Drive the North Cascade Hwy

Fall colors are a great excuse to take road trips. If you have time and find a sunny day jump in the car and go for it! SR 20 closes every winter sometime in November depending on snow depth and does not generally reopen until May. The pass is 5,477 ft. above sea level! It is one of the state’s oldest highways; it was roughed out in 1897. Before that it was a well-used Native American trading route. It is the states northernmost route across the mountains and was the 1st designated National Scenic Highway in the United States. From Marblemount to Winthrop you will want to stop several times to take pictures. The most scenic drive starts in the North Cascades National Park and is absolutely spectacular past a turquoise Lake Diablo and crystal blue Ross Lake. I have taken the drive once and will not forget it! You will want to consider staying the night or plan on a full day. Winthrop offers many great restaurant and lodging options. Enjoy the trip!

Seattle Tap Water - Countries Finest

You probably don’t even think about or consider the source of the water that comes out of our taps every day. We take for granted that we have stable clean and nearly contaminate free water. Seattle area customers are totally spoiled! When you travel to other parts of the country and drink tap water you realize how good we actually have it. Quality drinking water for a major metropolitan like Seattle is not something that just happens. City planners were thinking ahead, and we benefit from their foresight. Humans can last up to 21 days without food, but you can barely make it to day 3 without water. How many acres of untouched forest does it take to keep our water clean and desirable to drink? The Cedar River Watershed supplies most of our tap water and has 90,638 acres of land protected for our supply. Owned by the City of Seattle and topping out at 5,414-foot-tall Meadow Mountain this land has a rich diversity of plants, animals and first growth forests. Coming from the western slopes of the Cascade Mountains the water is so clean it requires no filtration! The geology of the upper watershed acts as its own filtration with surface water seeping through a region of deep and porous glacial outwash before it gathers into an underground aquifer. This water then resurfaces in springs and creeks along the Cedar River. From the city’s founding a stable water source was a top priority. Before 1880 water was provided by several different private companies from local streams. The Cedar River was first proposed in the 1870’s but the question was how to bring this much water into the rapidly growing city. The original pipeline was made of reinforced wooden pipe “big enough so a small boy could stand upright in it”. By 1950 the wooden pipe was gone and three large mains carried over 162,000,000 gallons of Cascade Mountain water into Seattle every single day!

Me Time - Carve Out Time For Yourself

Although the idea of “me time” has become more popular, there are people who equate being alone with loneliness—and no one wants that. Solitude can seem hard to find if you live in a busy city or a crowded house, but intentionally carving out time for yourself can have positive mental and physical health benefits. If, that is, you embrace being alone. Experts say that if being alone is your choice, you’re much more likely to enjoy the solitude and less likely to succumb to loneliness. But this doesn’t mean you have to become a hermit to be happy alone. It means you’re able to find happiness in solo pursuits of your choosing— exercising, birdwatching, creating art, or even working. If you struggle to do something you love when you’re alone, you may want to try an activity that boosts endorphin levels. After all, if you’re getting a happiness high from the activity, you’re more apt to do it again. Physical activity like gardening or beachcombing can work here (you don’t have to go to the gym to be physical), but you can also do volunteer work. Studies show volunteering makes people feel more fulfilled, and solo volunteer work may even be something you can do from home—think preparing meals for houseless people or making hats for preemie babies. The Japanese practice of “forest bathing” is a poetic term for something research has shown time and again: Spending time in nature is very good for us. Taking a solo hike in the woods is great, but movement isn’t necessary. You could knit in the park on your lunch break or watch flickers dig for ants in the backyard. It can also be a meditative experience, immersing yourself in the natural environment to allow you to take it in with all of your senses. Treat yourself to something special that you usually need company to justify, like dinner at a fancy restaurant or a ticket to the opera. And this doesn’t need to be expensive or even outside the home. You could cook a favorite meal, for instance, served on your good dishes. You don’t have to skimp on things you’d enjoy just because you’re flying solo.

