My sisters and I grew up in the Air Force, and as such, we lived in scattered places all over the country.  My earliest memories of tracking Santa are from when we lived in Idaho, on Mountain Home Air Force Base.  We used to be able to turn on the TV and track Santa's progress, and we could see how close he might be getting to our house.  And, of course, what that meant was, we needed to get to bed AND be asleep BEFORE he got to our house or he wouldn't stop.   My sisters and I really thought this was Santa's path, and it would work.  We'd jump in our beds and somehow manage to go to sleep so Santa could arrive.What we didn't know then was that NORAD, North American Aerospace Defense Command, actually did this every year for the last 50 years.  Of course, back then, it came over our TV.... 12/24/2006

We've got a brand NEW Library here in Portsmouth, and it just opened this morning!!  It is just a beautiful building, both inside and out.  The landscaping still has to be done, and that will be taken care of in the spring.  Even without that, it's gorgeous!I took this picture this weekend of the sign made by the Portsmouth Middle School, which is right next door to our new library.  I thought it was really cute to see this, and a great indication that everyone has been so looking forward to opening day! I just got back from a very nice guided tour of the library, and there are so many really neat things that we now have that our old library just didn't have the space to offer.  It is probably one of the nicest libraries I've ever been in!The new library is in a great location - it's ri... 12/18/2006

Forbes Magazine just released their list of the smartest cities in America, and this time around, Boulder Colorado took the top honors.  Boulder stood out not necessarily because the University of Colorado is there, but because Boulder makes great effort in making their city "sticky", keeping college graduates in the area, living and working after they graduate.  Two of the things cited for making Boulder an exciting place to live were the outdoor lifestyle and the employment opportunities.  Way to go Boulder!!Forbes used the information gleemed from Sperling's Best Places to live, and took from that the 200 biggest metropolitan areas around the country.  They then ranked them based on the percentage of population that's 25 years old and older, and at minimum had a bachelor's degree.Bet... 12/16/2006

 It sure is looking festive around my area this year!  I noticed on Thanksgiving night this year, many homes were already starting to show off their Christmas and holiday decorations.  I don't really remember them showing up that early in the past. This is a home in my area that really goes all out!  You may remember I did a Halloween post about more houses getting all decked out for Halloween this year than I'd ever seen before.This is the same house in those pictures - this time decked out for Christmas and Santa Claus!!                I'm certainly seeing more and more of these balloon-type and snowglobe-type decorations this year.  They light up at night, and many of them have all kinds of mechanical movements, too.  Is this sweeping across the country like it is here?The Annual Cit... 12/15/2006

 Have you ever wondered about mistletoe - where it comes from, how it came to have the romantic magic it does?  I saw a bunch of it for sale somewhere recently around Portsmouth, and I got to wondering how a plant like that evolved into something with the magical powers that mistletoe symbolizes.Did you know that mistletoe is really a parasite?  It is!  It's a parasitic shrub that's usually found in fruit trees, maples and sometimes in oaks.  And in North America, it's typically found in trees from New Jersey down to Florida.Mistletoe has been associated with the holidays at this time of year going back for centuries, and has symbolized peace and love.In ancient times, Druid priests thought mistletoe was a sacred plant because it grew in the air in oak trees, which was their sacred tree... 12/13/2006

Fifteen years ago, a couple by the name of Merrill and Karen Worcester, owners of the Worcester Wreath Company, began donating wreaths for the Arlington Cemetery.  Back then, they were the leftover wreaths that they had that were still fresh.  He didn't want them to go to waste, so he began sending them to Arlington.  This came about because when he was younger, he won a trip to Washington DC, and he always remembered the Arlington Cemetery from that trip.He has continued sending these wreaths each year, as his way of giving back to veterans because "without them, we would not have what we do today".This year, 2006, is the first year that they've included other veteran's cemeteries around the country.  They've sent six wreaths, "one for each branch of the military with the sixth wreath ... 12/12/2006

We don't have any snow here in the coastal areas of New Hampshire, but we are most assuredly in the holiday spirit!!  We've got lots of things to do here, for both residents and visitors alike.The 9th Annual Holiday Home Tour is this Sunday, December 10th, from 4-8pm.  This is a wonderful opportunity to tour some beautiful homes around Portsmouth that are all decked out for the holidays.  Tickets are $15 and are available at a variety of businesses around town.  I've taken part in this in the past, and you sure do get to see some really gorgeous homes and decorations!Seacoast Wind Ensemble will be putting on their annual holiday concert, "Sounds of the Season: A Musical Celebration" this Sunday, December 10th, at 4pm at the historic old South Church here in Portmouth.  What beautiful mu... 12/07/2006

