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Central Oregon Pumpkin Patches

October 10, 2011 By Leave a Comment

What is a more beloved fall tradition than visiting the pumpkin patch? As the weather gets cooler, there is little to compare with the fun of bundling up in winter jackets and feeling the crisp warmth of sun on your face as you venture into the fields.

Central Oregon has many places to visit if you are looking for u-pick pumpkins, corn mazes, or hayrides and hot apple cider. One of these is the DD ranch in Terrebonne, Oregon. Just past Redmond, this little town sits close to Smith Rocks. DD Ranch is a working cattle ranch that transforms into a fall pumpkin patch in October, and later a Christmas tree farm. See the map below for directions.

Entrance to the patch is free, but there is a small charge for hayrides, games, and pumpkins.

Of course, after visiting the farm the pumpkins must be carved. All of the seeds can then be used to make roasted pumpkin seeds—a favorite in our house.  Try this recipe for Roasted Pumpkin Seeds from Craftzine.com and let us know what you think.


Coming soon: more pumpkin patches near Bend Oregon, and the best no-fail recipe for Pumpkin Cheesecake!


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Mt Bachelor and Central Oregon Skiing

October 3, 2011 By Leave a Comment

Mt Bachelor under a dusting of snow September 2011

Winter is approaching and many Bendites and Central Oregonians are getting antsy for the ski season to begin. Mount Bachelor Resort is the closest location for skiing, and when the snow comes it will be a haven for all winter sport enthusiasts. Last winter the season opened on November 24th, and with luck we will not have to wait much longer than that for it to open this year.

Just 22 miles from Bend, Mt. Bachelor is 9,000 feet high and the youngest volcano in the Three Sisters wilderness. Formerly it was known as Bachelor Butte. The difference between a butte and a mountain is slight—a butte is an isolated mountain with steep sides and a flat summit. In 1958 Mt Bachelor Resort began their operations and thought the title “mountain” would lend credibility to their ski resort. Soon the Oregon board officially changed the name and now people only laugh when they remember it being called a butte.

Last weekend I took a friend up Bachelor. In the summer a trail leads from the Skyliner chair or from the main lodge up to the summit. It was a clear sunny day and you could see all the way to Mt. Thielsen in the South. There were very few people on the trail, but I did meet one diehard skier who was carrying his gear up then skiing down the patches of remaining snow. He would repeat the process–climbing back up in his ski boots! The morning after my hike, Bachelor received a beautiful dusting of snow, reminding everyone that it will be ready for skiing soon!

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Oregon Homeschooling: Classical Conversations

September 19, 2011 By Leave a Comment

Over 20,000 students are homeschooled in Oregon.  One thousand are registered in the High Desert education district.  One of the many benefits of Central Oregon is the opportunities provided to homeschoolers and the community support. A newer phrase in the homeschool world is “Classical Conversations.”  This is a unique schooling method that is gaining in popularity and prestige.  It was founded by Leigh Bortins and involves students meeting together in local groups and studying subjects holistically.  Information about contacting the Bend chapter is included below.

Leigh Bortins, her husband and four sons reside in North Carolina.  She was am aerospace engineering  graduate of the University of Michigan before beginning to homeschool her children.  An article by Dorothy Sayers inspired her to begin the Classical Conversation style of schooling, and she has spent the last 20 years teaching, promoting, and writing about the method.  Bortins was motivated by Proverbs 25:2, which says “The glory of God is to conceal a matter, but the honor of kings is to search out a matter.”  She believes that the main goals of homeschool parents is to give their children the tools to search out the hidden things of God.

Essential to the Classical method is meeting together with other families.  Usually once a week, these meetings consist of classes taught by tutors who are specially trained to teach specific subjects.  Parents are required to sit in these lessons with their children, and the rest of the week consists of a customizable review and study at home.  Called the “Trivium,” the classical method focuses on grammar, dialectic, and rhetoric.  Every subject can be broken up into these three parts and taught piece by piece.  An example is history.  Grammar is the study of who did what, where, and when.  Dialectic is the understanding level–asking the question why?  Rhetoric is the final level of explaining it to others, through writing essays or giving speeches.

