Here is an opportunity to let your wallet vote your Values! Join the Olympia Weaver's Guild for their 25th Annual Show & Sale this weekend:December 6 & 7 2008 10 am to until 6 pm At the Boston Harbor Firestation (5046 Boston Harbor Rd NE). There is a lot of talk about spending your dollars locally and all the benefits to the community, but sometimes there are few options to do that. Which is why the hoilday season is such fun! You will be able to find all sorts of unique handmade items, from finished clothing like scarves & hats to stocking stuffers like hand-dyed yarns from the spinners own flock. You can't get much more local than yarn dyed with local plants, spun from the wool of sheep living a few miles away! This annual event was previously held at the WA State Capitol Museum, but... 12/02/2008

Santa Paws is Coming to Town! Bring your pet for a picture with santa! Saturday, December 6 and Saturday, December 13, 2008 10am-2pm Thurston County Animal Services 3120 Martin Way, Olympia, WA Proceeds benefit the shelter! Click here for pricing information 11/15/2008

Olympia WA is a beautiful and unique city. Discover this city photo by photo and visit the popular viewpoints, as well as the not-so-well-known treasures. Visit the new photo site www.OlympiaUncovered.com This picture gallery gives the visitor to Olympia and the surrounding communities of Boston Harbor, Tumwater, Lacey a taste of the local flavor and an impression of the spectacular beauty of the views, art and architecture. Happy viewing! Sandy NelsonOlympia Realtor®, GRI, ASP, Built Green360-789-7505 www.SandyNelsonRealEstate.com     11/03/2008

We're down to the final week of halloween fun.  As you may have noticed from my blog about our outing last week, the pumpkin patch can be a fun family experience.  Therefore I have decide to provide this list of the Pumkin Patches I know of in Thurston County. In alphabetical order: Hunter's Pumpin Patch  360-456-0466 7401 Yelm Hwy SE, Olympia, Wa  98513 ------------------------------------------------- Lattin's Country Cider Mill & Farm  360-491-7328 9402 Rich Road SE, Olympia, WA  98501 ------------------------------------------------- Rutledge Corn Maze  360-357-3700 302 93rd Ave SE, Olympia, WA  98501 ------------------------------------------------- Schilter Family Farm  360-459-4023 141 Nisqually Cutoff Rd SE, Olympia, WA  98513 -------------------------------------------------- 10/24/2008

If you read this soon you will still be in time for one free workshop that is being held tonight (October 22nd) from 6:30 - 8:30 PM at Griffin Fire Hall, 3707 Steamboat Loop Rd.  It will include speakers from WSU Extension, South Puget Sound Salmon Enhancement Group, and the Thurston & Mason Conservation districts.  The topic is assistance that is available to landowners who want to learn more about controlling erosion, stormwater managment, enhanced fish and wildlife habitat & elimination of invasive weeds.  I have attended classes put on by WSU Extension and they are outstanding resource people to help with a multitude of questions about maintaining waterfront properties, slopes and such.  Their office number is 360-427-9670. The other workshop is tomorrow night from 6:30 - 9:30 PM or... 10/22/2008

Sometimes, a seller can be sold a bill of goods.  It is not unheard of for an agent to give a prospective seller an over inflated price for the home they are hoping to sell.  Then the next agent, upon hearing the first offered price, will inflate the price tag even more.  Needless to say, the third interviewed agent might even inflate a bit more with the hope of securing the listing.  The seller, in their excitement, most likely will choose the agent who tells them the highest price.  Dooming themselves to months of sitting on the market. Most sellers, who are relying on the expertise of the professional agent, use this method for choosing their agent.  Those of us who try to educate the seller using hard data by the way of comparable sold properties can find this a little frustrating. ... 10/16/2008

The annual National Solar & Green Building Tour is showcasing Olympia area homes, commercial buildings and building innovations. For anyone who's heart beats faster at the sound of terms such as "radiant floor heating", "passive solar design", "tank less water heaters" or "rainwater catchment systems", or for people who have always been curious as to what "building green" looks like in practice, this is the opportunity to see how it's done.   On Saturday, September 27th, from 10:00pm until 4:00pm, local buildings will be held open for visitors. Some of the locations will be hosted by guides who can point out and discuss the "green" features. The tour itself is self-guided and free of charge. Up for viewing are some very interesting homes, such as Dee Williams's "little house", Dean Ede... 09/25/2008

