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Neighborhood by neighborhood we have the Stats for the Real Estate Market in 2008 right here. The reports cover appreciation rates, sales stats, active listings, pending sales, days on market, sold listings, and a wide of charts and graphs to inform you about the real estate market in Oregon, Portland, Vancouver, and SW Washington. This is the best sales data there is provided by the RMLS; Realtors Multiple Listing Service. Read this and than call Dirk Knudsen for further analysis.

Hey everyone! Summer is in Full swing in 2008 and for the first time in some years we decided to take a stab at gardening. The soils in our subdivision are not the best as in most neighborhoods…the top soils were covered by excavated fill from the construction of homes and streets. But here in Bethany, Oregon I was determined we would find a way to get as much out of our 3000 sf back yard as we can. Feeding three boys and paying for Gas in a downward economy is not fun.

So off I went into the backyard with some soil, tools, and nothing but some ideas in my head. It has been a while. But slowly some things started coming back to me and the internet is a big help in times like these. I planted seeds for vine crops like cucumbers, Pumpkins, Zucchini, Yellow Squash, beans, carrots, and corn. We than planted Lettuce, Strawberries, Broccoli, Onions, cantaloupe, and some choice herbs. It was a lot of work… and without a drip irrigation it has been a lot of early mornings watering. It was a slow start in May and I wa slike “oh man nothing is growing”.

The kids helped some; my little guy Kole especially. After all the waiting and watering it happened. The first to come was the lettuce and Broccoli! Man it was and is good. The Romaine Lettuce just keeps coming. I can not begin to eat it all and it is the most hardy. The Broccoli grows so fast that we can’t eat it all. Than came the Sweet Peas and Beans…… now Carrots, Zucchini (Yum with Butter and Garlic), Strawberries which our neighborhood Skunk is eating…oh well he is cute but smelly! The pumpkins are going now and so are the yellow squash and heck the corn is making an effort. We are not getting fat off the food but it is fun.

As we ate Cucumbers we regained something that is often times lost. We regained an appreciation for the earth and what it can do for us and for putting shovel to ground and seeing what can happen. It would be hard to survive this way but on a small scale it is healthy, fun, and rewarding. We are enjoying our garden here in Portland, Oregon this Summer. I want to urge you all to take up some tools and some planter boxes, whiskey barrells, furrows, or even plow up some grass and plant something. This has been fun and next year we are bringing in some better soil and probably going to get better usage by doing planter boxes as rows while efficient are not as productive!

Check out our Pics Here of our Garden so Far:

Located in the center of Forest Heights Neighborhood this park features trails, a pond, and some very nice picnic areas and play structures.  Have a quick look.  This is a great place to spend the afternoon.

If you have never been up the Columbia River Gorge to Maryhill and seen Stonehenge I suggest you do so.  This is a 90 minute drive from Portland stright up I-84 and there is a lot to do there including the MaryHill Museum and the replica of Stone Henge.  This is a great day trip to hit here in Portland.  You will also want to visit Mary Hill Winery and Amphi Theatre and Horsethief lake while you are in the area.  Check out the pics here.

Check out this great footage of Multnomah Falls in Oregon in the Columbia River Gorge.  This is Video I shot again with my Nokia N-95 Telephone.  If you dream of living in Oregon where you can Snow Ski or go to the Beach within just a few minutes than you will want to give this a look.  Call us at 503-799-8383 when your ready to reserve your piece of the Oregon Dream or if you are looking for help in any Real Estate Matters.

One of Portland Oregon’s best Custom New Home Builders is Olsen Homes.  You will definitely want to take a quick view of these tremendous new homes just minutes to down town Portland.  These classic homes have all the upgrades and a are located on NW Old Quarry Road in Washington County.  Just a short walk to the new Bonny Slope Beaverton Elementary School.  Large Lots, Custom features, in a lush green setting with Southerly Exposure and Views.  Check out the Video we just shot including two young Deer that visited the site while we help it Open in May of 2008!  We have two homes from the $700’s and one lot left to sell.  Hurry and get yours now!

This is a must see for the whole family! If your in Portland and want to see a great Exhibit come and see the awesome Exhibit of Chinese Dinosaurs! Man are the Enormous! There is so much to do at OMSI..Oregon Museum of Science and Industry. This year in 2008 there are some great shows at the Planetarium and we caught an awesome IMAX show on the Rain Forest in South America as well as there is a super show on The Grand Canyon! We even bought a scale model Solar home for a science project at the Gift Shop! OMSI is right in Downtown Portland on the East bank of the Williamete River. Check them out at www.omsi.edu .

If you are looking for a great spot to spread out and enjoy your day you will want to check out Arbor Ridge Park in the Arbor Ridge Neighborhood.  This is just South on Laidlaw from the corner of West Union and Laidlaw Roads in Bethany Oregon.  There are a few benches and tables, a nice old school band stand, a large Court for shooting hoops, and a kid splay structire with swings.  You could bring the bikes or ride them there through the extensive trail system that connects all of Bethany!  This is one of the reasons I live here.  This is a really liveable place.  Attched here to you will see three Videos Clips I caught in late April of 2008 on my video phone.  You will see us looking in on a gorgeous Mallard Drake along the bike/ped path, the park itself, and take a ride on a section of the trails.  These are open trails to the entire Bethany Community and one of the reasons that the 800 unit Arbor Ridge Project is so popular!  Homes form $25oK to $500K.  Call us of course if you want a personal tour.  Dirk at 503-799-8383.

I stopped the other day for a quick look at Cedar Mill Park at the Corner of 102nd and Cornell Road next to the Cedar Mill School.  This is a park that I have passed by many times but have never spent any time at.  I arrived in late April to find the Tennis Courts hoping and that there was an awesome stand of second growth Doug Firs bustling with tree squirrels!  There were several picnic tables and huge open areas for throwing the ball or playing with a Frisbee.  I could see this was a favorite of the locals…..but the parking lot was pretty empty.  This is a cool stop if you are looking for a place to picnic or meet a friend.  No playground but plenty kid friendly!

 Check out the field of Daisies I was in.  This is a neat thing for sure.  Watch my mini broadcast from my new Video Phone!  Look for mor eloacl broadcasts as I am doing a series here at NW Home Center on Neighborhood Parks for oyur enjoyment!  Ciao.