Join the Laughter Yoga Club this Saturday in Oceanside CA

Laughter is good for you. We all know that "laughter is the best medicine," and everyone seems to enjoy a good laugh. But so often with our busy lives, stress, fatigue and other reasons laughter avoids us. It's hard to find something to laugh about. And laughing without a reason? Perhaps not so easy to do. 

Laughter Yoga Clubs were started in India back in 1995 and have become quite popular - there are now over 6000 Laughter Clubs in 60 countries. [photo courtesy of foxtongue on Flickr]

The Laughter Yoga Club will be held at 5205 Windmill Street in Oceanside, CA on Saturday March 20 beginning at 11 am. 

Visit the Feeling Good Place for more information or call Hanna (760-944-8417) or Stacey (760-390-1498). Email Hanna at Hanna@FeelingGoodPlace.com.

Please RSVP as space will be limited

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All content copyright © 2010 Jeff Dowler Carlsbad Homes and Real Estate Tidbits

I had the opportunity to spend some time at Balboa Park yesterday with some out-of-town family. This is part of a terrific sculpture outside one of the many museums in the park.

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All content copyright © 2010 Jeff Dowler Carlsbad Homes and Real Estate Tidbits

Sometimes you get more out of the visuals than a lot of commentary.

For a place like Balboa Park in San Diego, California, with a reputation as one of the nation's largest cultural urban parks, this is so true. With 15 museums, a variety of gardens, wonderful theatres, stunning architecture, and lots of green space Balboa Park near the downtown area is a real treat, even if you only have time to walk around.

William Johnson also wrote a wonderful post about the Old Globe Theatre in Balboa Park - do stop by and check it out.

Enjoy the tour. Perhaps it will wet your appetite to visit fabulous Balboa Park sometime.

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All content copyright © 2010 Jeff Dowler Carlsbad Homes and Real Estate Tidbits 

 Encinitas Orchids was born from a live-long love of flowers, a keen sense of design, a creative and artistic sensibility, and a bit of serendipity - neighbors and friends asking for creations as gifts. 

The business just sorta happened - but listen to the video to hear more. 

Don Doerfler comes by his creative, artistic talents naturally. How can one avoid it, with both parents being animators - his mother worked for Disney and his father worked for Warner - and a grandmother, Florence Davis, with a well-established reputation in the San Diego art community as an Impressionist and Plein Air painter? 

Don's newest orchid creation is a beautiful example of his design esthetic and eye for the beauty of nature - check out the "Drift-ePhyte" in the photo, a new living orchid arrangement that has been extremely popular. 

Encinitas Orchids is the product of a love for the orchid and many years of growing them, and a desire to share with others who might also appreciate the extraordinary beauty and diversity of this flower species.

You'll find Don and Encinitas Orchids at several Farmer's Market's (Leucadia, Mercato in Little Italy) as you'll hear in the video, or you can order off his website, Encinitas Orchids, or stop by his showroom  at 450 Avenida de las Rosas in Encinitas (Wed and Fri 12 - 5; Tues and Thurs 9 - 12; or by appointment at 760-533-0991) 

Don is also an established artist - you'll find him at Painter of Paradise. He is active in the Encinitas arts community and participating in the annual Arts Alive Banner Project - look for this year's banner on the home page of his Painter of Paradise website. 

Encinitas Orchids - Living Orchid Arrangements in Encinitas California

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All content copyright © 2010 Jeff Dowler Carlsbad Homes and Real Estate Tidbits

Carlsbad Homes for Sale - New Homes at Mirasol in La Costa Greens

Buyers looking for Carlsbad homes for sale may be very interested in the new homes at Mirasol in La Costa Greens, a master planned community in South Carlsbad.

 READ MORE:

 Carlsbad Village by the Sea

La Costa - A Great Residential Community in Carlsbad

La Costa Greens - Master Planned Community in Carlsbad  

The Carlsbad new homes for sale at Mirasol is the newest La Costa Greens communities to hit the street. Homes continue to sell briskly in the new communities that are currently available in La Costa Greens - Trieste is in their final phase, and Viridian is getting close. Of the 16 homes that have been released at SolTerra (opened last October), only 2 are available as of 1 week ago and most of these have not even been built.

