Price: $549,000 | Community: Avila Beach

Beautiful Pelican Point condominium located within the gated community of San Luis Bay Estates in Avila Beach. This well maintained townhome boasts an open floor plan, vaulted ceilings, exposed wood beams, hardwood floors, abundant natural light, plus hill and mountain views. Outdoor living is enjoyed via two covered patios, one on each level, and a beautiful pergola covered front porch. This Pelican Point location offers quiet coastal living at its best, in a microclimate considered to be the best in the county. Situated in the hillsides above Avila Beach, this oak studded setting provides great outdoor recreational opportunities including hiking, biking, golf and tennis, in addition to being in close proximity to the ocean and downtown San Luis Obispo.

Price: $629,000 | Community: San Luis Obispo

Situated on a quiet cul-de-sac in The Old Country Club, this three bedroom two bath home embodies a simple, tasteful design and an open floor plan that is perfect for everyday living and great for entertaining. A foyer with custom double door entry, vaulted living and dining room ceilings, great natural light, and a covered balcony accessible from the main living areas create a wonderful, natural flow. The open kitchen with breakfast bar includes hardwood floors, stainless appliances and granite tile counters. The updated baths, downstairs family/bonus room, adjacent guest rooms and covered patio complete the picture. This lovely, well maintained home is centrally located to San Luis Obispo, Old Edna and Arroyo Grande, in addition to being in the coveted Los Ranchos School District.

1775 – The Revolution is in full swing with New England colonists wanting separation from the Kingdom of Great Britain and King George III
June-July, 1776 – Massive war ships from Britain arrive in New York bringing even more unrest in America
June 7, 1776 – Richard Henry Lee presents a formal resolution for America to declare its independence from Britain
June 12, 1776 – The first draft of the Declaration of Independence is written up by committee members including Thomas Jefferson, Benjamin Franklin, and John Adams
July 2, 1776 – Congress voted in favor of the resolution for independence
July 4, 1776 – Congress formally endorses the Declaration
August 2, 1776 – The Declaration of Independence is signed by Congress
1938 – Congress votes Independence Day as a paid federal holiday

With that taken care of, what are your celebration plans this 4th of July? Here are just a few of the happenings along the Central Coast to help you decide.

Pismo Beach – 4th of July Fireworks
Date: July 4th, 2011
Live Bands entertain until 9PM, when the Fireworks start. Charge for VIP seating on Pier. Enjoy a great day at the beach!!
Times: 2:00 pm – 9:30 pm

Morro Bay – 4th of July
Date: July 4th, 2011
Times: 12 noon – 9:15 pm
Location: Tidelands Park Enjoy a day of family activities at Tidelands Park, live music, food, vendors, kids games and more. Don’t miss it! Festivities begin at 12:00 pm.

Cayucos – 4th of July Sand Sculpture Contest & Fireworks
Date: July 4th, 2011
Times: 5:30 am – 10:00 pm
Address: Downtown Cayucos, near Pier
Sand Sculpture Contest created by kids, novices and professionals. Homeown parade thru Downtown, Fireworks at Dusk. Cayucos rocks in the 4th! Fun for the whole family near the beach in a wonderful small town.

Paso Robles – 4th of July at Barney Schwartz Park
Date: July 4th, 2011
12 noon to 7:30 pm Music, karaoke, children’s games
7:30 pm Program to celebrate birthday of United States
8:05 pm Music
9:15pm Fireworks start
9:37pm Fireworks end

For more events and details San Luis Obispo County Visitors and Conference Bureau

Whatever your plans may be, California Coastal Real Estate wishes you a happy and safe Independence Day celebration!

Once again, my favorite healthy food & wine event of the year is peaking around the corner. Food, wine, music, and zero waste, in my book, equals a heckuva no-guilt good time. This is the 5th annual festival and it looks to be quite a bash. The usual savory suspects will be sharing their culinary delectables; Thomas Hill Organics, Cal Poly Organic Farm, Happy Acres Goat Farm (yum), along with plenty of new vendors like Old Creek Ranch from Cayucos specializing in sustainably raised grass-fed and pastured meats.

This year’s festival is being held at Pomar Junction Vineyard, a SIP Certified winery located in Templeton, CA right in the heart of San Luis Obispo Wine Country.