Classical Conversations is designed to begin in kindergarten and last through high school.  The topics, subjects, and skills all build upon each other to create a thorough education.  It is designed as a holistic curriculum that examines subjects in relationship to each other.  Biblically, this is to emphasize God’s plan and design over everything.  Through Bortins’ ongoing work and her company, Classical Conversations Inc, a lot of material is available to assist parents in their schooling.  There are trainings they can attend and seminars to meet like minded parents.  For students, in depth practicum sessions are available, and standardized testing is organized.

Classical Conversations is not the easiest method of homeschooling.  It is very involved for both the parent and student.  In Leah Bortins’ words, “Classical education is hard work and Americans tend to enjoy recreational education.”  But for many, this form of homeschool has been very sucessful and their children perform well in standardized testing and higher education.

A local chapter has been organized by Heidi Stone and she can be contacted through the main website—Classical Conversations Link Here.

Information gathered from hslda.org and leighbortins.com

 

Data from HSLDA.org and LeighBortins.com

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12 Hours of Cycling

September 2, 2011 By Leave a Comment

The downtown roads were blocked off this morning and drivers scrambled to find parking in the surrounding neighborhoods.  Inside the roped off area, hundreds of cyclers were warming up for the days races, part of the Masters Road National Championships, which began at 8am and runs through 8pm this evening.  The Bend Premier Real Estate office has a front row view of the bikers, and it sure provides a distracting day of work, being able to look out and watch them whiz past.  The plus side is…we LOVE chatting with residents who are out for a sunny day of fun watching the athletes.

 

It really is a double feature today because tonight, the doors will be open late for September’s First Friday Art Walk.  What a way to kick off your holiday weekend!  Already set up inside the office is jewlery made by Christine Crosby of Sunlight Inspirations and many other tables will be set up by this evening.  Lynnea and Brad Miller of Bend Premier Real Estate are supplying wine for tasting, and the other brokers and I will be out of our cubicles enjoying excelent conversation with other Bendites.

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First Friday Art Walk–tonight!

August 5, 2011 By Leave a Comment

If you and your friends are looking for an interesting evening, visit downtown Bend tonight for the art walk.  Monthly, downtown galleries and shops open their doors to welcome in the public, show off local artwork, and sample excellent food and drink.  The festivities run from 5-9pm and it truly is a community party.  Many Bendites may have experienced the flash rain and hail storm last night at Munch and Music but the Art Walk should not be feared since there are plenty of galleries to escape into!

Tonight at Bend Premier Real Estate the doors will be open and we welcome anyone to come in and chat with the brokers.  Througout the office, an extensive collection from Art on the Go is displayed.  Art on the Go specializes in commercial art installation with leasing and rotation programs.  Their services can be viewed on their website, www.artonthego.com.  The above photograph is by Clyde Keller, whose work is included in the display this evening.  Come browse the real estate listings, widen your art appreciation, and socialize with fellow community members.

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Balloons Over Bend Children’s Festival

July 20, 2011 By Leave a Comment

Balloons. Millions of colors flash across the sky as these fantastic behemoths rise into the air. Hot air balloons flow from the ground like a flow of paint spreading from an artist’s brush. A celebration will take place July 22-24 at Riverbend park: The Northwest Community Balloons Over Bend and the Children’s Festival have joined together for this event.

