Ray Henson, Brokered by eXp Realty

I recently had lunch with a colleague and outlined my work goals (dreams), which I thought I had already done in previous meetings.  I was pretty surprised when she said she had no idea I was looking to build my real estate business by helping other agents.  I thought it was pretty ironic that Th...

We get plenty of wildlife here in Elk Grove, mostly birds, but not many deer.  We have seen a few to the South of us at Cosumnes River Preserve.  I love the way Kat Palmiotti makes Montana so inviting and I would love to see all the wildlife in her area.  I just do not think I am hearty enough fo...

When we were given a list of requirements for our Mixed Martial Arts black belt test, I wondered why part of the test was to accomplish a large amount of random acts of kindness.  Actually, it was the part of the test that I was least prepared for and found to be most daunting.  I am a back of th...

If life is a story, mine is pretty humble.  I was very reserved, well, painfully shy, when I was a kid and I was a bit overweight so I enjoyed high school, but it had its challenges.  I was pretty average with school work, but I hung out with a lot of really smart kids.  I was not an athlete, but...

I have been amazed at the stories that I have read about the lives of my ActiveRain friends in this month's challenge to tell their story.  It was fascinating to read about Alexandra Seigel's magical in the Sudan and Egypt. I was captivated by Endre Barath, Jr.'s escape from Hungary.  And I was i...

One of the great things about living in Elk Grove, CA is that we have some pretty wonderful sunsets. Every once in a while, we are blessed with thousands of migrating geese enjoying our National Wildlife Refuge just to the North and East of our neighborhood, Laguna West/Lakeside, at the same tim...

Fennel and Feta with Pomegranate Seeds and SumacThis is one of our new favorite salads.  It is very refreshing and is full of flavor.  If you have not tried sumac, you are in for a treat.  It has a lemony, fresh flavor that pairs very well with fennel.  We even sprinkle sumac on our popcorn with ...

Pickleball, it is not just your father's sport any more!Oasis Park-Elk Grove's Best Pickleball CourtsThere are a few places in Elk Grove to play pickleball, but the best place to play is at the Oasis Park.  There are 6 courts and they have excellent lights for playing at night.  My wife and I hav...

Forget the cute little groundhog.  The crocus is the real harbinger of spring.I planted a few crocus last fall.  They are tiny plants, but have rather large flowers and, the variety I planted, bloom very early in the year.  Saffron is harvested from the fall blooming variety.  It is easy to see w...

It is so hard to predict what will happen to interest rates in the future, but this is a good indication that Shayne Stone outlines.  Also, make sure to look at the effect of rising interest rates on mortgage payments in the graph he provides.  A small rise in interest rates can make meaningful d...