Sequim Vacation on Olympic Peninsula Washington

Sequim Vacation November Round-up

2009-11-09T17:08:00.000-08:00

Dear Sequim vacation visitors,

November with cloudy rainy days has arrived in sunny Sequim. Mostly Sequim gets a good share of its annual average 12 inches rainfalls during the month of November. It's a good time to head south, if you have a chance to do so. Jennifer's Sequim summer vacation photos are just perfect to warm your body and soul.

After a beautiful Indian Summer September in Sequim, October surprised us with more rainy days than we normally get. It didn't stop the last berries from ripening and getting eaten. My last raspberries from my own bushes at the house were a little watery though.

What else is new in Sequim? The big town talk is that the German restaurant + Deli 'Sauerkraut' had to close its doors after trying to win the hearts + taste buds of Sequim residents and Sequim visitors for 6 months. As long as our Sequim visitors were here, it seemed to work but since the number of Sequim visitors already goes down in September, little Sequim town with about 6000 residents cannot compensate. We were sorry to hear that the Sauerkraut owners had to file for bankruptcy.

I have a feeling that new businesses starting in Sequim have sometimes too high expectations and don't calculate their numbers right. OK big businesses like Costco and HomeDepot still go big, despite economic slowdown but everybody else who depends on a good number of customers struggles, even Safeway had to adjust their prices to attract daily customers back, which works well for us, the Sequim customers.

Well, Sequim visitors might have left for the winter till spring next year, unless there are a few visitors still roaming the many homes for sale in Sequim and trying to catch a bargain, when real estate prices are still low before it all turns around for the better. Anyways, Sequim is not yet 'hibernating'. I was amazed to hear from a friend who volunteers at the Sequim Visitors Center that they stay open all year round. Great to see that Sequim and its community of retired people are hustling and bustling from event to event, especially at the Sequim Senior Center.

The Fall Arts and Crafts Show is already over. Wednesday 11/8, Elwha River Casino gets visited on the special Senior Day. In addition to the daily activities at the Senior Center, there are tours to museums, nurseries and more. In the center of attraction is the Traditional Thanksgiving Turkey Dinner on November 24 at the Senior Center with 2 seatings.

However, before we start decorating our Sequim homes and houses for the holiday season, let's enjoy a few more of Jennifer's Sequim summer vacation photos - reminiscences of a beautiful Sequim summer vacation 2009. Come visit Sequim in 2010!

Sequim Vacation Photos - Summer at Hurricane Ridge

2009-10-07T10:20:00.000-07:00

Dear Sequim vacation lovers,
As promised in our recent Sequim Vacation Photo post, we finally took the time to include more of our Hawaii photographer friend, Jennifer Crites, from her Summer vacation in Sequim. We mostly visit Hurricane Ridge in water because the white winter wonderland with the spectacular Olympic Mountains as backdrop is an experience we don't want to miss each winter.

Well, Jennifer's summer Hurricane Ridge photos will make you visit Hurricane Ridge right now. Our Indian Summer weather - today we have for the first time a cloud cover over Sequim, but blue holes are already showing - for the last week makes everybody aah and ooh. We had some great Sequim spring weather this year, no 'June gloom' whatsoever, followed by a hot summer, at least for Sequim temperature records, and looks like this will continue all the way into fall season 2009.

Maybe, the reason for this straight through sunny weather through all the Sequim seasons is El Nino or maybe it's the climate change. Who knows! We enjoy it!

Thanks for visiting our Sequim Town blog for your Sequim vacation plans. Enjoy the summer photos of Hurricane Ridge. It's not too late for a Sequim vacation.

Tags: sequim vacatation rental, sequim vacation, best monthly rate Sequim

Sequim Vacation in Photos Part 1

2009-09-13T19:05:00.000-07:00

Dear Sequim vacation lovers,

Today, we have a special post written by our friend Jennifer Crites, renowned travel writer and Hawaii photographer. Read more about Jennifer by visiting our Hawaii blog and her photography website. Jennifer and Jerry spent an extended Sequim summer vacation on the Olympic Peninsula.

Perfect timing for getting away from hot Hawaii and enjoying a cooler weather in Sequim between the Olympic Mountains and the Straits Juan De Fuca. As a professional photographer, Jennifer could not resist 'catching' the beautiful scenery around us on her Sequim vacation with her camera. Please, enjoy Jennifer's Sequim vacation in photos Part I.

When on her Sequim vacation, Jennifer visited Crescent Lake and took this fun summer photo of youngsters enjoying the cool lake water.

"We had an absolutely wonderful time on the Olympic Peninsula thanks to our hosts, Heidi and Keoki. Not only did they provide us with maps, brochures and newspapers covering sights and events in the area, they spent time giving us their personal recommendations as to what to see and do, including where to shop for groceries.

We were greeted so warmly the moment we arrived, and felt right at home immediately (what a treat to find bowls of fresh blueberries and raspberries waiting for us on the kitchen counter). Thank you Heidi and Keoki for providing us with a home away from home (we loved everything about the apartment, including the full kitchen and sleep-number bed), and for making our stay so memorable. We can’t wait to return. Following are a few of our visual memories from the scenic Olympic Peninsula."

Organic berries in Sequim

2009-08-28T13:04:00.000-07:00

Dear Sequim and berry lovers,

As I love any kind of berries and Sequim is berry country, this post has been on my to-do list for a long time. So, let's forget for a moment our recent 'Sequim Real Estate Update August 2009'.

In summer 2006, we experienced the abundance of berries in Sequim and surroundings the first time. I don't mean the berries in the stores but I refer to fresh berries on the bushes. We discovered strawberries + raspberries at U-Pick Graysmarsh Berry Farm in June + July and blueberries in August + September. I felt in Berry Paradise but then I remembered that I had read many times that strawberries and raspberries are more prone to picking up any bad stuff from pesticides or herbicides.

After we had sold our house in Sun Meadows with our own blueberry and raspberry bushes, I went to Henery's Nursery and picked up a number of raspberry bushes for putting in at our new house. We were surprised to see all kinds of different raspberries ripening on our bushes last year, even sweet yellow raspberries. However, we faced a problem with the deer. All our houses on Oak Hill are former deer country. The deer don't know that we live now here and still roam around at night - motion lights don't disturb them at all - and even at bright daylight.

Keoki built a fishing line protection around our raspberry bushes this year and the deer really stayed away from 'frequently 'pruning' our raspberries by munching on the fresh sprouts. The deer don't like to bump their noses into the fishing line. Our neighbor told us that trick, and it works! We have now a steady supply of fresh organic raspberries.

Coming back to our post title 'Organic berries in Sequim'. We were pleasantly surprised when Graysmarsh this spring announced that they grow now organic strawberries on separate fields. I paid a bit more more money and the plants and fruits were not as big as the non-organic, but the fruits were really tasty.