Every morning, from Friday to Sunday, the balloons launch at 6am. Not only does the launching of the balloons start off early but there is a Children’s festival that runs from 10am-6pm on Saturday. This lovely event supports children and hosts many booths for face-painting, crafts, educational activities and even bouncy houses and bubble pools to help those little guys get rid of their extra energy. There are over 60 different activities that will be open to the public: come and join us as we have a blast! There will be a small cost involved in order to participate in the activities: 1-3 tickets will be required. Tickets are 50 cents each . . . or you could purchase them in bulk for $10. By buying the tickets you don’t only gain entrance to the booths and activities, but you are entered into a drawing for a children’s bike.

This celebration brings together everyone in Bend: tourists, visitors, families, businesses and photographers . . . everyone wants to see these beautiful air balloons! The best part about all of this is the evening presentation: the Nightglow on Saturday at dusk. The sun sets, leaving the beautiful luminescence of the inflated hot air balloons to fill the night. This is the perfect opportunity to see these amazing creations up close and personal.

Throughout the entire festival there is one thing that we’d like you to keep in mind: Donations are suggested to benefit Saving Grace. Saturday from 10am-6pm the Children’s festival will be donating their proceeds to Saving Grace: it will raise funds for services throughout Central Oregon such as domestic violence and sexual assault services. Not only does this event support something righteous, but it also brings forth a feeling of community and family for local businesses. To support this feeling of family and closeness drop by our office to say hello! We’d love to hear from a lovely person such as yourself.

Make summer festivals and events a part of your life by moving to Bend! We would love to have new neighbors and friends in our community. The office doors are always open to all who enter. While visiting to see balloons or enjoy a fun time with your children at the festival, ask a few real estate questions: We would love to answer them for you. The building is located on the corner of Bond and Franklin in downtown Bend. Join us for a joyous summer full of festivals and fun, and while you’re there speak with us about real estate. We would love to hear about your wants and needs that deal with property; Bend Premier Real Estate is a firm that specializes in the listing and selling of property all throughout Central Oregon in all price ranges. To learn more, visit us at bendpremierproperties.com or bendpremierrealestate.com. We are located at 550 NW Franklin Avenue. If you need to contact us, call our office at 541-323-2779 or Dan Cardot at 541-480-5291. If you’d prefer, send us an email to dancardot.bend@gmail.com. We would love to hear from you as you attend the wonderful summer events in our community.

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Sagebrush Classic Feast in Downtown Bend

July 15, 2011 By Leave a Comment

Feast. Doesn’t it bring a picture of plentiful food, medieval kings and large tables full of goblets and platters? You can just smell the entire turkey roasting; the spiced wine and fresh fruits spread sweetness through the air. If this particular feast were that huge, we’d be pleased! The Deschutes Brewery Sagebrush Classic Feast is tomorrow, July 16th! This will be the 23rd annual Sagebrush Feast that is being featured in downtown Bend, and we’re expecting quite the turnout for this wonderful event.

Sagebrush is an organization devoted to helping out the non-profit groups of our community. The Sagebrush group raises funds for the public. According to sagebrush.org it is a nonprofit organization that provides “fundraising and marketing tools, and executes [events]” for our community’s benefit. Donors that look in to donating toward Sagebrush can choose between many different branches of nonprofits to give their money to. Every dime given by the donor will be received by the branch without any “toll” being taken out by Sagebrush.

Tonight will be a beer and food pairing (which will be done by an award-winning beer-maker) as well as dishes served by some of the world’s greatest chefs. The featured food and people will surely make the feast worthwhile! Bend is lucky to have so many events occurring in such a short amount of time. Come and help us make this banquet even more worthwhile by checking in on our office while you visit. Bend is always looking for new homeowners to join us for our summer activities.