Portsmouth New Hampshire Schools   "The purpose of the Portsmouth schools is to educate all students by challenging them to become thinking, responsible, contributing citizens who continue to learn throughout their lives."This is the motto of the Portsmouth NH Schools Department, and they really do live and breathe their motto.  Our Superintendent of Schools here in Portsmouth is Robert (Bob) Lister, and he is probably one of the most accessible and caring people you could ever want to talk to if you're interested in learning about our schools.  I have clients moving here shortly, and they wanted to know all they could about our schools.  I gave them his name and contact info, and they were so pleased with being able to speak directly to him, and with all the information he not only sha... 11/25/2006

Portsmouth New Hampshire Arts Theaters Here in Portsmouth New Hampshire we have three great theatrical treasures , and two of them offer year-round enjoyment for residents and visitors alike!The Portsmouth Music Hall is a historic theater that was built in 1878.  It's the oldest theater in New Hampshire, and the second oldest theater in New England.  This beautiful 900 seat theater is one of only fifteen theaters built in the 1800s still in use in America.  In its early years, Portsmouth Music Hall was home to vaudeville performances and silent film shows.  Today, it offers a wide variety of offerings, from films, comedy, concerts, evenings with authors, and so much more.In 2004, the theater went through a multi-phased, multi-million dollar restoration that returned this gem to its turn... 11/24/2006

Portsmouth New Hampshire Historic Antique Homes  Years ago, probably back in the mid 1980's or thereabouts, I was working with a buyer who was moving up here to check out Portsmouth New Hampshire homes from somewhere in Texas.  I can't recall exactly where in Texas, but somewhere that was much "younger" then most of New England is.She and I had spoken on the phone a number of times about her trip up here, what she was looking for in a home here, etc.   She wanted to be close to downtown, near the water, and she told me several times how much she really just loved old and older homes.- photo courtesy of freefoto.com -YAY, I thought!!  I get the opportunity to show some of the really wonderful old historic antique Portsmouth homes that are all over the place here.  We set up the days and ... 11/16/2006

Portsmouth New Hampshire Historic Homes and Condos Here in Portsmouth New Hampshire, we have many fabulous old, as in really OLD, historic homes and buildings that are just full of history.  Many of the historic antique homes are still being lived in.  They've been restored over time and are just exquisite homes.  Some of these homes in Portsmouth date back as far as the 1600's.                               We are also fortunate to have some beautiful old schools scattered around town as well as all these gorgeous Portsmouth NH historic homes.  Some of the older ones sat empty and unused for many years, beautiful inside and out, testaments to generations of students a century and a half ago and more.  Gorgeous brick buildings, huge windows, gorgeous woodwork throughout..........sometim... 11/15/2006

Today, November 11th, is Veterans Day.........and I want to say thank you to each and every one of our great country's veterans, and to all of our current military members all over the world.  We live in a fabulous country, where we're free to do and say and be whatever we want, and for those freedoms, we have our proud military members, past - present - future, to thank.  And I thank you from the bottom of my heart.Last night, on ABC's "World News Tonight", they did a story on their "Person of the Week".  This week's selection was a man named Earl Morse.  He was chosen because of what he's doing for our WWII Veterans.  This is the man who began what has come to be known as the "Honor Flights".  These flights take veterans to Washington, DC, to see the WW II Memorial dedicated to them a... 11/10/2006

Portsmouth New Hampshire is situated right on the border of New Hampshire and Maine, connecting by bridges to Kittery Maine.  This area is loaded with all kinds of fun, educational, and entertaining things to do, all year long! This is one of three bridges that connects the Portsmouth and the Seacoast areas of New Hampshire with the southern part of Maine, into Kittery and Eliot Maine.  Two of the three bridges are draw bridges, as Portsmouth is a working port, and tankers and other large ocean-going vessels have to be able to navigate our port and river, the Piscataqua River, which has the 3rd fastest current in the world, and leads right out to the Atlantic Ocean.  Right on the banks of this great river that divides New Hampshire and Maine in this area is a beautiful park that was giv... 11/06/2006