However, something interesting happened when the blueberries got ripe at Graysmarsh Farm. Newspaper ads said 'Organic Blueberries' for $2 U-Pick. As this was on the high end of U-Pick berries in Sequim, I decided to check it out and asked for the organic blueberry fields but there were none. It was the same old bushes where I had picked before. When asking about this at Graysmarsh, I was told that the raspberries + blueberries had ALWAYS been organic. They just had not said so, and they are not certified organic. The blueberries just got magically 'upgraded' to organic because people like to hear 'organic'. If only somebody could keep an eye on that name game with the word organic!

To cut a long story short. We pick our organic U-Pick blueberries for $1.50/pound at a small farm, which we know for certain that they does not use any chemical sprays or animal fertilizers. And best of all, everybody can pick organic blackberries in Sequim, just make sure not to pick along walkways where Sequim town might have sprayed to keep the weeds from growing. Sequim's blackberries are juice and sweet as ever!
p.s.
I almost forgot to update our Sequim vacation rental features. We have now for our guests a washer and dryer in the garage available. Cassie from CA will be the first one to try it out on her September stay. She is looking for a nice Sequim house to rent for herself for moving to Sequim for good. If you have a nice 2Bd/2Ba Sequim house for rent, please, email us.

Sequim Real Estate Update August 2009

2009-08-18T13:20:00.000-07:00

Welcome back to our Sequim Town blog visitors,

First things first. We had a great break from the reported heat wave with nice cool temperatures as we are used to. Today, temperatures are climbing more than usual though. It's now 1pm and thermometer in the back of our house shows 79F. I think I will delay my walk through the Carrie Blake Park to later this afternoon, when the sun is not so strong.

Somebody told us that our Sequim hummingbirds also migrate. As we had not seen any for over a week, we stopped hanging out the feeder. We definitely miss our little friends. We have been seeing the Canadian geese crisscrossing the skies frequently. They must be gathering and getting ready for their way south!

Well, the birds move south where it's warm and toasty but you might want to move north to the Olympic Peninsula. Most of our Sequim blog visitors are the ones who love Sequim, the Olympic Mountains and our plenty of water around it for a vacation. Another group of mostly retired people have heard about Sequim as a wonderful retirement town - small town living with big town amenities!

Today's Sequim vacation blog post is an update on the real estate market in Sequim and Clallam County, which is especially for those who want to move to Sequim sooner or later. A recent article in the Peninsula Daily News "2nd Quarter home sales rise in Clallam, Prices fall" states that sales of existing home sales grew slightly in Clallam County while prices for homes dropped compared to the 1st quarter. The price of a median home is currently $212,100, which is a drop of 15.2% and somewhat below state average. There are many more real estate stats listed in the article.

Bottom line: Sequim real estate is welcoming buyers. The buyer's market is strengthening. Visit Sequim and see for yourselves what houses are available and at what prices!

A good way to find out whether Sequim living is right for you, is staying in Sequim for a month, maybe even at different months of the year. We offer the best monthly rates for a fully equipped 1Bd/1Ba Sequim vacation rental with top amenities at premier, peaceful location, near Park + Shopping! We are happy to share our knowledge of life in Sequim and moving to Sequim with everybody who stays with us!

Heat Wave in Sequim

2009-07-30T11:36:00.000-07:00

Has Sequim ever seen such hot temperatures like the 92 F the other day? I seriously doubt it. That's definitely the highest summer temperatures we have experienced since we moved her in January 2006. It does not seem like this heat wave will stop today. Writing this post at 11am, actually temperatures are not too bad: 23C or 74F.

I also checked my Wunderground Sequim weather forecast logo on our Sequim Town Blog and found out that this is totally off, just as our Acuweather forecast in the Peninsula Daily News is. Best you give us a call as our friends did who just moved from Hawaii to Portland OR where they encountered 104 F yesterday.

Let's get things straight. This is the Pacific Northwest which probably never had a heat wave like that in the past. I was so surprised to hear on our Seattle Kiro News last night that most Seattle houses don't have AC. Well, why should they. They never needed it in the past. Temperatures in Seattle were soaring yesterday and are expected to reach 100F today. Movie theaters are having great business because they are air conditioned. Any place which has AC gets some extra business these hot summer days in the the Pacific Northwest.

When we designed our new house in Sequim, we were wondering whether to save the $8000 on a fancy heat pump for an area which is known for its mild winters and cool summers. OK for resale value we decided to get the heat pump, which can also function as AC unit for your entire house. Can you imagine how happy we are that we had done that.

People in Sequim and Seattle are trying to keep their houses cold with portable AC units. Naturally, these are sold out everywhere. Our friend's heat pump in Sun Meadows just failed the other day. Keoki tried to make it work again but no such luck. She had to call the heat pump company and is now lined up with 72 customers all waiting for repair of their heat pumps. There is a 2-day waiting time.

In any case, Sequim summer 2009 is definitely different, compared to its past history, with high temperatures beyond the 80F mark. Everybody is used to high temperatures in TX, AZ and HI but in Sequim?!

We expect Sequim temperatures to come down again to our regular summer temperatures between 70 - 80 F on this upcoming weekend. We will keep you updated on Sequim summer. Stay cool this summer wherever you live!
p.s.
Our next post will be about U-pick berries in Sequim. Are there any organically grown berries available? That will be the question.

Hummingbirds in Sequim

2009-07-20T08:46:00.000-07:00

Dear Sequim Town blog visitors,

Believe me this year's Lavender Festival in Sequim was a huge success. It was our third Sequim Lavender Festival ever since we moved here but this one went through the roof. One could hardly make his way through the street fair and the buses to the Sequim Lavender Farms had even people waiting in line for the next bus, at least when we went by the bus stop.

I was also under impression that the number of business booths had increased whether it was lavender products - the seducing smell was everywhere - or hats, jewelery, signs, leather bags, t-shirts, you name it, you could find it at our street fair in Fir St.

Now, let's jump to our today's post topic. When we moved to Sequim from Hawaii in 2006, we knew all about Sequim weather, annual precipitation, number of people living here, house prices and such. However, we did not know that Sequim is an oasis of hummingbirds. Actually, we did not know much about humming birds because those fun little creatures are not around in Hawaii. Read what Wikipedia has to say about hummingbirds.

Finally, when spring 2009 came to Sequim, we decided to set up a hummingbird feeder on our kitchen balcony where our little dining table is located for taking our meals. After we had watched how all our friends and neighbors enjoyed many visits by their little hummingbird, we wanted to have our own hummingbirds too, and believe us so we do. The following hummingbird video will show.