Make all of these summer festivals and events a part of your life by moving to Bend! We would love to have new neighbors and friends in our neighborhoods. The office doors are always open to all who enter. While visiting to see the food and wine, ask a few real estate questions. We would love to answer them for you. The building is located on the corner of Bond and Franklin in downtown Bend. Join us for a joyous summer full of festivals and fun, and while you’re there talk to us about real estate. We would love to hear about your wants and needs that deal with property; Bend Premier Real Estate is a firm that specializes in the listing and selling of property all throughout Central Oregon in all price ranges. To learn more, visit us at bendpremierproperties.com or bendpremierrealestate.com. We are located at 550 NW Franklin Avenue. If you need to contact us, call our office at 541-323-2779 or Dan Cardot at 541-480-5291. If you’d prefer, send us an email to dancardot.bend@gmail.com. We would love to hear from you as you attend the wonderful summer events in our community.

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Summer Festivities in Bend

July 11, 2011 By Leave a Comment

Laughter. Not only do people laugh at something funny, but they laugh when they’re having fun. In Bend there are too many places to have a good time. Just two days ago, on July 9th, there was a spectacular event in the downtown area of our beloved home: the Sagebrush Community Challenge/Scramble. It was late morning when participants arrived near Wall and Franklin in order to start their race. Each individual or team received a map with many points drawn on it . . . and then they were off! It was a wonderfully fun day for all the racers: an hour and a half of touring Bend in a game-like fashion kept many Sagebrush attendees occupied!

The Sagebrush group raises funds for the community. According to sagebrush.org it is a nonprofit organization that provides “fundraising and marketing tools, and executes [events]” for our community’s benefit. Donors that look in to donating toward Sagebrush can choose between many different branches of nonprofits to give their money to. Every dime given by the donor will be received by the branch without any “toll” being taken out by Sagebrush.

Another event that passed by was the 2011 Bank of the Cascades Bend Summer Festival. Wine, food, art, music and more was presented for this wonderful event. On the 10th of July there was a lot of enjoyment in the downtown area of Bend: the Summerfest allowed for plenty of fun for Oregonians and visitors alike. Every street corner held a musician that was playing his own tune, some sort of tasty treat or a wonderful sight. Downtown Bend was a beautiful sight to behold! The sounds of Ottmar Liebert and Coco Montoya as well as many others filled the summer air for hours . . . and the music was free to listen to! More than 150 crafters and other amazing bits of entertainment were featured this year for the families that came to see them.

Depressed? I would be, if I knew I’d missed these two amazing events. Luckily there is another one coming up: Sagebrush is holding a Street Fare. The Street Fare is modeled after the appreciated event in Portland; this occasion will bring lots of fun to our community. Couches will be on Oregon Street and local restaurants will be pairing their best dishes with Deschutes Brewery ales. Not only will your taste buds be screaming for more but there will be music as well. Some of the bands performing will be Midnight Hour from Orange County, the indie Archeology from Portland, and local performers in the Eric Tollefson Band. This event will be on Oregon Street between Bond and Wall in downtown Bend from 6-10 in the evening. On July 13th be sure to bring your wallet!

Make all of these summer festivals and events a part of your life by moving to Bend! We would love to have new neighbors and friends in our neighborhoods. The office doors will be open to all who enter. While visiting to see the art, ask a few real estate questions. We would love to answer them for you. The building is located on the corner of Bond and Franklin in downtown Bend. Join us for a joyous summer full of festivals and fun, and while you’re there talk to us about real estate. We would love to hear about your wants and needs that deal with property; Bend Premier Real Estate is a firm that specializes in the listing and selling of property all throughout Central Oregon in all price ranges. To learn more, visit us at bendpremierproperties.com or bendpremierrealestate.com. We are located at 550 NW Franklin Avenue. If you need to contact us, call our office at 541-323-2779 or Dan Cardot at 541-480-5291. If you’d prefer, send us an email to dancardot.bend@gmail.com. We would love to hear from you as you attend the wonderful summer events in our community.

bend summer festival

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First Friday Art Walk of July

July 1, 2011 By Leave a Comment

Art. There is beauty, color and an entirely different viewpoint on the world through the eyes of these artists. As the galleries are spread throughout the downtown area in Bend, there is food and music throughout every building. Not only is there more than one of these interesting events, but there is one at the beginning of every month. The First Friday Art Walk of this month is bound to be just as wonderful as the last!