Sizing up Your Structure: You’ve been in your new home now for all four of the seasons; you may have learned about a leak in the basement during the winter or a sticky window during the spring, but what other issues might you have missed? New homes are often plagued with structural defects and flaws in construction – both minor and major – that slowly come to light during the first year of occupancy. A professional inspection of your new home while it is still under warranty can help you find and address many of these issues at a minimal cost to you. At Pillar To Post, we recommend you have an inspection done after eleven months to ensure you have enough time to bring any flaws or defects to your builder’s attention before your warranty expires. A Pillar To Post new home warranty inspec... 09/08/2008

I have had requests from some Washington State Home Inspectors to post information, as it comes available, about the sub-committee meetings on home inspector licensing. Since active rain has such good SEO, this should get the word out. It has been announced by DOL that the sub-committee, Changing Business Practices, will meet on August 22, 2008 at 9:30 am. It lasts until noon.  The location of the meeting will be at 2000 4th Ave W, Olympia, 2nd Floor conference room.  The agenda will focus on the Standards of Practice and, if time permits, Professional Conduct.   The state says that this venue has limited space (6 seats) so if anyone from the public or the industry wishes to attend, please email Jerry McDonald at jmcdonald@dol.wa.gov.   They also have the room wired so a person can be t... 08/19/2008

  Stagging Your home in the Olympia Market is important with well over 2000 homes on the market.I found that fabrics are an inexpensive way to add style to any room.Pull in pops of color and pattern one at a time with pillows,canvases, and curtains'.In todays market in Olympia Washington staging do matter. For all your staging Needs call  Molly smiths Designs at 253-229-3509      Brought to you by Tyrone Brown Keller Williams Real Estate 07/30/2008

Last year the Northwest MLS has added "Built Green" and LEEDS certification to the listing and property search criteria. This is good news for buyers who want a home that is energy efficient has has been built with a low environmental impact in mind. What is Built Green? A home that has been "built green" will have a number of features that will make the home more energy efficient, reduce water consumption, is healthier and is more gentle on the environment. These benefits can be accomplished by installing energy efficient appliances, low water flow toilets, using low toxic paint, installing whole house fans, recycling construction waste and a myriad of other things. While the installation of an energy star rated dishwasher is a good thing, that fact itself isn't sufficient claim to a ... 07/14/2008

At this point in time, this is likely to be one of the lesser known acts I will be writing about in this series on Pacific Northwest music legends. On the other hand, they were big nationally, a #1 with a bullet act, in the pre-British invasion years. Now, almost everyone who knows Seattle's history will think of the jazz clubs of the 1940's and 1950's, the birth of garage bands in the 1960's and, of course, Hendrix and more recently grunge. Most people probably do not know that an act from the Pacific Northwest was one of the first big doo-wop groups. Doo-wop from the northwest? You betcha! The band was the Fleetwoods -- one guy (Gary Troxel) and two blond girls (Barbara Ellis and Gretchen Christopher). In that era, the pre-fix for telephone numbers in Olympia was "Fleetwood", hence th... 07/13/2008

This Program is designed for serious Sellers in the Tacoma,Olympia,Lacey,Lakewood, Dupont,Roy,Yelm,Graham,Spanaway,Puyallup, fircrest and all surrounding areas. "Your Home Sold in 45 Days - Guaranteed - Or We'll Pay Your Mortgage!"The 45 Day Guarantee and how it works:There's no secret, a lot of people are wondering about this plan. It's very straight forward, and works just like it sounds. Remember, we are not passive agents that just wait for your home to sell; we are active Home Marketers who enable your home to sell in Olympia washington..We DO NOT just place a sign in the yard and hope for the best! We will use every appropriate marketing tool to get your home SOLD! Our marketing and negotiating skills are unmatched, and we continue to help homeowners sell their homes in this chall... 07/12/2008

