Today at the Olympic Trials

This afternoon I volunteered at the Windermere tent in the free-to-the-public pavilion. We have a great display of children’s art work. Windermere ran a contest in the local schools, with 4 first prizes in different grade levels. First prize was 4 sky box tickets each!

We were also giving out autograph books. I got one autograph when Dedy Cooper (110 meter hurdler) stopped by, and he hung around for awhile to give autographs.

We have some people scheduled to be in our tent for autographs. They are:

Thursday, July 3 4-7 p.m.
Kenny Moore, author
“Bowerman and the Men of Oregon”

Saturday, July 5 10 a.m. - noon
Geoff Hillister, author
“Out of Nowhere: The Inside Story of How Nike Marketed the Culture of Running”

Mac Wilkins, Discus Thrower

Sunday, July 6 1:30-3:30 p.m.
Geoff Hillister, author
“Out of Nowhere: The Inside Story of How Nike Marketed the Culture of Running”

Tinker Hatfield
Nike shoe designer and former U of O pole vaulter

MOUNT PISGAH ARBORETUM

Saturday was my birthday, and it was wonderful! Tom and I went hiking on Mt. Pisgah with my daughter Loreen, her husband Damon and my 14 month old granddaughter Beatrix. The weather was cloudy, but pleasant.

I recommend you do this on a cloudy day. Some of the hike goes through beautiful shady woods, but much of it is through hot sunny fields. The views of oak savannas and beyond to the city are magnificent! Mt. Pisgah is 209 acres with well maintained paths. The summit is at 1,531 feet, 471 feet above the valley floor.

Tom and Beatrix on the way up

Wildflowers

Wildlife abounds. We saw deer and a lizard on this hike.

A Lizard

On the trail

We took a small trail off the main trail. It stopped after a while and we had to backtrack, but it sure was beautiful. Wow, the ferns!

A path through the ferns

Wild Iris

The summit has a panoramic view of the Willamette Valley. You can see Eugene to the northwest, Springfield to the north, Creswell and Cottage Grove to the south.

Beatrix

There is a bronze relief sculpture at the summit that is a memorial for Ken Kesey’s son Jed and Lorenzo West. Jed and Lorenzo were killed on the way to a wrestling match when the van they were in encountered white-out conditions and plunged over a 300 foot cliff.

Damon and Beatrix

While we rested at the top, we saw parachutes coming down near the strawberry fields on Seavey Loop. The U-picks there will be another blog when the strawberries are ripe!

Parachute

We saw lots more wildflowers on the way down.

Wildflowers

Wildflowers

Wildflowers

A field of lupine

Poppies

RIDGELINE TRAIL

Yesterday was the first day of June, and I had a wonderful hike with my husband Tom, my granddaughter Beatrix and her parents: my daughter Loreen and her husband Damon.

We started at edge of town on the corner of West Amazon Drive and Martin Street.

This trail leads up to the Ridgeline Trail.

Trailhead at the end of W. Amazon Dr.

On the trail

Tom is carrying a sleeping Beatrix, age 14 months.

Wildflowers

It’s June and wildflowers are everywhere!Wildflowers

Headwaters of the Amazon

This is the headwaters of Amazon Creek. It flows through town and finally into Fernridge Lake, west of Eugene.

Tom and Beatrix

We’re on the Ridgeline Trail now, and Beatrix is awake and singing!

Wild Roses Salmonberry

Wild roses

Salmonberry flowers.

The berries are great eating.

Bridge over the Amazon

The paths are well maintained and with good bridges.

Lots of ferns Wildflowers

Lots of ferns.

Poison Oak

Watch out for poison oak! Look for the 3 leaf structure, smooth not fuzzy, sometimes shiny. It’s green now, but turns beautiful red colors in the fall. Wear clothing that covers your legs.

CONDOMINIUM STATISTICS

I just did a study of solds, month to month, for the past year for condos in all of Eugene and Springfield.  This was not filtered at all, it’s all condominium sales here in RMLS.  It shows prices are about the same as last year:

Averages:

Month      List$/Sq.Ft. | Sold$/Sq.Ft. | # of Sales | Days On Market
2007
June            $184                $182                  14                   129
July             $170                $165                  22                     91
August        $187                $185                  32                     61
September $194                $192                  24                     65
October      $199                $198                  26                     41
November  $192               $189                  19                      93
December  $195                $192                  21                    116
2008
January      $176               $171                  10                      90
February    $222              $207                   6                     178
March         $206              $193                 14                     135
April            $148              $141                 10                       76
May             $203             $190                   8                       65 (to 5/23)

Year            $188              $184               208                      86

An individual month can look very different if there are few sales and one sold price is very high or low.
For instance, in February 2008 there were only 6 sales, and one of them sold for $220,000 with a Sold$/Sq.Ft.
of $225.

