July 4th CelebrationOmni La Costa Resort and Spa in Carlsbad Last night was a fun way to celebrate Independence Day with our older daughter, our son-in-law and the 2 older grandkids. We haven't been to the Resort for a number of years since we used to live right down the street, and there was a lively crowd and lots of festive decorations as one would expect.  Our daughter arranged for us to make firepit s'mores at the Omni La Costa Resort and Spa in South Carlsbad. We had a private firepit and seating area with great views of the resort and the golf course, and of course plenty of marshmallows, graham crackers and chocolate bars for s'mores making. And some additional cookies, colorful lollipops, and hot chocolate.  We had a great time indulging in a sugar overdose before the start of ... 07/05/2025

What’s the Value of My Carlsbad Home? Carlsbad Market Report for June 2025 The Carlsbad real estate market continues to change, with shifts from May and from 1 year ago. Private sales, mobile homes and multi-family housing are not included (the numbers are taken from the MLS and believed to be accurate as reported but are not guaranteed). Media market reports typically speak in generalities. As a result they do not reflect the local Carlsbad housing market conditions (read more - How Local IS Local?). Up-to-date information, and analysis, about local market conditions will benefit you when you want to make informed buying and/or selling decisions about Carlsbad homes for sale. READ MORE ABOUT CARLSBADCarlsbad Village by the Sea 112 homes sold in Carlsbad in June (92008, 92009, 92010 and... 07/04/2025

Summer Fun~ 2025 Aloha Plunge in Carlsbad ~ Don’t miss your opportunity to celebrate the 2025 summer season with the Aloha Plunge on Saturday July 19th, from 5 to 8 PM. It’s a fun event for kids and parents! The Aloha Plunge will be held as always at the Alga Norte Community Park Aquatics Center. Alga Norte Community Park is at 6565 Alicante Road, at the corner of Poinsettia Lane, in the La Costa area of South Carlsbad.  The Aloha Plunge is limited to 500 attendees and registrations usually fill up quickly. The cost is $15 per person, with children ages 3 and under FREE (but must be identified at check-out online). Register online, and get your wrist bands now so you don't miss out. Tickets are on sale now with over 200 already registered. Ticket sales end July 18 at 5 pm. You can pick ... 06/30/2025

Red, White and BOOM 4th of July Fireworks and More in Carlsbad in 2025 The July 4th holiday is less than a week away. Of course there will be celebrations and fireworks in and around Carlsbad, along with private festivities, cookouts, and picnics. And there’s beach time too! Let’s hope our warm, sunny weather continues! The summer crowds have picked up, restaurants are busy, and public parking at the beaches, and in the Village, has been harder to find. This will be true all week and especially for the holiday weekend starting next Friday. Red, White and BOOM at Legoland This popular annual celebration with fireworks takes place at Legoland California in Carlsbad on Friday, July 4th.  There is fun for all ages, with rides, live DJ performances, lawn activities, a scavenger hunt and so m... 06/28/2025

I wrote a few weeks ago about all the Monarch caterpillars we had in our back yard on our milkweed plants. Here is one photo. We were away at my wife's siblings' family reunion in New York for 3 days about 2 weeks ago, and upon our return all the caterpillars had disappeared. We did find 5 chrysalises and have been watching and waiting for the next, and most exciting phase - the hatching of new butterflies. Well, it happened today, with 2 new Monarchs emerging - one still hanging on the chrysalis (see feature photo) and the other had moved to a flower while waiting for its wings to fully dry. We expect to see the other 3 butterflies emerge from their chrysalises in the next day or two. It's been such a treat to see these transformations up close and to see the new butterflies.  06/27/2025

2025 Flicks at the Fountain~ Carlsbad Village ~ Summer is now here, and that means several popular events in Carlsbad are coming soon. One long-time annual favorite is the annual Flicks at the Fountain series. This popular outdoor movie series is hosted by the Carlsbad Village Association.  The Flicks at the Fountain take place on 5 consecutive Thursday nights. The series starts July 10th and ends August 7th. Movies (rated G and PG) were decided by popular vote from residents. Here’s the 2025 list of movies and the dates: July 10 – Moana 2 (PG)July 17 – Little Giants (PG)July 24 – Enchanted (PG)July 31 - Ratatouille (PG)August 7 – Captain America: Brave New World (PG-13) Flicks at the Fountain are held on a big screen in the parking lot by the Fountain. The parking lot is at the corner ... 06/23/2025

