Murrieta Real Estate Blog (and more) - Meet Tom Planthttp://activerain.com/blogs/tomplant2008-08-31T07:47:20ZTom Plant - Murrieta Real Estate Expert - Coldwell Banker Residential Brokerage (Coldwell Banker Residential Brokerage)North To Alaska - Putting On My Sailin' Shoeshttp://activerain.com/blogsview/667938/North-To-Alaska-Putting2008-08-31T07:47:20ZTom Plant - Murrieta Real Estate Expert - Coldwell Banker Residential Brokerage (Coldwell Banker Residential Brokerage)
<p>I've been MIA most of the week. It's been a busy one, writing up two offers and getting ready for an Alaskan cruise! Laura and I fly to Seattle this morning and will board the <a href="http://www.princess.com/learn/ships/tp/index.html?source=GooglePPC&gclid=CLTMm9mLuJUCFRGiiQodSBMCPw" target="_blank"><strong>Star Princess</strong></a> cruise ship and travel the <a href="http://www.princess.com/learn/destinations/alaska/cruises/subtrades/aip.jsp?gclid=CMi5tYGMuJUCFQ-kiQod-C1KRA" target="_blank"><strong>Inland Passage</strong></a>. As a photographer, I look forward to filling several memory cards.</p>
<p>i do have posts in the works: a final visit this year to the Old Town Temecula Farmers Market, a day with <a href="http://safetyharborkids.org/" target="_blank"><strong>Safety Harbor Kids</strong></a> and lunch at the <a href="http://www.thevillagenews.com/story.php?story_id=27850" target="_blank"><strong>Swamp Stuffer</strong></a>. See you after the 10th.</p>
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<p class="MsoNormal"><a href="http://tomplant.com/"><strong>Murrieta Real Estate Expert – Tom Plant, REALTOR® - Coldwell Banker Residential Brokerage</strong></a> – <strong><span style="color: #e36c0a;">Active Rain Ambassador</span></strong><span style="color: #e36c0a;"> <span> </span></span><strong><span style="text-decoration: underline;">(951) 907-9701</span></strong></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">It would be my honor to show you the incredible Temecula Valley, a place I’m very proud to call home.</p>
<p> </p>
<p> </p>
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<p><a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/MurrietaRealEstateBlogandMore-MeetTomPlant" rel="alternate" type="application/rss+xml"><img src="http://www.feedburner.com/fb/images/pub/feed-icon16x16.png" alt="" style="vertical-align:middle;border:0" /></a> <a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/MurrietaRealEstateBlogandMore-MeetTomPlant" rel="alternate" type="application/rss+xml">Subscribe in a reader</a></p> Temecula Plays Host To Winemaker Steve Anglimhttp://activerain.com/blogsview/654995/Temecula-Plays-Host-To2008-08-22T18:09:16ZTom Plant - Murrieta Real Estate Expert - Coldwell Banker Residential Brokerage (Coldwell Banker Residential Brokerage)
<p><img src="http://activerain.com/image_store/uploads/9/9/9/6/3/ar121944529336999.jpg" height="348" alt="wine co" width="500" /></p>
<p> </p>
<p>Last night was very special at <a href="http://www.tvwineco.com/" target="_blank"><strong>The Wine Company</strong></a>. Owner Jim Lilly was able to get Steve Anglim, owner and winemaker of <strong><a href="http://www.anglimwinery.com/" target="_blank">Anglim Winery</a> </strong>in <a href="http://www.pasowine.com/" target="_blank"><strong>Paso Robles</strong></a> to talk about some of his wines while we sampled them. Steve knows his stuff and makes superior wines. We tasted "Cameo", a white Rhone blend, Viognier, 2005 and 2006 Pinot Noir, Grenache and Cabernet Sauvignon.</p>
<p>It was such a treat to hear about the wines from the winemaker's perspective. Steve clearly has a passion for what he does and it shines through in his wines. He made me long for a return visit to Paso Robles.</p>
<p> </p>
<p><img src="http://activerain.com/image_store/uploads/3/8/7/8/3/ar121944606338783.jpg" height="187" alt="Steve Anglim & Jim Lilly" width="250" /></p>
<p><strong> Steve Anglim & Jim Lilly</strong></p>
<p> </p>
<p><img src="http://activerain.com/image_store/uploads/2/1/8/4/0/ar121944614104812.jpg" height="250" alt="Steve" width="224" /></p>
<p> <strong>"Professor" Steve</strong></p>
<p> </p>
<p><img src="http://activerain.com/image_store/uploads/7/1/8/5/7/ar121944622575817.jpg" height="250" alt="bottle & glass" width="128" /></p>
<p><strong>Steve's wares</strong></p>
<p> </p>
<p><img src="http://activerain.com/image_store/uploads/6/8/2/6/5/ar121944628456286.jpg" height="217" alt="Pauline" width="250" /></p>
<p><strong> Pauline from The Wine Company</strong></p>
<p> </p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;"><a href="http://tomplant.com/"><strong><span new roman times style="font-size: 10pt; font-family: ">Murrieta Real Estate Expert – Tom Plant, REALTOR® - Coldwell Banker Residential Brokerage</span></strong></a><strong><span new roman times style="font-size: 10pt; font-family: "> <span> </span><span> </span><span> </span></span></strong></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;"><strong><span new roman times style="font-size: 10pt; font-family: ">Active Rain Ambassador <span> </span></span></strong><strong><span new roman times style="font-size: 10pt; font-family: "><span> </span>(951) 907-9701</span></strong></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;"><strong><span new roman times style="font-size: 10pt; font-family: ">It would be my honor to show you the incredible Temecula Valley, a place I’m very proud to call home.</span></strong></p><a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/MurrietaRealEstateBlogandMore-MeetTomPlant" rel="alternate" type="application/rss+xml"><img src="http://www.feedburner.com/fb/images/pub/feed-icon16x16.png" alt="" style="vertical-align:middle;border:0" /></a> <a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/MurrietaRealEstateBlogandMore-MeetTomPlant" rel="alternate" type="application/rss+xml">Subscribe in a reader</a></p> Racism Lives In The 21st Centuryhttp://activerain.com/blogsview/654212/Racism-Lives-In-The2008-08-22T10:51:57ZTom Plant - Murrieta Real Estate Expert - Coldwell Banker Residential Brokerage (Coldwell Banker Residential Brokerage)
<p><img src="http://activerain.com/image_store/uploads/4/1/4/0/9/ar12194196090414.jpg" height="282" alt="kkk" width="350" /></p>
<p> </p>
<p>This is not the type of post I normally write. I wish I didn't feel the need to write it. I wish I hadn't seen what I saw yesterday.</p>
<p>I was showing homes to a client, who happens to be an African-American woman. I would not normally mention that, but it has bearing on what happened. When we went inside the second home, I was horrified. Graffiti had been spray painted on the walls, floors and kitchen counters. KKK. White Power. F--- N------. Swastikas.</p>
<p>I told my client that it made me sick. She dealt with it beautifully, and actually intends to put in an offer on the house. I was left speechless and stunned.</p>
<p>On my way home, I called the listing agent and asked if he had been in his listing recently. When I told him what I had seen, he replied "It is what it is. We are going to have it cleaned up. We already have multiple offers." I kept thinking what I would have done if it were my listing. There's no way on earth I would have let one person in to see that home until the hateful images had been removed. I think this man gives the rest of us a black eye. What would you have done?</p>
<p> </p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><a href="http://tomplant.com/"><strong>Murrieta Real Estate Expert – Tom Plant, REALTOR® - Coldwell Banker Residential Brokerage</strong></a> – <strong><span style="color: #e36c0a;">Active Rain Ambassador</span></strong><span style="color: #e36c0a;"> <span> </span></span><strong><span style="text-decoration: underline;">(951) 907-9701</span></strong></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">It would be my honor to show you the incredible Temecula Valley, a place I’m very proud to call home.</p><p><a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/MurrietaRealEstateBlogandMore-MeetTomPlant" rel="alternate" type="application/rss+xml"><img src="http://www.feedburner.com/fb/images/pub/feed-icon16x16.png" alt="" style="vertical-align:middle;border:0" /></a> <a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/MurrietaRealEstateBlogandMore-MeetTomPlant" rel="alternate" type="application/rss+xml">Subscribe in a reader</a></p> Blogging Basics - Real Agent Help In Hemethttp://activerain.com/blogsview/647089/Blogging-Basics-Real-Agent2008-08-18T10:23:12ZTom Plant - Murrieta Real Estate Expert - Coldwell Banker Residential Brokerage (Coldwell Banker Residential Brokerage)
<p><img src="http://activerain.com/image_store/uploads/9/5/9/8/3/ar121907046338959.jpg" height="448" alt="Tom Plant & John Occhi" width="500" /></p>
<p> </p>
<p>One of the most amazing people I have been blessed to meet through Active Rain is <a href="http://www.joeyloans.com/" target="_blank"><strong>Joey Aszterbaum</strong></a>. Joey is much more focused on helping others succeed than he is with his own success. I'm convinced that's why he is as successful as he is. if you haven't checked out his <strong><a href="http://www.realagenthelp.com/" target="_blank">Real Agent Help</a> </strong>website, do yourself a favor and check it out.</p>
<p>Each month, Joey organizes a breakfast meeting at <strong><a href="http://www.mimiscafe.com/" target="_blank">Mimi's</a> </strong>in<strong> <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hemet,_California" target="_blank">Hemet</a></strong>. Last week, <strong><a href="http://activerain.com/blogs/rileythunder" target="_blank">Heid Gray</a> </strong>of <strong><a href="http://www.rccu.org/rccu.cfm?tn=std&menuid=148&navids=148&pageid=241" target="_blank">Amerit Escrow</a> </strong>was the breakfast sponsor. Donations went to the <a href="http://www.thevalleychronicle.com/articles/2008/08/08/news/community/01carrid.txt" target="_blank"><strong>Arrid Club</strong></a>, a group dedicated to helping people with drug and alcohol dependencies. Her guests told us about the <a href="http://www.lavistarecovery.com/AboutLaVista/NewsEvents/tabid/74/ModuleID/397/ItemID/5/mctl/EventDetails/Default.aspx?selecteddate=11/17/2008" target="_blank"><strong>1st Annual Celebrity Golf Fundraiser</strong></a> for the <a href="http://www.lavistarecovery.com/" target="_blank"><strong>La Vista Recovery & Wholess Center For Women</strong></a>. Several celebrities including the famed Dodgers' shortstop and base stealer <strong><a href="http://maurywills.com/" target="_blank">Maury Wills</a> </strong>will be a part of the event.</p>
<p>Joey had asked <strong><a href="http://activerain.com/mrhemet" target="_blank">John Occhi</a> </strong>and me if we would cover the basics of blogging for the group. We decided John would focus on the business of blogging while I would cover the social aspects... go figure! The group seemed very interested in what we had to say and we enjoyed ourselves immensely. If you haven't already done so, spread the word about blogging. Isn't this just amazing?</p>
<p> </p>
<p><img src="http://activerain.com/image_store/uploads/7/1/8/8/6/ar121907257868817.jpg" height="350" alt="Joey Aszterbaum" width="308" /><img src="http://activerain.com/image_store/uploads/6/2/9/3/0/ar121907262003926.jpg" height="350" alt="Joey & Heidi" width="260" /></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;"><a href="http://tomplant.com/"><strong><span style="font-size: 10pt; font-family: ">Murrieta Real Estate Expert – Tom Plant, REALTOR® - Coldwell Banker Residential Brokerage</span></strong></a><strong><span style="font-size: 10pt; font-family: "> <span> </span><span> </span><span> </span></span></strong></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;"><strong><span style="font-size: 10pt; font-family: ">Active Rain Ambassador <span> </span></span></strong><strong><span style="font-size: 10pt; font-family: "><span> </span>(951) 907-9701</span></strong></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;"><strong><span style="font-size: 10pt; font-family: ">It would be my honor to show you the incredible Temecula Valley, a place I’m very proud to call home.</span></strong></p>
<p><a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/MurrietaRealEstateBlogandMore-MeetTomPlant" rel="alternate" type="application/rss+xml"><img src="http://www.feedburner.com/fb/images/pub/feed-icon16x16.png" alt="" style="vertical-align:middle;border:0" /></a> <a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/MurrietaRealEstateBlogandMore-MeetTomPlant" rel="alternate" type="application/rss+xml">Subscribe in a reader</a></p>
<p> </p> It's Jason Crouch's Birthday - Deep In The Heart of Texashttp://activerain.com/blogsview/645536/It-s-Jason-Crouch2008-08-17T18:09:02ZTom Plant - Murrieta Real Estate Expert - Coldwell Banker Residential Brokerage (Coldwell Banker Residential Brokerage)
<p><img src="http://activerain.com/image_store/uploads/1/1/5/0/7/ar121897497970511.jpg" height="452" alt="Crouch" width="600" /></p>
<p> </p>
<p>It's a tough job being Active Rain's ambassador. I have to travel all over the country,meeting and spending time with wonderful people and eating fabulous food.</p>
<p><img src="http://activerain.com/image_store/uploads/2/0/9/7/2/ar121897508127902.jpg" height="350" alt="iron works bbq" width="301" /><img src="http://activerain.com/image_store/uploads/9/1/4/1/3/ar121897544331419.jpg" height="350" alt="gueros" width="301" /></p>
<p> </p>
