The majority of our summer tenants (and property owners for that matter) live within a 2 to 3 hour driving radius.  We are all experiencing similar cold weather conditions, so thinking about the beach helps us to cope!
Prospective tenants are actively searching on line (and sometimes in person) for their ideal summer vacation house. After a quiet fall, it’s great to have some business.
The 2009 rental season may be a bit bumpy- and likely, we will have more last minute rental requests than ever before.Â
 But, I’m confident that the beach will be full!
  
 The beach side promenade between 80th and 83rd Streets (major renovations underway at the Windrift, by the way- the 2 inside bar areas from what I could see).
 I am a big fan of Girl Scout Cookies- the peanut butter sandwiches are my favorite. But wait…peanut butter is now a risky food product. The Girl Scouts try to stay current with the times- their cookies are trans-fat free, the packaging is 100% recycled paperboard; and this year the girls have to assure us that the cookies are salmonella free! 
 Yesterday’s bright sun created a line through my picture- but it was such a nice view that I wanted to post it anyway. A spring like day…replaced with more normal winter weather today. Oh well- we know better days are ahead 🙂
 Sure, the sun is out…but with typical January temperatures and wind chills. Brrrr! The surfers don’t seem to mind the cold! 
 
  Winter at the beach- worthwhile to bundle up to enjoy the views.
 January 20, 1961– the Inauguration of John F. Kennedy. My mother watched this historic event with me - in the maternity ward of the hospital.  I was 2 days old. Our 44th president would be born later that same year.
 Interesting to see the various footprints in the snow and try to guess the critter.
 The most unusual? Human footprints. There were a few more than expected this morning, but it is a 3 day weekend! 
Confidence and Optimism
Trying to look on the bright side of the doom and gloom news reports.Â
High gas prices forced us to re-think our driving habits- saving the environment along with our money. Eating out less is good for our diets (although “walking” to Springer’s is still okay in my book :) ). Do I really need it?- thinking before spending leads to less waste. And, we are thankful for things that we may have taken for granted in years past.
I’m still queasy from receiving my year end retirement account report. And the annual notice of our tax assessment arrived in yesterday’s mail. The fair market value of local real estate has dropped almost 20% from the peak in 2005- but that looks pretty good compared to the losses in the stock market. Hey…just trying to see the positive side of things.
Here’s to a brighter tomorrow…the weather sounds just right for a walk on the beach!