I read a magazine a while back, don't recall which magazine it was, and it had an article in it about dealing with dilemmas and how to know if you're making the right decisions or not. With just about every dilemma we face - business or personal - we can ask ourselves these 3 simple questions : What are the consequences of my decision --                          -- in 10 minutes?                         -- in 10 months?                         -- in 10 years?The answers to these questions will tell you what you need to know to not only make the most-reasoned decision, but will also help to explain your choice.I wish I could remember the magazine I read this in to reference it, but the article itself had a big impact on me the longer I thought it and thought about "The Rule of 10-10-10".... 11/06/2006

I was doing a 2nd showing on one of my listings here in Portsmouth, the other day, with the buyer having brought their builder with them so they could figure out if some renovations could be made, etc.  On 2nd showings, we usually let the buyer and their agent go back through on their own, while staying within easy earshot if they have questions, etc. One of the magazines on my seller's table had a headline article that caught my eye, so I thumbed through the magazine until I could find that particular article.  I read that one, and then found this poem in that same magazine.  I read it twice, and then decided to write it down because I really liked what it had to say.          "Live Your Best Life"     "I will not die an unlived life,      I will not live in fear          of falling or... 11/01/2006

Yesterday, I had my first appointment scheduled for 7:30am.  It was a showing on one of my listings in Kittery Maine - a buyer contacted me who had been watching this particular house and had seen the most recent price reduction.  Her work schedule was such that she only had time after work to see it, when it would be dark.  Being a morning person, I asked her what time she had to be at work, she told me 8am, so I suggested taking a look at it on her way in.  She was delighted I'd meet her that early.  I don't usually start appointments that early, but I am a morning person, and this particular house is empty.So, I get over there about 5 minutes before the showing, got all the lighs on, etc.  And I waited and waited.  I called her on her cell phone, couldn't reach her.  Turns out she to... 10/21/2006

In one of the courses offered on using our newish MLS system, the instructor told us about a site where you could get all kinds of Microsoft Power Toys,  The link to that site is:                                                             http://tinyurl.com/2meyw  This is a site where you can download lots of different kinds of "power toys", for Windows XP on the link I gave above.  Some of these are good, and some are not-so-good or not-so-helpful.  Some of the 'toys' on here are a slideshow program, a program to help manage the color system on your computer, some utilities that allow you to magnify your screen and make the screen easier to read.  The one he was telling us about in the class is the image resizer tool, which lets you resize images with just a quick right-click, once yo... 10/11/2006

Our annual NH Association of REALTORS State Convention starts this Sunday, the 24th and goes till Wednesday, the 27th.  It is being held at the five-star resort of The Balsams Grand Resort, http://www.thebalsams.com/.  What a location this is!!  The food at The Balsams is heaven on earth, all of our meals are included, and they are every one just spectacular!  One of the things they offer during our convention is a culinary tour with demonstrations.  That is always a big hit with our members.The Balsams in an all-inclusive resort, set high up in the mountains of northern New Hampshire, in Dixville Notch.  Dixville Notch is the first place in the country to cast their votes in each presidential election.  It is just glorious up there.  The ride there through the mountains is wonderful, f... 09/20/2006

How much home will $425,000 get you in today's market here in Portsmouth, New Hampshire?  This is a really interesting question, and here you go!For single family homes, we just happen to have 3 priced right at $425,000.  All 3 are basically historic homes, 2 from the 1800's and one built in 1900.  Here is a link to these 3 homes for anyone who cares to check them out:  http://www.nnerenmls.com/nne/maildoc/b0056F3692.htmlFor condos, here are 2 that are listed about $425,000 here in Portsmouth, both originally built in the 1800's:  http://www.nnerenmls.com/nne/maildoc/h000X97196.htmlAnd for land, here is the only piece close to $425,000 that I could find here in Portsmouth:  http://www.nnerenmls.com/nne/maildoc/b005rf5685.html    Other lots are available, 3-4 a little less than this one,... 09/19/2006

Portsmouth NH Homeowners Selling Tips Portsmouth New Hampshire homeowners might just enjoy having these fall selling tips if their homes are on the market now, or are about to come on the market for sale!I just read a nice article by Michele Dawson, in this morning's Realty Times e-newsletter, offering tips to help sell in the fall.  Some of these tips are common sense, and some add a really nice welcoming feeling to potential buyers and their agents, and they all offer homeowners easy things to think about doing if their house is for sale.--"Curb Appeal" - never forget to think about those all-important 'first impressions'.  With the gorgeous colors of fall leaves, this can add to a home's already existing appeal, however all those leaves laying around on the ground certainly don't.  C... 09/18/2006