<p>Laura and I arrived in <strong><a href="http://www.austintexas.org/" target="_blank">Austin</a> </strong>Friday afternoon. Austin is a vibrant city, filled with fun places to visit and delicious places to eat. <strong><a href="http://www.ironworksbbq.com/" target="_blank">Iron Works B-B-Q</a> </strong>caught our eye. We stopped for lunch and we weren't disappointed. We feasted on chicken, chopped beef, beans and potato salad. It was absolutely yummy!</p>
<p>We were in town for Laura's business, but more importantly to celebrate <a href="http://www.austintexashomes.com/" target="_blank"><strong>Jason Crouch</strong></a>'s 38th birthday! I met Jason in <a href="http://www.banderacowboycapital.com/" target="_blank"><strong>Bandera</strong></a> a few months back for yet another AR gathering.</p>
<h2 style="margin-top: 2px;"><a href="../../blogsview/466641/What-s-Tom-Plant" rel="bookmark">What's Tom Plant Doing On The Floor?</a></h2>
<p>Shortly after that visit, with a few nudges, Jason began to plan his birthday party/Active Rain gathering. And what an event it was! About sixty folks gathered at <strong><a href="http://www.countyline.com/comeseeus.asp#Austin%20(On%20the%20Lake)" target="_blank">County Line On The Lake</a>, </strong>an incredible barbeque restaurant overlooking Bull Creek in Austin. About half of the attendees were AR bloggers, including <strong><a href="http://www.brooksprimeproperties.com" target="_blank">Deb Brooks</a>, <a href="http://www.LizCarter.com" target="_blank">Liz Carter</a>, <a href="http://www.JudiMorgan.com" target="_blank">Judi Morgan</a>, <a href="http://www.TexasHorseAndHome.com" target="_blank">Tricia Jumonville</a>, <a href="http://www.rickieichlerrealestate.com" target="_blank">Ricki & Don Eichler</a>, <a href="http://www.Luxury-Homes-in-Austin.com" target="_blank">Sherry Scales</a> </strong>and a cast of thousands. We shared stories of what Active Rain has meant to us and what we look forward to down the road. The quote of the day came from the birthday boy who said during introductions "If you don't know who I am, you owe me $20 for lunch."</p>
<p>I am convinced lifelong friendships have been established in the rain, in addition to a multitude of business network connections. There's already talk of a Louisiana/Texas gathering. I'll have to contact my travel agent :-)</p>
<p> </p>
<p><img src="http://activerain.com/image_store/uploads/8/6/7/6/3/ar121901320636768.jpg" height="350" alt="county line" width="330" /><img src="http://activerain.com/image_store/uploads/6/6/7/8/5/ar121901325258766.jpg" height="263" alt="diet @ home" width="350" /><img src="http://activerain.com/image_store/uploads/6/4/7/8/9/ar121901330798746.jpg" height="263" alt="flag deck" width="350" /><img src="http://activerain.com/image_store/uploads/9/8/0/5/9/ar121901335095089.jpg" height="242" alt="no shirt" width="350" /><img src="http://activerain.com/image_store/uploads/1/7/0/5/0/ar121901357705071.jpg" height="187" alt="bbq" width="350" /><img src="http://activerain.com/image_store/uploads/8/4/1/1/6/ar121901401561148.jpg" height="350" alt="Deb Brooks & Liz Carter" width="341" /><img src="http://activerain.com/image_store/uploads/3/3/5/3/1/ar121901406213533.jpg" height="263" alt="group" width="350" /><img src="http://activerain.com/image_store/uploads/1/8/4/4/2/ar12190141324481.jpg" height="262" alt="flag cake" width="350" /><img src="http://activerain.com/image_store/uploads/2/2/4/7/7/ar121901433877422.jpg" height="198" alt="power rangers cake" width="350" /></p>
<p> </p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;"><a href="http://tomplant.com/"><strong><span style="font-size: 10pt; font-family: ">Murrieta Real Estate Expert – Tom Plant, REALTOR® - Coldwell Banker Residential Brokerage</span></strong></a><strong><span style="font-size: 10pt; font-family: "> <span> </span><span> </span><span> </span></span></strong></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;"><strong><span style="font-size: 10pt; font-family: ">Active Rain Ambassador <span> </span></span></strong><strong><span style="font-size: 10pt; font-family: "><span> </span>(951) 907-9701</span></strong></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;"><strong><span style="font-size: 10pt; font-family: ">It would be my honor to show you the incredible Temecula Valley, a place I’m very proud to call home.</span></strong></p>
<p> </p>
<p> </p>
<h2 style="margin-top: 2px;"><br /></h2>
<p><a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/MurrietaRealEstateBlogandMore-MeetTomPlant" rel="alternate" type="application/rss+xml"><img src="http://www.feedburner.com/fb/images/pub/feed-icon16x16.png" alt="" style="vertical-align:middle;border:0" /></a> <a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/MurrietaRealEstateBlogandMore-MeetTomPlant" rel="alternate" type="application/rss+xml">Subscribe in a reader</a></p>
<p> </p> Blog Action Day Is Coming - Together We Can Make A Differencehttp://activerain.com/blogsview/643546/Blog-Action-Day-Is2008-08-15T16:24:00ZTom Plant - Murrieta Real Estate Expert - Coldwell Banker Residential Brokerage (Coldwell Banker Residential Brokerage)
<p><img src="http://activerain.com/image_store/uploads/7/4/5/5/6/ar121883495365547.jpg" height="120" alt="Blog Action Day" width="600" /><strong><a href="http://QuinteRegionRealEstate.com" target="_blank"></a></strong></p>
<p> </p>
<p><strong><a href="http://QuinteRegionRealEstate.com" target="_blank">Jo-Anne Smith</a> </strong>introduced me to <strong><a href="http://blogactionday.org/" target="_blank">Blog Action Day</a> </strong>last year. The collective power bloggers have is even more staggering than it was last year. Blog Action Day is October 15th this year and the theme is fighting poverty.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>If you're wondering how you can help, there are several ways. For starters here are <strong><a href="http://www.ourdaytoendpoverty.com/" target="_blank">24 ways</a> </strong>you can make a difference. The Blog Action day site has a multitude of resources you can utilize to lend a hand. Will you make a difference this year? <a href="http://site.blogactionday.org/resources/what-can-1-person-do/" target="_blank"><strong>You can</strong></a>.</p>
<p> </p><object height="344" width="425"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/GzxtBWQvXAU&hl=en&fs=1"></param><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"></param><embed allowfullscreen="true" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" src="http://www.youtube.com/v/GzxtBWQvXAU&hl=en&fs=1" height="344" width="425"></embed></object>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;"><a href="http://tomplant.com/"><strong><span new roman times style="font-size: 10pt; font-family: ">Murrieta Real Estate Expert – Tom Plant, REALTOR® - Coldwell Banker Residential Brokerage</span></strong></a><strong><span new roman times style="font-size: 10pt; font-family: "> <span> </span><span> </span><span> </span></span></strong></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;"><strong><span new roman times style="font-size: 10pt; font-family: ">Active Rain Ambassador <span> </span></span></strong><strong><span new roman times style="font-size: 10pt; font-family: "><span> </span>(951) 907-9701</span></strong></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;"><strong><span new roman times style="font-size: 10pt; font-family: ">It would be my honor to show you the incredible Temecula Valley, a place I’m very proud to call home.</span></strong></p><a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/MurrietaRealEstateBlogandMore-MeetTomPlant" rel="alternate" type="application/rss+xml"><img src="http://www.feedburner.com/fb/images/pub/feed-icon16x16.png" alt="" style="vertical-align:middle;border:0" /></a> <a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/MurrietaRealEstateBlogandMore-MeetTomPlant" rel="alternate" type="application/rss+xml">Subscribe in a reader</a></p> Temecula's Mayor Pro Tem Chimes In - These Are The Good Old Days!http://activerain.com/blogsview/638244/Temecula-s-Mayor-Pro2008-08-12T16:26:01ZTom Plant - Murrieta Real Estate Expert - Coldwell Banker Residential Brokerage (Coldwell Banker Residential Brokerage)
<p><img src="http://activerain.com/image_store/uploads/6/2/7/3/6/ar121857598163726.jpg" height="250" alt="Maryann Edwards" width="200" /></p>
<p> </p>
<p>One of the most rewarding aspects of my time as a director for the board of the <strong><a href="http://srcar.org" target="_blank">Southwest Riverside County Association of REALTORS</a> </strong>was the networking opportunities and the people I met. One of the brightest is <a href="http://www.cityoftemecula.org/Temecula/Government/CouncilCommissions/CityCouncil/MaryannEdwards.htm" target="_blank"><strong>Maryann Edwards</strong></a>, mayor pro tem for the city of <strong><a href="http://www.cityoftemecula.org/temecula/" target="_blank">Temecula</a>. </strong>Maryann was kind enough to share her thoughts with me on:</p>
<p> </p>
<p align="left"><span lang="en-us"><span style="font-family: Verdana; font-size: x-small;">THE GOOD OLD DAYS ARE FINALLY HERE</span></span></p>
<p align="left"><span lang="en-us"><span style="font-family: Verdana; font-size: x-small;">As a kid growing up in tiny Cameron, Missouri (pop. 3672) where everyone knew everyone, if you did ANYTHING questionable, the entire town knew about it by 8am the next morning and you were publicly held accountable. Why? Because every resident kept a watchful eye on the kids and took action accordingly. Those were the good old days! </span></span></p>
<p align="left"><span lang="en-us"><span style="font-family: Verdana; font-size: x-small;">Today, some parents have abdicated responsibility for raising their children to everyone else – the school, teachers, neighbors, the city. When I was on the school board, a great TVHS teacher coined the phrase, “the danger hours” for those hours between 3pm and 6pm when kids are home alone and choose to get into mischief. </span></span></p>
<p align="left"><span lang="en-us"><span style="font-family: Verdana; font-size: x-small;">Some people say it is the city’s responsibility to “keep those kids busy” during the danger hours. Keep those kids busy? Know what we did for fun in 1970 in Cameron, Missouri? Played baseball at the grass lot behind Clara Marquis’s house, fished in Uncle Tommy’s pond, swam every summer day from 2-4pm at the one municipal pool in the one public park, and played Monopoly on my grandmother’s front porch while we waited for the ice cream man. Nobody got into trouble. Nobody was tempted to tag the school out of boredom. There was NOTHING to do, yet we were busy all the time and happy as clams. </span></span></p>
<p align="left"><span lang="en-us"><span style="font-family: Verdana; font-size: x-small;">I agree that kids need places to go and suitable activities to occupy their time. But I draw the line at blaming the city, school, teachers, or society for the actions of the few troublemakers who give all kids a bad wrap. It seems Governor Schwarzenegger agrees.</span></span></p>
<p align="left"><span lang="en-us"><span style="font-family: Verdana; font-size: x-small;">Finally, common sense prevails as the Governor has signed a new state law</span></span><span lang="en-us"> <span style="font-family: Verdana; color: #333333; font-size: x-small;">effective January 1, 2009 that will require graffiti vandals to clean up and repair the property they have tagged. In some cases, the sentence can include maintaining the site of the crime for a year</span></span><span lang="en-us"><span style="font-family: Verdana; color: #333333; font-size: x-small;"> – a very expensive proposition affecting both taggers and parents</span></span><span lang="en-us"><span style="font-family: Verdana; color: #333333; font-size: x-small;">. I’d also like to see the taggers wear a big old T-shirt with their name on the front and back in 6” high letters as they clean up their graffiti mess. But I’m sure that would</span></span><span lang="en-us"> <span style="font-family: Verdana; color: #333333; font-size: x-small;">somehow</span></span><span lang="en-us"> <span style="font-family: Verdana; color: #333333; font-size: x-small;">be</span></span><span lang="en-us"> <span style="font-family: Verdana; color: #333333; font-size: x-small;">considered</span></span><span lang="en-us"> <span style="font-family: Verdana; color: #333333; font-size: x-small;">unfair punishment</span></span><span lang="en-us"><span style="font-family: Verdana; color: #333333; font-size: x-small;">,</span></span><span lang="en-us"><span style="font-family: Verdana; color: #333333; font-size: x-small;"> so I’ll settle for the law as it stands, and be thankful.</span></span></p>
<p align="left"><span lang="en-us"><span style="font-family: Verdana; color: #333333; font-size: x-small;">It looks like the good old days have finally arrived.</span></span><span lang="en-us"><span style="font-family: Verdana; color: #333333; font-size: x-small;"> Isn’t it amazing that it took an action hero and a 2008 California state law to implement what the residents of tiny Cameron, Missouri have been practicing for over 100 years – holding kids accountable for their actions? </span></span></p>