After having set up the hummingbird feeder on the balcony and adding some sugar water 1/4 cup on 2 cups of water, we had to wait a few days till the birdies showed up. What still amazes me is that the hummingbirds would still try our feeder with all the other hummingbird feeders out there by our Sequim neighbors.

Now, we love our little hummingbird friends on their daily visits and miss them when they don't show up. Anyways, watch Keoki's hummingbird video. He took it with our new digital camera - amazing what those modern cameras can do theses days - and we uploaded it to youtube. Enjoy our Sequim hummingbird video!

Sequim 13th Lavender Festival biggest Sequim Event of the Year

2009-07-14T09:47:00.000-07:00

The 13th Annual Sequim Lavender Festival is looking round the corner. We already see more visitors in little Sequim town. The big lavender festival event days will be this weekend Friday 16 - Sunday 19 at 10am - 6pm. Last year the lavender was not yet in full bloom for the Festival after a colder and wetter spring season but believe us this year, all the Sequim lavender fields are blooming and sending out this intoxicating and seducing smell of lavender.

We have friends from Hawaii visiting and will be happy to share all the great things in Sequim to do during the Lavender Festival. Sequim visitors and residents alike can buy tickets for the farm tours at $15 a person, children under 12 are free. This lavender ticket allows you to tour all the 7 Sequim Lavender farms like famous Lost Mountain Lavender Farm, Purple Haze, Jardin du Soleil Lavender and more. You may watch and listen to growers share their techniques about growing, drying and using lavender. You can use the tour bus on all three days for free.

In addition to visiting the lavender farms and buying lots of freshly cut lavender and lavender products there, the lavender street fair will offer 150 crafts and lavender booths, food, music and shopping in downtown Sequim. We had such a great time last year and will definitely return.

I never added my photos from the last year's Lavender street fair. Here are Sequim photos to give you a taste of what you may expect at the Sequim street fair. Enjoy Sequim, the Lavender festival, the very friendly Sequim people and our Sequim street fair photos.

Here is some special information for dog owners:

Sequim's famous and unique 'dog sitting' program for the Sequim Lavender Festival operated by Gentle Paws, provides safe comfort for your dog while you enjoy the street fair and the lavender farms. Sorry dogs cannot be allowed on the farms. You will find the location downtown Sequim where the tour buses to the Lavender Farms take off.

Sequim Lavender Festival Related Articles

Sequim Lavender Festival Video
Visit Sequim Lavender Festival 2008
Sequim Lavender Festival

Sequim 1991 RV Motorhome Class C 19' For Sale

2009-07-06T08:32:00.000-07:00

1991 Coachman self contained RV Motorhome 19ft for Sale Motorhome Class C in excellent condition Asking price $8,900

SOLD within 4 Days!

We bought this nice looking motorhome van in 2006 from the original owner who always kept it in the garage. The motor home is in good, clean, attractive condition, inside and outside. When we built our house here in Sequim in 2007, we included a motorhome garage for best storage. However, with our house building + moving in project taking up most of our recent time, we hardly used the motorhome since we bought it in 2009.

Class C Motorhome features:

- 1 ton Chevrolet 5.7L - 350 CID
- 50,000 Original miles
- New computer, New Tires
- Automatic, cruise control, Interior Convenience Group
- NEW batteries: 1 automotive + 1 deep cell 12 Volt
- Dometic refrigerator with new cooling unit 2003
- Refrigerator runs on gas, electric or 12 Volt
- Atwood 6 Gal gas water heater, electric ignition, new 2003
- Wedgewood 2 burner propane stove
- Samsung Microwave
- JVC Cassette player w/rear speakers
- Coleman Rooftop air conditioner
- Suburban furnace
- 12 volt Vacuum
- Sofa bed w/memory foam + overhead bed
- rear toilet + shower/tub
- plenty of cabinet space
- 10' Awning
- 4 stabilizing jacks

This Class C Coachman Motorhome 1991 runs great. It can be easily driven. Motorhome gets 15mpg on Hwy. The motorhome van is great for short term vacation trips or guys driving to a job site away from home.

If you are interested in this Class C motorhome for sale at asking price of $8,900 and live in the Sequim, Olympic Peninsula or Seattle area, give us a call for a viewing appointment of our Coachman motorhome 360-504-1157.

Olympic Peninsula Biggest Open House Weekend

2009-06-26T18:17:00.001-07:00

Dealing with Sequim vacation and Moving to Sequim, we could not skip this information. Yesterday, we received a brochure in our mail 'The Biggest Open House Weekend on the Olympic Peninsula' this Saturday June 27 + Sunday 28. The brochure was published by the Peninsula Daily News. What it basically means, Sequim and Port Angeles realtors joined the biggest Washington state wide open house weekend announced for this weekend.

One of the headlines on the front cover of this Open House brochure reads 'Over 100 Open Houses this Saturday and Sunday'! I could not resist and counted all the houses for sale listed in Port Angeles and Sequim with open house dates, hours and realtors: 116 homes + lots all together, 43 of those listings were for Sequim.

This is a great effort by WA and Olympic Peninsula realtors to get the housing market moving again. As in the rest of the nation, not much moved or sold in the past 1 to 1 1/2 years. I myself as a lay person see one reason for the current stagnation in the Sequim real estate market that house prices came down somewhat from the inflated prices yet they are still high (too high), especially, when everybody struggles to make ends meet in these days of economic slowdown.

People who originally wanted to move to Sequim, put their project on hold and rather stay where they live right now. This way saving money on expensive moving costs or house closing costs. Quite a number are not able to sell their homes in CA, AZ or Hawaii because they don't want to take huge losses.

Perusing the 100 homes for sale listings, I noticed that there are not many homes under $200K available for purchase. If so, they are really very old, manufactured homes or really small. First time home buyers might get tempted when viewing those homes, especially with the $8,000 tax credit.

We will have to wait and see whether this biggest Open House Weekend on the Olympic Peninsula will be a stimulus for Sequim home buyers. I hope that Sequim realtors were smart enough to advertise it way ahead on Craigslist or ads in CA and AZ.

Biking the Olympic Discovery Trail from Sequim to Port Angeles

2009-06-15T17:16:00.000-07:00

Welcome back everybody to Sequim Vacation blog,

With our most recent post 'Sequim Summer Vacation at Best Monthly Rate', we invited everybody from the hot summer state to spend a cool summer vacation in Sequim at our vacation rental.

When you like the Great Outdoors and love being outside walking, hiking, biking like we do, you will love Sequim at first sight. This is not the X-Games. Sequim vacation is for everybody, young and old, the strong athlete or the weekend 'warrior'. Activity levels all depend on what you are up to. The moderate temperatures during summer definitely help to feel good with anything you do in Sequim and the Olympics. Here is our latest activity challenge.

