The Kenwood House...A Place To Stay

Hey, need a place to stay in the Wine Country? My friend Don MacNair owns The Kenwood House...a vacation rental that is sooo cute! Check out his information link www.kenwoodhouse.com More on this later.....

Sonoma County Real Estate

We've hit bottom and are on the way back up! So says the front page news in the Press Democrat. I'm talking Real Estate. 'Sonoma County's median home price rose 9% in December to $389,000, the largest monthly jump since July.' The total sales of single family homes in 2009 reached the highest level in four years! Read more at http://www.pressdomocrat.com/ Sooo...this is good news! All you buyers out there who have been waiting to buy when the market is low...may have missed it! My advise to you is get to your nearest Realtor and buy that real estate now!

What's for Sale in Kenwood?

144 Griswold

Interested in what's currently for sale in Kenwood? Want to know behind the scenes information about the area? My goal is to inform about the latest homes for sale. This fabulous 3 bedroom on almost 1 acre corner lot, room for pool, near Kenwood Plaza and within walking distance to the Kenwood School. An added feature is the 1 bedroom vacation rental above the garage. Totally remodeled! Plus barn and workshop. Price $1,015,000!

Monster Mushrooms!

Wow! Check out this monster mushroom that bloomed in our neighboring field! It's huge! I've lived in Kenwood for 25 years and never seen a mushroom this big. There is a large grouping under a pine tree...I've seen lots of seasonal mushrooms before, but these are the biggest ever! Can anyone identify these mushrooms?

Thanks to my FaceBook friend, Cecile Beaupin, who identified these poisonous pods....read on!!!

Amanita muscaria var. muscaria, the toadstool is a different type of fungal intoxicant producing Class F poisoning (Poisindex II). The onset of symptoms occurs 30 minutes to 2 hours after eating the mushrooms and is due to the toxins muscimol and ibotenic acid which are found in both Amanita muscaria and Amanita pantherina. A small amount of muscarine is present in these mushrooms as well. The symptoms are drowsiness, confusion, euphoria, staggering, muscular spasms, repetitive actions, dilation of pupils, dizziness, visual disturbances, dullness of colors, impression of heaviness but unusual strength, fragmentation of time, conviction of dying, deep coma-like sleep, with some patients reporting hallucinations upon wakening. Some people become violent. Complete recovery comes in 6-24 hours.

Wine Country Christmas...and Real Estate.

It's cold and foggy and damn cold! This is not my favorite time of year in Sonoma Wine Country. The leaves have fallen off the vines and trees. The sky is dark gray and all colors are gone. Foggy fingers slide over the tops of the hills to snug the ground. It is beautiful in a cold gray day way. This is in bright contrast to all the colorful lights of Christmas celebrations last week. Every winery in Kenwood and along Hwy 12 in the Sonoma Valley were festively decorated with lights. I always enjoy the lights of the season... my own front yard trees were laboriously outlined with tiny white lights that mirrored the branches. I love this look at night so much so that I think I will keep them illuminating all year long!

Well..enough of that...on to real estate... not much activity over the holidays....everyone is waiting until the spring to launch new property to the market. But, some buyers are poised and ready... I am surprised at the properties that have sold this last week. The property at 3 Turtle Creek in Kenwood sold in 5 days! If you are a savvy buyer, you can make a bid on a property when attention is elsewhere. Bargains can be had at this distracted time of year.

For that reason, I am holding an open house at the property 9808 Courtney in Kinnybrook, a secluded gated, community above the Kenwood Winery. This 5500 sq.ft. Mediterranean Estate on 22+ acres is a fabulous custom rammed earth home. The price tag? Only $2,985,000! Such a deal! Come on by to see it..Sunday 1-4pm. Let's make a deal!