Jeff D Clark

The cold is upon us once again with temperatures below freezing everyday this week. At night we have been subzero several times. Beautiful snow covers the mountains and trees and the valley floor is white. In spite of the cold, homes are still selling in La Grande. Utilizing advanced web-marketing, we at John J Howard and Associates have been securing buyer's from all over the west coast. I sold a home last week to a young man from Battle Ground Washington and then sold a manufactured home in Union to a man from LA sight unseen. Both buyers found us through the web.

Snow is one thing you have to love to live in North Eastern Oregon. We have four seasons and winter offers as much recreation potential as any of the others. Yesterday I took the afternoon off and explored the hills around Spout Springs Ski Resort on the Tollgate High. My brother took his snowboard and my Dad and I took our x-county skis. We hiked the slopes and shreaded down through the powder. If this sounds like fun to you, then maybe you need to check out La Grande! If thinking about hiking through four foot drifts of snow in the beautiful Umatilla wilderness doesn't sound like your cup of tea, maybe you should head south!

Have a great day and be sure to check out http://www.jeffdclark.com/!

One of my favorite places for dinner, a drink, good music and a classy atmosphere is Ten Depot Street restaurant. Located at (guess) Ten Depot Street, this downtown business has been at it for over 20 years. I love their prime rib. Come Tuesday night at 8pm to hear great classical and old blues music from two skilled locals. Come Thursday night to hear music from any number of regional bands and players that visit the area. Ten Depot features Terminal Gravity beer, a microbrew from Enterprise. Nothing tastes as sweet as the local stuff!

Don't miss the Bronze, Blues and Brews Festival in Joseph in August. A favorite of mine, brewers from all around the area (Oregon has the best beer) come and set up the tent. Blues players from all across the USA converge to jam. Bronze artists display pieces of art all shapes and sizes available for purchace. Be sure to bring your suit since Wallowa Lake is just around the corner.

This winter has been one like I remember from my childhood. At least the last few weeks have been such. Mt Emily is covered in snow and the valley is white once again. Everything is very beautiful and the snow hanging off the pines will take your breath away. The real estate market remains steady despite a seemingly declining national market. I find that if you read past the glaring headlines, the situation is not actually so grim. Back on the home front, we recently encountered another competetive listing which recieve mutiple offers on the first day. So much for grim! Check out my website to see some of the changes I have been making to the content and catch a glips of our market.

Have a great new year!