Saturday morning, we decided it's about time to take up the challenge and ride our bikes from Sequim to Port Angeles on the Olympic Discovery Trail, which crosses close-by at Carry Blake Park. Here are a few facts for those who never heard about the Olympic Discovery Trail.

Some Trail Facts

The Olympic Discovery Trail has its history in the old railroads since much of the route is located on historic grades built in 1914 and 1915. Half of its 22-mile way from Sequim to P.A. runs along old railroads. Currently 34 miles are completed with more than 30 miles under construction. Just imagine, eventually, the Olympic Discovery Trail will run nearly 125 miles from Port Townsend on the Puget Sound to LaPush on the Pacific Ocean!

Our Olympic Discovery Trail Adventure in Photos

Saturday morning 10am start of our 22-mile bike ride to PortAngeles from Sequim.

1. Photo:

Eagle Habitat taken from trail entering Railroad Bridge Park. We met our friend Bob with his trike who tells us that he encountered some strong head winds going further down the trail past Railroad Bridge.

2. Photo

Wonderful ever-changing mountain views seen riding the trail westwards. Wind is blowing strong, against us!

3. Photo

Stop at Robin Hill Park for short break and warming up in the sun. We are both in shorts and feel the wind chill factor!

4. Photo

More beautiful scenery with wild flowers (see photo) and lots of bright yellow Scotch broom (looks nice but is invasive weed, my friend Sue told me) from trail leading now along Old Olympic Hwy.

5. No Photos

We did not take any photos of 2 - 3 gulches and steep inclines at other sides, where we had to push our bikes. At this point, we decided to keep going, even though a return half the way along, would have been much better - getting the wind from the back! Well, we followed our destination!

6. + 7. Photo

After 2 hrs biking, we are arriving at the open ocean or better: the Straits of Juan de Fuca. What a difference after riding through the woods for so long. Smelling the fresh ocean air. Enjoying the new scenery. Port Angeles is still 5 - 6 miles away. We take a break in the sun.

7. Photo

The last leg of the Olympic Discovery Trail runs all along the ocean into Port Angeles Harbor. It is a beautiful ride but be aware that the trail is mostly in the shade. With the strong winds facing us, we longed for some long pants on this part of the bike ride.

After about a 3-hr bike ride from Sequim to Port Angeles with several stops resting, drinking water and taking photos, we arrived at the new Gateway bus stop in PA, a few yards from where you enter the Harbor. We were extremely lucky that the Sequim bus was still there and even our bikes would fit on the front bike rack. All for $1.50 for the 15-mile ride from PA to Sequim. It was feeling sooooooo good to finally sit down, relax and be proud of our accomplishment of biking the Olympic Discovery Trail. When we can do, so can you! Give it a try on your next Sequim vacation.

Sequim Summer Vacation Best Sequim Monthly Rate

2009-06-12T11:06:00.000-07:00

Hooray Sequim and the Olympic Peninsula are connected with Seattle and everybody else again, as reported in our June 5th post 'Hood Canal Bridege opened early'.

Sequim Marathon last Sunday received a big boost from the early opening of the bridge. About 300 more runners signed up. Sequim weather cooperated with the marathon runners with some cooler temperatures instead of our recent hot Sequim summer weather. Effects of global warming? Who knows. Most Sequim residents don't mind, at least if temperatures don't go much beyond the 80 F.

With summer temperatures rising in states like AZ, HI, CA or TX to temperatures past the 90 F and Sequim's attraction to summer visitors rising as well, we decided to offer our visitors the LOWEST monthly rate for their Sequim vacation at $950/mo. Compare to regular monthly rates offered by other fully equipped Sequim vacation rentals at $1200/mo.

Our fully equipped private 'Bell Hill View' 1Bd/1Ba Sequim vacation rental apartment provides a great home-away-from-home to visitors to explore Sequim, the Olympic Mountains + the Olympic Discovery Trail. Not to forget there is no better time than NOW to look for and find a piece of land as investment, buy a manufactured home for summer stays or for rental income or buy a Sequim Home at the lowest price ever in recent years. Sequim realtors are awaiting your visit. Let's see what else is there to do in Sequim in June.

Sequim Events for June

Today, Friday June 12, starts the Annual Driftwood Show in Carrie Blake Park, which will last till Sunday. Great family fun and free!

The Olympic Explorer Volkssport Club will host a 10-kilometer or 6.2 mile walk along country roads and the Olympic Discovery Trail. You may meet with the group Saturday morning before 9am at QFC.

Sequim Open Aire Market is open for business Sat. June 13 from 9am - 3pm. Located in Cedar St, over 60 farmers and artists are selling their products. Live music is from 11am - 2pm, and there will be lots of food stands to enjoy some breakfast or lunch.

Summer family fun is coming our way with this new season 'Music & Movies in the Park' starting June 23 (more events 6/30, 7/28, 8/28). This is a free event to Sequim residents and visitors alike. Local sponsors make this possible. Thank you!

Last but not least, Sequim Berry season officially opened with Camron Strawberry Farm and Graysmarsh Farm announcing the U-Pick season for strawberries. I made it to Graysmarsh yesterday and picked the biggest and ripest strawberries - took me an hours to pick - which we served our friends with Vanilla ice-cream. No berries from the stores can compete with fresh berries from the field! Another reason for a Sequim vacation!

Hood Canal Bridge Opened Early

2009-06-05T09:40:00.000-07:00

Here is some good news for all our visitors to the olympic Peninsula - and not to gorget the ca. 16,000 daily commuters - the Hood Canal Bridge reopened way early before scheduled construction deadline on 6/15. The promised $75,000 to the contractor for each day earlier opening made a miracle happen. The Hood Canal Bridge opened Wednesday night June 2nd at 10:19pm.

Everybody is more than happy that the Hood Canal Bridge is open. Sequim and the Peninsula are connected with rest of the world again! Sequim summer vacation for visitors, hikers and campers to the Olympic National Park can begin! You bet that the Sol Duc Hot Springs Resort appreciates that they can resume business, especially from the Seattle area, as normal.

It might be a little too late for the North Olympic Discovery Marathon from Sequim to Port Angeles this Sunday. There over 13,000 runners/walkers signed up by Tuesday this week, which is considerably less than 2008. The lower numbers are contributed by the organizers to the economic slowdown + the closure of the Hodd Canal Bridge. The marathon organizers still expect some 200 late sign ups from the Poulsbo area due to the early opening of the bridge.

The 26.2 Marathon Walk, Marathon and Relay Teams all start at Sequim's Carrie Blake Park Sunday morning, just a 2-min. walk from our house. Walks start at 7am and Marathon at 9am. All events end at City Pier in PA. Let's hope that the weather will cooperate. Forecasts predict that our 3-week Sequim summer weather spell is supposed to come to an end tomorrow. I kind of got used to the Hawaiian weather in Sequim!
p.s.
For those who consider moving to Sequim, visit our post 'Sequim Homes for Rent' with information on Sequim house rentals and leases.