Last month Bend Premier Properties hosted Sandra Kunz’s “The World’s Women” gallery. This month is something related to Kunz’s pictures: photography. Tonight there will be various pictures in the office that many different artists have taken: each one of them is presented with The Bend Photography Group. This amazing group of local photographers started in 2008 and is still active with their sharing, learning, networking, and photographing the world around them while sharing tips and helping one another improve their skill. The Bend Photography Group is a constant learning experience that strives to help the people within their crowd to foster their talent. The team holds many people from various skill groups: from experts to small-time hobbyists.

From beautiful shots of the smoke stacks in the Old Mill to the blooming flowers, there is certainly an amiable kind of talent being shown within the office tonight. The office doors will be open to all who enter. While visiting to see the art, ask a few real estate questions. We would love to answer them for you. Where is this gallery being showcased? Bend Premier Real Estate will be housing the exhibit for the colorful pictures tonight from 5-9. The building is located on the corner of Bond and Franklin in downtown Bend and will be staying open late. Join us for a joyous celebration of this beautiful exhibit, and while you’re there talk to us about real estate. We would love to hear about your wants and needs that deal with property; Bend Premier Real Estate is a firm that specializes in the listing and selling of property all throughout Central Oregon in all price ranges. To learn more, visit us at bendpremierproperties.com or bendpremierrealestate.com. We are located at 550 NW Franklin Avenue. If you need to contact us, call our office at 541-323-2779 or Dan Cardot at 541-480-5291. If you’d prefer, send us an email to dancardot.bend@gmail.com. We would love to hear from you tonight while you visit the beautiful gallery being held in our office.

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Chicken Cook-off in Bend

June 29, 2011 By Leave a Comment

Chicken. Can’t you just smell that? Something is baking, frying, cooking and roasting: there’s a chicken-cooking contest in the NorthWest Crossing neighborhood of Bend. There will be many vendors and stalls with musicians and crafts: face painting, chicken cooking, blues-funk music and more. July 2nd is the Americana Celebration! Those visiting Bend should certainly come and see the festivities.

A unique bit of fun starts with a parade headed from Compass Park to the market on Northwest Crossing Drive. The parade itself starts at 9:45am, and that is just the beginning of the day. Everyone in attendance is encouraged to dress in the most independent fashions possible. With music and food, how could you skip out on such a great day in Bend?

Before you get too lost in the celebration, there will be the “Are You Chicken Cook Off.” The best chicken-cookers in Bend will be judged by a panel of admired judges who will be wandering about to enjoy the terrific food. Bring your grill (and trailer) to the market to join this delicious contest and see who has the best recipe! The cooking begins at 1pm and the winners will be announced at 2pm!

The neighborhood where this celebration will be held is gathered around a real estate company: NorthWest Crossing. There are many more real estate offices in Bend such as Bend Premier Real Estate. If you feel so inclined, visit the office in downtown Bend while you’re enjoying the festivities of the day. Make these annual celebrations part of your life by moving to Bend to stay with us. Perhaps you’re trying to find a home for yourself, or another relative. Bend Premier Real Estate will help you find a home that easily fits your financial needs. Our local office is a great place to stop by as you search for a home within your price range. Located in downtown Bend on the corner of Bond and Franklin, you’ll find the doors open throughout the day. Our agents are always willing to help you find your preferred home and love to hear about your wants and needs for your property. Bend Premier Real Estate is a firm that works with the listing and selling of property all throughout Central Oregon in all price ranges. For more information visit us at bendpremierproperties.com or bendpremierrealestate.com. Our address is 550 NW Franklin Avenue. Call our office at 541-323-2779 or Dan Cardot at 541-480-5291. If you’d prefer, send an email to dancardot.bend@gmail.com. We would love to hear from you.

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