Trans-Catalina-Trail Hike

The planning process for our Trans-Catalina-Trail (TCT) hike started a year in advance, affording us the luxury of selecting the perfect time of year to tackle the 40ish mile trek. Summer would be too hot, winter threatened the risk of rain, so it was either spring or fall. Fall is my favorite time of year and less likely to be wet, so it was settled that we would do it in early October. We were confident we made the right call.   For those not familiar with the TCT, it starts out in the southeast corner of Santa Catalina Island in the city of Avalon, then meanders to the north-western tip at Parson’s Landing, totaling about 38.5 miles with a lot of ups and downs along the way. The hike is typically done over 3.5 days with three overnight stays at Black…

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The Beauty of Dana Point Harbor

Stupid me. What was I thinking by running with my iPhone in my shirt pocket? Naturally, it flew out and shattered the screen (I’ve lost count of how many of them I’ve broken). Anyway, I brought it into a quickie repair place in Dana Point and had about 45 minutes to kill, so I took a walk out to the park overlooking the Harbor. Even though I’ve seen this view hundreds of times, it still blew me away. I was looking down at Baby Beach, thousands of boats moored in the harbor, the Ocean Institute, two tall ships (tall ships!), and, well too much to describe in one sentence. Then I thought of all the activities that take place right below me: world-class stand-up paddle boarding, outrigger canoes, surfing, kayaking, fishing, sailing, motorboating…it goes…

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Stalemate

Stalemate is a situation in the game of chess where the player whose turn it is to move is not in check and has no legal move. The game ends in a draw.

Since the start of 2020, home prices in Coastal South Orange County (Newport Beach, Corona Del Mar, Laguna Beach, Dana Point and San Clemente) increased a staggering 61% from an average of $1,885,000 to $3,040,000 now. All throughout 2020 and into early 2022 interest rates hovered around 3.0% for a fixed 30 year loan. In response to inflation running rampant, the Fed has, and continues to, aggressively raise interest rates, forcing lenders to increase their mortgage rates. Today, a 30 year fixed loan is in the range of 6.5% and still going up.

So, what does that mean for the real estate market?…

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Rock for the Cause

Rock for the Cause, benefitting the Friendship Shelter, was very possibly the most outrageously fun fundraiser ever. No, forget the fundraiser part, it’s up there for most outrageously fun NIGHT ever. Seriously, organizers Clay Berryhill, Danielle Cavallucci, Marshall & Elizabeth Ininns, Rick & Dianne Allen, and, of course, the Stu News gang (Shaena, Lynette and Bill Brasfield) totally crushed it. Generously hosted by the Skyloft with entertainment by the 133 Band, this was an A-list cast of Laguna’s finest. Taking it over the top were the many swaggy (yeah, that’s a made-up word) raffle prizes that were awarded. Who wouldn’t die for a yoga lesson on a standup paddle board? This was a proper party.

Face it, with the 133 Band playing, cocktails…

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Image is Everything

The National Association of Realtors loves to tout (announcer’s voice here) “93% of homebuyers now search for properties online.” Doesn’t it make you wonder who the heck the other 7% are? Oh, I know, the ones yelling “Hello!, Hello!” into their TV remotes when the “home phone” rings. But I digress. What I really wanted to write about is the importance of standing out from the crowd when potential buyers are flicking through house listings on their phones.

At a recent property shoot, my photographer was lamenting the fact that so many real estate agents turn down his services because of the cost. For my money, there is no better value than paying for the best photography you can possibly find. My guy is more than an artist; he happens to be a…

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Happy Enchilada

HAPPY ENCHILADA

I miss John Prine. He wrote some of the best lyrics of any song writer. Ever. During one of his live recordings of “That’s the Way the World Goes ‘Round,” he tells a story about a woman who came up to the stage while he was performing in San Francisco and asked him to play the “Happy Enchilada” song. John replied, “I never wrote a song about an enchilada, let alone a happy one. I think you might have me mixed up with someone else.” She was insistent that it was one of his songs, so he asked her how the song went. With that, she started singing “It’s a happy enchilada, you think you’re gonna drown, that’s the way the world goes round.” John, in a deadpan reply, said, “Oh, that one. I’m glad you like my lyrics.”

The actual lyrics…

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Fantasy Fades

Prices Chase Away Home Buyers?

This was the sub-heading of a Daily Pilot article I came across as I was sorting through old archives in a home I recently purchased in Laguna Beach. The article was published on May 8, 1977 and was preceded with the headline “Fantasy Fades Out,” meaning the fantasy of home ownership. It went on to bemoan the rapidly increasing cost of housing as home prices outpaced the high rate of inflation. The reason, the writer suggests, is that building costs had become excessively high and that there were too few homes available, especially to first-time buyers.

  Snippets of the article really caught my fancy. Some of the juicier bits include: “People who are gainfully employed cannot afford housing because of the…

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Aquathon 2018

“Let me make this very clear: The event is cancelled! Gone. Vacated. Void. There is no Aquathon today or any day. Go home!”

  So began the 33rd annual kickoff of the Aquathon by event coordinator, Gary Cogorno, addressing the roughly 200 water-people assembled for the eight mile trek down the coast of Laguna Beach. As always, the proclamation that the event was off was immediately followed by raucous cheers from the crowd. In spite of the fact that the event has frequently been cancelled, it has not failed to take place for the past 32 years. This year was no exception with the non-event going ahead on Sunday, September 16 under sunny skies with balmy 72 degree ocean temperatures and pounding surf.

  The Aquathon is a swim-walk (sometimes climb)…

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