My Favorite Recreational Activity

Here we are, all set up at a campsite, and drinking coffee (or hot chocolate). Camping in the state parks near Tallahassee, Florida, elsewhere in Florida, and in parks outside this state, is my world of fun, relaxation, getting away, and adventure. I make new observations of an ecosystem each time I go camping, and find a new fact about nature. I experience the surprise, freshness, and eternal cycling of nature. There are many ecosystems, and they all are important, they all serve a purpose, and are beautiful in their own unique manner. We usually visit different state parks and stay in different camp grounds each time we pack our gear and head out to the outdoors.

It is even more fun exploring nature with a child, a family member, a friend. Stories are shared around the campfire, delicious meals are cooked, hikes take place. Each meal is different, and different tools are used to prepare the meal it seems, or at least the method of cooking or preparing the meal changes, advances, and gets better with practice, as cooking is a different experience outdoors in nature.

A hike is a good way to connect with nature, and others. It is a very good way to mingle with others, get to know and learn about others better, and share the observations of nature. My son looks forward to exploring ecosystems with me. We recently hiked in an wetland ecosystem and studies the sights, sounds, and wonders of a wetland. We have been to the mountains of north Georgia, North Carolina, and Tennessee on several occasions, and ran, played, photographed nature, and felt the elements of nature together. We went on a hike down into an area with a waterfall. That was a fun little hike. Got to hear the sounds of water falling, and see the speed in which water falls. We have explored gulf coast ecosystems, wooded pine forest ecosystems, praire basin ecosystems, and more.

Each campsite offers a different array of plants. I am fond of trees, and the greens displayed, the apearance of the trees around the site. Trees are my favorite element of nature, and I can’t imagine nature without them. Too me, the trees make the experience most comfortable, the way it should be.

We have new camping and hiking discoveries coming up, and although we have a busy, if not overly hectic schedule, yet we take time to be ourselves, and appreciate the simplicity of earth, and go on camping trips together.

The First Home I Listed in Leon County

A couple years ago, in the fast moving seller’s market that we experienced here in Tallahassee, I listed, and marketed this traditional ranch style home sitting on an acre of land on Williams Road outside of Tallahassee, in Leon County, in the southeast direction, in the country, yet close to town.Since than I have sold other properties in and outside Tallahassee, but this one is memorable for many reasons. It was a pleasure working with the sellers, and coordinating the home selling and home buying transaction. Much goes on behind the scenes in a real estate transaction to put it all together. Many service provides get involved: mortgage professionals, appraiser, home inspector, WDO inspector, surveyor, title representatives, closing coordinator, agents, moving company contacts, home repair professionals (if required), recorder.

Camping at Paynes Praire State Park

What is more fun than camping, and especially for a couple sunny and cool autumn days at beautiful Paynes Praire State Park near Gainesville, Florida, one of 161 state parks in Florida, all well maintained by the Florida Department of Environmental Protection.

We set up our camp among the many upland oaks, palms, and palmettos in the woods. We were very private with all the green surrounding us and separating us for the most part from otther campers. Just how I like it. We immediately created a good fire after buying wood at the gate. Wood was going fast. We managed to have enough for the two days we were camping there.

We drove to the visitor center on the other end of the park, and looked out at the praire, as far as the eyes can see almost. Yes, a real Florida praire, but probably not the kind of praire that you would see in the west.

The information we read at the visitor center stated that there are 31 bison on the park’ praire. There are also wild horses, wild cows and wild boar. The horses and cows are descendants of the animals brought over by the Spaniards during the era of New World exploration.

I did not spot bison or cows at the lookout tower,which my son and I had fun climbing, but as we hiked out into the praire, we saw three black horses. They were so majestic looking, so pure. I wanted to see how close I could get to these shiny, black hoofed animals, so I calmly walked to within about 100 feet of two of the horses which stood close together side by side wagging there thick hairy tails. The third horse was further in the distance but as I started approaching the couple, the distant horse ran up to them and stopped. It was as if that horse was the protecting parent. The horses did not appear to be afraid of me or mind my presence. However, they stared at me in what appeared to be fascination. I tried walking closer to them. My son stayed way back in the distance, somewhat scared to approach the wildlife. As I started getting closer, the third horse who was the more distant horse earlier, started walking toward me. I stopped and hesitated to go closer. The horse stopped, and I decided to turn around and head back toward where I came from.