<p align="left"><span lang="en-us"><span style="font-family: Verdana; color: #333333; font-size: x-small;">Maryann Edwards is Temecula’s Mayor Pro Tem, Vice President of Mission Oaks National Bank, a wife</span></span><span lang="en-us"><span style="font-family: Verdana; color: #333333; font-size: x-small;"> of 31 years</span></span><span lang="en-us"><span style="font-family: Verdana; color: #333333; font-size: x-small;">, and</span></span><span lang="en-us"> <span style="font-family: Verdana; color: #333333; font-size: x-small;">the</span></span><span lang="en-us"> <span style="font-family: Verdana; color: #333333; font-size: x-small;">mother of three.</span></span></p>
<p align="left"> </p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><a href="http://tomplant.com/"><strong>Murrieta Real Estate Expert – Tom Plant, REALTOR® - Coldwell Banker Residential Brokerage</strong></a> – <strong><span style="color: #e36c0a;">Active Rain Ambassador</span></strong><span style="color: #e36c0a;"> <span> </span></span><strong><span style="text-decoration: underline;">(951) 907-9701</span></strong></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">It would be my honor to show you the incredible Temecula Valley, a place I’m very proud to call home.</p>
<p class="MsoNormal"> </p><p><a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/MurrietaRealEstateBlogandMore-MeetTomPlant" rel="alternate" type="application/rss+xml"><img src="http://www.feedburner.com/fb/images/pub/feed-icon16x16.png" alt="" style="vertical-align:middle;border:0" /></a> <a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/MurrietaRealEstateBlogandMore-MeetTomPlant" rel="alternate" type="application/rss+xml">Subscribe in a reader</a></p> Paso Robles - Absolutely My Favorite Wine Destinationhttp://activerain.com/blogsview/628163/Paso-Robles-Absolutely-My2008-08-07T15:33:37ZTom Plant - Murrieta Real Estate Expert - Coldwell Banker Residential Brokerage (Coldwell Banker Residential Brokerage)
<p><img src="http://activerain.com/image_store/uploads/1/5/2/4/5/ar121806789654251.jpg" height="262" alt="Calcareous" width="600" /></p>
<p> </p>
<p>This is one of the views from <strong><a href="http://www.calcareous.com/" target="_blank">Calcareous Winery</a> </strong>on Peachy Canyon Road in <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Paso_Robles,_California" target="_blank"><strong>Paso Robles</strong></a>. It's one of the reasons Laura and I love the area so much. In fact, we've visited there three times in the past two months.</p>
<p> </p>
<p><img src="http://activerain.com/image_store/uploads/1/9/6/9/8/ar121806887689691.jpg" height="350" alt="grapes" width="238" /><img src="http://activerain.com/image_store/uploads/9/5/2/6/8/ar121806892086259.jpg" height="266" alt="grapes 2" width="350" /></p>
<p> </p>
<p>Paso Robles has a rich history. Jesse James went there to visit relatives and recover from a gunshot wound in the city's mineral baths. Today, wine dominates the area. In fact the number of area wineries doubled between 1993 and 2002. There are well over 100 wineries there now.</p>
<p>When we arrived Friday July 25, we were treated to an unexpected surprise. The <a href="http://www.midstatefair.com/" target="_blank"><strong>California Mid State Fair</strong></a> was underway and from across the street we were able to hear Steely Dan performing live!</p>
<p> </p>
<p><img src="http://activerain.com/image_store/uploads/1/0/9/3/4/ar121813727343901.jpg" height="318" alt="mid state fair" width="246" /></p>
<p> </p>
<p>Saturday was devoted to sight seeing and wine tasting. We began the day at <a href="http://www.tobinjames.com/" target="_blank"><strong>Tobin James Winery</strong></a>, which is quickly becoming a favorite of ours. We met Tim and we knew we had made a friend.</p>
<p> </p>
<p><img src="http://activerain.com/image_store/uploads/8/4/2/2/6/ar12181374862248.jpg" height="350" alt="Tobin James Tim" width="234" /><img src="http://activerain.com/image_store/uploads/2/2/8/6/6/ar121813752766822.jpg" height="350" alt="Tobin James Tim 2" width="347" /><img src="http://activerain.com/image_store/uploads/2/7/7/4/7/ar121813757674772.jpg" height="300" alt="Tobin James" width="450" /></p>
<p> </p>
<p>I love Zinfandel and Laura loves sparkling wine, and the ones from Tobin James are excellent. While on Hiway 46 East, we also visited <a href="http://www.chumeiavineyards.com/chumeia/index.jsp" target="_blank"><strong>Chumeia</strong></a>, <strong><a href="http://www.derbywineestates.com/" target="_blank">Derby Wine Estates</a> </strong>(formerly Laura's Vineyard!), <strong><a href="http://www.meridianvineyards.com/meridian/index.jsp" target="_blank">Meridian</a> </strong>and <a href="http://www.eosvintage.com/" target="_blank"><strong>EOS</strong></a>.</p>
<p>After lunch we headed west on Hiway 46 to Vineyard Drive. We wound up heading down some dirt roads, but the payoff was worth it!</p>
<p> </p>
<p><img src="http://activerain.com/image_store/uploads/2/5/6/6/7/ar121813817676652.jpg" height="319" alt="l'aventure" width="304" /></p>
<p> </p>
<p>We had been told that <strong><a href="http://www.fratelliperata.com/" target="_blank">Fratelli Perata</a> </strong>was definitely a place to visit, and are we ever glad we went! Carol Perata runs the tasting room, is a wonderful host and poured us some of the best wines we have ever tasted. It's a very intimate room, with a wonderful mural on the wall that shows their homeland and their family.</p>
<p> </p>
<p><img src="http://activerain.com/image_store/uploads/6/7/0/1/7/ar121813843171076.jpg" height="350" alt="Carol Perata" width="238" /><img src="http://activerain.com/image_store/uploads/8/9/6/8/6/ar121813846268698.jpg" height="238" alt="fratelli perata" width="350" /></p>
<p> </p>
<p>Right down the road was <a href="http://www.aventurewine.com/docs/home.php" target="_blank"><strong>L'Aventure</strong></a>, a boutique winery that produces a small amount of excellent wine. We wanted to return to <a href="http://www.carmodymcknight.com/" target="_blank"><strong>Carmody McKnight</strong></a> and we were fortunate once more to have winemaker Greg Cropper there to meet us. We also had the pleasure of meeting <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Marian_McKnight" target="_blank"><strong>Marian McKnight</strong></a>, the 1957 Miss America and co-owner of the winery.</p>
<p> </p>
<p><img src="http://activerain.com/image_store/uploads/4/5/4/0/2/ar121813877420454.jpg" height="350" alt="Marian McKnight" width="238" /></p>
<p> </p>
<p>We returned again last weekend and got way off the beaten track. Our adventures took us to <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Templeton,_California" target="_blank"><strong>Templeton</strong></a>, where we visited <a href="http://www.bellalunawine.com/" target="_blank"><strong>Bella Luna Winery</strong></a>. On the way there while taking a detour, we ran across the most unusual planter I have ever seen.</p>
<p> </p>
<p><img src="http://activerain.com/image_store/uploads/8/6/4/2/0/ar121813902802468.jpg" height="266" alt="Jaguar planter" width="350" /></p>
<p> </p>
<p>Yes, that's a Jaguar. The words "Slow Down!" are underneath the rear bumper. I had heard <strong><a href="http://www.turleywinecellars.com/" target="_blank">Turley</a> </strong>produces an excellent Zinfandel, so off we went. Again, we were not disappointed.</p>
<p> </p>
<p><img src="http://activerain.com/image_store/uploads/3/8/8/0/3/ar121813921130883.jpg" height="350" alt="Turley" width="263" /></p>
<p> </p>
<p>Another place that came highly recommended was <strong>Dunning Vineyards</strong>. Bob Dunning was there to greet us and we sampled his hand crafted Rhone style wines.</p>
<p> </p>
<p><img src="http://activerain.com/image_store/uploads/9/1/6/5/9/ar121813934995619.jpg" height="266" alt="Bob Dunning" width="350" /></p>
<p> </p>
<p>We were nearing the end of our journey. A wrong turn took us to <a href="http://www.jackcreekfarms.com/" target="_blank"><strong>Jack Creek Farms</strong></a>, Where we had cider slushies and a taste of homemade fudge. Yummy!</p>
<p> </p>
<p><img src="http://activerain.com/image_store/uploads/9/3/7/5/7/ar121813950475739.jpg" height="266" alt="Jack Creek" width="350" /></p>
<p> </p>
<p>Just a few more stops to make... we turned left on Vineyard Drive and stopped by <a href="http://www.fourvines.com/" target="_blank"><strong>Four Vines</strong></a>, producer of one of the best Petite Syrahs I have tasted.</p>
<p> </p>
<p><img src="http://activerain.com/image_store/uploads/1/8/5/2/4/ar121813968742581.jpg" height="350" alt="four vines" width="294" /><img src="http://activerain.com/image_store/uploads/1/4/6/4/1/ar121813987914641.jpg" height="266" alt="zin dude" width="350" /><img src="http://activerain.com/image_store/uploads/1/7/4/4/2/ar121814004224471.jpg" height="350" alt="signs" width="253" /><img src="http://activerain.com/image_store/uploads/2/1/6/0/4/ar12181400740612.jpg" height="230" alt="wipe yer boots" width="350" /></p>
<p> </p>
<p>Just up the driveway from Four Vines, we discovered <strong><a href="http://www.zinalley.com/" target="_blank">Zin Alley</a> </strong>and met owner and winemaker Frank Nerelli. Frank makes one of the tastiest Zinfandels I have ever tried as well as a delicious Zinfandel Port. From there, we were off to Peachy Canyon Road. Peachy Canyon is a beautiful road that winds through the hills of Paso Robles. We thought we'd never get there, but we arrived at <a href="http://www.minassianyoung.com/" target="_blank"><strong>Minassian-Young</strong></a>. Up on a hillside with a lovely breeze, we enjoyed a few more fine wines. We were told that on our way to Calcareous, we should first stop across the street for a visit to <a href="http://www.nadeaufamilyvintners.com/wine.html" target="_blank"><strong>Nadeau</strong></a>. They have some top shelf wines on display in their tasting room.</p>
<p> </p>
<p><img src="http://activerain.com/image_store/uploads/4/2/2/9/3/ar121814063139224.jpg" height="266" alt="Nadeau" width="350" /><img src="http://activerain.com/image_store/uploads/5/8/6/0/5/ar1218140850685.jpg" height="350" alt="Nadeau 2" width="266" /></p>
<p> </p>
<p>Their wines were also excellent, and with that visit finished, we had one last stop. There's a picture of the view from Calcareous at the top of this post. They are in the process of building a new tasting room and event center which should open soon. This was a great way to finish off our trip. The scenery was gorgeous and the wine fantastic. In case you're wondering, we took a few bottles home.</p>
<p> </p>
<p><img src="http://activerain.com/image_store/uploads/1/4/0/2/1/ar121814080412041.jpg" height="266" alt="loot" width="350" /></p>
<p> </p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><a href="http://tomplant.com/"><strong>Murrieta Real Estate Expert – Tom Plant, REALTOR® - Coldwell Banker Residential Brokerage</strong></a> – <strong><span style="color: #e36c0a;">Active Rain Ambassador</span></strong><span style="color: #e36c0a;"> <span> </span></span><strong><span style="text-decoration: underline;">(951) 907-9701</span></strong></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">It would be my honor to show you the incredible Temecula Valley, a place I’m very proud to call home.</p>
<p> </p>
<p> </p>
<p> </p>
<p> </p>
<p> </p>
<p><a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/MurrietaRealEstateBlogandMore-MeetTomPlant" rel="alternate" type="application/rss+xml"><img src="http://www.feedburner.com/fb/images/pub/feed-icon16x16.png" alt="" style="vertical-align:middle;border:0" /></a> <a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/MurrietaRealEstateBlogandMore-MeetTomPlant" rel="alternate" type="application/rss+xml">Subscribe in a reader</a></p> Day One - RE Connect SFhttp://activerain.com/blogsview/607136/Day-One-RE-Connect2008-07-24T15:29:37ZTom Plant - Murrieta Real Estate Expert - Coldwell Banker Residential Brokerage (Coldwell Banker Residential Brokerage)
<p><img src="http://activerain.com/image_store/uploads/3/2/6/8/2/ar121690869228623.jpg" height="100" alt="RE Connect" width="600" /></p>
<p> </p>
<p>Permit me to <span style="text-decoration: line-through;">quote</span> paraphrase Bob Stewart. "If you don't attend Real Estate Connect, you are crazy." That was the gist of what he wrote in a post following the Connect conference this past January in New York.</p>
<p>The past two days have been a blur, so this will be a very brief post mostly filled with pictures. <strong><a href="http://www.inman.com/events/real-estate-connect-san-francisco-2008/bloggers-connect" target="_blank">Blogger's Connect</a></strong> kicked off the day yesterday and from 9 to 2:45 we were treated to excellent advice from the best of the best. Linda Davis gets the quote of the day as far as Jeff Turner, I and many others are concerned: "If you have a crappy business, a blog won't help."</p>
<p>I had lunch and a very nice visit with Jeff Dowler. At 2:00, Rich Jacobson and Brad Andersohn announced the winners of the Makeover 2 Takeover contest. Congratulations to Brian Block and Desiree Daniels!</p>
<p> </p>
<p><img src="http://activerain.com/image_store/uploads/1/4/8/2/4/ar121690920242841.jpg" height="300" alt="makeover 2 takeover" width="400" /></p>
<p> </p>
<p> </p>
<p>Brad Inman kicked off the general session at 3:00. Carter Murdoch from Bank of America joined him, followed by Craig Newmark of Craig's list (now getting 12 Billion! hits monthly). Dustin Luther from <strong><a href="http://4realz.net" target="_blank">4realz.net</a></strong> offered 50 technologies that will change your business. A six person panel capped off the afternoon with a gloomy Bear vs. Bull debate.</p>