The Event

Date: Saturday, April 16
Time: 1:00 p.m. for Premiere Admission; 2:00 p.m. for General Admission
Cost: Premiere: $100 – $600; General Admission: $40 – $75
The 5th annual Earth Day Food & Wine Festival is a weekend celebration at locations throughout the Central Coast. The feature event is held on Saturday afternoon at SIP Certified Pomar Junction Vineyard & Winery with over 200 purveyors of award-winning, sustainably produced food and wine. Growers, vintners, and chefs come together to serve delicious, one of a kind dishes made with locally sourced fruits, vegetables, meats, cheeses, olive oils, and more. Come and enjoy live music by Dan Curcio of Still Time, a silent auction, unlimited samples of local cuisine, and meet the farmers who grow great food and wine while nurturing a healthy environment.

Regular exercise is important for everyone for many reasons. Regular exercise doesn’t mean you need to join a gym or do anything that you are not comfortable with. If you don’t stay in your comfort zone, chances are you won’t stick to it. Continued research shows that just 3o minutes a day, four days a week helps to lower cholesterol and triglycerides, increases energy, decreases neurodegeneration, and helps to balance blood glucose levels. That could mean walking, hiking, or even gardening. The key is to enjoy what you are doing.

The SLO Health and Fitness Expo held at the Madonna Inn Expo Center is the largest on the Central Coast. The event is all weekend with more seminars, classes, and events than we can mention here. There will be several booths offering testing including glucose and metabolic syndrome testing.

The event is a great way to check out the many different health and pain care specialists we are blessed to have in our area including Homeopathy, Myofacial Release Techniques, Massage, and healthy cooking experts.

The Central Coast’s Largest Health and Fitness Expo!

* March 19th & 20th, 2011 At the Alex Madonna Expo Center
* Exhibit and reach the Central Coast!
* Call (805) 772-4600 for more information!

Here is a glimpse of some of the healthful seminars and fun happenings throughout the weekend:

Saturday 11:00am-12:00pm

Courtney Coleman & Don Andrade
Bring joy and mindfulness into creating seasonal whole food dishes for balance of mind, body, and spirit according to the principles of macrobiotics.

CookWell With Courtney & Ginger Budda

Saturday 12:15pm – 12:45pm

“Stress Relief” made fun and easy with E.F.T.
(emotional freedom technique)
by Lori Riddle
This will be a fun and interactive demonstration of how the E.F.T. technique can be applied to life’s small and big stresses and why it is so valuable to have this self help tool in your own tool box for life. Lori will also be sharing her journey of healing with Essential Oils, natures wonderful healing aromas as well as natural stress relievers. This seminar will go over why stress is harmful to our health in more ways than most people realize and there is something that they can do about it!
That is fun and easy!

Sunday 1:45pm – 2:15pm

Aerial Arts, Bellydance, Bollywood, Drumming and Zumba!

World Rhythm & Motion Studio offers a variety of dance and drumming classes & performances from Suspended Motion, SaJa Middle Eastern Ensemble, Ginici, Keeth CrowHawk, Naomi, and Tribe Elation.

Whether you are taking a half day excursion or a mini vacation, make sure to give yourself plenty of time, this is a scenic route and is not a drive you want to take in a hurry. If you’re in an adventurous mood and are blessed with time, you could easily spend a week discovering tucked away beaches, hiking trails, and exploring quaint and eclectic towns seemingly lost in time. California is rich in history and the PCH is anything but short of it. From the earliest Native American inhabitants and Spanish mission settlements to Hearst Castle, a California State Historical Monument, built by newspaper magnate William Randolf Hearst, history lessons are around every corner.

Big Sur is a highlight of the drive with daring curves hugging rugged cliff walls juxtaposed against the shimmering blue-green Pacific Ocean. Stopping in Big Sur it’s not hard to see why this mystical place shrouded in ancient Oaks and Redwoods spoke to so many creative souls and ended up enshrined in the written word. Jack Kerouak, Henry Miller, and John Steinbeck are just a few who treasured the seclusion and unique beauty of this rugged territory. Steinbeck frequently used Big Sur, Carmel, and Monterey as settings in his novels and they are now a part of California referred to as Steinbeck Country.

If you decide you want to plan your next stay-cation traveling the Pacific Coast Highway, The Pacific Coast Highway Travel website is loaded with travel tips on where to stop, stay, and eat.

Photos courtesy of Stacy Willis

While there is no parade; dinner, dancing, and fanciful costumes will make a memorable night for all. Be prepared, costumes are meticulously thought out. I’m pretty sure there are quite a few late night meetings that go into the planning and crafting of the extravagant ensembles and themes. Last year we traveled through the looking glass to find her majesty, the Queen of Hearts, looking for some heads, The Mad Hatter announcing “tea time!” well into the night, and the White Rabbit, tardy as usual, hopping in just before dinner with a nervous “I’m late, I’m late!” Now, who could forget that?