New in Carlsbad's La Costa Valley ~ 2381 Avenida Helecho ~ 2381 Avenida Helecho is new to the Carlsbad housing market in the highly-sought after community of La Costa Valley. La Costa Valley offers easy access to upscale shopping at The Forum, the famed Omni La Costa Resort and Spa with 2 golf courses, major commuting routes, and multiple dining options. Plus the Carlsbad beaches are just minutes away.  This well-maintained home features 5 bedrooms, with 4 upstairs and 1 on the main level with an adjacent full bath. Do you need a home office? 1 of the upstairs bedrooms is fitted with built-ins and has been used as home work space. The primary bedroom suite offers a spacious bath with dual vanities, soaking tub, shower, walk-in closet, and views of the trees, neighborhood and the Valley ... 06/21/2025

Lilies in Honor of Our Cat Lily We lost Lily about 2 years ago, our female Maine Coon Cat that we had had since her kittenhood, about 19 years. She was a delightful, playful and friendly lap cat and we were devastated when she became quite ill. It was such a sad time and our home became cat-less, something we had not experienced for many years.  My wife planted a bunch of lily bulbs after Lily died in her memory, and we have been waiting for them to bloom...it's taken quite a while but they are beautiful and greet us from the front patio when we come home. It took a few months but we acquired another rescue cat, also part Maine Coon Cat, about 6 months later. Fiona is a delight but different from Lily...and that's purrfectly OK. It was hard to not have a fur friend in the house for thos... 06/13/2025

The Monarch butterflies are late in our area this year. In 2024 we had butterflies hatching in early May but something was different this year.  Have no fear...our Monarch butterflies came back this year just recently and we now have 20 caterpillars as of today on our 2 milkweed plants. Clearly we need to get a couple more plants to have enough leaves for the caterpillars to eat and grow. They are voracious!  06/07/2025

What’s the Value of My Carlsbad Home? Carlsbad Market Report for May 2025 The Carlsbad real estate market continues to evolve, with changes from April and from 1 year ago. Private sales, mobile homes and multi-family housing are not included (the numbers are taken from the MLS and believed to be accurate as reported but are not guaranteed). Media market reports typically speak in general terms. Thus they do not reflect the local Carlsbad housing market conditions (read more - How Local IS Local?). Up-to-date information, and analysis, about local market conditions will benefit you when you want to make informed buying and/or selling decisions about Carlsbad homes for sale. READ MORE ABOUT CARLSBADCarlsbad Village by the Sea 105 homes sold in Carlsbad in May (92008, 92009, 92010 and 9201... 06/05/2025

The DM Gallery - A Vision My vision for the ActiveRain Points Store is to establish The DM Gallery, named for the initials of our last names – mine (Dowler) and my wife’s (Meckes), alphabetical of course! The feature photo, part of our collection, is a large oil on canvas (using a palette knife) by Antonio Di Vacarro, a view of Positano on the Amalfi coast of Italy. I believe the painting is from the 1990s. We are both art lovers and have been collectors for many years, plus have past experience of running a successful art gallery (yes, we made money which can be a challenge in the art business!) in Cambridge MA from January 2002 through December 2004 before relocating to California. The vision for this particular art gallery is a bit unique. In order to offer opportunities to new and e... 06/02/2025

Make Music Day is June 21, 2025 All are welcome to come celebrate Make Music Day on June 21st at the Museum of Making Music in Carlsbad from 10 am until 5 pm. Fête de la Musique originated in France in 1982 and now is celebrated on June 21 in more than 1000 cities in over 120 countries. The original vision of the founders was a day of music for everyone to enjoy, whether they made the music themselves or just listened, all over each city. That dream became a reality and Make Music Day has spread throughout the world, arriving in New York around 15 years ago. On June 21, 2023 there were 4791 free concerts in 117 US cities (per Wikipedia). Who knows what music you’ll find in parks, on sidewalks, and other public spaces in your area. Or be creative and make your own! Make Music Day is also... 05/29/2025

We have some beautiful chalk art in our driveway, thanks to 2 of our 2 younger grandkids and my wife. Our younger daughter, her husband, and the 2 younger granddaughters were visiting for the Memorial Day holiday and to celebrate the older granddaughter's birthday a few days early.  The 2 girls spent a good chunk of time on their chalk art creations on Saturday. The "Dinocorn" (a Dino unicorn) above was created by our 10-year-old granddaughter.  The image in the upper left was done by the younger granddaughter (age 6) and the part with the rainbow was her older sister's creation. My wife even got into the act and created this "Japanese Tea House with Cherry Trees".  The weather on Saturday and Sunday was the typical May gray we get although the sun finally came out a bit in the late aft... 05/28/2025

