Declaration of Independence? That was Benjamin Franklin. Do we know that Independence Day was first declared a national holiday n 1941? That John Adams and Thomas Jefferson both died on the same 4th of July just a few hours from each other? Did you know that there is a one gun salute fired at noon on Independence Day by every capable military base, and that it is called the Salute to the Union?  And did you know that Uncle ... 07/04/2010

Thursday evenings all summer long you can enjoy really great music at Concerts in the Park in Village Park in Fair Oaks, California. This is great family fun.  There is a bandstand, and everyone gets comfortable on the lawn to enjoy the music, dance, watch their kids on the playground equipment, have a picnic, or whatever.  It’s free, and our evenings are wonderful in Fair Oaks.  Bring your picnic dinner or buy comfort food (pizza, hot dogs or ice cream sundaes).  Relax and enjoy the summer with friends, families and other Fair Oaks residents.  We have an audience of about 450 music lovers per concert. Some concerts draw an audience of 800.  As the bands represent several genres of music, the concert goers are not necessarily the same every week. Concerts in the Park has become a Fair O... 06/26/2010

(Slide Show contains 11 images)I have shuffled around this planet long enough to know a gal needs to always have a "Plan B" simmering on the back burner.  Because as John Lennon said, "Life is what happens while you're busy making other plans."I've often wondered what I would do at this stage in my life, if a big disaster came, wiped me out financially, destroyed my home, and life as I know it!  Would I attempt to start all over again to recreate what I had, or would I do something totally different.The answer is I would likely do things differently.  One of the first things I would do, would be to contact Jay Shafer of Tumbleweed Tiny Homes, to see if he could whip me up one of his adorable little houses on wheels.  They consist of very few, but efficient square feet.  He designs them ... 06/26/2010

Come to the Renaissance Tudor Fayre in Fair Oaks, CA! June 26th and 27th, 2010 at Fair Oaks Park At the southwest corner of Madison avenue and Fair Oaks Blvd (Entrance behind the library off of Fair Oaks Blvd.) Fair Oaks, CA 10AM - 6PM both days Have you ever been to a renaissance fair?  People come in costume, but you needn’t if you do not want to. There is entertainment, food, craft booths, games and vendors with a medieval theme.  There will also be great entertainment, such as Mumbo Gumbo, hugely popular local band! It is a great family time, and if you’ve never been before, make this the year that you come with your friends and family.  This is the 40th year Fair Oaks has held the Fayre on the last weekend in June. TICKET INFO $12 Adults $6 Children 12 and under $6 Seniors 65 and o... 06/23/2010

The 24th Annual Fair Oaks Renaissance Tudor FayreOn Saturday and Sunday, June 26th and 27th, the community of Fair Oaks will celebrate its 24th Annual Fair Oaks Renaissance Tudor Fayre.  The event will begin at 10:00a.m. each day and last until 6:00p.m.The Renaissance Fayre is always a favorite for my family and friends.  If you live in the area, try planning a day to attend and participate in the merry making.Where: The Fair Oaks Renaissance Tudor Fayre is located in Fair Oaks Park - Corner of Fair Oaks Boulevard and Madison Boulevard, Fair Oaks (next to the library). Directions from MapquestAdmission Costs:Adults - $12.00Children 12 and under - $6.00Seniors 65 and over, peace officers, fire and military - $6.00Children under 3 - FREEFamily Packs (2 adults + 2 kids) - $30.00Two day adu... 06/15/2010

Our yard smells so good! We have star jasmine growing all along the back side of our laundry room, and it has begun to grow over our pergola as well (competing with the grapevines that have always covered the pergola). They have such a sweet and happy fragrance!  And we can smell it in the back yard of course, but we also smell it in the house and in the front yard. I wish it would bloom all year, but I guess that's asking too much of a good thing. We had such late cold weather this year that many of our flowers didn't quite know what to do.  Our azaleas bloomed and were gone before the rest of our plants even realized it was time to bloom.  But our patio is now full of flowers in pinks, purples, peaches, and reds now, and then there is our wonderful wall of jasmine.  Yum! *************... 06/07/2010

(Slide Show contains 6 images)This year, it all started in March, when I began to watch and photograph the continual changes at Phoenix Park Vernal Pools in the Greater Sacramento community of Fair Oaks.  I had taken photographs and blogged a piece titled, "Just Because You Can't See Them Doesn't Mean They Aren't There."I returned again on May 7th - almost one month ago from today, hoping to see how the pools were progressing.  In early May, we had a lot of rain and it was remaining unseasonably cool in Sacramento.  There still was no signs of any marine life in the ponds or the likes of elusive fairy shrimp, tadpoles or polliwogs; but that didn't mean they weren't there!  Yet, the vision of spring flowers, especially the Goldfield flowers were abundant in the photos taken during the vi... 06/06/2010