What do the traditional MardiGras colors represent?

• Purple represents justice
• Green stands for faith
• Gold stands for power

ARTI Gras is back for 2011!

We invite you to join us for a rousing fundraiser in the spirit of Mardi Gras to benefit the arts in San Luis Obispo County.  This year’s event will be held Saturday, March 5th at the Camp San Luis Obispo Officers’ Club.  This is a charming venue and our decorating committee is already hard at work coming up with ideas to make the evening’s ambience just right.  Phoenix Fine Catering will be serving passed appetizers and a seated 3-course dinner and wine will be included with dinner.

Keeping with the “Walk on the Wild Side” theme, we’ll have local artists create shoe and shoe-related art which will be sold as part of the silent auction.  There will be prizes for best costumes and even one for “best in shoe.”  We’ll also offer other unique items in the auction with some great lifestyle events you can purchase outright.  The evening would not be complete without dancing and we’ll have a live band playing so you can dance until your shoes fall off.

We are pleased to announce the King and Queen of ARTI Gras 2011 are local arts supporters Linnaea Phillips and Steven deLuque. We are proud to honor these individuals who have made outstanding contributions to the arts community.

If you buy a table before January 31st you’ll receive a 10% discount!

If you have questions email director@artsobispo.org or call the ARTS Obispo office at (805) 544-9251.

Locals and visitors alike can dine on the area’s most decadent cuisine during San Luis Obispo County’s 4th Annual Restaurant Month. Participating restaurants are offering 3 for $30 – a 3-course prix fixe menu at an amazingly affordable $30 per person. It’s an excellent opportunity for restaurants to showoff their skills, and for you to try some of the county’s best and not break the bank.  And, I’m sure most of you would agree, a gourmet dinner without the work sounds like a dream after the holidays.

Savor San Luis Obispo County in January!

Plan ahead and make sure to come out and Savor San Luis Obispo County during the month of January. January 2011 will be our 4th Annual Restaurant Month. You will be able to visit participating San Luis Obispo County Restaurants, January 2 – 31, 2011, for a 3-course, pre-fixe menu for only $30! Come enjoy the bounty of our county and indulge in fresh, locally grown produce and meats all prepared especially for you! Reservations recommended, if not required.

Here are just a few of this years participating restaurants:

Black Cat Bistro
Robin’s Restaurant
Cass House Historic Inn & Restaurant
Artisan
Bistro Laurent
Il Cortile
Thomas Hill Organics Wine Bistro
Ventana Grill
Lido at Dolphin Bay Resort & Spa
Big Sky

Make your reservations now for a savory taste of the Central Coast!

Goal: something that one hopes or intends to accomplish

Which will it be for you this year? Whether we admit it, or even consciously realize it, we all have expectations as we bring in each new year. Health (eat healthier or begin an exercise routine), financials (save money or get out of debt), and lifestyle changes are a few of the more common resolutions we tend to set for ourselves. Resolutions are easy to make and, unfortunately, easily forgotten within a few weeks as we get back to our busy lives. But don’t feel guilty…you are not alone. Setting goals and following through with them takes a little bit of planning, so whether they are resolutions or goals, here are a few tips to attain them and feeling the success that comes along with that:

• Set realistic goals
• Write your goals down somewhere that you can see them
• Make sure your goals have real meaning and are not just something on your wish list
• Be specific
• Make a list of how your life would be better if you are successful with your goals

o   Less stress
o   Better health
o   Business success
o   More time for things you enjoy

• Check in with yourself, or even better check in with someone else, each week

So, here’s to a happy and healthy 2011 full of successes!

And here’s a hand, my trusty friend,
And gie’s a hand o’ thine;
We’ll take a cup o’ kindness yet
For auld lang syne

Bring your chairs, blankets, and hot cider for a fun-filled night downtown.

Be sure to get there early to grab a good spot and don’t leave before it’s over or you’ll miss Santa and Mrs. Clause wishing everyone “A Happy Christmas to all, and to all a good night.”

Holiday Parade

Friday, December 3, 2010
Time: 7:00pm
Location: Downtown SLO

Thousands of locals and visitors line the streets of Downtown to see the county’s largest holiday parade featuring festive floats and whimsical entertainment from 100 + entries