That day I saw the most beautiful horses.

The camping loop offers some more secluded, private campsites for tents only. Overall, there was a balance of tents and RVs in the camp ground loop.

This state park is unique for its praire basin ecosystem,with its abundant diversity of grasses and other plant types. The basis is partly wet through out the year, and is a winter harboring ground for many northern birds. The camp ground is in the upland woods beside a big lake.

This is the first time I ever visited Paynes Praire, and I am happy I did.

Florida offers so much biodiversity and many different ecosystems. With so much human expansion and development in Florida, there is also much nature for everyone to experience.     

                                                      

Canopy Road Future In Tallahassee, Florida

Roads
I am attending the Canopy Roads Visioning Workshop at Dorothy B Oven
Park in Tallahassee, Florida. The issue is how to manage, protect and
plan for the future of the canopy roads and canopy corridors in
Tallahassee, Leon County. I am attending because I honor the trees and
want to see these majestic oaks and other tree types protected for
years into the future.
Tallahassee and surrounding lands have a unique tradition of having so
many trees and tree covered roads, the canopy roads. There is an
active biodiversity here. As the result of abundant tree ecosystems
there is an abundant wildlife population as well. This is one big
attraction to me living in this community. As the urban area expands,
there has to be a plan to manage the tree population. I am gathering
the comments made at the workshot for those who care about trees and
how a community can plan for the future of these inhabitants among us.
There is not a day that goes by almost that I do not drive or walk
down these beautiful tree canopy roads.
When you look at early photos of Tallahassee you can’t help but notice
these natural wonders. There is such a restful, cozy feeling traveling
through these canopy road coridors. They are our treasure. We
Tallahasseans love our trees.
Here are the comments made.
*It is about our trees which connects us to our past. It separates us
from other cities. Canopy roads serve as primary transportation
corridos in our community.
*There is a management plan already, such as when to prune the trees.
*What are the big issues:
*TRANSPORTATION:
-Prohibit commercial license vehicles.
Alternate roads to protect trees.
-More focus in alternative transportation.
-Enforcing speed limit.
-Have non canopy road routes as well.
-Development should adapt to the canopy roads and not threaten the roads.
-Triple canopy road system
-Safe bicycle passage.
-Road bumps to restrict traffic.
-Build homes along roads with nice views.
-Off road paths parallel to roads.
-Bike and pedestian trails.
-Plant more trees.
-Offer more protection for parallel off road paths.
-Schedule automobiles on alternate days.
-Use GIS in planning.
*TREASURES (the people):
-Network of canopy and historic roads regionally and nationally recognized.
-Offer ad valorem tax break for land home owners who protect their canopy trees.
-Recognized as national asset
-Featured in travel magazines.
-Canopy road festivals.
-Public roads.
-Improving vistas.
-Secure funding.
*TREES:
-Tree education program
Keeping as many trees as possible as a community heratage.
-Agressive enforcement of tree maintenance.
-Include other trees beside Oaks. More biodiversity.
-Risk assessment of trees and catalogue them. Prevent fatal accidents.
-Expand and nurture wildlife habitats.
-Enforce tree removal and protection.
-Expand tree growth.
-Have a grading system for canopy trees.
-Extensive mnagement.
-Management should be corridor specific, road specific.
-Limit denisity.
Tallahassee has a strict no cutting down tree without planting more
trees policy. This is a subject that will be of importance to our
community for a long time I believe.
Kenneth Fach
Tallahassee, FL 32309

Some Practical Tips for Homeowners

We homeowners can sometimes need a review of things we can do for our real estate. We can learn new tips to better maintain our property.

I would like to share seven useful suggestions or tips for your home and garden. They work for me.

To clean my Garbage Disposal this is what I do:
I pour 1/2 cup baking soda into the drain. Next I pour 1 cup of white vinegar. Then, I pour hot boiling water from a tea kettle. This process cleans and kills odors. I am very happy there is baking soda and that it is so cheap.
I also want to keep my disposal blades in top condition. I take ice cubes, and
fill the drain 1/2 full with then before running the cold water as hard as it will come out. Lastly, I turn the system on. I don’t do this much since I try to not use water if not necessary.