A NATURAL AREA PARK

In southeast Eugene, on the hill above Spencer Butte Middle School and Edgewood Elementary, there is a beautiful woods. Edgewood City Park is on 2.2 acres. Homes on Pinecrest Drive, Fox Hollow Road, and the dead end of Hilyard Street border the park on the north and east side. School property borders it on the west and south sides.

It’s a peaceful area to stroll, walk your dog, and enjoy the woods and wildflowers. To get there, go south on West Amazon to Fox Hollow, turn right on 43rd Street, then left on Hilyard. Three blocks up is the dead end of Hilyard and entrance to the park.

The sign at the entrance to Edgewood Park

A path in Edgewood Park

Trilliams

A path in Edgewood Park

Trilliams

A path in Edgewood Park

Forever Tango

As many of you know, Tom and I are avid Argentine Tango social dancers.

Forever Tango

This coming Sunday at 7 PM at The Hult Center for the Performing Arts, the show Forever Tango will be performed. As exciting as that is, even more exciting to me is what’s happening Saturday night at the Tango Center.

The dancers and orchestra of Forever Tango will come to our regular Saturday Dance April 5th at The Tango Center! Stage dancing is exciting to watch, but I can’t wait to see the dancers in a social dance.

This crazy bit of luck, is due to Eugene’s position at the start of their spring US tour. Their show at the Hult Center is April 6th, and they will be arriving from Argentina Saturday morning. The are spending two days in Eugene.

The 16 dancers, who are long-time milongueras and milongueros, will be joining us for social dancing.

But most exciting is the orchestra, the elite of Argentina’s Tango musicians, including four of the best old Bandoneon players in Argentina, and former members of Pugliese’s and Calo’s bands! They of course know how to play for dancers.

Oh boy, I can’t wait!

 

TAKE A HIKE

The Obsidians are offering a special schedule of hikes, led by Obsidian hiking trip leaders during the Olympic Trials and Oregon Bach Festival from June 23 through July 11.

If you are going to be in Eugene for the Olympic Trials and Oregon Bach Festival, the Obsidians have a great opportunity for you to enjoy the beauty of the Pacific Northwest outdoors.

In Eugene are:

  • The Ridgeline Trail, leading to Spencer Butte that overlooks the city.
  • Mt. Pisgah On the east, a thousand foot tall arboretum with multiple trails.
  • Bike paths on Willamette River.
  • Hendricks Park, famous for its rhododendron garden, also offers hiking trails and sits near Pre’s Rock (the memorial to Steve Prefontaine).
  • Within a short driving distance of Eugene are:

  • Wilderness areas
  • National forests
  • Mountain ranges
  • The Oregon coast
  • Rivers, waterfalls and hiking trails.
  • For a list of June and July hikes go to http://www.obsidians.org/otrials

    MUCHAS GRACIAS

    Tom and I had lunch today at Muchas Gracias at 15th and Willamette. We had fish tacos, and they were great! Only $1.80 each. One was enough for me, but most people would want two. The atmosphere is definitely not fancy, but the food is very good.

    A SENSE OF COMMUNITY

    I have a new listing at 940 Clark Street in the Rose Garden neighborhood of Whitaker. What a friendly neighborhood! I met many of the neighbors, and they all love living there. Quite a few people came that told me they have wanted to move to this neighborhood for years, but homes rarely come up for sale here. It was a pleasure to meet and talk with the locals.

    THE COLLEGE HILL NEIGHBORHOOD

    Located on the south edge of downtown, College Hill was the location of Lane County’s first college, Columbia College (not the University of Oregon), founded in 1856. The college burned twice, and eventually closed. A large percentage of the homes are historic, some on the history registry. This is one of the most popular neighborhoods in Eugene with home buyers.

    For map lovers, I am defining the College Hill neighborhood as bordered by 18th Street on the north, 28th Street on the south, Willamette Street on the east and Lincoln Street on the west.

    COLLEGE HILL RESERVOIR:
    Reservoir Sign  College Hill Reservoir
    This 15-million-gallon reservoir at 24th and Lawrence was completed in 1939. It’s open to the public and is a popular star gazing spot. The Eugene Astronomical Society often holds events there. They held a star party there last month during the total lunar eclipse (February 20, 2008).

    COLLEGE HILL PARKS:
    Washington Park
    WASHINGTON PARK & RECREATION CENTER, 19th to 21st Ave. along Washington
    Washington Park features include balance beam, baseball/softball, full court basketball, climbers, community center, fixed benches, picnic tables, play structure, seasonal restroom, slides, swings, tennis, tire swing, wading pool .