Mirasol is a community of 71 detached single family residences with 4 floorplans. There will be 1 single story plan but only 3 homes will be built.

Homes will range from around 1953 SF for the single story home, and from 3104 SF to 3217 SF for the two-story models. Final pricing has not been determined but the single story should be priced in the mid $600,000s with the large plans priced from the mid $700,000s.

A big plus is that the children in this La Costa Greens community will attend the Carlsbad Schools (Poinsettia Elementary, which is adjacent to Mirasol; Aviara Oaks Middle School in Aviara, and Carlsbad High School).

HOA fees are expected to be around $270 during the initial phases but at $202 at build-out.

The model homes at Miralsol should be ready for viewing by late April, and the first occupancy of these new Carlsbad homes is projected for late summer. [They are NOT taking deposits yet.]

If you are interested in new construction in the La Costa area, stay tuned for more information on the newest homes to hit the Carlsbad real estate market.

Are you interested in other New Construction in the Carlsbad real estate market and nearby?

I've seen them all and will be happy to arrange a personal tour for you. Keep in mind that availability has likely shifted since these articles were written just a few months ago; prices may be different as well.

La Costa Oaks - Rockledge (high $600s to mid $700s)

La Costa Oaks - CopperWood ($700s and $800s)

La Costa Greens - Viridian ($900s)

La Costa Greens - Trieste (high $600s to high $700s) - final release recently happened

La Costa Greens - Avellino  (attached townhomes in the mid to high $400s)

La Costa Greens - SolTerra (mid to high $500s)

53 Melrose (mid $500s)

Quail Pointe in Encinitas (from the mid $900s)

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All content copyright © 2010 Jeff Dowler Carlsbad Homes and Real Estate Tidbits

San Diego Spring Home/Garden Show will be at the Del Mar Fairgrounds

March 5^th through the 7^th, 2010 

Just because the San Diego weather is milder and less wintry than many other parts of the country doesn't mean you can't get excited about spring and the San Diego Spring Home/Garden Show. 

Now who doesn't like a home and garden show?

It can be so much fun to see all the flower and garden exhibits and dream about what your yard could look like. Or, if you are thinking of spiffing up or remodeling your home, whether you are planning to move or not, you can explore the many products, services, home furnishings and exhibits at the San Diego Home/Garden Show.

See some gardens from the 2009 San Diego Home/Garden Show

You can also Ask the Experts if you have particular questions about building permits, for example. And there will be a large display of art work. 

The San Diego Home/Garden Show is being held at the Del Mar Fairgrounds in Del Mar California beginning tomorrow, Friday March 5, through Sunday March 7. There is a large list of exhibitors (the list contains links to many of the vendor websites). 

Hours are 11 - 6 on Friday, 10 - 6 on Saturday, and 10 - 5 on Sunday. You can buy tickets on-line - regular admission is $8 but e-tickets are only $6. Admission after 3 PM is $5.

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All content copyright © 2010 Jeff Dowler Carlsbad Homes and Real Estate Tidbits

Thursdays on the Coast Art Walk in Carlsbad are a Hit

Time is running out for the very popular Thursdays on the Coast Art Walk in Carlsbad Village, Carlsbad California.

Carlsbad has a fine reputation as an arts community, with many galleries, including the City of Carlsbad Cannon Art Gallery, several large arts and crafts fairs, such as the Carlsbad Village Street Faire, the annual Art Splash, the 10 free jazz concert series TGIF Jazz in the Parks, and other activities.

Thursdays on the Coast Walk is a relative new event held on 3 successive Thursdays in Carlsbad Village where resident s and visitors can stroll through the Village and enjoy a wide range of art displays, music and activities from 5:30 until 8:30 at participating retailers and art galleries (the well known Ivanffy-Uhler Gallery at 565 Grand Avenue is a hub of the event).

The Carlsbad Village Association presents this popular free event, and the last one will be March 25. Don't miss your chance to enjoy all that downtown Carlsbad Village has to offer.

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All content copyright © 2010 Jeff Dowler Carlsbad Homes and Real Estate Tidbits

The Flower Fields in Carlsbad California are Open!

The famed Flower Fields in Carlsbad CA are open once again for viewing.

