BLESSINGS BOOMERANG

As we slip deeper and deeper into winter I am reminded of a visit I made years ago to a wood stove manufacturer in Orting Washington. The owner was an older man with a gentle manner and hands like leather from years of working his business. It was cold the day I came so as we talked about a fireplace insert for my home we sat in chairs beside a potbelly stove. He offered me a cup of coffee brewed in a percolator atop the old stove. "Fresh pot", he said.
He patiently explained how the insert would work and because our home was built in 1904 he could make it look like the period and not "modern". (A word he spoke with disdain.) I am sure I spent much more time than was necessary with him that day but it was time well spent.
As I left I noticed a sign on the wall above his desk, it read "BLESSINGS BOMMERANG" . I paused and asked about it. "Have you always found that to be true?" He replied, "Yup...always."
Wisdom, like beauty is all around us, if we notice, This winter as I log on to my computer to comparison shop on Amazon I think of those days and wonder at what we have gained and what we have lost.
While we can't go back. the truth of his sign remains,,,"BLESSING BOMMERANG"...We may not have a potbelly stove...or a percolator...but we can be a BLESSiING to someone.

SHE WORE BLUE VELVET.....

It's Saturday afternoon and you want to take your best girl out for a soda...no I mean a SODA! You know, poodle skirts, Levis rolled at the cuff, white socks, penny loafers and a London Fog jacket. Cool man! The perfect place to ask her to wear your high school ring...or your wedding ring for another 40 years.

Your looking for Don's Ruston Market on 51st and Winnifred in Ruston. You can almost hear Bobby Vinton singing Blue Velvet as you drive up.

Opened in 1906 at 52nd and Shirley and at this location(due to fire) since 1917 you really need to stop by this "if only the walls could talk" treasure. The food is great, all of the traditional soda fountain faire is there but for me the MAGIC comes through two straws on opposite sides of an old fashioned milkshake, or two spoons working their way towards the center of one banana split.

So when you're going cruising next time, or you want your children or grandchildren to taste their first cherry phospate stop by and meet Don and Beth Torbert who have lovingly operated this gem for the last 28 of the market's 104 years.

MY BAND OF BROTHERS

The best part of the Seattle Seahawk's game last Sunday came before the game began. A true American hero, Lt Col. Buck Compton, raised the 12th Man Flag. Part of Easy Company, immortalized in the movie BAND OF BROTHERS, honored us all with his presence.

As Col. Compton labored to raise the flag my heart swelled with pride. Almost imperceptibly at first, I found myself standing a little taller, my heels together, hands to my side, fingers rolled I stood at attention inspired and proud as tears ran down my face.

For that moment I was carried back to Vietnam. I stood young and strong, shoulder to shoulder with MY BAND OF BROTHERS. Bravo Company...The Jungle Warriors. Wild Thing, Pfaff, Dum Dum Jug, Owens, French, Littel, Saint, Miegs, Mackay, Doc, Angel, Lt Pena, and so many others to numerous to mention by name here. It is impossible to explain...the bond between us...trust required in no other circumstance. A friendship...no...a love that will remain.

Thank you to all who have served and are serving...you know what I mean.

THERE'S NO PLACE LIKE HOME, THERE'S NO PLACE LIKE HOME.

Hohum...Just another 74 degree November day in Tacoma. I snapped these pictures of our North Tacoma Neighborhood and the Narrows Bridges with Mt. Rainier in the background on my way home from work.

I lived in many parts of the nation in my youth but none holds a candle to our home in Tacoma for these last 40 years.

If you or anyone you know is moving to or from this great South Puget Sound area I would love to help them find the perfect home. Contact me through this Blog or Karin Kay Properties.

THE FIRST TUESDAY IN NOVEMBER!

THE FIRST TUESDAY IN NOVEMBER is the most important day of the year for the government of these United States.

It is the day when the registered voters of this great nation can most clearly express their love for their families, their belief in the future and their commitment to the unalienable rights, given by their creator, of life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness.

I am struck by the beauty and importance of the of the picture to the right. Despite the threat to their lives Iraqi voters turned out by the the thousands to vote in their first free election. Then after voting they wore with pride the evidence, a finger dipped in ink, of having cast their ballot.