<p>The cocktail party started at 5:00. At 6:00, a large number of us went to <strong><a href="http://trulia.com" target="_blank">Trulia</a> </strong>headquarters for their <em>House Party</em>. Matt Heaton even donned the Trulia suit!</p>
<p> </p>
<p><img src="http://activerain.com/image_store/uploads/5/7/9/8/1/ar121690952218975.jpg" height="300" alt="matt trulia" width="400" /></p>
<p> </p>
<p>From there it was off to the penthouse at the <strong><a href="http://jdvhotels1-px.trvlclick.com/adagio" target="_blank">Adagio</a> </strong>for the Active Rain party. It was a blast, and as I have to run for the start of today's events, here are some more photos.</p>
<p> </p>
<p><img src="http://activerain.com/image_store/uploads/4/8/0/4/3/ar121690972434084.jpg" height="300" alt="linda davis, laurie manny, teresa boardman " width="400" /><img src="http://activerain.com/image_store/uploads/6/8/1/3/6/ar121690978763186.jpg" height="300" alt="desiree daniels, missy caulk" width="400" /><img src="http://activerain.com/image_store/uploads/6/4/1/3/3/ar121690983533146.jpg" height="300" alt="jeff dowler" width="400" /><img src="http://activerain.com/image_store/uploads/5/1/8/2/5/ar121690987852815.jpg" height="300" alt="ardell" width="400" /><img src="http://activerain.com/image_store/uploads/3/8/4/1/1/ar121690992511483.jpg" height="300" alt="lane bailey, desiree daniels" width="400" /><img src="http://activerain.com/image_store/uploads/7/1/4/5/8/ar121690998785417.jpg" height="300" alt="brad & bobby carroll" width="400" /><img src="http://activerain.com/image_store/uploads/5/6/1/0/1/ar12169100410165.jpg" height="300" alt="brad andersohn, brian block" width="400" /><img src="http://activerain.com/image_store/uploads/6/4/8/1/2/ar121691009921846.jpg" height="300" alt="brad's back" width="400" /><img src="http://activerain.com/image_store/uploads/2/5/8/6/9/ar121691014296852.jpg" height="300" alt="missy caulk, shannon lefevre" width="400" /></p>
<p> </p>
<p>More to follow. Check tomplant on <strong><a href="http://twitter.com" target="_blank">twitter</a> </strong>for updates.</p>
<p><strong>Edit: </strong>posted this in a <em>big </em>hurry this morning, no time to edit photos - here's an email I received: "With all due respect, you need a camera or a lesson in photog."</p>
<p>Oh well, I guess I should just hang it up, eh?</p>
<p><a href="http://tomplant.com/"><strong>Murrieta Real Estate Expert - Tom Plant, REALTOR® - Coldwell Banker Residential Brokerage</strong></a><strong> Active Rain Ambassador (951) 907-9701</strong></p>
<p><strong>It would be my honor to show you the incredible Temecula Valley, a place I'm very proud to call home.</strong></p>
<p> </p>
<p> </p>
<p><a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/MurrietaRealEstateBlogandMore-MeetTomPlant" rel="alternate" type="application/rss+xml"><img src="http://www.feedburner.com/fb/images/pub/feed-icon16x16.png" alt="" style="vertical-align:middle;border:0" /></a> <a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/MurrietaRealEstateBlogandMore-MeetTomPlant" rel="alternate" type="application/rss+xml">Subscribe in a reader</a></p> San Francisco, Open Your Golden Gate!http://activerain.com/blogsview/605176/San-Francisco-Open-Your2008-07-22T23:11:00ZTom Plant - Murrieta Real Estate Expert - Coldwell Banker Residential Brokerage (Coldwell Banker Residential Brokerage)
<p>It's been a <em>full </em>day. Up at 5, finished writing an offer, packed, stopped at the office and hit the road for San Francisco for <a href="http://www.inman.com/news/2008/07/22/5-ways-connect-real-estate-connect" target="_blank"><strong>Real Estate Connect</strong></a>. I left home at 10:30 and by 5:00 I was looking at the Golden Gate Bridge to my right and downtown San Francisco to my left. I checked into the <a href="http://www.hotel480.com/" target="_blank"><strong>Hotel 480</strong></a>, jumped into a cab and took off for <a href="http://zillow.com" target="_blank"><strong>Zillow</strong></a>'s now legendary <a href="http://www.inman.com/blog/2008/07/15/beer-with-bloggers-to-kick-bloggers-connect-again" target="_blank"><strong>Beer With Bloggers</strong></a>.</p>
<p> </p>
<p><img src="http://activerain.com/image_store/uploads/9/2/9/8/7/ar121678522978929.jpg" height="301" alt="dafe du nord" width="400" /><img src="http://activerain.com/image_store/uploads/8/5/0/7/4/ar121678527647058.jpg" height="313" alt="bwb" width="400" /></p>
<p> </p>
<p>Describe the gathering? OK... it was jam-packed, hot, loud and... fun! There's no way I can name everyone I ran into, but here's a partial list:</p>
<p>Brain Block, Desiree Daniels, Jeff Turner, Bobby Carroll, Missy Caulk (and daughter), Linda "Carnac" Davis, Kim Wood, Ginger Wilcox, Bob Stewart, Matt Heaton, Rich Jacobsen and oh so many more. Day 1 of RE Connect gets underway bright and early tomorrow. Much, much more to follow.</p>
<p> </p>
<p><img src="http://activerain.com/image_store/uploads/6/2/2/9/6/ar121678572169226.jpg" height="301" alt="brian block" width="400" /><img src="http://activerain.com/image_store/uploads/4/4/2/1/2/ar121678576721244.jpg" height="304" alt="rich jacobson" width="400" /><img src="http://activerain.com/image_store/uploads/7/7/4/1/2/ar121678580621477.jpg" height="302" alt="tom plant & missy caulk" width="400" /></p>
<p> </p>
<p>A big tip of my cap to the folks at Zillow for throwing yet another great party!</p>
<p> </p>
<p><img src="http://activerain.com/image_store/uploads/2/0/9/6/6/ar121678604466902.jpg" height="452" alt="zillow cap" width="600" /></p>
<p> </p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;"><a href="http://tomplant.com/"><strong><span roman new times style="font-size: 10pt; font-family: ">Murrieta Real Estate Expert – Tom Plant, REALTOR® - Coldwell Banker Residential Brokerage</span></strong></a><strong><span roman new times style="font-size: 10pt; font-family: "> <span> </span>– <span> </span><span style="color: #ff3300;">Active Rain Ambassador <span> </span></span><span> </span>(951) 907-9701</span></strong></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;"><strong><span roman new times style="font-size: 10pt; font-family: ">It would be my honor to show you the incredible Temecula Valley, a place I’m very proud to call home.</span></strong></p><a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/MurrietaRealEstateBlogandMore-MeetTomPlant" rel="alternate" type="application/rss+xml"><img src="http://www.feedburner.com/fb/images/pub/feed-icon16x16.png" alt="" style="vertical-align:middle;border:0" /></a> <a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/MurrietaRealEstateBlogandMore-MeetTomPlant" rel="alternate" type="application/rss+xml">Subscribe in a reader</a> Fine Dining In Murrieta - Anthony's Ristorante & Lounge Is Openhttp://activerain.com/blogsview/601788/Fine-Dining-In-Murrieta2008-07-20T18:46:34ZTom Plant - Murrieta Real Estate Expert - Coldwell Banker Residential Brokerage (Coldwell Banker Residential Brokerage)
<p><img src="http://activerain.com/image_store/uploads/5/3/1/5/0/ar121659639205135.jpg" height="450" alt="front" width="600" /></p>
<p> </p>
<p><img src="http://activerain.com/image_store/uploads/3/6/8/3/7/ar121659644173863.jpg" height="559" alt="awning" width="600" /></p>
<p> </p>
<p>The long wait is finally over. Tony and Joan have opened to doors to <strong>Anthony's Lounge & Ristorante </strong>in <strong><a href="http://www.nctimes.com/articles/2004/04/19/news/californian/4_18_0420_49_27.txt" target="_blank">Old Town Murrieta</a></strong>. Anthony's Ristorante has been a fixture in Temecula for years offering consistenly excellent Italian food. After months and months of remodeling, Tony opened the doors for a <em>soft opening </em>last Tuesday night.</p>
<p> </p>
<p><img src="http://activerain.com/image_store/uploads/6/1/0/3/7/ar121659683273016.jpg" height="400" alt="Tony & Laura" width="300" /><img src="http://activerain.com/image_store/uploads/1/9/9/8/8/ar121659687088991.jpg" height="300" alt="dining room" width="400" /></p>
<p> </p>
<p>Laura and I dropped in for dinner on Wednesday, and we were delighted with how the restaurant looked and how good the food tasted. We shared a garlicky spinach salad with cranberries. I had poached salmon with a dijon, capers and lemon sauce and Laura enjoyed linguine with clams. We look forward to many return visits!</p>
<p> </p>
<p><img src="http://activerain.com/image_store/uploads/8/4/9/4/6/ar121659724364948.jpg" height="400" alt="lisa bryant 1" width="300" /><img src="http://activerain.com/image_store/uploads/1/8/8/2/7/ar1216597272881.jpg" height="300" alt="Lisa Bryant 2" width="400" /></p>
<p> </p>
<p>We were also fortunate enough to find <strong><a href="http://www.bryantfaux4u.com" target="_blank">Lisa Bryant</a> </strong>putting the finishing touches on her mural. She told me she has now finished, so we'll look forward to seeing the final work when we come back.</p>
<p> </p>
<p> </p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;"><a href="http://tomplant.com/"><strong><span roman new times style="font-size: 10pt; font-family: ">Murrieta Real Estate Expert – Tom Plant, REALTOR® - Coldwell Banker Residential Brokerage</span></strong></a><strong><span roman new times style="font-size: 10pt; font-family: "> <span> </span>– <span> </span><span style="color: #ff3300;">Active Rain Ambassador <span> </span></span><span> </span>(951) 907-9701</span></strong></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;"><strong><span roman new times style="font-size: 10pt; font-family: ">It would be my honor to show you the incredible Temecula Valley, a place I’m very proud to call home.</span></strong></p>
<p> </p>
<p> </p><a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/MurrietaRealEstateBlogandMore-MeetTomPlant" rel="alternate" type="application/rss+xml"><img src="http://www.feedburner.com/fb/images/pub/feed-icon16x16.png" alt="" style="vertical-align:middle;border:0" /></a> <a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/MurrietaRealEstateBlogandMore-MeetTomPlant" rel="alternate" type="application/rss+xml">Subscribe in a reader</a></p> Real Estate Connect Is Next Week - Will You Leave Your Heart In San Francisco?http://activerain.com/blogsview/596199/Real-Estate-Connect-Is2008-07-16T16:26:23ZTom Plant - Murrieta Real Estate Expert - Coldwell Banker Residential Brokerage (Coldwell Banker Residential Brokerage)
<p><img src="http://activerain.com/image_store/uploads/2/4/6/0/0/ar121624225700642.jpg" height="100" alt="" width="600" /></p>
<p> </p>
<p>I've been a longtime fan of <a href="http://www.inman.com/events/real-estate-connect-san-francisco-2008" target="_blank"><strong>Real Estate Connect</strong></a>. When I attended my first <em>Connect</em> it was called <em>Inman Connect</em>. <strong><a href="http://www.realestatewiki.com/wiki_content/Bradley_Inman_cat41376516_cid70679424.htm" target="_blank">Brad Inman</a> </strong>is the publisher of <a href="http://www.inman.com/" target="_blank"><strong>Inman News</strong></a>, perhaps the premier real estate website. Next week hordes of us will descend on San Francisco in droves for nearly a week of networking and learning the latest and greatest in the world of real estate and related technology.</p>
<p>This will be my 5th Connect, having attended two in New York and two in San Francisco. The entire <strong><a href="http://activerain.com" target="_blank">Active Rain</a> </strong>contingent will be in attendance from Seattle, and literally dozens of AR bloggers including yours truly will be there, too. To get a better handle on what you can look forward to, check out <strong><a href="http://REnetBLOG.com" target="_blank">Brad Anderson's</a> </strong>post:</p>
<p> </p>
<h2 style="margin-top: 2px;"><a href="../../blogsview/593425/The-Official-ActiveRain-Gathering" rel="bookmark">The Official ActiveRain Gathering at RE Connect - San Francisco</a></h2>
<h2 style="margin-top: 2px;"><br /></h2>
<h2 style="margin-top: 2px;"></h2>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;"><a href="http://tomplant.com/"><strong><span new roman times style="font-size: 10pt; font-family: ">Murrieta Real Estate Expert – Tom Plant, REALTOR® - Coldwell Banker Residential Brokerage</span></strong></a><strong><span new roman times style="font-size: 10pt; font-family: "> – <span style="color: #ff3300;">Active Rain Ambassador </span>– (951) 907-9701</span></strong></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;"><strong><span new roman times style="font-size: 10pt; font-family: ">It would be my honor to show you the incredible Temecula Valley, a place I’m very proud to call home.</span></strong></p>
<p> </p>
<p> </p><a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/MurrietaRealEstateBlogandMore-MeetTomPlant" rel="alternate" type="application/rss+xml"><img src="http://www.feedburner.com/fb/images/pub/feed-icon16x16.png" alt="" style="vertical-align:middle;border:0" /></a> <a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/MurrietaRealEstateBlogandMore-MeetTomPlant" rel="alternate" type="application/rss+xml">Subscribe in a reader</a></p> Suite Dreams... Teller Speaks!... Captain Phil!! & More!!! - Only In Las Vegashttp://activerain.com/blogsview/592334/Suite-Dreams-Teller-Speaks2008-07-14T19:15:49ZTom Plant - Murrieta Real Estate Expert - Coldwell Banker Residential Brokerage (Coldwell Banker Residential Brokerage)