then cast your vote to help bring a Trader Joe's store to Olympia. Trader Joe's different from most common supermarkets, in that you won't find a lot of branded products. Instead, Trader Joe's carries many interesting and unconventional products at great prices. Shopping at Trader Joe's is always an adventure, as you'll discover new products from all over the world. I love their smooth authentic Greek yogurt with honey, Kerry Irish butter, French chocolate torte and their great selection of international wines at bargain prices.The buyers for Trader Joe's taste every product before they decide to stock it and bring it to the local shoppers. The shopping experience at Trader Joe's is as unusual as their inventory. The stores are much smaller than regular supermarkets, the interior is de... 06/14/2008

We are very lucky to live in a community that sustains such a diversity of businesses. Downtown Olympia is chock full of little shops (culturla treasures really) that have been there for ages, specializing in some very niche items: specialty toys, custom jewelry and clothes, local coffee roasters (two of course!), a pie shop, and on and on. But have you ever been to Buck's on Fifth Avenue? Buck's is one of my favorite places in downtown Olympia! It is one of the smallest shop space, and is one of those wonderful places you dream about as a child: filled floor to ceiling with items of wonder from around the globe: SPICES That is right- Olympia has its very own spice bazaar! Well, maybe not bazaar, but it has all the right smells. And if you haven't been there, you do need to visit.  Even... 05/29/2008

Olympia is in the throes of our annual springtime Artswalk & Procession of the Species Parade! The Procession of the Species Parade happens each Spring and is a flamboyant celebration of whatever you want to express! Of the few rules, the most important seems to be No Written Words- so no political statements, nothing religious, no politics. Nothing to mess up a fun day. Just friends and neighbors getting together to pull around floats of giants slugs & rats, dress up like trees and elephants, and play some music on "Found Item instruments" in the Samba OlyWa dressed as the wind! The crowds are HUGE for this parade- take look! And the website for the parade is here.                 Artswalk occurs in both the spring and the fall each year. It gives local artists a chance to showcase the... 04/26/2008

Whether you're considering purchasing your first home in the next few months or you'e never given it two thoughts, you will find this presentation both interesting and valuable. There's an offer for you at the end. Please enjoy.Some simple directions: Just below the presentation you will see a Gabcast logo. Please click twice on the arrow to start the audio. Place your cursor at the page turn controls and then just follow along. Read this doc on Scribd: Your First Home By the Book Seminar US FINAL JK Gabcast! First Time Home Buyer #1  cl... 04/21/2008

(BO)Great View of Capitol from this Nice 3 bedroom townhome in EASTBAY 502 Eastside st NE Olympia Washington $ 1050.00 12 months Call RD House Real Estate & Property Management www.rd-house.com 206-728-6063 04/21/2008

 According to a recently released study by Healthgrades (http://www.healthgrades.com/), Olympia's St. Peter Hospital, as well as Capital Medical center were ranked among the top 5% nationally in patient safety. The study looked at over 5000 hospitals and analyzed over 41 million patient records. Of the nine Washington hospitals that landed in the top 5 percent, two are in Olympia.That's great news for Olympia residents, who rely on those two hospitals for their medical care, as well as for the military family members of soldiers and airmen stationed at Fort Lewis and McChord AFB, who may have to rely on the local medical facilities.Incidentally, Olympia was also ranked as the safest mid-sized town in the country by Spelling's Best Places security survey earlier this year. Sandy NelsonRe... 04/15/2008

        Olympia has some very beautiful parks scattered throughout. Sometimes they are hidden from both visitor and local! The Yashiro Japanese Garden in downtown is one of the hidden gems. Named in honor of the Sister City relationship with Kato (formerly Yashiro) in Hyogo Prefecture on Honshu, this park is next to the City Hall and Police Station. I first discovered this park while dropping off a parking ticket. Incidentally, you can also drop off your city of Olympia water/sewer/garbage bill at the same location! The Garden includes the classic features one expects in a Japanese garden: a pond to reflect the sky and trees, places to sit and quietly enjoy, bamboo shrouded paths, staturary and lanterns, beautiful greenery and blooming plants. In the spring, you will enjoy the cherry bl... 04/13/2008