The invention of the microwave pretty much changed America's kitchens. Although, microwaves were invented in the 1940s, they didn't really become affordable or widely used in the country until the early 1970s. By 1975, however, more microwaves were sold than gas ranges, if you can believe that. When I moved into my first apartment in 1969, I didn't own a microwave. I didn't even know what a microwave was, but I did know how to use a stove. Not that I did. Many of my meals consisted of consuming the contents of a jar of tomato-based shrimp or a jar of marinated mushrooms. In fact, years later when I remodeled my first kitchen, I considered disposing of the stove altogether and not replacing it. But then I realized that it would be difficult to sell that home down the road without a stove... 05/23/2010

(slide show contains 14 images)A couple months ago, I blogged a piece titled, "Just Because You Can't See Them Doesn't Mean They aren't There" - about Greater Sacramento Area Vernal Pools, located in the community of Fair Oaks. In March, I was in a desperate search for sunshine and spring.  Sacramento's winter had been long and relentless, and any sign of warmth, flowers and life, emerging once again would have been a welcome sight.  At the time, I had found a great deal of water in the ponds, but few flowers lined the banks. This morning, I suspected it was time to revisit the ponds to witness the progression of change.In Fair Oaks, at Phoenix Park Vernal Pools, the pools are seasonal, and dry up in the summer months when rain is lacking.  However, during spring, these pools are steepe... 05/07/2010

(Slide Show contains 16 images)Every year at this time, St. Mel's Catholic School in Fair Oaks, presents a fairly ambitious musical presentation, considering it's a kindergarten through 8th grade school.  My first attendance of these performances was in 2008, when my grandson, Ryan played Joseph as Pharaoh, in "Technicolor Dreamcoat."  Last year, my 9 year old granddaughter, Macie, played in the production of "Oliver."This year, the school took on and conquered, "Sound of Music."  Macie, now 10, was "Gretel" - the youngest of the Von Trapp children.   The children underwent a total of 9 costume changes in the show!For those in the Greater Sacramento Area, there will be a repeat performance this evening.  The admission is free, but donations are accepted!  It's VERY worthwhile going to s... 04/30/2010

For the past 60 years, Fair Oaks California has been putting on this great celebration the first weekend in May.  It was previously known as Fiesta Days, but only the name has changed.  All the fun, games, great food, and one of Northern California's best car shows are still favorites that attract fans from all over. This is the 61st Annual Fair Oaks Spring Fest, and this year’s theme is “Go Green for Spring.” The fun will include entertainment for the whole family, and the event includes a parade, toilet bowl race, children's games, food and craft vendors and much, much more, including some great raffle prizes.  All of this takes place in Fair Oaks Village, at adjoining Plaza and Village Parks. Come and join the fun from 10 am - 4 pm each day.  Admission is FREE, except for the kids’ c... 04/27/2010

For the past 60 years, Fair Oaks California has been putting on this great celebration the first weekend in May.  It was previously known as Fiesta Days, but only the name has changed.  All the fun, games, great food, and one of Northern California's best car shows are still favorites that attract fans from all over. This is the 61st Annual Fair Oaks Spring Fest, and this year’s theme is “Go Green for Spring.” The fun will include entertainment for the whole family, and the event includes a parade, toilet bowl race, children's games, food and craft vendors and much, much more, including some great raffle prizes.  All of this takes place in Fair Oaks Village, at adjoining Plaza and Village Parks. Come and join the fun from 10 am - 4 pm each day.  Admission is FREE, except for the kids’ c... 04/27/2010

(Slide Show contains 12 images)Those who dwell in the Greater Sacramento Area are a fortunate lot!  In addition to being cradled in the valley between San Francisco, 90 miles west, and Lake Tahoe, 90 miles to the east, we also are at the threshold of The California Mother Lode, and within an hour of Napa Wine Country.  It doesn't get much better than that!Add to this good fortune, two rivers, The American, and The Sacramento, plus a bevy of lakes, reservoirs, and ponds, and things get really interesting for those who love water sports and recreation.  The American River Bike Trail and Recreation Area is a 22 mile stretch of pavement, which connects Discovery Park, near Old Sacramento, to the west, and Folsom to the east.Personally I like the variety of little communities within the Grea... 04/26/2010