<p><img src="http://activerain.com/image_store/uploads/1/8/3/1/0/ar121607231201381.jpg" height="132" alt="chapel" width="800" /></p>
<p> </p>
<p>No, we didn't get married. I just wanted to see if you were paying attention.</p>
<p> </p>
<p><img src="http://activerain.com/image_store/uploads/2/8/9/8/9/ar121607185898982.JPG" height="212" alt="cosmoprof" width="318" /></p>
<p> </p>
<p>We arrived in Las Vegas Saturday afternoon for <strong><a href="http://cosmoprof.com" target="_blank">Cosmoprof</a></strong>, where Laura had a booth to display her line of <a href="http://www.mccoyfootcare.com/" target="_blank"><strong>McCoy Foot Care</strong></a> products. After setting up her booth, we checked into the <strong><a href="http://www.luxor.com/?CMP=KNC-Google-Luxor_Corp" target="_blank">Luxor</a></strong>. To be completely honest, our first impression was less than favorable. I spent 15 minutes waiting for someone to help me with our luggage. When I went to find Laura, she was still waiting in the check-in line. We mentioned our experience hadn't been so great and asked to speak with a manager. After explaining the situation, she apologized and upgraded us to a suite. You ought to see this room!</p>
<p> </p>
<p><img src="http://activerain.com/image_store/uploads/4/8/5/5/7/ar12160793275584.JPG" height="212" alt="suite 1" width="282" /><img src="http://activerain.com/image_store/uploads/6/3/2/3/5/ar121607940553236.JPG" height="212" alt="suite 2" width="282" /></p>
<p> </p>
<p><img src="http://activerain.com/image_store/uploads/7/3/9/2/0/ar121607236902937.jpg" height="457" alt="mandalay luxor" width="600" /></p>
<p> </p>
<p>After getting settled in, we headed over to the <strong><a href="https://www.harrahs.com/casinos/rio/hotel-casino/property-home.shtml" target="_blank">Rio</a></strong>,had a fabulous dinner at <strong><a href="http://www.10best.com/Las_Vegas/Restaurants/Italian/Antonio%7Cs_Las_Vegas_NV_BID_12695/" target="_blank">Antonio's</a> </strong>and went to see <strong><a href="http://www.pennandteller.com/" target="_blank">Penn & Teller</a></strong>. This was my second time to see them and I was no less impressed than I was the first time. They are simply beyond belief. They head to the lobby to greet the audience after each show. We met Teller, who actually spoke to us (if you're not familiar with their act he never opens his mouth). We then met Penn. I asked him if he would sign the name of their <strong><a href="http://www.sho.com/site/ptbs/home.do" target="_blank">Showtime series</a> </strong>on my ticket and he did so gladly. What a fun evening!</p>
<p> </p>
<p><img src="http://activerain.com/image_store/uploads/2/6/7/5/8/ar121607275485762.jpg" height="400" alt="bullshit!" width="323" /></p>
<p> </p>
<p>We spent all day Sunday at Cosmoprof which was held in the convention center at <strong><a href="http://www.mandalaybay.com/?CMP=KNC-Google-Mandalay_Corp" target="_blank">Mandalay Bay</a></strong>. We dined at <strong><a href="http://las-vegas-hotels.tripadvisor.com/Restaurant_Review-g45963-d422742-Reviews-Shanghai_Lilly-Las_Vegas_Nevada.html" target="_blank">Shanghai Lilly</a> </strong>at Mandalay Bay and headed back to the Luxor. As we were walking towards the elevator, my friend Luis and I turned to each other. I said "that guy looked just like Captain Phil." Luis replied "that <em>was</em> Captain Phil!" He and his companion had already turned the corner and were headed for the lobby and I called out "hey Phil!" It was indeed <strong><a href="http://www.deadliest-catch-wiki.discovery.com/page/Phil+Harris?t=anon" target="_blank">Captain Phil Harris</a> </strong>of <strong><a href="http://dsc.discovery.com/fansites/deadliestcatch/deadliestcatch.html" target="_blank">Deadliest Catch</a> </strong>fame. We said hello, he shook our hands and we moved on. He seems to be a very nice, mellow guy when he's away from the stress of the Bering Sea.</p>
<p> </p>
<p><img src="http://activerain.com/image_store/uploads/3/4/0/1/2/ar121608063421043.jpg" height="252" alt="Captain Phil" width="383" /></p>
<p> </p>
<p>We head home tomorrow. Life continues to be anything but dull!</p>
<p><strong>EDIT: </strong>I can't believe I left the blue haired girls out!</p>
<p> </p>
<p><img src="http://activerain.com/image_store/uploads/5/3/7/4/8/ar12160979284735.jpg" height="305" alt="blue haired girls" width="600" /></p>
<p> </p>
<p>
<p><strong></strong></p>
</p>
<p><a href="http://tomplant.com/"><strong>Murrieta Real Estate Expert - Tom Plant, REALTOR® - Coldwell Banker Residential Brokerage</strong></a><strong> - Active Rain Ambassador - (951) 907-9701</strong></p>
<p><strong>It would be my honor to show you the incredible Temecula Valley, a place I'm very proud to call home.</strong></p>
<p> </p>
<p> </p>
<p><a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/MurrietaRealEstateBlogandMore-MeetTomPlant" rel="alternate" type="application/rss+xml"><img src="http://www.feedburner.com/fb/images/pub/feed-icon16x16.png" alt="" style="vertical-align:middle;border:0" /></a> <a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/MurrietaRealEstateBlogandMore-MeetTomPlant" rel="alternate" type="application/rss+xml">Subscribe in a reader</a></p> Off The Beaten Track - An Afternoon In The Temecula Valley Wine Country (LOCALISM FEATURED)http://activerain.com/blogsview/582008/Off-The-Beaten-Track2008-07-07T19:54:09ZTom Plant - Murrieta Real Estate Expert - Coldwell Banker Residential Brokerage (Coldwell Banker Residential Brokerage)
<p><img src="http://activerain.com/image_store/uploads/8/2/6/2/7/ar121545555772628.jpg" height="431" alt="Palumbo grapes" width="632" /></p>
<p> </p>
<p>My idea of a perfect afternoon is a visit to the <strong><a href="http://www.temeculawines.org/" target="_blank">Temecula Valley Wine Country</a>. </strong>Yesterday afternoon, Laura and I headed south on Margarita Road and took a left on Rancho California. Our first stop wasn't at a winery, it was at the <em>fabulous </em><a href="http://www.baronsmarketplace.com/" target="_blank"><strong>Baron's Market</strong></a>. Baron's is located at the gateway to the wine country. It's really a beautiful place with fresh breads, homemade soups, an amazing olive bar, beautiful produce and a fantastic selection of wine and beer.</p>
<p>The first winery we visited was <strong>Maurice Car'rie</strong>. I told Laura how delicious their Pineapple Champagne was, but she didn't believe me until she tasted it for herself. Yummmmm!</p>
<p>O<img src="http://activerain.com/image_store/uploads/9/1/0/8/2/ar121545623128019.jpg" height="500" alt="wineries" width="221" style="vertical-align: middle;" /><img src="http://activerain.com/image_store/uploads/2/2/4/0/7/ar121545654970422.jpg" height="428" alt="Maurice Car'rie 1" width="291" /><img src="http://activerain.com/image_store/uploads/3/3/7/6/8/ar121545659386733.jpg" height="291" alt="Maurice Car'rie 2" width="428" /></p>
<p> </p>
<p>From there we visited <a href="http://www.lacerezawinery.com/lacereza/index.jsp" target="_blank"><strong>La Cereza</strong></a>, enjoyed their Pinot Grigio and Raspberry Champagne and had a nice visit with Tracey behind the wine bar. La Cereza gives back to the community and you can see their focus with wines like <em>Michelle's Place HOPE </em>& <em>Miracles Happen</em>, with proceeds going to the local breast cancer resource center <a href="http://www.michellesplace.org/" target="_blank"><strong>Michelle's Place</strong></a>.</p>
<p> </p>
<p><img src="http://activerain.com/image_store/uploads/4/3/9/8/9/ar121545743598934.jpg" height="223" alt="La Cereza 1" width="328" /><img src="http://activerain.com/image_store/uploads/4/2/2/1/0/ar12154575101224.jpg" height="223" alt="La Cereza 2" width="328" /></p>
<p> </p>
<p>This was a fun day for me because I got to show Laura a lot of places she had never seen. <strong><a href="http://www.thecastlebandb.com/" target="_blank">The Castle</a> </strong>is a sight to behold.</p>
<p> </p>
<p><img src="http://activerain.com/image_store/uploads/5/4/1/4/4/ar121545764444145.jpg" height="353" alt="Castle" width="530" /></p>
<p> </p>
<p>The Castle is a bed and breakfast and you really have to see it to believe it. You actually feel as if you're in a castle. The food is terrific and it's a great place to get married. I've got Laura thinking of all sorts of options now!</p>
<p> </p>
<p>The pictures of grapes up top is from <a href="http://www.palumbofamilyvineyards.com/" target="_blank"><strong>Palumbo Family Vineyards & Winery</strong></a>. Nick and Cindy Palumbo pride themselves on ultra-premium limited production wines. They only produced 60 cases of their Cote Rotie Rose. It's blend of Syrah and Viognier and is dry and delicious.</p>
<p> </p>
<p><img src="http://activerain.com/image_store/uploads/9/8/5/1/1/ar121545816311589.jpg" height="350" alt="Palumbo club" width="154" /></p>
<p> </p>
<p>We had two stops remaining. We visited <a href="http://www.filsingerwinery.com/" target="_blank"><strong>Filsinger Winery </strong></a>and we were fortunate enough to find Dr. Filsinger, the owner and winemaker behind the bar. They had a special on Fume Blanc and we took advantage of it. Our last stop was at the spectacular <a href="http://www.leonessecellars.com/" target="_blank"><strong>Leonesse Cellars</strong></a>. The last taste of the day was port with a chocolate truffle. Decadent!</p>
<p> </p>
<p><img src="http://activerain.com/image_store/uploads/4/2/6/1/1/ar121545847511624.jpg" height="223" alt="Leonesse" width="328" /></p>
<p> </p>
<p>With all that tasting we worked up quite an appetite! We decided to try a place we had been hearing raves about, <a href="http://www.francescasitaliankitchen.com/" target="_blank"><strong>Francesca's Italian Kitchen</strong></a>. We were greeted by Alessio, who owns the restaurant with his wife Francesca. The service was outstanding and the food was exquisite. We will definitely return.</p>
<p> </p>
<p><img src="http://activerain.com/image_store/uploads/1/7/0/2/6/ar121545871662071.jpg" height="383" alt="zero to naked" width="445" /></p>
<p> </p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;"><a href="http://tomplant.com/"><strong><span new roman times style="font-size: 10pt; font-family: ">Murrieta Real Estate Expert – Tom Plant, REALTOR® - Coldwell Banker Residential Brokerage</span></strong></a><strong><span new roman times style="font-size: 10pt; font-family: "> – <span style="color: #ff3300;">Active Rain Ambassador </span>– (951) 907-9701</span></strong></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;"><strong><span new roman times style="font-size: 10pt; font-family: ">It would be my honor to show you the incredible Temecula Valley, a place I’m very proud to call home.</span></strong></p>
<p> </p>
<p> </p><a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/MurrietaRealEstateBlogandMore-MeetTomPlant" rel="alternate" type="application/rss+xml"><img src="http://www.feedburner.com/fb/images/pub/feed-icon16x16.png" alt="" style="vertical-align:middle;border:0" /></a> <a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/MurrietaRealEstateBlogandMore-MeetTomPlant" rel="alternate" type="application/rss+xml">Subscribe in a reader</a></p> What A Blast! Lake Elsinore 4th of July Fireworkshttp://activerain.com/blogsview/580709/What-A-Blast-Lake2008-07-06T14:23:09ZTom Plant - Murrieta Real Estate Expert - Coldwell Banker Residential Brokerage (Coldwell Banker Residential Brokerage)
<p><img src="http://activerain.com/image_store/uploads/8/1/9/9/1/ar121537131719918.jpg" height="400" alt="fireworks 1" width="601" /></p>
<p> </p>
<p>I have a confession to make. I <em>love </em>fireworks! I always have. When Laura asked me if we could get married on the 4th of July next year I immediately agreed. We'll have an evening ceremony and watch the <a href="http://www.cityofcanyonlake.com/" target="_blank"><strong>Canyon Lake</strong></a> fireworks display.</p>
<p>This year we went to a pool party/barbeque and then went to Laura's house to watch <strong><a href="http://www.lake-elsinore.org/" target="_blank">Lake Elsinore's</a> </strong>fireworks display. Allow me to share some of my photos with you.</p>
<p> </p>
<p><img src="http://activerain.com/image_store/uploads/7/1/0/0/3/ar121537166730017.jpg" height="200" alt="fireworks 2" width="301" /><img src="http://activerain.com/image_store/uploads/6/0/4/9/3/ar121537170639406.jpg" height="200" alt="fireworks 3" width="301" /><img src="http://activerain.com/image_store/uploads/2/5/0/8/9/ar121537175998052.jpg" height="200" alt="fireworks 4" width="301" /><img src="http://activerain.com/image_store/uploads/9/6/5/1/8/ar121537181181569.jpg" height="200" alt="fireworks 5" width="301" /><img src="http://activerain.com/image_store/uploads/2/9/9/7/1/ar121537193117992.jpg" height="301" alt="fireworks 7" width="297" /><img src="http://activerain.com/image_store/uploads/1/6/2/7/6/ar121537187067261.jpg" height="200" alt="fireworks 6" width="301" /></p>
<p> </p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><a href="http://tomplant.com/"><strong>Murrieta Real Estate Expert – Tom Plant, REALTOR® - Coldwell Banker Residential Brokerage</strong></a> – <strong><span style="color: #e36c0a;">Active Rain Ambassador</span></strong><span style="color: #e36c0a;"> <span> </span></span><strong><span style="text-decoration: underline;">(951) 907-9701</span></strong></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">It would be my honor to show you the incredible Temecula Valley, a place I’m very proud to call home.</p>