The FIRST TUESDAY IN NOVEMBER once again approaches, arguably the most important election day in our country's history. We have no threat to our lives for voting, yet only something more than half of those who could vote, will. Be there....vote!!! Then hold your hand and head high and speak a prayer of gratitude for the privilege of living in these great UNITED STATES OF AMERICA.

That We Might Be Adopted: Families of Faith

That We Might Be Adopted: Families of Faith: "Joy Casey, Adoption Ministry's Director, writes from Ethiopia... Even after wrangling with government officials and regulations that I ca..."

MORE GREAT NEWS ABOUT THE FUTURE OF KITSAP COUNTY

The top 10 housing markets of the future
By Venessa Wong of Bloomberg Businessweek
A housing market rebound seems tenuous after the expiration of the homebuyer tax credit, and consumer confidence remains weak due to lackluster employment. (Bing: Find the latest consumer-confidence trends)
But David Stiff, chief economist at Fiserv, says the bottom is near. Home prices in the U.S. have declined 29.5% over the past four years, according to the Fiserv Case-Shiller Indexes. Stiff says prices should form a trough early next year, when median prices will be down an estimated 32.9% from the 2006 peak. By early 2014, they will have climbed about 7.2% from 2010 levels, according to the indexes. Fiserv and Moody’s Economy.com base the housing forecast on factors that include income growth, demographic trends, unemployment rates, foreclosure rates and construction costs. Of 384 places surveyed, the Bremerton-Silverdale area in Washington state had the highest four-year growth forecast, with prices expected to increase 44.7% from 2010 to 2014. Other leading growth markets: Bend, Ore., where prices are expected to jump 33.6% by 2014, and Detroit, with a 33.1% forecast. Markets with the weakest projections: Miami and Naples, Fla., and Atlantic City, N.J., where prices are expected to continue to fall over the next four years.

Half of First Time Home Buyers have to PAY THEIR CREDIT BACK!

According to today's article from CNN, nearly half of those who took advantage of the FIRST TIME HOME BUYER TAX CREDIT in 2009 are going to have to pay it back...and the IRS is going to SORT it out. Without making too much of an editorial comment I suggest that if you were one who qualified for and took the credit...check with your tax consultant to see which side of the line you are on. Of the 1,800,000 who took the tax credit the article says that 950,000 will have to pay it back. I know that many in the "Narrows Neighborhood" I serve rushed to buy homes as the deadlines and extended deadlines for the tax credit approached. Had I been eligible I am sure that I would have used it as well.

With the news today from CNN my best advice is to check it out before that IRS mail comes out.

If you are currently thinking of buying or selling a home or need a referral to an expert agent in the area you are moving to please contact me through my blog or at Karin Kay Properties.

My Narrows Neighborhood: #1 and #2 IN THE NATION!!!

In these days of gloomy news and doomsday predictions I love the opportunity to bring you good news. Whether you are a home owner now or considering a move to this fabulous South Puget Sound area I call the Narrows Neighborhood take a look at this article about our real eastate market from Yahoo Real Estate. http://realestate.yahoo.com/promo/housing-markets-that-will-be-strongest-by-2014.

The predictions of 33% to 44% increases in home values by 2014 rank Bremerton/Siverdale and Tacoma the top two markets in the nation.

If you are looking for a place to invest in real estate, develop land ,purchase your first home or find your retirement castle...come to MY NARROWS NEIGHBORHOOD! You can reach me through this blog or at robrieder1946@gmail.com.

THE BEST SOUTHERN FISH AND CHIPS IN TACOMA!

Sometimes you just have a hankerin' for something special to eat! I know I do. Though I do enjoy the many fine seafood restaurants we have in Tacoma I've never been a" lift your pinky" kind of eater. Gimme food that really hits you where you live...and have you noticed that too much time spent on the garnish and presentation makes the price 4 x' s higher.

Hidden away near the corner of South 19th and Martin Luther King sits The Fish House Cafe, an unassuming blue building that is home to Tacoma's best Southern style fish and chips.

My "can't go wrong order" is catfish (Southern Style) and their very own secret dipping sauce. The orders are large so you may have to wait until after your nap to eat that piece of pecan pie you asked for at the last minute.

If you want to watch the ferry come and go this is not your choice, but if down home food and a smile are calling your name, the Fish House Cafe is the place.

P.S. If you're going for lunch, call ahead, you wont be alone.