This very popular tourist attraction opened recently and 50 acres of extraordinary color are changing every day.

The Flower Fields are only open for a couple of months each year, generally from the beginning of March until mid May, and it is your opportunity to see an amazing collection of flowers (ranunculas) on a hillside overlooking the ocean. 

There is a large rose garden with over 170 varieties of roses plus a miniature rose garden, among other attractions. Group tours are available, too. You can purchase tickets on the Flower Fields website. 

The Flower Fields began about 85 years ago and had been in several locations in North San Diego County before settling in the current spot several decades ago.

The Flower Fields can be seen from the 5 Freeway and easy to spot, located at the Palomar Road Exit at 5704 Paseo del Norte (look for the windmill). Here are the driving directions.

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All content copyright © 2010 Jeff Dowler Carlsbad Homes and Real Estate Tidbits

This buiding has fascinated me from the first time I saw it when out showing property in San Diego. I had been by it 3 or 4 times but there was never a good time to stop and snap a pic since I had clients following me.

Today was the day...and I drove out of my way as I headed home to snare the photo.

This is the Tower Building - it houses the Tower Tattoo Parlor (which is actually a restaurant and a tattoo joint)

AND The Tower Bar.

Turns out The Tower Bar is pretty popular - check out the Yelp reviews. They have a website but I couldn't get it to load. In any case this building is certainly one of the more unusual in the area.

They are located at 4757 University Avenue in San Diego.

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All content copyright © 2010 Jeff Dowler Carlsbad Homes and Real Estate Tidbits

Improving Your Health and the World with Shea Touch Natural Hair and Skin Products 

Shea Touch is an amazing company.

In addition to providing a line of natural hair and skin products with a range of health benefits, Shea Touch is doing something very special - enabling 300+ people in Kelo, Chad in Africa, many of them women (and children) to get out of poverty. The women are employed to sustain the farms, harvest and process the Shea butter; children benefit from food, homes, education and more from  their mothers stable employment and support efforts from OPCAI, a non-profit organization. The men of the village are guards, the few that there are. 

The company's facility in India harvests and processes the Ayurvedic (India's 5,000 year old medical system) herbs that are used in the Shea Touch natural hair and skin products, which are then shipped to the manufacturing plant in the Dallas/Fort Worth, TX area. 

While you likely have heard of Shea butter you may not know that it comes from the kernels in the fruit of the Shea (karite) tree grown only in Africa, in an area called the Shea Belt running through 19 countries. The Shea butter from Chad has the highest concentration of Vitamins E (a well-known anti-oxidant, A, D, & F among all the Shea butters from other regions along the Shea Belt. 

A very important distinction between SheaTouch facilities and over 90% of all others is that they have specific processing procedures, high quality assurance standards, and their own (imported from India) manual/mechanical press which eliminates the butter being touched by human hands.

This precise and sanitary manufacturing process ensures the Shea Touch butter is raw, pure, fresh, and highly nutritious with Vitamins A, E, D and F, and a naturally occurring SPF of 6. Ongoing education and training is supported by local government and University co-ops. 

The Shea Touch Natural Personal Care Products are diverse, including foot care, hair care, skin care, lip care, and can be purchased on the Shea Touch website as well as other facilities around the country.  The health benefits and uses (applications) include: anti-inflammatory, anti-aging, wrinkles, burn & surgery/scar healing, stretch mark recovery, and baby care, with new baby products and massage/spa products to launch this Spring! 

What is particularly impressive is the Shea Touch commitment to bettering the living conditions and welfare of people in the areas where their facilities are located through employment, education, safe housing and medical care. A particular example that Anna shared with me is, perhaps, the most telling about what this company means to the lives of the people they employ. A mother shared that this was the first time that she has ever been able to feed her 5 children one meal a day for an entire week.  

There are few, if any of us, who can truly understand what that really means. 

Take a moment to listen to the video interview with Anna Allen, Co-Founder and CFO of Shea Touch to gain a rich perspective on the company's mission and philosophy.  

"Improving Our World One Person at a Time ~ Improving Your Health One Product at a Time"

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All content copyright © 2010 Jeff Dowler Carlsbad Homes and Real Estate Tidbits