Carlsbad Art in the Village - UPDATED 5/28/2025 ~ 2025 Fair ~Art lovers in Carlsbad will be thrilled the 27th Annual Art in the Village Fair will be here soon, 2 days after the 1st day of summer. This popular and well-attended fine art event will feature more than 130 local and regional artists. Art in the Village takes place Sunday June 22nd.  The fair runs from 10 am until 6 pm and is free. Art in the Village vendors will be found along State Street and Grand Avenue in the heart of downtown. Art in the Village is sponsored by the Carlsbad Village Association, and there will be both new and returning artists. The website lists the 2024 participating artists but the 2025 roster is still to be posted stay tuned (I will update this post accordingly). Artist selection is by jury so you wil... 05/23/2025

California Wine Festival in Carlsbad  June 20th is the 1st day of summer, and Day 1 of the 2-day California Wine Festival in Carlsbad. The first TGIF Concerts in the Parks event is also on Friday June 20. If you are a wine and food lover the California Wine Festival is a great opportunity to taste fine wines and enjoy special appetizers. The California Wine Festival will take place Friday and Saturday, June 20 and 21, at the Park Hyatt Aviara Resort in Carlsbad.  The California Wine Festival is a series, with festivals in Dana Point (April 25 and 26, 2025), Santa Barbara (July 18 and 19, 2025), and Huntington Beach (November 7 and 8, 2025). The California Wine Festival features reserve and rare vintages, as well as an extensive list of wines from some of California’s most popular wineri... 05/21/2025

Carlsbad TGIF Concerts in the Parks Series for 2025 The first day of summer is June 20, and the annual TGIF Concerts in the Parks series begin that day. The free TGIF Concerts in the Parks are the highlight of summertime in Carlsbad for many residents. This free outdoor concert series might be the best entertainment option around North San Diego County! Indeed, the series was voted the 4th best outdoor concert series in the US in the 10Best Readers’ Choice Awards by USA Today for 2023 and was the runner-up in the 2024 awards. You can’t miss with a combination of great live music, in a beautiful Carlsbad park, on a Friday summer evening? What more can you ask for in free summer entertainment!  2025 is the 38th season of Carlsbad’s popular TGIF Concerts in the Parks series, presented by t... 05/20/2025

Blue Star Museums: Free Admission Program The Blue Star Museums Program offers FREE museum admission to Active Duty Military and up to 5 family members. The military ID card holder can be an active duty service member or other dependent family member with the appropriate ID. The military ID holder does not have to be present for family members to take advantage of this program. The benefit is for museum walk-in admission only, and is not valid for field trips, online orders, concerts, special events, guided tours or reserved group tours. The benefit is also not redeemable for cash. The Blue Star Museums Program is a collaboration between Blue Star Families, the National Endowment for the Arts, the Department of Defense, and more than 2000 museums around the country. The program is activ... 05/15/2025

Carlsbad's 1st Creative Cultures Arts Festival World Day for Cultural Diversity is celebrated on May 21 and has been since 2002. To recognize this special day, Carlsbad will be holding its first Creative Cultures Arts Festival on Saturday May 17th. The festival will be held at the Carlsbad Library Learning Center at 3368 Eureka Place from 12 noon until 2:00 pm. The festival is free to attend. Carlsbad continues to grow in its support of, and dedication to, the arts! The Creative Cultures Arts Festival will feature a number of hands-on arts activities reflective of diverse cultures around the world. These include: African quilt making Making bookmarks Stone weaving Decorating Lithuanian blown eggs (Margučiai) Persian woodblock printing Making Glagolitic scripts (Slavic alphabet)  The Cre... 05/12/2025

I have been anticipating the 3rd amaryllis blossom for over a week and thought it might open on a Friday as the other 2 had. But perhaps it was more fitting that this beautiful red bloom happened for Mother's Day. Here are the other 2 that I posted previously.   They are all beautiful and I can't say I have a favorite. How about you?!  05/11/2025

What’s the Value of My Carlsbad Home? Carlsbad Market Report for April 2025 The Carlsbad real estate market continues to evolve, with changes from March as well as 1 year ago. Private sales, mobile homes and multi-family housing are not included (the numbers are taken from the MLS and believed to be accurate as reported but are not guaranteed). Media market reports typically speak in general terms. Thus they do not reflect the local Carlsbad housing market conditions (read more - How Local IS Local?). Up-to-date information, and analysis, about local market conditions will benefit you when you want to make informed buying and/or selling decisions about Carlsbad homes for sale. READ MORE ABOUT CARLSBADCarlsbad Village by the Sea 104 homes sold in Carlsbad in April (92008, 92009, 92010 an... 05/03/2025