Sequim Houses for Rent

2009-06-02T19:46:00.000-07:00

Summer is here, not just the beautiful Sequim summer weather indicating it but more emails from potential future Sequim residents show that people think again about moving to Sequim. We received the following email today from San Jose, CA. We decided, in agreement with the email writer, to publish it on Sequim Town blog together with our personal response regards the request for help:

"Found your blog and enjoyed reading it.

My son lives in Auburn and has suggested I consider moving to Sequim. He is flying me up in a week or two for a visit and to explore the area. I've been online looking at rentals and have found some possibilities on the Peninsula but nothing in Sequim. I'm not looking for a vacation rental but for a place to live. Do you have any suggestions as to where I should look for listings?

It will take awhile to prepare for the move assuming I'm going to like the area as much as I think I'm going to but I need to have some idea of what's available and at what prices.

Thank you for your time and consideration. Sincerely, Cassandra Andre"

We are always happy to hear that people really appreciate the information on our Sequim Vacation blog. From the above email and our phone conversation, I have the feeling that Cassandra already did plenty of research about Sequim as her future place to live and is just narrowing down her options where to live in Sequim.

As she is not interested in buying a house in Sequim, she is asking for resources where to find adequate Sequim home rentals at affordable prices. Here are our recommendations for her and others who look for a house for rent in Sequim:

Sequim Homes for Rent Resources

It has never been easier and more affordable to find a house for rent in Sequim than NOW. Sequim Gazette is a good place to look. I was not surprised to see how much Sequim house rental rates had come down during the last months! Good for the renters, not good for the owners.

In finding more resources for Cassandra, I also came across this forum where people posted their experience with Sequim. It never hurts to read personal feedbacks about the town you consider to move to.

Here are the current Sequim rentals available for lease by Action Property Management But remember this is a limited resource as not everybody lists his house for rent with a rental management company.

The Classifieds in the Peninsula Daily News always list new places for rent. We recommend to check those on a weekly basis. I just checked the houses for rent in Sequim + Port Angeles area today.

Last but not least, we told Cassandra to come here for a short vacation. Use the above house rental resources and make a list of the ones you take into close consideration: square footage, rate per month, location with physical address. It's so much easier to make a decision when you have had a look at a house from the outside. Upon our arrival in Sequim, we worked through a list of about 12 Sequim houses for sale. In the end, there were only three left which we were interested to have a look at the inside.

It's a little bit different with renting or leasing a home in Sequim compared to buying a house, yet still you want to feel comfortable with the countryside, the neighborhood and whether you can imagine living there.

BTW Cassandra, who is an artist and a writer who works from home, asked me to include her email address with this blog post. Sequim houses for rent owners may write her an email with details and photos about their house for rent. Good luck, Cassandra, for finding a nice house to rent in Sequim!

Is Sequim Weather early Summer?

2009-05-31T17:14:00.000-07:00

Today, we received an email from our friends, Ron and Mary-Nell from Texas, who love Sequim and their annual Sequim Vacation. Here is a short glimpse of their email:

"We really enjoyed the photos on your May 26 post. We were amazed to see people fishing at the park in shorts. Has this been a typical May with everything being so green and flowers blooming? I thought it would be still on the cool side but as we've been following the weather daily from down here it appears to have been a lovely month overall."

Yes, you are right to envy us. Ever since the Memorial Day Weekend (actually even much earlier) Sequim residents and visitors get spoilt by the most pleasant May weather in years. It's like an early summer! And according to this Sequim weather link from Ron, who watches Sequim weather carefully in order to know what weather he can expect when he will finally move to Sequim with his family, this stretch of nice weather will continue next week!

It's amazing how nice sunny weather can make people happy and feel good! Friday, we decided spontaneously to visit our favorite place in the Olympic Mountains, the Sol Duc Hot Springs. Before we settled down at the resort, we went for a walk to the Sol Duc Falls. On can't really call it a hike with it's one way 0.8 miles mostly level walk. We love this walk through the woods, admiring wild flowers, listening to the birds and taking a short break at the powerful falls.

Arriving at the Sol Duc Springs Resort, we noticed immediately the effect of the closure of the Hood Canal Bridge. At 11am we were almost the only visitors there. Later the Sequim Senior Center bus made it there but hardly anybody from Seattle. Businesses on the Olympic Peninsula are desperately waiting for the reopening of the Hood Canal Bridge. Latest we read in the Peninsula Daily News was June 11! Sequim vacation businesses will appreciate it.

Yesterday, the warm weather attracted lots of visitors to Carrie Blake Park for their popular annual dog show, the playgrounds, the ponds or just for a walk or a bike ride. Everybody having a good time!

Today, we headed with the bikes for the first time weat again on the Olympic Discovery Trail, past the Railroad Bridge - Dungeness River had lots of melting water from the mountains - and past Carlsborg till Kitchen Dick where we turned around after a 40-min. bike ride. Best part when going west on the Olympic Discovery Trail are the amazing mountain views of the Olympics. You may see mountains which one cannot see from Sequim, and all still covered in snow sparkling white against the blue skies! Lots of bikers enjoyed the trail like us.

The most impressive picture caught our eye when entering the Discovery Trail passage to the Railroad Bridge through an Eagle Habitat. There they were: two bald eagles perching on the highest branches of the tree with no leaves around looking out for their prey. Those are the moments when you say "Why didn't I bring my camera?!" Next time we will. Hope the eagles will be there then.

Sequim Vacation Roundup May with Photos

2009-05-26T11:06:00.000-07:00

Welcome back to our Sequim Vacation blog. After our short update on the Sequim Irrigation Festival in May, let's talk vacation and the favorite topic weather. Sequim weather has been quite pleasant in May and attracted lots of visitors to the Olympic Peninsula for a short vacation on the extended Memorial Day weekend.

I was suprised though to read in the Peninsula Daily News that a number of visitors got stuck at the Hood Canal Bridge and were not to happy to find the bridge closed. I can imagine that they did not know before departure but how they could have missed all the signs along the road, is still a mystery to me.

When we drove back from Seatac Airport to Sequim a week ago, we noticed lots of signs 'Hood Canal Bridge is closed' along the Hwy. BTW, it took us about 3hrs to drive to Sequim on Hwy 101 from Olympia. It's a very scenic drive but long. I expect visitors to the Peninsula still waiting till the bridge is open again on 6/15/09.

Not only Sequim visitors enjoyed the beautiful weather on Memorial Day Weekend. Sequim residents were out and about, in Carrie Blake Park, biking and walking the Olympic Discovery Trail or visiting the Juan de Fuca festival in Port Angeles. To watch the wild life in Carrie Blake Park, which is a short 3 min. walk from our house, was especially fun this time. Three Canadian geese families took their new fuzzy babies for a first swim on the pond, where the model boaters had a boat race. Well, no collision occurred!