<p class="MsoNormal"> </p>
<p><a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/MurrietaRealEstateBlogandMore-MeetTomPlant" rel="alternate" type="application/rss+xml"><img src="http://www.feedburner.com/fb/images/pub/feed-icon16x16.png" alt="" style="vertical-align:middle;border:0" /></a> <a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/MurrietaRealEstateBlogandMore-MeetTomPlant" rel="alternate" type="application/rss+xml">Subscribe in a reader</a></p> LOCALISM FEATURED: San Diego - Petco Park Rocks!http://activerain.com/blogsview/572783/LOCALISM-FEATURED-San-Diego2008-07-01T00:52:05ZTom Plant - Murrieta Real Estate Expert - Coldwell Banker Residential Brokerage (Coldwell Banker Residential Brokerage)
<p><img src="http://activerain.com/image_store/uploads/7/9/6/2/1/ar121485016612697.jpg" height="459" alt="band" width="600" /></p>
<p> </p>
<p>I've just returned from San Diego and yesterday I paid my first visit to <a href="http://www.petcoparkevents.com/" target="_blank"><strong>Petco Park</strong></a>. It was a picture perfect day with the temperature hovering between 71 and 73 degrees. You should see my sunburned knees!</p>
<p> </p>
<p><img src="http://activerain.com/image_store/uploads/3/8/0/4/7/ar121485032774083.jpg" height="265" alt="gaslamp" width="350" /></p>
<p> </p>
<p>Petco Park is located in the historic <strong><a href="http://www.gaslamp.org/" target="_blank">Gaslamp</a> </strong>district. It was a very short walk from the <strong><a href="http://www.sdccc.org/" target="_blank">Convention Center</a>, </strong>where Laura was manning her booth at the <a href="http://meetings.nacds.org/marketplace/2008/" target="_blank"><strong>NACDS Marketplace</strong></a>. San Diego deserves to be very proud of the job they have done with Petco Park. It's beautiful and very fan and family friendly. It is a state-of-the-art facilty with a beautiful hi tech scoreboard.</p>
<p> </p>
<p><img src="http://activerain.com/image_store/uploads/5/2/2/7/2/ar12148507227225.jpg" height="265" alt="scoreboard" width="350" /></p>
<p> </p>
<p>If you've been to a ballgame over the past few years, you know how they pan the crowd and put people's faces on the scoreboard. Well I'm sitting watching the various fans and who's mug do you think they flashed on the 30' x 80' screen? After the initial shock, I pumped my fist in the air and flashed a big grin. That was a first!!!</p>
<p>As far as the game, well, I left my seat in the 7th with the Padres trailing Seattle 5-1. The score was 8-1 by the time I reached the exit and the final score was 9-2. Needless to say, though, I had a wonderful time and can't wait to go back.</p>
<p> </p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><a href="http://tomplant.com/"><strong>Murrieta Real Estate Expert – Tom Plant, REALTOR® - Coldwell Banker Residential Brokerage</strong></a> – <strong><span style="color: #e36c0a;">Active Rain Ambassador</span></strong><span style="color: #e36c0a;"> </span><strong><span style="text-decoration: underline;">(951) 907-9701</span></strong></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">It would be my honor to show you the incredible Temecula Valley, a place I’m very proud to call home.</p>
<p class="MsoNormal"> </p>
<p class="MsoNormal"> </p><p><a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/MurrietaRealEstateBlogandMore-MeetTomPlant" rel="alternate" type="application/rss+xml"><img src="http://www.feedburner.com/fb/images/pub/feed-icon16x16.png" alt="" style="vertical-align:middle;border:0" /></a> <a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/MurrietaRealEstateBlogandMore-MeetTomPlant" rel="alternate" type="application/rss+xml">Subscribe in a reader</a></p> The Fantastic Machine - Have You Seen This? OMG!http://activerain.com/blogsview/570292/The-Fantastic-Machine-Have2008-06-28T12:43:23ZTom Plant - Murrieta Real Estate Expert - Coldwell Banker Residential Brokerage (Coldwell Banker Residential Brokerage)
<p><img src="http://activerain.com/image_store/uploads/3/5/0/7/4/ar121467448547053.jpg" height="600" alt="hoax" width="401" /></p>
<p> </p>
<p>I just got an email from a friend with an amazing video I had never seen before. The story was that this machine was built as a collaborative effort by engineering students from two schools and that it took them over 13,000 hours to assemble and fine tune it. <a href="http://www.snopes.com/photos/arts/musicmachine.asp" target="_blank"><strong>In truth</strong></a>, it's computer animaton, but it's a jaw dropper nonetheless. Let me know what you think.</p>
<p><object height="344" width="425"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/MlVRdAU2-R0&hl=en"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/MlVRdAU2-R0&hl=en" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" height="344" width="425"></embed></object> </p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><a href="http://tomplant.com/"><strong>Murrieta Real Estate Expert – Tom Plant, REALTOR® - Coldwell Banker Residential Brokerage</strong></a> – <strong><span style="color: #e36c0a;">Active Rain Ambassador</span></strong><span style="color: #e36c0a;"> </span><strong><span style="text-decoration: underline;">(951) 907-9701</span></strong></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">It would be my honor to show you the incredible Temecula Valley, a place I’m very proud to call home.</p><p><p><a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/MurrietaRealEstateBlogandMore-MeetTomPlant" rel="alternate" type="application/rss+xml"><img src="http://www.feedburner.com/fb/images/pub/feed-icon16x16.png" alt="" style="vertical-align:middle;border:0" /></a> <a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/MurrietaRealEstateBlogandMore-MeetTomPlant" rel="alternate" type="application/rss+xml">Subscribe in a reader</a></p> Happy (17th) Birthday Murrieta!http://activerain.com/blogsview/569377/Happy-17th-Birthday-Murrieta2008-06-27T17:19:16ZTom Plant - Murrieta Real Estate Expert - Coldwell Banker Residential Brokerage (Coldwell Banker Residential Brokerage)
<p><img src="http://activerain.com/image_store/uploads/6/5/5/4/3/ar1214604534556.jpg" height="600" alt="Happy birthday Murrieta" width="452" /></p>
<p> </p>
<p> </p>
<p>She doesn't look a day over 16! My hometown Murrieta is celebrating her 17th birthday tomorrow and in true Murrieta style, there's going to be a <strong><a href="http://www.murrieta.org/" target="_blank">celebration</a>! </strong>I have lived in Murrieta for more than two years now and I can honestly say I enjoy living here more than anywhere else I have lived.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>Come join the festivities tomorrow at <a href="http://www.murrieta.org/services/rec/parks.asp?id=6" target="_blank"><strong>California Oaks Sports Park </strong></a>beginning at 2pm. With live music and fireworks, we'll be honoring this great city in grand fashion!</p>
<p> </p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><a href="http://tomplant.com/"><strong>Murrieta Real Estate Expert – Tom Plant, REALTOR® - Coldwell Banker Residential Brokerage</strong></a> – <strong><span style="color: #e36c0a;">Active Rain Ambassador</span></strong><span style="color: #e36c0a;"> </span><strong><span style="text-decoration: underline;">(951) 907-9701</span></strong></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">It would be my honor to show you the incredible Temecula Valley, a place I’m very proud to call home.</p><p><p><a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/MurrietaRealEstateBlogandMore-MeetTomPlant" rel="alternate" type="application/rss+xml"><img src="http://www.feedburner.com/fb/images/pub/feed-icon16x16.png" alt="" style="vertical-align:middle;border:0" /></a> <a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/MurrietaRealEstateBlogandMore-MeetTomPlant" rel="alternate" type="application/rss+xml">Subscribe in a reader</a></p> The TOP 5 (The Best!) Things To See and Do In The Temecula Valleyhttp://activerain.com/blogsview/568042/The-TOP-5-The2008-06-26T19:53:45ZTom Plant - Murrieta Real Estate Expert - Coldwell Banker Residential Brokerage (Coldwell Banker Residential Brokerage)
<p><img src="http://activerain.com/image_store/uploads/3/3/9/4/2/ar121452406124933.jpg" height="400" alt="flame" width="600" /></p>
<p> </p>
<p>Let me start by saying I <em>love</em> the concept of this contest. I'm passionate about where I live and I love to share my favorite things.</p>
<p><strong>1) <a href="http://www.tvbwf.com/" target="_blank">The Temecula Valley Balloon & Wine Festival</a> </strong>- This month was the festival's 25th anniversary. Each year the crowds get bigger and it's no small wonder why. Picture dozens of hot air balloons launching into the dawn sky near picturesque <a href="http://www.temeculacvb.com/play/lake_skinner.asp" target="_blank"><strong>Lake Skinner</strong></a><strong>. </strong>Imagine strolling the vast grounds, sampling delicious foods offered by a variety of vendors. Take time to explore the craftsmanship of our talented artisans. Sample our local wines. Take in the <strong><a href="http://www.tvbwf.com/index.php?pid=727" target="_blank">balloon glow</a> </strong>at dusk. Listen to great live music, like this year's headliner Kenny Loggins. I'm already looking forward to next year!</p>
<p> </p>
<p><img src="http://activerain.com/image_store/uploads/4/9/4/9/9/ar121452484799494.jpg" height="233" alt="kiss" width="350" /><img src="http://activerain.com/image_store/uploads/7/6/9/3/0/ar121452497603967.jpg" height="233" alt="clydesdales" width="350" /></p>
<p> </p>
<p><strong>2) </strong><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Santa_Rosa_Plateau" target="_blank"><strong>The Santa Rosa Plateau</strong></a><strong> -</strong> Oh my.<strong> </strong>This place is simply magical. Only a fifteen minute drive west of Murrieta lies an ecological preserve that is home to brilliant wildflowers and dozens of bird and animal species. Plan on spending a day exploring the trails. Don't forget to bring your camera.</p>
<p> </p>
<p><img src="http://activerain.com/image_store/uploads/9/3/8/9/1/ar1214525719839.jpg" height="233" alt="rock face" width="350" /><img src="http://activerain.com/image_store/uploads/4/0/0/6/2/ar121452578226004.jpg" height="233" alt="srp tree" width="350" /></p>
<p> </p>
<p><strong>3) <a href="http://www.localharvest.org/farmers-markets/M3890" target="_blank">The Temecula Old Town Farmers' Market</a> </strong>- It's such a treat. Every Saturday a visit to <a href="http://www.temeculainformation.com/oldtown/ottba/" target="_blank"><strong>Old Town Temecula</strong></a><strong> </strong>rewards you with farm fresh produce, gorgeous flowers, yummy food and a chance to mingle with your neighbors. You can even take a free horse drawn carriage ride.</p>
<p> </p>
<p><img src="http://activerain.com/image_store/uploads/3/7/6/4/7/ar121452617374673.jpg" height="263" alt="carriage" width="350" /><img src="http://activerain.com/image_store/uploads/7/4/8/4/5/ar121452621854847.jpg" height="263" alt="artichokes" width="350" /><img src="http://activerain.com/image_store/uploads/6/1/5/1/3/ar121452624931516.jpg" height="350" alt="flowers" width="263" /></p>
<p> </p>
<p><strong>4) <a href="http://www.stormbaseball.com/" target="_blank">The Lake Elsinore Storm</a> </strong>- I hadn't been to a minor league baseball game before 2006. Now I'm hooked. It's family friendly, the games are a blast, you get to see up and comers along with some big leaguers coming off the disabled list. Not only that, <em>Thunder </em>may be the coolest mascot anywhere!</p>
<p> </p>
<p><img src="http://activerain.com/image_store/uploads/2/4/5/4/0/ar121452671304542.jpg" height="345" alt="thunder" width="310" /><img src="http://activerain.com/image_store/uploads/7/4/6/9/9/ar121452680399647.jpg" height="233" alt="erstad" width="350" /></p>
<p> </p>
<p><strong>5) <a href="http://www.temeculawines.org/" target="_blank">The Temecula Valley Wine Country</a> </strong>- Rapidly gaining a reputation as a destination, our wine country is a force to be reckoned with. More than twenty wineries await your discovery. Try <strong><a href="http://www.wilsoncreekwinery.com/" target="_blank">Wilson Creek's</a> </strong>Almond Champagne for real treat. Several of the wineries are drop dead gorgeous and there are excellent restaurants to choose from. It's hard to beat a beautiful summer evening listening to <a href="http://www.temeculainformation.com/cgi-bin/merchants/eventsdetails.cgi?RecordNumber=561" target="_blank">jazz in the vineyards</a>.</p>
<p> </p>
<p><img src="http://activerain.com/image_store/uploads/2/6/7/1/6/ar121452786061762.JPG" height="263" alt="temecula valley wine country" width="350" /><img src="http://activerain.com/image_store/uploads/5/2/2/5/8/ar121452793585225.JPG" height="263" alt="leonesse" width="350" /></p>
<p> </p>
<p>Now you can see why I love this area so much. I've barely even scratched the surface of what we have to offer. Come visit!</p>
<p> </p>
<p><a href="http://tomplant.com/"><strong>Murrieta Real Estate Expert - Tom Plant, REALTOR® - Coldwell Banker Residential Brokerage</strong></a> - <strong>Active Rain Ambassador</strong> <strong><span style="text-decoration: underline;">(951) 907-9701</span></strong></p>
<p>It would be my honor to show you the incredible Temecula Valley, a place I'm very proud to call home.</p>
<p> </p>