    EUGENE EMERALDS BASEBALL CLUB, 2077 Willamette St.
    Eugene Civic Stadium ballpark is home of Eugene’s own Class A baseball team, the Eugene Emeralds. The stadium was built in 1938 as a WPA project and is a much beloved historic wooden stadium.

    PARKS ON THE EDGE OF COLLEGE HILL:
    AMAZON PARK, 2580 Hilyard St., 22nd to 34th, Amazon Pkwy. to Hilyard St.
    Amazon Park encompasses approximately 90 acres. Many wonderful activities take place here, such as summer concerts and Shakespeare in the park and kite flying. The park has a lighted soft-surface running trail, an off-leash dog park, a skatepark bowl, basketball, children’s play area, picnic facilities, Amazon Community Center, Hilyard Community Center, sand volleyball, lighted softball fields, a soccer field and a swimming pool with several diving boards, a water slide and lap pools and a concession stand.

    Amazon park also includes AMAZON COMMUNITY GARDENS at 28th & High. In recent years, volunteer gardeners at the Community Gardens have produced over a ton of fresh vegetables for FOOD for Lane County.

    Walking and biking paths in Amazon Park include Adidas Amazon Trail. The smooth, bark chip trail is one mile around with a 1500 meter cut-off and 1km inner loop. The mile loop is marked every quarter and the kilometer loop is marked every 100 meters. A trail segment is lighted. Just south of Amazon Trail is Rexius Trail, a 3.5 mile bark chip loop along Amazon Creek.

    MORSE RANCH PARK, 595 Crest Dr
    This was the home of Senator Wayne L. Morse, Oregon’s independent United States Senator (1944-1968). It is a 27 acre park of open space and woods, 1936 National Historic Register home, picnic shelter with limited kitchen facilities, and off lease dog park. Also located on the Morse Ranch Park is Willamette Wildlife Rehabilitation Center, an independent organization that rehabilitates injured wild birds and small animals.

    WILLAMETTE STREET BUSINESSES
    Eugene’s founder and city planner, Eugene Skinner, ran the main street, Willamette Street, between the city’s two buttes, Skinner Butte (now in the center of town) and Spencer Butte on the south end. Willamette Street, the east border of College Hill is mostly commercial with about 150 businesses and about 40 professional offices. Some of the Willamette Street businesses between 15th and 29th Streets are:

    Note - this is not a complete list.

    RESTAURANTS, CLUBS & BARS:
    Cravings Cafe, 1530 Willamette St.
    Bel Ami Restaurant, 1591 Willamette St. in the Mid Town Market
    Mac’s Restaurant and night club in The Veterans Memorial Bldg, 1626 Willamette St.
    Cafe Yumm, 1801 Willamette St. in Meridian Building
    The Glenwood 2588 Willamette St.
    Three Forks Wok & Grill, 2560 Willamette St.
    Shoji’s Japanese Restaurant, 2645 Willamette St.
    Turtles Bar and Grill 2690 Willamette St.
    Three Square Bar & Cafe in the Southtowne Shoppes
    Tasty Thai Kitchen, 80 E. 29th
    Chapalas Mexican Restaurant, 68 W. 29th

    SHOPPING CENTERS:
    Meridian Building 1801 Willamette, housing Folkways, Uncommon Scents, Cafe Yumm, Sattva Gallery and more.
    Southtowne Shoppes, 28th and Oak St.
    Woodfield Station 2860 Willamette St.

    FOOD STORES:
    Capella Market-natural foods, 25th & Willamette St.
    Great Harvest Bread Company, 2564 Willamette St.
    Pomegranates Mediterranean & Middle Eastern Grocery, 2833 Willamette St.
    Market of Choice Grocery in Woodfield Station 2860 Willamette
    Long’s Meat Market, 81 E. 28th Ave in the Southtowne Shoppes
    Sunrise Asian Market, 70 West 29th

    ATHLETIC CLUBS:
    Pilates Center, 1680 Willamette St.
    In Shape, 2681 Willamette St.
    Bounce Gymnastics (for kids), 2705 Willamette St.
    The club I belong to: The Downtown Athletic Club, 999 Willamette St.

    BANKS:
    Washington Mutual 2840 Willamette St.
    U.S. Bank 55 W 29th
    Oregon Community Credit Union 2890 Willamette

    OTHER BUSINESSES:
    Down to Earth Garden & Housewares Store, 2498 Willamette St.
    Southtown Lanes Bowling, 2486 Willamette St.
    Tsunami Books, 2585 Willamette St.
    Eugene True Value Hardware, 2825 Willamette St.
    Hollywood Video, 2866 Willamette St. in Woodfield Station
    Pookie’s Bed and Breakfast on College Hill, 2013 Charnelton St.