Kids were having fun at the pond too. I watched how two boys caught each a decent size fish. The park allows kids in company of their parents to try their luck fishing in the pond. Here is a photo of one of these lucky boys.

Well, let's not forget that it was Memorial Day Weekend. Sequim Sunrise Rotary had been busy preparing this holiday to remember soldiers who died in the service for their country. Rotary volunteers had displayed American flags all along E.Spruce St.and E.Fir St. Here is a photo of their work.

Last but not least, The German Restaurant 'Sauerkraut', which opened about 1 mo. ago, enjoys many satisfied visitors like our friends Gail and Tyke from Sun Meadows eating Bratwurst with Sauerkraut and Sauerbraten and a delicious cinnamon bun for dessert.

Anything you want to share about Sequim or Sequim vacation, please, leave a comment. Your questions are most welcome too.

Parades,parades and a Yellow rubber duck race

2009-05-15T15:22:00.000-07:00

Wow..wasn't that a great Irrigation parade we had in Sequim this past weekend. I tell you, for a small town, Sequim knows how to party. The turnout was outstanding despite the Hood canal bridge being out.

Well if you missed that parade or you just like parades go on down the road to the seaside town of Port Townsend and catch their Rhododendron Festival Grand parade this Saturday, the 16th, starting at 1pm.

If you are not into another parade try the Rubber Duck Race in Port Angeles on Sunday. You still have time to make your purchase of a rubber duck and the chance to win the grand prize of a new Toyoda Tundra truck. The proceeds go to the Olympic Medical Center Foundation. The event starts at 11:30 at 1902 Marine Drive. Food and entertainment will be provided.

And last but not least, if you are in Sequim on Saturday our weekly Sequim Open Aire Market is now open, on Cedar St just off Sequim Ave, from 9am to 3pm. Lee Tyler Post will perform with a selection of blues and rock from 11am til 2pm. Come out and buy local.

Our next big event is the Lavendar Festival check here for last years post.

Sequim Advertising

2009-04-25T20:48:00.000-07:00

Welcome Sequim Business owners to our Sequim Town Blog

Our Sequim Town blog visitors would like to hear about your Sequim business. Why not introduce yourself and your Sequim business? A lot of our Sequim blog visitors are interested in Sequim vacation, Sequim Real Estate, Sequim Lavender and just anything which is referring to daily life in Sequim and moving to Sequim. Sequim weather is another big issue of interest and of course our famous blue hole, which unfortunately there are no Sequim businesses related to it. Sequim Town blog offers NOW very affordable online advertising for your Sequim business:

Blog Ad Option 1 - Paid Sequim Town Post at One time $20

Write an article about your Sequim business and what you think why it is important to Sequim residents and visitors on Sequim vacation. Elaborate a bit about Sequim and your business, so Google will have an easy way to pick it up in their Sequim town search results. You may link to your City of Sequim business URL anywhere in your article. We will tell our Sequim blog visitors that the article is a paid advertising

Blog Ad Option 2 - Logo Ad on Sidebar from $12/mo.

Our Sequim blog visitors are mainly consisting of people who are planning a visit to Sequim, moving to Sequim or buy Sequim real estate and are researching Sequim accommodations, homes for sale, hotels, activities, events, restaurants, best shopping and places to see in Sequim and on the Olympic Peninsula. This is a great opportunity to promote your Sequim business. Your logo ad will be displayed in the top of the right sidebar. May may choose your Sequim business photo logo. It's a 3-mo. min. for your logo link at $45. Save $60 when signing up for 1 year at $120/yr.

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Displayed on index page and every archive and blog post page
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Our Sequim Town blog ranks #1 in Google for 'Sequim Town' search in addition to other top rankings such as: 'Moving to Sequim', 'Visit Sequim', 'Sequim Vacation' and many more. We have written over 100 Sequim town blog posts. So each time blog visitors find our blog in a search result, they will see your logo ad. Your article may also have the chance for inclusion on our page 'Popular Articles'. Submit your request by email with subject 'Sequim business advertising'.

We are happy to work with Sequim business owners. Thank you for your interest in advertising with Sequim Town Blog.

Sequim Vacation Roundup April with Photos

2009-04-24T14:02:00.000-07:00

Our recent Sequim town blog post Sequim WA or Santa Rosa CA got quite some attention. Wasn't that an interesting post for all those guys who consider moving to Sequim ? Hope you also had a peek at Keoki's Easy Stretch DVD. Come attend his stretch class at SARC or buy the DVD for home use or as a wonderful health present for family and friends, instead of cookies or chocolate. They will love you for it!

So, what's new in little Sequim town when you come here for your spring vacation?

114th Irrigation Festival

Sequim is getting ready for its first big festival in May. Sequim town will celebrate 114th Irrigation Festival from May 2 - 10th. As the Hood Canal Bridge will be closed at that time, we will have to see how many of the Seattle folks will find their way to Sequim with the detour through Olympia.

Sequim Library

The newly renovated Sequim Library in Sequim Ave will have a gala community celebration Sat April 25 1pm - 4pm. New paint, carpeting, furniture or equipment with cozy chairs for reading + comfortable study chairs. We can't wait to be back at our old 'new' Sequim library, third best hangout for senior citizens in Sequim after SARC and the Senior Center.

Sequim Gardens

Sequim Prarie Garden Club will hold its annual Spring Plant Sale at Pionier Park Clubhouse from 9am - noon on April 25. Plants for sale will include: annuals, perennials, herbs and veggie starters.

Sequim Fitness

Anytime Fitness has recently opened at our new Sequim market place 'Rock Plaza', located across from the entrance to Henery's Nursery. New members can visit at staffed hours Mo - Fr 9am - 6pm Sat 10am - 1pm or just use their membership card for anytime fitness 24hrs with video security around the clock. I didn't think that Sequim needed another fitness in addition to Sequim Gym in Washington St and SARC in 5th Ave with everything a Sequim senior citizen can wish for. But it might give the working people a chance to do their workout at any time they are off work!

More shops in Sequim

We've got two new bakeries, one in W.Bell St and one in S.5th Ave, which we still need to check out for ourselves and our Sequim vacation blog visitors. Everybody has been waiting for the opening of the new German Deli 'Sauerkraut'. When I biked by last Sunday, the owner was still busy working. Looks like the grand opening will happen next week.

That's it for our Sequim Vacation Roundup April. Well, last but not least, an update on Sequim weather. April has delivered a wonderful sunny weather with tons of spring flowers and blossoms everywhere. And the weekly Sequim weather forecast shows sun each day!
p.s.
Here is a short Sequim Real Estate April update for our Sequim Real Estate hunters: sellers are getting more motivated. Even though when the price seems still too high to you, why not make an offer for what your are willing to pay. We have seen buyers being lucky. BTW, Wllow Creek lots are back down to a bargain deal of $59K!

