Photos

Smart Offline Real Estate Marketing

In the US, most houses for sale will have some kind of collateral outside with the “For Sale” sign. It’s normally in a waterproof plastic box and is a two-sided piece of paper with photos and house details to give you a sense of what the house is like and who to contact if you want to get inside and have a look.

This house caught my eye though. The owner had been smart enough to laminate the reverse side of the bumph and staple it to the post.

Genius!

The amount of times I’ve taken a piece of paper out and then discarded it (responsibly) because it didn’t fit the bill runs to many fingers and hands. With this simple step, the owner or relator enables the house-hunter to read the ALL the details without having to touch the box, waste any paper or potentially litter the streets of Seattle.

It was a really simple gesture that I’d never seen before and I felt compelled to share it!

Seen anything so geniusly simple recently you want to share it below?

Giddy On Up to Pioneertown Motel and Pappy and Harriets

When my brother-in-law Josh suggested the whole family go to a place called Pioneertown for a few days, we weren’t too sure what we were letting ourselves in for.

By “we” I mean Ashley, Maggie and me, Josh and his wife Colleen and toddler Julia, their sister Aubrey and her husband Chason and the sisters’ parents Bob and Nancy.

Yes, in all TEN of us!!!

We had a blast.

Pioneertown is in California, about 30 minutes from Palm Springs and near the Joshua Tree National Park. It was built in the 1940s to be a set for western films and TV shows.

We were staying at the Pioneertown Motel who looked after us very well. Eccentric but clean rooms, they provided little kitchenettes, coffee and water even though we were only paying about $60 per night!

The main drag was pretty empty when we got there. This saddle-maker was open at the weekend and there’s a really good pottery that sells some nice wares, but all in all it’s generally a tourist destination to visit for a few hours, or somewhere to use as a base to explore the park, which I’ll write about in another post.

The highlight for me was the night we spent at the local BBQ restaurant which is in the town and only open a few nights a week. Pappy and Harriet’s does quite the most amazing food. The chef told us they get through over 500lbs of beef a week!

Josh and I cracked out our Outlier set and did 3 songs at the Monday night open mic spot which was great fun……..before we got stuck into the tequila and the rest is a bit of a blur!

Being there in March was great as the days were very warm (75 degrees), but as soon as the sun went down it did get chilly.

Thanks from all of us to Josh for his enthusiasm in getting us all to go down there. Really recommend a few days at the motel, if only for the novelty value and a fantastic steak at Pappy and Harriet’s.

If Pioneertown doesn’t grab you, Joshua Tree National Park will, so check back in a few days to read about that!

Photo: Seattle Skyline at Sunrise

As we set off for our trip to Victoria BC on the Clipper, I ran upstairs on deck and took these dramatic photos of the Seattle skyline.

Quite by chance, I managed to get the entire vista just as the sun was peeking over the top of the buildings with my Panasonic Lumix G2 camera.

I also whipped out my Windows Phone and snapped the above…

….using the fab Apict App to create the above.

So many people who don’t live here seem to think Seattle is a dreary, rainy city. These photos show it’s not!

Nautical Nellies Nails It in Victoria BC

Another highlight on our trip to Victoria was dinner at steak and seafood restaurant, Nautical Nellies.

We started our meal with crab cakes the Ashley described as, “The best I’ve ever had!”

Afternoon Tea at The Fairmont Empress, Victoria BC

As you can see, Maggie was in awe at the sight of her first cup of tea.

As part of a birthday trip (mine not hers) to Victoria, British Columbia in Canada, Ashley suggested we go for afternoon tea at The Fairmont Empress Hotel.

Microsoft Store in Seattle’s U-Village is Impressive

OK, you know I work for the company, but that doesn’t mean I’m always rah-rah, especially given my under-stated Britishness. Winking smile

But Ashley, Maggie and I made a lunchtime trip down to Seattle’s University Village shopping mall to take a look at the new store that opened yesterday.

Josh LaBelle Meets President Obama at The Paramount

One of the nicest people I know is my brother-in-law, Josh LaBelle.

Josh is married to Ashley’s sister, Colleen, and runs the Seattle Theatre Group which includes the Paramount, Moore and Neptune theatres in the city.

A couple of weeks ago, Barak Obama was in town for a whirlwind visit, which included a fundraising lunch at The Paramount.

Josh got to meet him backstage and said he was delightful!

I’ve never met a head of state, although I was looking at some leather wallets in a tent at the Windsor Horse Show in 1997 and heard a familiar voice next to me ask the local craftsmen, “Do you make these yourselves?”

It was The Queen of England!