Having grown up in Lakeshore Highlands, now better known as Heritage Hills, I’ve been lucky enough to enjoy the best ice cream in the valley! Just a short drive into OK Falls, Tickleberries has grown with the Valley and become a full on adventure that any ice cream lover must experience. Here are some photo’s of what to expect. My favorite way to spend an hour. Nice drive, and good licks!

Every Saturday I have several Open House, but before I open the homes for public tours I run down to the local market. I am lucky because my office is one block up from the market. The Penticton  Market is help every Saturday. The downtown association blocks off traffic from the 300 block right to Lakeside Road. As long as I get to work early enough for parking I can enjoy a nice stroll to the market!!!

First thing I do every Saturday morning is go to the office and have a quick visit with Sheila, she is the Saturday office girl. She is so sweet and kind, she makes working on Saturdays fun!

Even if I don’t  have opens I get to work early to see Sheila and hit up the Farmer’s Market. Local vendors show off their goods and you can’t help but support the locals. The market is truly fun for the whole family, I had way too much fun taking pictures of the locals, pretending to be tourist in my own town. Here are some to enjoy! Bring your spouse, your kids and your pets.Maybe next time I will see you at the market!

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The Regional District has decided to implement an affordable housing project in Naramata BC. A first of its kind here in the South Okanagan. Naramata is a very desirable place to live. Home to many vineyards and wineries this quaint town has a charm of its own. In the small downtown we will see 18 townhomes come up for sale. The Regional District defines affordable housing as “10% below appraised value”. There will be a covenant on title stating that each preceding owner must sell the units for 10% below the currently appraised value for 7 years. The Regional District also holds the first right of refusal to ensure the prices remain “affordable.”  This will be located on Ellis St across from Naramata Centre.

These Naramata homes will be 3 bedrooms or 2 large rooms and a den up, 2 baths up and 1/2 bath down. Equipped with en suites and walk in closets, an over-sized single car garage and visitor parking. The units should be about 712 sq ft per floor for a total square footage of 1424 with a full unfinished basement. Boasting 9ft ceilings and flooring includes laminate, and carpet. The complex will be family and pet friendly, rentals allowed. The units should be comparable to Skaha Bluffs at the South end of Penticton. This project will be built by Wildstone a well known, reputable local builder.  Disclosure should be filed soon, ground has been broken (leveled off) and the name as of today should be “Naramata Court.”  Estimated price point should be mid $300,000′s after the 10% reduction. Schoene appraisals will be doing the appraisals.

Royal LePage Agents and a Lawyer

Even if you are not an avid golfer you can’t get away with not golfing when you are living in Penticton BC. Last Friday I was asked to gather some Royal LePage Agents to fill the last spot in the Pathways tournament. Texas Scramble! Golfing for charity….I’m in! I put together my dream team which included Jodie Taylor my favorite Real Estate lawyer, Steve Thompson, Steve Janzen, and Andrea Agur all REALTOR® at Royal LePage. It was nothing short of a blast!

Yoga at the Golf Tourney

Most of the Charity Golf Tournaments I have attended have been hosted at Skaha Meadows, this one was at Sage Mesa Golf Course, and I am sure glad it was. The views were amazing.  Sage Mesa is set up on the Westbench overlooking Okanagan Lake, the few short hours on the course felt like a staycation. We lucked out and booked the last of the golf carts, had some tunes and a cooler full of beverages. Dinner was hosted at another Golf course on the Westbench called Pine Hills Golf Course. Pine Hills is always a favorite course as it is open late and has cheap green fees. The view is lake to lake and a must see! Check out a full list of Penticton Golf Courses!

This is an annual family event celebrating the Subaru Ironman athletes and their families, the community of Penticton and the downtown businesses. There are three stages, 15 live acts, a video dance screen, 70+ vendors, children’s games and activities. It is hosted in the 200,300 and 400 block of Main Street the Friday evening before the race. Book your calendars for August 27th and come on down to Royal LePage’s Ironman Street Dance.