Best Sequim Secret

2009-04-13T17:52:00.000-07:00

Dear Sequim Town blog visitors,

In our recent post 'Sequim WA or Santa Rosa CA?' we mentioned SARC as a big incentive or secret to move to Sequim. SARC or the Sequim Aquatic Recreational Center is one of the main reasons we actually moved from Hawaii to Sequim. On our Sequim Vacation in fall of 2005, we heard to many good things about this Sequim fitness center with swimming pool, that we had to check it out then and there. The facility and the affordable annual membership fees made huge impression on us!

We were regular tennis players, bikers, walkers and swimmers and of course, stretchers in Hawaii. When moving to Sequim, we experienced seasons again and the need to have an indoor facility for exercise and swimming for rainy days. Having taught stretching in Hawaii for over 15 years, I naturally applied at SARC as a stretch class instructor and began teaching a class in July 2006.

My Easy Stretch program has been well received with many students buying my Easy Stretch video, so they can do the stretching and guided relaxation also at home. If you want to become a happy Easy Stretcher and live in the Sequim town area, I invite you to join our Easy Stretch class at SARC in Sequim.

However, if you are too far away to attend the class, my NEW Easy Stretch DVD is now available at the affordable Economic Slowdown price of $18.50 + Free Shipping. You can buy through PayPal secure server.

p.s.

If you prefer the old-fashioned way, we accept your personal check as well. 'Easy Stretch Body Mind Relaxation' Videos for VCR use are still available at lowest price ever: $12.50 + Free Shipping. As long as supply lasts.

Stretch with Keoki for optimal health and well-being! See a short part of the Easy Stretch DVD on youtube.

Sequim WA or Santa Rosa CA?

2009-04-10T18:25:00.000-07:00

Dear Sequimtown blog visitors,

Most of our regular blog readers are following our Sequim articles because when contemplating moving to Sequim for good, one wants to know as many details about the town and area where you intend to live before making a serious commitment like buying a new home in Sequim. Believe us we know better than anybody else because we moved from Hawaii to Sequim!

This week, we received another one of those emails from somebody who had heard about Sequim and is now wondering about all kinds of things: why we chose Sequim and not Bellingham or PortTownsend, what we like in Sequim, what we don't like and much more. We published Jack's email with his permission as a comment on our recent post 'Get Ready for your Sequim Vacation'. Before continuing reading this article, you might want to visit that post and read Jack's entire comment.

We decided to answer a number of Jack's questions in this post, which we called ' Sequim WA or Santa Rosa CA?'

Why Sequim and not Port Townsend or Bellingham?

Jack believe us we studied many WA weather charts, average temperature and rain fall by month and year of all the places in WA we had considered and Sequim with its location in the rain shadow of the Olympic Mountains came up with the least rain and the most moderate climate.

Are we missing cultural events of big town living?

Well, we have lived in Hawaii for many years in a peaceful, rural countryside, in a small town community (actually very similar to Sequim) in the most wonderful setting surrounded by rolling hills, snow covered volcanoes and white sand beaches a short 10-minute drive away. When in Honolulu, we longed to be back home! Now you can imagine how small Sequim town perfectly matched our expectations with its wonderful location and scenery between mountains and ocean. There are lots of cultural events happening on the Peninsula, just on a smaller scale. The big city, Seattle, is a short 2 hr drive away for those who want to be there occasionally.

Is Santa Rosa a better place to live than Sequim?

It all depends what you are looking for. I did not know many facts about Santa Rosa, so I checked Google and found a lot of answers about Santa Rosa like the number of residents in 2007 was 157,985 compared to 5000 in Sequim, and the annual rainfall is 30 inches compared to 12 inches in Sequim. CA homes were on the high end when we looked at homes in CA and even now that prices came down, they are still too inflated (just like Hawaii home prices) to attract retired people on a fixed income. Well, if home prices are not an issue and you don't mind higher temperatures above 90 F or big town living, Santa Rosa might be the way to go for you.

Bottom line: Nobody and no place is perfect! There is no perfect weather, not even in Hawaii, which got too hot for us when getting older. And global warming will probably change a lot of weather patterns around the world. So make sure that you live in a likable community with friendly people, amenities and activities you like!

What we like in Sequim

We like the unique location between mountains and ocean.

We like small town living with big town amenities (from Costco to WalMart etc.)

We like the moderate weather. Milder winters and not so hot summers.

We like the outdoor activities such as walking, hiking, biking and more.

We like Sequim's friendly people.

We love SARC Sequim Aquatic Recreational Center. Best reason to move here!

What we don't like

When not used to seasons, the winter months, moderate or not, can stretch a bit. Hawaii, Palm Springs and Phoenix AZ are great options for getting away for a month or two to break the winter spell.

Moving to another place and whether Sequim is right for you, is all about finding out about your own priorities and expectations and then find the best possible match for you! Best way to find out whether Sequim is a match, come visit Sequim for a vacation!

Get Ready for your Sequim Vacation

2009-04-07T14:21:00.000-07:00

Hello again to all our Sequim Town blog visitors,
We just made it back from our vacation in Hawaii to celebrate Keoki's 70th birthday with family and friends there. In addition to the birthday, our vacation in Hawaii was wonderful. It was an interesting feeling though to be a visitor in Hawaii watching life go by much slower and pay close attention to the weather, not any different to visitors who come to Sequim on vacation.

Coming back home to WA, Seattle had a big surprise for us. We thought it was an April Fool's Day joke. It was snowing big time! Driving out of Seattle with heavy traffic was challenging and took all our attention. After Leaving Tacoma behind, snow turned into rain and rain eased into a drizzle. Time to relax again. The rest of our way to Sequim was fine. Sequim welcomed us with a gray, overcast sky, but no rain. Next day though, Sequim showed itself from its best side with the sun breaking through the clouds occasionally - our beloved blue hole! So, we told everybody that we brought the sun from Hawaii to Sequim.

Ever since our return to little Sequim town last week, we have enjoyed wonderful Sequim Spring weather this April. Daffodils and primroses are blooming, birds are singing everywhere, trees and bushes have lots of buds ready for Sequim spring. Most impressive are the cherry blossom trees everywhere. Sequim is not only the capital of lavender but of Cherry Blossom trees. We should really have a Cherry Blossom Festival in addition to the Irrigation Festival in May and the Lavender Festival in July! I am still going on a photo hunt for Cherry Blossom trees in Sequim.