Computer Fatigue is Real

If you spend a lot of time sitting in front of a computer, you may be experiencing fatigue, as well as aches and pains in your neck, back, shoulders, eyes, wrists, and legs. Relieve the discomfort by following these tips: STEP #1: Give your body support to avoid aches and pains: • Invest in a good lumbar chair and adjust it so your feet rest comfortably on the floor. Press your bottom against the back of the chair and use a lumbar cushion that causes your lower back to arch slightly. Keep your knees in line with your hips or raised slightly above them. Never slump or slouch forward. • Sit close to the desk so your upper arms are parallel to your spine and your elbows are at a 90-degree angle to the keyboard. Put the mouse close to the keyboard to keep your arm from being fully extended. Give your wrists proper support so they rest in a neutral position. • Place the monitor so your gaze is aimed at the center of the screen, which should be 15 to 25 inches away from your eyes. STEP #2: Move regularly to avoid stiffness and eye strain: • Stand, stretch, and walk at least a minute or two every half hour. To stretch, reach both arms above your head. Grasp each elbow and lean gently to each side and feel the side of your body release tension. • Avoid “computer vision syndrome” (headaches and eye strain are symptoms) by using the 20-20-20 rule: Every 20 minutes, look away 20 feet in front of you for 20 seconds. STEP #3: Stay hydrated and nourished to avoid fatigue: • Drink water (or other fluids) to flush out some of the mineral build-up that occurs in inactive muscles. • Eat healthy snacks like fruit and nuts at your desk to maintain your energy and productivity.

Fall Maintenance List

Hope you had a great week and have fun plans for the weekend! Keeping a house in tip-top shape requires that some things be tackled only once a year. Save this list to ensure you don’t forget any important tasks. - Identify and seal cracks and gaps in windows, doors, walkways, and the driveway. - Have the fireplace and chimney inspected for damage and hazards. - Inspect the roof for broken, loose, or missing shingles or tiles. - Check age of hot water heater – if it is older than 10yrs schedule replacement. - Check the home’s exterior for chipped paint and cracks in the foundation and fix as necessary. - Remove showerheads and clean built-up sediment. - Service your furnace and have all filters replaced. - Pump the septic system, if applicable. - Update your home disaster kit. Check ready.gov/kit for a comprehensive list. Be ready for fall power outages. Coldwell Banker is the world's largest real estate brand with offices in over 40 countries. CB since 1906! I am ready to go to work for you today.

Fall Energy Audit

Have you ever conducted a “Home Energy Audit” on your home? It could save you a lot of money by lowering energy costs this winter. A home energy audit evaluates how much energy your home uses. Though a professional audit is a good idea, here’s how you can conduct a personal walk-through assessment of your own to help cut costs.  Seek out air leaks or drafts. Look for gaps along baseboards, on the edge of flooring, around outlets and switches, and where walls meet the ceiling. Anywhere two different building materials meet is a potential place for leakage. If there are cracks or holes, seal them (depending on where they are, use caulk or weatherstripping. You can search energy.gov for those products to learn how to use them).  Evaluate insulation. Insufficient insulation contributes to heat loss, especially in older homes, but it’s inexpensive to fix. Find out how much insulation is recommended for homes in your area, then go into your attic and measure the depth of your home’s insulation. To measure insulation in the walls, you’ll need an infrared thermometer, which can usually be borrowed /rented from stores like McLendon.  Assess heating features. Furnaces and other similar features should be inspected annually or as recommended by the manufacturer. Check and replace filters as needed, and make a note to keep them cleaned and changed on a regular basis. Call Glendale Heating for a regular service and checkup this fall at 206-243-7700.  Identify energy-sucking appliances and electronics. Even if you aren’t using them, anything that is plugged in to an outlet may be consuming power. Common culprits include office equipment like printers and kitchen appliances such as coffee makers. Unplug these items when they aren’t in use, or plug them into a power strip that can be turned off. Get rid of the extra refrigerator or freezer if you can.

Find More Time for You

Where does the time go? Even if you work a normal schedule and get a full night’s sleep, you still have about 50 free hours during the week – but most people say they still can’t find free time for hobbies and passions. Take these steps to find more time for YOU: 1. Map your current time use. First track how you use your time. Keep a log for a week or two to get a good representation of how you spend your time now. 2. Create a list of things you really want to do. Try to come up with a list of 50-75 things. Make some of them easy one-day things (visit a museum) that you can quickly accomplish and others things you tend to put off (practicing guitar). 3. Cut out unnecessary time-wasters and replace with something from your list. Cut out the time spent watching TV, surfing the internet, or attending too many functions. Start a new schedule and prioritize things that make you happy instead of time-wasters.