<p><a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/MurrietaRealEstateBlogandMore-MeetTomPlant" rel="alternate" type="application/rss+xml"><img src="http://www.feedburner.com/fb/images/pub/feed-icon16x16.png" alt="" style="vertical-align:middle;border:0" /></a> <a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/MurrietaRealEstateBlogandMore-MeetTomPlant" rel="alternate" type="application/rss+xml">Subscribe in a reader</a></p> Look! Up In The Sky! It's A Bird! It's A Plane! It's Supermeme!!!http://activerain.com/blogsview/552818/Look-Up-In-The2008-06-16T16:44:40ZTom Plant - Murrieta Real Estate Expert - Coldwell Banker Residential Brokerage (Coldwell Banker Residential Brokerage)
<p>I got tagged not once, not twice, but <em><strong>three</strong></em> times for a meme in one week. My eternal thanks to <a href=" http://www.brooksprimeproperties.com" target="_blank"><strong>Deb Brooks</strong></a>, <strong><a href="http://www.rickieichlerrealestate.com" target="_blank">Ricki Eichler</a> </strong>and <strong><a href=" http://www.kingsbridgerealty.com" target="_blank">Cynthia Tilghman</a>. </strong>It's been a while since I've done a meme, and I was intrigued by the super meme. So here goes...</p>
<p> </p>
<p><img src="http://activerain.com/image_store/uploads/5/0/5/9/3/ar121363513239505.gif" height="465" alt="vote for me" width="422" /></p>
<p> </p>
<p>1. <strong>Who is your favorite musical artist? </strong>Okay, this is a no brainer. I have been a fan of <strong><a href="http://littlefeat.net" target="_blank">Little Feat</a></strong> for more than three decades. I've been fortunate enough to become friends with the band members and have travelled with them to Australia, New Zealand, Jamaica, Denmark and Norway. Here's a taste of what makes them so special.</p>
<p> </p><object height="344" width="425"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/vcYGsSUNKfY&hl=en"></param><embed type="application/x-shockwave-flash" src="http://www.youtube.com/v/vcYGsSUNKfY&hl=en" height="344" width="425"></embed></object>
<p>Coming in a very close second is <strong><a href="http://paulthorn.com" target="_blank">Paul Thorn</a>.</strong> I just discovered him last year and think he is a phenomenal singer and song writer.</p>
<p> </p><object height="344" width="425"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/bk3WLyVQ9rM&hl=en"></param><embed type="application/x-shockwave-flash" src="http://www.youtube.com/v/bk3WLyVQ9rM&hl=en" height="344" width="425"></embed></object>
<p>2. <strong>Who is your favorite artist? </strong>I really love <strong><a href="http://www.artcyclopedia.com/artists/okeeffe_georgia.html" target="_blank">Georgia O'Keeffe</a>.</strong> Not only was she a multi-talented artist who was best known for her watercolors, she was larger than life.</p>
<p><img src="http://activerain.com/image_store/uploads/9/6/2/9/5/ar121363643759269.jpg" height="300" alt="Georgia O'Keeffe" width="400" /></p>
<p>3. <strong>Who is your favorite blogger</strong>? Sorry, I can't limit it to one. I'm a huge fan of <strong><a href="http://QuinteRegionRealEstate.com" target="_blank">Jo-Anne Smith</a>, <a href="http://www.austintexashomes.com" target="_blank">Jason Crouch</a>, <a href="http://www.RayandPaul.com" target="_blank">Paul Slaybaugh</a>, <a href=" http://www.blockrealestategroup.com" target="_blank">Brian Block</a>, <a href=" http://www.jenniferspdxhomes.com" target="_blank">Jennifer Bukaty</a> </strong>and <strong><a href=" http://www.hawaiihomesmarket.com" target="_blank">Sally Cheeseman</a>. </strong>Each does an incredible job of writing thought-provoking posts and being extremely transparent.</p>
<p>4. <strong>If you could meet anyone (dead or alive) who would it be? </strong>Mmmmmm, tough one. Where do I start? I think <strong><a href="http://www.pauladeen.com/" target="_blank">Paula Deen</a> </strong>would be so much fun to hang out with. Not only that, you know you'd be eating fabulous food!</p>
<p>5. <strong>What did you want to be when you grew up</strong>? I have loved music ever since I can remember, so I think it's fitting that I was a disc jockey for more than twenty years. I don't know that it was a childhood wish, but I jumped at the opportunity when it was presented.</p>
<p>6. <strong>If you could live in any point in history when would it be and why? </strong>I really love living is this day and age. I'd love to feel what life was like in the late 1800s, early 1900s, but I don't know if I would like to stay there. <strong><br /></strong></p>
<p>7. <strong>What is the most interesting job you have ever had? </strong>I'm not making this up, honest. My dad managed the Sir Francis Drake Hotel in San Francisco. I spent a summer there when I was in my early teens breaking empty liquor bottles. There was a law that the bottles had to be destroyed so they couldn't be re-filled, so every morning it was my job to take the empties from the night before and smash them into a garbage can. Ahhh... the glamorous life!</p>
<p>So now I pick 8 <span style="text-decoration: line-through;">victims</span> folks to take their turn?</p>
<p> </p>
<p><a href="http://www.southwestcaliforniahomes.com" target="_blank"><strong>Gene Wunderlich</strong></a></p>
<p><a href=" http://www.HomeSearchOnTheNet.com" target="_blank"><strong>Denise Gentile</strong></a></p>
<p><a href=" http://www.FloridaRealtyProfessional.com" target="_blank"><strong>Barbara-Jo Roberts</strong></a></p>
<p><a href="http://www.DFWRealtorPro.com" target="_blank"><strong>Gary Woltal</strong></a></p>
<p><a href=" http://stevethorneonline.com" target="_blank"><strong>Eleanor Thorne</strong></a></p>
<p><a href="http://www.joeyloans.com" target="_blank"><strong>Joey Aszterbaum</strong></a></p>
<p><a href="http://WWW.TOMBRAATZ.COM" target="_blank"><strong>Tom Braatz</strong></a></p>
<p><a href="http://www.TeriEllis.com" target="_blank"><strong>Teri Ellis</strong></a></p>
<p> </p>
<p>This is your life!</p>
<p> </p>
<p> </p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;"><a href="http://tomplant.com/"><strong><span roman new times style="font-size: 10pt; font-family: ">Murrieta Real Estate Expert – Tom Plant, REALTOR® - Coldwell Banker Residential Brokerage</span></strong></a><strong><span roman new times style="font-size: 10pt; font-family: "> – <span style="color: #ff3300;">Active Rain Ambassador </span>– (951) 907-9701</span></strong></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;"><strong><span roman new times style="font-size: 10pt; font-family: ">It would be my honor to show you the incredible Temecula Valley, a place I’m very proud to call home.</span></strong></p>
<p> </p>
<p> </p>
<p> </p>
<p> </p><a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/MurrietaRealEstateBlogandMore-MeetTomPlant" rel="alternate" type="application/rss+xml"><img src="http://www.feedburner.com/fb/images/pub/feed-icon16x16.png" alt="" style="vertical-align:middle;border:0" /></a> <a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/MurrietaRealEstateBlogandMore-MeetTomPlant" rel="alternate" type="application/rss+xml">Subscribe in a reader</a></p> From Artichokes To Zinfandel - California In 48 Hourshttp://activerain.com/blogsview/534970/From-Artichokes-To-Zinfandel2008-06-05T08:15:46ZTom Plant - Murrieta Real Estate Expert - Coldwell Banker Residential Brokerage (Coldwell Banker Residential Brokerage)
<p><img src="http://activerain.com/image_store/uploads/7/1/3/6/1/ar121252647416317.jpg" height="600" alt="tasting" width="400" /></p>
<p> </p>
<p>We Californians are blessed to live in a state with such an abundance of beauty and bounty. Friday morning, Laura and I took off for an afternoon and evening in <strong><a href="http://www.pasowine.com/" target="_blank">Paso Robles</a> </strong>enroute to see <strong><a href="http://remhq.com/index.php" target="_blank">R.E.M.</a> </strong>Saturday night at the <a href="http://facilities.calperfs.berkeley.edu/greek/" target="_blank"><strong>Greek Theatre</strong></a>. We stopped for lunch in Santa Barbara, then finished the five hour and change drive to Paso Robles. If you've see tne move <a href="http://www.foxsearchlight.com/sideways/" target="_blank"><strong>Sideways</strong></a>, you've seen some of the area. It is gorgeous and home of some of the best wines California has to offer.</p>
<p> </p>
<p><img src="http://activerain.com/image_store/uploads/5/4/5/0/3/ar121252674330545.jpg" height="234" alt="zenaidas 1" width="350" /><img src="http://activerain.com/image_store/uploads/5/7/8/2/4/ar121252678542875.jpg" height="234" alt="zenaidas 2" width="350" /></p>
<p> </p>
<p>Our first stop was at <a href="http://www.zenaidacellars.com/" target="_blank"><strong>Zenaida Cellars</strong></a>. We were fortunate enough to be the only two visitors, so we has a nice visit with the hostess, sampled some very tasty Syrahs and Chardonnays and joined their wine club. From there we went to <a href="http://www.dovercanyon.com/" target="_blank"><strong>Dover Canyon Winery</strong></a>.</p>
<p> </p>
<p><img src="http://activerain.com/image_store/uploads/9/0/3/5/2/ar121252694025309.jpg" height="234" alt="dover canyon" width="350" /></p>
<p> </p>
<p>I'm a <em>big</em> fan of Zinfandel, and Dover Canyon makes some of the best I have tasted. Their wine label features a painting of a dog. The story goes that he saved the winery owner's life several years ago by pulling him from the surf.</p>
<p>(<em>editor's note: I am resuming writing this post from Crofton,MD</em>)</p>
<p> </p>
<p>We Made stops at <strong><a href="http://www.peachycanyon.com/" target="_blank">Peachy Canyon</a> </strong>and <a href="http://www.castorocellars.com/" target="_blank"><strong>Castoro Cellars</strong></a> and then drove into town for a visit to <a href="http://www.anglimwinery.com/" target="_blank"><strong>Anglim</strong></a>.</p>
<p> </p>
<p><img src="http://activerain.com/image_store/uploads/1/4/9/6/8/ar121266781186941.jpg" height="350" alt="peachy canyon" width="234" /><img src="http://activerain.com/image_store/uploads/8/1/0/3/8/ar12126678483018.jpg" height="234" alt="castoro cellers" width="350" /></p>
<p> </p>
<p>We stayed at the lovely <a href="http://pasoroblesinn1.reachlocal.net/" target="_blank"><strong>Paso Robles Inn</strong></a>, and had a wonderful dinner there, starting off with an appetizer of grilled artichokes. Yummmmmmmmmmm.</p>
<p> </p>
<p><img src="http://activerain.com/image_store/uploads/9/9/9/2/5/ar121267149352999.jpg" height="234" alt="Paso Robles Inn" width="350" /></p>
<p> </p>
<p>The next morning, he headed off to San Francisco to meet Laura's daughter Emily, her husband Dan and their adorable daughter Mather.</p>
<p> </p>
<p><img src="http://activerain.com/image_store/uploads/1/6/6/1/2/ar121266830721661.jpg" height="234" alt="mather" width="350" /></p>
<p> </p>
<p>It was <strong>freezing</strong> cold in San Francisco and we bundled up, got in the car and drove to Berkeley to see R.E.M. at the Greek Theatre. I had not seen them in concert before. If you like their music, I highly recommend you see them in concert if you get the chance.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>Our whirlwind trip continued the next morning after a delicious brunch at home and a nice visit. We got in the car and decided to head right back to Paso Robles. We had heard there were some wonderful wineries off the beaten path. In fact they're referred to as the <a href="http://www.faroutwineries.com/indexJS.html" target="_blank"><strong>Far Out Wineries</strong></a>. Our first stop was at <a href="www.justinwine.com/" target="_blank"><strong>Justin</strong></a>. Their grounds are beautiful, their wine is excellent, but we found it a bit pretentious. We were rewarded by our next stop at <a href="http://www.carmodymcknight.com/" target="_blank"><strong>Carmody McKnight Estate</strong></a>.</p>
<p> </p>
<p><img src="http://activerain.com/image_store/uploads/9/0/8/5/1/ar121266868815809.jpg" height="234" alt="carmody mcknight" width="350" /><img src="http://activerain.com/image_store/uploads/5/0/3/6/6/ar121266874266305.jpg" height="234" alt="greg cropper" width="350" /></p>
<p> </p>
<p>The winery is stunningly beautiful and we were blessed to have winemaker Greg Cropper on hand. Greg makes incredible wines and we sampled several of them. Their Cheval Rouge is simply incredible. With many miles to go, we had time for a few more stops. We hit <a href="http://www.normanvineyards.com/" target="_blank"><strong>Norman Vineyards</strong></a> for some great Zin, and then stopped at <strong><a href="http://www.opolo.com/" target="_blank">Opolo</a> </strong>and <a href="http://www.jadavineyard.com/wines/" target="_blank"><strong>Jada</strong></a>. Opolo was very nice and Jada is a relative newcomer, but their wine is superior and they pair their tastings with different cheeses. It was then time to bid farewell to the wine country.</p>
<p> </p>
<p><img src="http://activerain.com/image_store/uploads/5/4/1/9/5/ar121266920159145.jpg" height="234" alt="markers" width="350" /><img src="http://activerain.com/image_store/uploads/6/4/0/9/2/ar121266924229046.jpg" height="234" alt="matilija" width="350" /></p>
<p><img src="http://activerain.com/image_store/uploads/3/4/7/2/2/ar121266929022743.jpg" height="234" alt="vines" width="350" /><img src="http://activerain.com/image_store/uploads/6/1/3/4/6/ar121266934664316.jpg" height="234" alt="vines 2" width="350" /></p>
<p> </p>
<p>We really loved our visit to Paso Robles and can't wait to return!</p>
<p> </p>