Tip number two is to keep wood, and leaves or straw from touching the bottom foundation of the home so as to help prevent insect or termites from getting inside the home. termites and other organisms like wood. Most homes have wood inside the walls as part of the foundation.

Keep your used coffee grounds for enriching the soil of your flower or vegetable garden. I keep a compost pile in my garden and periodically spread the food substances there to have a healthier soil body.

Contact an air conditioning/heating company to arrange for a regular maintenance plan. I just started doing this. They come out twice a year to inspect and service the system ans at other times they come by with air filters. Filters need to be changed monthly if you use the system daily.

One way you can give your home a new home smell, is by painting the walls, at least a few walls or a few rooms. As time progresses, there will be odors in the home. Paint solves that problem, but don’t neglect to shampoo or replace the carpet if necessary. Oh, I forgot, who has carpet anymore!
When I paint my home, I think of a theme and color scheme. I get my inspiration from the surrounding nature and outdoor colors. I want the inside to transition smoothly to the outside.

If you have a two story home, remember, heat rises. It is warmer upstairs in the winter. Blow some of that heat down stairs by keeping the upstairs ceiling fans on. Depending on home’s layout this may not be possible. Remember, bigger homes theoretically consume more energy, but a smaller home that is not energy efficient, does not keep in heat in the winter, could waste more energy than a bigger home.

If you have vertical blinds, keep the panels facing up when you close, not down. If they face down it is easy for people to look in at night when the lights are on inside. This is a security tip.

If you have some home tips to share, let me know and I will probably add them and if you want, even give you the credit of providing them.

Kenneth Fach, REALTOR
Weichert, REALTORS-Anchor
Tallahassee, Florida
Direct/Text 850-339-5753 Blog: http://KennethFach.wordpress.com

Each office is independently owned and operated.

Bigger Kitchens but Fewer Cooks

I see many new and older homes in and around Tallahassee and Pensacola, Florida. I have observed that homebuyers want bigger kitchens and that the kitchen is very much the center of activity, conversation and planning. It is used as an office, decorative piece, place for preparing checks to pay the bills. It is a place to read the mail, the coffee house, a location for viewing the television or listen to songs. Some even have a computer in the kitchen. The kitchen is bigger, no doubt, than many kitchens in the days of the popular ranch styles homes of the 50’s, 60’s and 70’s. Many of those homes however, had bigger food closets, pantries.

Today, people are cooking less it seems. There are more restaurants, more eating out, and the dishes people do prepare at home are not of the quality or richness of the meals prepared by our parents and grandparents. Times are different of course. Foods are often less healthier, filled with preservatives, and people are too busy and overworked to cook complete, healthy, or interesting dishes. We often cook the easiest, fastest dishes possible for ourselves and those we entertain. Yet, we buy bigger bigger homes with bigger kitchens, and many of these beautiful kitchens (and they are beautiful) have small pantries, or no pantries at all to store food items. Another example of less emphasis on cooking at home.

If you one of the few who take the time to cook nice, healthy, complete meals, and want to stock up on food and ingredients, be sure that the home you like with the big kitchen also has a decent size pantry. You will determine what is decent size, but most home cooks like a big pantry and will complain of lack of storage space if there is not a place to keep the essentials. A cook without the ingredients for the desired dish is not a happy cook. I know, I get irritated when I forget to by baking soda, or other items for a recipe that I must prepare at the moment of inspiration. I do have a nice pantry too. Some builders of new homes with big kitchens put in very tiny pantries, sometimes, even in upper priced neighborhoods. If the kitche is so important, you may want to make sure that it is not only big, but complete. Something that I like in my kitchen is a place to hang a bulletin board. Not all new kitchens in contemporary style homes have wall space for a bulletin board, or even pictures. These are open kitchens, that swiftly flow into the surrounding rooms.

When looking at homes, you may not want to rule out the older homes since many of the older homes, including ranch style homes, have big pantries, and plenty of functionality, even if not as attractive or elegant.

Kenneth Fach, REALTORm ePRO
Weichert, REALTORS- Anchor
1607 Village Square BOULEVARD, Suite B 103
Tallahassee, FL 32309
Direct/Text 850-339-5753
Blog: http://KennethFach.wordpress.com

Each office is independently owned and operated