To all our Sequim blog readers, who are looking to buy property in Sequim, come vsit Sequim, the Olympic Peninsula and the Olympic Mountains just as we did in Fall 2005. There are great Sequim real estate bargains to have, homes and lots! So watch the Sequim Real Estate carefully and stretch out your feelers, you might just find the special place matching your budget and expectations to live in Sequim.

For all the retired people, who can go on a monthly vacation to Sequim, we offer a great monthly stay at our private, peaceful 1Bd/1Ba Sequim Vacation Rental apartment at SPECIAL rate of $950/mo. for April, May and June for top amenities (such as free WiFi and free long distance calls) and premier location. Regular monthly rates for fully furnished places in Sequim are starting at $1200/mo. You will fall in love with Sequim just as we did. Happy Easter to all our Sequim Town Blog visitors!

IMPORTANT REMINDER:

When you plan your Sequim vacation for May and June, please, read our post on the Closing of the Hood Canal Bridge during this period.

Spring or Winter in Sequim - Which one is it?

2009-02-26T16:56:00.000-08:00

Waking up this morning, Sequim residents really had something to talk about. After temperatures dropped yesterday afternoon quite a bit and even some snow flakes came down, it still did not look like we'd go back to winter. Well, we were totally wrong.

What a surprise! This morning we found our backyard, flower bed, driveway and our balconies covered in a think layer of snow. Keoki's guess was 7 inches (!) of white stuff. I felt really sorry for my tulips and daffodils - luckily I had not planted the newly bought primroses. Well, I took a whole bunch of photos and will share a few with our Sequim town blog visitors. When the sun came out, we decided there is no need to work hard to get rid of all that snow in the driveway. The sun will take care of it.

We cleaned the balconies, left the driveway to the sun and went for a walk through Carrie Blake Park in winter boots and enjoyed, hopefully, the last winter day in Sequim. It was spectacular.
For the records, the sun took care of the snow on my flower bed and on our drive way!

What Sequim residents talk about

2009-02-21T16:21:00.000-08:00

Sequim is not any different from the rest of the states. Sequim residents don't only talk about upcoming spring 2009 - daffodils and tulips are growing fast enjoying the current Sequim sunshine - after a colder winter than average. They naturally talk about rising prices for groceries and reduced product offers.

We heard that a number of employees at our Sequim markets got laid off or have to work reduced hours. This can have tough consequences for those families when a mortgage or car loan needs to be paid. We noticed that the tightened job market situation has a positive side effect for customers: we receive the best customer service when shopping in Sequim.

Sequim real estate market has been and still is a hot topic among Sequim residents and of course, for those who want to become residents and eventually move to Sequim. Residents who want to or need to sell their home are not in the best position these days as seller of real estate or land in Sequim. Potential buyers seem to wait for getting even a better price when waiting a bit longer. Offers like 'Buy one lot, get one free' at the manufactured Homes subdivision off Hendrickson, left of road when going west, or lowering the lot prices in new subdivision 'Willow Creek' by almost 50%.

I remember when Willow Creek subdivision - really nicely landscaped - got on the market and lots got offered for sale at $100,000 over a year ago. Later, prices were lowered to $79,000 a lot. Now the asking price is $59,000 and yet, the selling is not happening despite of an excellent location: next to Carrie Blake Park bordering Sequim Wildlife Refuge and offering great mountain views from the lots. This is what Sequim residents talk about and more...

There have always been demands for bigger Sequim lots outside the Sequim city limits, meaning lot owners need to have their own well dug, which can become a luxury expense considering the new restrictions to well permits and well water use a day which the state Department of Ecology suggests called the in-stream flow rule.

This proposal is intended to keep enough water in the Dungeness River for fish, other wildlife and recreation. For a public meeting held at John Wayne Marina about 150 (!) Sequim residents showed up. The discussion proved that this new rule is not 'approved' yet. BTW, current well owners are nor affected. Read details and charges on the Ecology website.

With all that 'hoopla' about the new instream flow rule in Sequim area, I nearly forgot to mention the new Sequim projects between 2009 - 2014: tennis courts at Carrie Blake Park, soccer and softball fields, next phase of the Olympic Discovery Trail and a 45-acre Wildlife Refuge along Hwy 101. All this is on the parks and trails wish list. Sounds really good, doesn't it but who will or should pay for it?

Sequim City Council intends to impose a park impact fee on builders of houses, condominiums and apartments. Recent public hearings already showed what developers and builders think of these park impact fees. You probably guess right. You can read more on Sequim City Website.
p.s.
This is for our Sequim blog visitors who are looking for a lot to buy in Sequim and might want to check out the lots for sale at Willow Creek subdivision. I noticed on one of my recent walks there, that new signs had shown up indicating that Welcome Home has merged with JACE The Real Estate Company which obviously have now these lots under contract.

Best Shopping in Sequim

2009-02-15T15:50:00.000-08:00

This post is long overdue. It's about best shopping in Sequim when on vacation. However, before we get into shopping details, let's make sure that all of our Sequim town blog visitors read about the Hood Canal Bridge being closed entire May and half of June 2009, a time when we normally welcome visitors back to the Olympic Peninsula. Read our Driving to Sequim post before thinking about shopping in Sequim.

When visitors come to Sequim and stay at a fully equipped vacation rental with kitchen they want to know where is the best shopping, for bargains and for quality food. Let's first list what food places are available for shopping in Sequim:

Safeway Store - We love their Meat loaf Fridays $5

QFC Quality Food Center - Fresh Alaskan Sockeye Salmon is our favorite.

Costco Sequim - Best price for buying bananas in Sequim.

WalMart - has a food section but not the complete produce list

All these Sequim markets and stores are in town along Washington St., just a short drive from our house. Not like in Hawaii where we had to drive an hour to Costco for our favorite things to buy. We love all the shops being so close and easy to reach. With QFC in walking distance, we even combine a walk through Carrie Blake Park with shopping at QFC.

Here is what we do. At least, once a week we get our shopping done at Costco like organic flax seed bread, fish, meat, beer and whatever else we were running out and usually buy at great discount prices at Sequim Costco. No question, top quality food can be purchased at Safeway or QFC but you also pay accordingly for top quality. So, we mostly check the specials and coupons of the week at those places - and share those with our monthly vacation rental guests as well - for special buys. WalMart we only buy a few produce but we like their garden section for all our gardening needs.

We feel the best shopping in Sequim for fruits and veggies is available at 'Sunny Farms'. You will have to drive about 2 miles out of town on Hwy 101 in the direction of Port Angeles. But let me tell you great prices and wide selection for fruits and veggies make that drive all worthwhile. I read in the newspaper that Sunny Farms started as a simple roadside stand in 1970.

The business has grown to include a farm store and a supplements store. The owners definitely listen to their Sequim community customers' needs and wants and try to find a way to get it at affordable prices. Sequim residents and tourists love shopping at Sunny Farms.