<p> </p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;"><a href="http://tomplant.com/"><strong><span new roman times style="font-size: 10pt; font-family: ">Murrieta Real Estate Expert – Tom Plant, REALTOR® - Coldwell Banker Residential Brokerage</span></strong></a><strong><span new roman times style="font-size: 10pt; font-family: "> – <span style="color: #ff3300;">Active Rain Ambassador </span>– (951) 907-9701</span></strong></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;"><strong><span new roman times style="font-size: 10pt; font-family: ">It would be my honor to show you the incredible Temecula Valley, a place I’m very proud to call home.</span></strong></p><a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/MurrietaRealEstateBlogandMore-MeetTomPlant" rel="alternate" type="application/rss+xml"><isrc></a> <a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/MurrietaRealEstateBlogandMore-MeetTomPlant" rel="alternate" type="application/rss+xml">Subscribe in a reader</a></p>i Horse-Drawn Trolley Rides In Temecula - FREE!http://activerain.com/blogsview/528895/Horse-Drawn-Trolley-Rides2008-05-29T15:59:20ZTom Plant - Murrieta Real Estate Expert - Coldwell Banker Residential Brokerage (Coldwell Banker Residential Brokerage)
<p><img src="http://activerain.com/image_store/uploads/2/9/0/2/0/ar12120941802092.jpg" height="269" alt="horse-drawn trolley" width="400" /></p>
<p>Photo by Frank Bellino - The Press-Enterprise</p>
<p> </p>
<p>There are so many things about the Temecula Valley that I just love. While looking at property yesterday I drove through the wine country and stopped at <a href="http://www.falknerwinery.com/" target="_blank"><strong>Falkner Winery.</strong></a> I love to go the the Old Town Farmers' market on Saturdays. The list goes on and on.</p>
<p>This morning's <a href="http://www.pe.com" target="_blank"><strong>Press-Enterprise</strong></a> had an article about free horse-drawn trolley rides Saturdays from the Stampede to the Farmers' Market. The carriage seats 20 and runs from 8 am to 2 pm. The service will continue through June and longer if warranted. Sounds like fun to me!</p>
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<p class="MsoNormal"><a href="http://tomplant.com/"><strong>Murrieta Real Estate Expert – Tom Plant, REALTOR® - Coldwell Banker Residential Brokerage</strong></a> – <strong><span style="color: #e36c0a;">Active Rain Ambassador</span></strong><span style="color: #e36c0a;"> </span><strong><span style="text-decoration: underline;">(951) 907-9701</span></strong></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">It would be my honor to show you the incredible Temecula Valley, a place I’m very proud to call home.</p><p><a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/MurrietaRealEstateBlogandMore-MeetTomPlant" rel="alternate" type="application/rss+xml"><img src="http://www.feedburner.com/fb/images/pub/feed-icon16x16.png" alt="" style="vertical-align:middle;border:0" /></a> <a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/MurrietaRealEstateBlogandMore-MeetTomPlant" rel="alternate" type="application/rss+xml">Subscribe in a reader</a></p> Temecula's Mayor Pro-Tem Chimes Inhttp://activerain.com/blogsview/528873/Temecula-s-Mayor-Pro2008-05-29T15:44:18ZTom Plant - Murrieta Real Estate Expert - Coldwell Banker Residential Brokerage (Coldwell Banker Residential Brokerage)
<p><img src="http://activerain.com/image_store/uploads/2/4/0/2/3/ar121209346232042.jpg" height="157" alt="Maryann Edwards" width="129" /></p>
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<p>While serving on the board of the <a href="http://srcar.org" target="_blank"><strong>Southwest Riverside County Association of REALTORS</strong></a>, I had the good fortune to meet many community leaders. One of those I have enjoyed spending time with is <a href="http://www.cityoftemecula.org/Temecula/Government/CouncilCommissions/CityCouncil/MaryannEdwards.htm" target="_blank"><strong>Maryann Edwards</strong></a>, Temecula City Council member and mayor pro tem. I have been asking Maryann to write a guest article for my blog, and she has delivered:</p>
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<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: Verdana; color: blue; font-size: x-small;"><span style="font-size: 10pt; color: blue; font-family: Verdana;">“Government should be run like a business, or like we run our household budget!” How many times have you had that same thought?</span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: Verdana; color: blue; font-size: x-small;"><span style="font-size: 10pt; color: blue; font-family: Verdana;">Me too, and that’s exactly the way the city council and staff prepare the budget for the city of Temecula each year. Here are the basic rules that are the key to this city’s success:</span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: Verdana; color: blue; font-size: x-small;"><span style="font-size: 10pt; color: blue; font-family: Verdana;">1) Don’t spend more than you take in; </span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: Verdana; color: blue; font-size: x-small;"><span style="font-size: 10pt; color: blue; font-family: Verdana;">2) Safety first; </span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: Verdana; color: blue; font-size: x-small;"><span style="font-size: 10pt; color: blue; font-family: Verdana;">3) Put money away for a rainy day </span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: Verdana; color: blue; font-size: x-small;"><span style="font-size: 10pt; color: blue; font-family: Verdana;">4) Your “special projects wish list” should have a separate savings plan and timeline </span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: Verdana; color: blue; font-size: x-small;"><span style="font-size: 10pt; color: blue; font-family: Verdana;">5) Don’t skimp on the important things </span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: Verdana; color: blue; font-size: x-small;"><span style="font-size: 10pt; color: blue; font-family: Verdana;"> </span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: Verdana; color: blue; font-size: x-small;"><span style="font-size: 10pt; color: blue; font-family: Verdana;">Temecula has no debt, and in 2008-09 the city will take in $1.1 million more than it spends with a budget of $62.8 million. Public safety (police and fire) will receive 41% of the budget with one police officer for every 910 residents and a paramedic on every fire engine. The city’s emergency rainy day reserve will be $12 million.</span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: Verdana; color: blue; font-size: x-small;"><span style="font-size: 10pt; color: blue; font-family: Verdana;">The “special projects wish list” is the Capital Improvement Budget of $405 million. The CIP provides for complete funding over a five year period and includes the French Valley Parkway freeway interchange, Pechanga Parkway improvements, and the Temecula Community Center expansion. This “project savings plan” has served the city well for nearly 20 years and allowed Temecula to remain debt-free while completing nearly a billion dollars in infrastructure improvements.</span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: Verdana; color: blue; font-size: x-small;"><span style="font-size: 10pt; color: blue; font-family: Verdana;">Lastly, I believe that when Temecula builds a public facility or project, it should be the very best - every time. Temecula’s facilities (library, theater, parks, civic center) are meticulously planned and budgeted to be the best in quality, beauty, and long-term functionality. </span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: Verdana; color: blue; font-size: x-small;"><span style="font-size: 10pt; color: blue; font-family: Verdana;"> </span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: Verdana; color: blue; font-size: x-small;"><span style="font-size: 10pt; color: blue; font-family: Verdana;">Whether it’s for a business, a home, or a shining city, fiscal responsibility is vital. A budget must be based on sound financial principles administered by people with vision and the guts to stick with the plan. It is this winning formula that has made Temecula the beautiful place we all call home. </span></span></p>
<p><br />Thanks so much, Maryann. I think Temecula is in excellent hands. The Inland Empire is a wonderful place to live, and I would love the honor of showing you around.</p>
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<p class="MsoNormal"><a href="http://tomplant.com/"><strong>Murrieta Real Estate Expert – Tom Plant, REALTOR® - Coldwell Banker Residential Brokerage</strong></a> – <strong><span style="color: #e36c0a;">Active Rain Ambassador</span></strong><span style="color: #e36c0a;"> </span><strong><span style="text-decoration: underline;">(951) 907-9701</span></strong></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">It would be my honor to show you the incredible Temecula Valley, a place I’m very proud to call home.</p><p><a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/MurrietaRealEstateBlogandMore-MeetTomPlant" rel="alternate" type="application/rss+xml"><img src="http://www.feedburner.com/fb/images/pub/feed-icon16x16.png" alt="" style="vertical-align:middle;border:0" /></a> <a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/MurrietaRealEstateBlogandMore-MeetTomPlant" rel="alternate" type="application/rss+xml">Subscribe in a reader</a></p> Real Estate Connect SF - Do You Have What It Takes?http://activerain.com/blogsview/519456/Real-Estate-Connect-SF2008-05-21T16:50:14ZTom Plant - Murrieta Real Estate Expert - Coldwell Banker Residential Brokerage (Coldwell Banker Residential Brokerage)
<p><a href="http://www.inman.com/events/real-estate-connect-san-francisco-2008" target="_blank"><img src="http://activerain.com/image_store/uploads/5/0/9/4/7/ar121140503574905.jpg" height="100" alt="RE Connect" width="600" /></a><br /><br />If you know me at all, you know I think <strong><a href="http://www.inman.com/events/real-estate-connect-san-francisco-2008" target="_blank">Real Estate Connect</a> </strong>is the most worthwhile and relevant real estate conference on the planet. I'm not alone in this opinion. Inman's San Francisco conference is slated for July 23-25. Plan on seeing many of your fellow bloggers in attendance.</p>
<p>The folks at <strong><a href="http://inman.com" target="_blank">Inman</a> </strong>care about the cutting edge - so much so that they are looking for innovators. Quoting <strong><a href="http://www.inman.com/joel-burslem" target="_blank">Joel Burslem</a>:</strong></p>
<p><strong></strong>"Subject: Got a great idea? Working on a cool product? Tell us about it at Connect. This is your chance to get on stage and share your vision with the world. We're looking for 5 great individuals with 5 great new ideas."</p>
<p>If you do, click <a href="http://www.inman.com/events/real-estate-connect-san-francisco-2008/new-idea" target="_blank"><strong>this link</strong></a>.</p>
<p>I hope to see you in San Francisco this July. It's going to be amazing.</p>
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<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;"><strong><span style="font-size: 10pt; font-family: "><a href="http://tomplant.com/">Murrieta Real Estate Expert – Tom Plant, REALTOR® - Coldwell Banker Residential Brokerage</a> – <span style="color: #ff3300;">Active Rain Ambassador </span>– (951) 907-9701</span></strong></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;"><strong><span style="font-size: 10pt; font-family: ">It would be my honor to show you the incredible Temecula Valley, a place I’m very proud to call home.</span></strong></p>
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<p><a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/MurrietaRealEstateBlogandMore-MeetTomPlant" rel="alternate" type="application/rss+xml"><img src="http://www.feedburner.com/fb/images/pub/feed-icon16x16.png" alt="" style="vertical-align:middle;border:0" /></a> <a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/MurrietaRealEstateBlogandMore-MeetTomPlant" rel="alternate" type="application/rss+xml">Subscribe in a reader</a></p>
<p> </p> Recognize That Redhead?http://activerain.com/blogsview/516494/Recognize-That-Redhead2008-05-19T18:06:58ZTom Plant - Murrieta Real Estate Expert - Coldwell Banker Residential Brokerage (Coldwell Banker Residential Brokerage)
<p><img src="http://activerain.com/image_store/uploads/6/4/8/0/1/ar121123745210846.jpg" height="500" alt="Bonnie 1" width="334" /></p>
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<p>If you guessed Bonnie Raitt, go to the head of the class. I went to the <strong><a href="www.omegaevents.com/dohenyblues/" target="_blank">Doheny Blues Festival</a> </strong>yesterday and Bonnie was the headliner.</p>
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<p><img src="http://activerain.com/image_store/uploads/5/8/2/8/2/ar121123767628285.jpg" height="290" alt="Doheny" width="500" /><img src="http://activerain.com/image_store/uploads/6/0/4/1/8/ar121123771681406.jpg" height="500" alt="Bonnie 2" width="334" /><img src="http://activerain.com/image_store/uploads/8/7/3/6/5/ar121123774956378.jpg" height="500" alt="Bonnie 3" width="334" /></p>
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<p>I was fortunate enough to be backstage as my favorite group <strong><a href="http://littlefeat.net" target="_blank">Little Feat</a>