This event is absolutely free! A core value of Royal LePage, the giving back to the community!

I personally volunteered to represent the Royal LePage Realtors working closely with the downtown association to put on this fabulous evening. Historically this event draws nearly 8,000 people. I am looking forward to the live bands and dance screen. You may even see me MCing!!!

Finally made it to Lakebreeze for a wonderful lunch. Okay so wonderful is an understatement. It always turns into an adventure when you take a good friend/business alliance to one of the coolest wineries in Naramata. Not only can you watch the progress of the new building going up you can’t help but enjoy valley and lake views and  the lunch location is also dog friendly! I didn’t bring my dogs (Merl & Karma) -  around food and fine wine the 80 lb mutts can’t be trusted but feel free to bring yours!

I met up with Kelly Hood, a fabulous local designer who comes to her hometown to accommodate her staging and design clients of the Okanagan. She is currently living in Vancouver but needs a dose of the Penticton on a regular basis. I highly recommend her if you are thinking of spicing up your home, getting it ready for sale or can’t agree on colours with your significant other. Sometimes we trust our own instincts and like one colour a little too much,  like my mother for example. She redid the living area and chose white carpet, white paint with a hint of green and the accent wall…..wait for it….. white with a hint of pink!  When it was finished she was surprised at how white it all was….  Kelly would have  been a perfect match! After that experience I always recommend hiring a professional it’s a lot cheaper than repainting/flooring a large room! Ask me about my free staging program when you list your home!

Our server was Carmen, another Penticton homegrown, she was fabulous and recommended a salad that I can’t stop thinking about. I should have taken a picture for you all to see! I know that if you try this winery your will be 100% satisfied. The tables are equipped with umbrella’s for those of you who don’t need a tan and there are blankets in case the wind picks up so you can stay nice and warm. The food is to die for and the wine is award winning.  We took the opportunity to sample the whites and reds before our lunch so our beverage decisions were well educated before hitting up the patio for lunch.

Lunch at Lakebreeze

We finished up the afternoon by stopping in at Hillside winery for a quick wine tasting where we ran into a large group of tourist tasters.  Both locals and tourists get great service but the hosted tour groups really get an in depth explanation of the wine  history and grape varietals. We purchased the Gewürztraminer and Muscat. Hoping this years is as good as lasts. Hillside Winery also features a restaurant- I will need to further my blog with a review before the summer is over. Don’t miss your wine tasting opportunities while you are in the Okanagan!    Click Here for  a list of local wineries and maps.

Alysen Place

Alysen Place homes to Auction on Saturday, August 21st.

The announcement came  back on June 26th. Since there have been 3 firm sales and this Saturday we will see what is left.
Are there some deals to be had? Take a look at the current pricing.

There are a few different floor plans to choose from. To explore the different floor plans click here.

Have a look and give me a call with any questions. I have also included our Alysen Place – How to Buy at Auction Information Package.

If you have any questions please call right away to learn more about this unique event.

Just a quick link if you want to know whats going on with the new power poles being installed.  I grew up in one of the neighbouhoods that is going through the change and wanted to pass along this information for anyone who is interested.

Click here for the current petition.

As most people in the world know Duncan Keith is from Penticton!!! I went to school and graduated with Duncan and it really hits home with all his successes. For those of you who don’t know the local super star you have an opportunity this satuday to see him with the cup!

July 12 2010 Penticton suffered from a severe wind storm. One of the 3 Lakeshore Towers, also known as the Lakeshore 3 experienced an interesting event.

One of the 2 Southerly  Lakeshore Towers (160 Lakeshore or 75 Martin St) lost a window from the top floor. A penthouse window was sucked into the Okanagan air! The 15th floor south facing unit had an exterior window pane that previously had a fracture, as a result of the storm the exterior window was sucked right from the building. The strong winds coming from the north acted as a vacuum and the window came falling down 15 stories and landed on a Subaru in the RDOS parking lot. Thankfully no one was injured. Last week we had humid hot weather and this week a small turn of weather events.