What's Up in Central Contra Costa County and San Ramon Valley area
2008-05-19 01:34:00 All markets are very local and it certainly applies to central Contra Costa and in particular to Danville, San Ramon, Alamo, Walnut Creek and many of the surrounding towns. High demand neighborhoods will always do well even in a slowing market and this is so very true today with buyers being more scarce. People seem to gravitate to what is best, if they can afford it. Walnut Creek is a bit slower in the neighborhoods that are not served by the better schools with the highest test scores or are well above the average price. Lafayette is selling because it is a "rock star location." with buyers having low inventory to choose from. Concord is a tough sell because of high inventory and average school ratings. Detached homes in close to perfect shape and in sought after neighborhoods with few REO's or short sales, are still selling within 2-3 weeks of listing. The "diamonds in the rough" or shoddily maintained homes in marginal neighborhoods are sitting muc...
LTF San Ramon 3 Concepcion Futbol Club 1
2008-05-11 23:33:00 Concepción cayó nuevamente derrotado, esta en Villa Quinteros ante San Ramón, el puntero de la zona. Otra ves el factor determinante fue la falta de experiencia de la mayoría de sus jugadores, con respecto a equipos formados con mucho tiempo de trabajo.En el inicio del encuentro Concepción trato de manejar la pelota, pero en la primera llegada de San Ramón, Sebastian Dip puso el 1-0 de cabeza. Concepción salio a buscar el empate, pero Dip otra vez entro solo al área en una aparente posición adelantada no sancionada y Mohamed le cometió penal, que el mismo jugador se encargo de anotar.En el segundo de contra llego el tercero del local, el descuento cuervo fue obra de Calderón, con un perfecto tiro libre. Ahí parecía que levantaba el cuervo, pero Andrada si iba al vestuario antes de tiempo, por roja directa.Concepción formo con Mohamed; Vera, Briceño, Graneros, Castro; Varela, Andrada, Calderon, Camisay; Romano y Villafañe. Entreron Barrios por Briceño, Contreras por Varela y Tabera p...
Bajo Caliente - San Juan de San Ramon - Recreation
2008-04-27 15:11:00 One of my favorite places to spend some leisure time in San Ramon is Bajo Caliente. Locals come for many different reasons and the variety of things to do, make it special.There is a nice swimming pool with a mesh roof for an indoor/outdoor feeling. Weekends and school vacations are busy times. I often go on weekday mornings and it feels like my own private club. There are swimming classes for children and hydro-spinning exercise classes. For people watching and socializing, the grassy hill outside the pool is filled with sexy beautiful people, catching some rays and checking each other out.Bajo Caliente also has a soccer field. Local teams and friends rent the field for weekly games. Their friends and family cheer them on and make a nice scene.The bar / restaurant is one of the largest in San Ramon. It is covered but open air with people of all ages. They serve bocas, small plates of food for about C1000/$2. Their wood fired roast chicken is one of the specialties along with cerv...
Masala Indian Fusion Restaurant - Danville, San Ramon
2008-04-19 22:14:00 Anyone who has eaten Indian food knows that it is characterized by the rich spectrum of spices in which it is cooked, giving the food its inimitable flavor and aroma. These spices are known as "Masala", which is nothing but an intricate combination of different spices used to flavor the food. But Masala Indian Fusion restaurant takes the traditional indian food one step further by pairing the indian culinary techniques with western ingredients to make it more appealable to an international... Please Click the Title for the Full Post
By: Fun and Food
Our Second Coffee Harvest in El Empalme San Ramon
2008-03-28 17:11:00 As someone who has spent most of his life in cities and college towns, it remains an unexpected turn to own an organic coffee and fruit farm. These are THE crops of Costa Rica and before tourism and foreign investment became such a powerful part of the economy, coffee and bananas ruled.My farm in El Empalme has an amazing ocean view and the sunset in the Pacific is an inspiring experience. El Empalme is one of the highest altitudes in the area making it ideal for coffee farming. It is also part of Costa Rican history. During the revolution that formed the modern Costa Rican state, El Empalme was where the rebels gained their strategic advantage over the government troops below due to its long views both towards Puntarenas and the Central Valley. A former Costa Rican President and San Ramon?s most famous citizen Jose Figueres had a weekend home in El Empalme. Figueres was an intellectual leader and one of the many architects of the modern Costa Rica who considered San Ramon their hom...
New Homes in San Ramon - Just Released
2008-02-13 23:48:00 Fioli new home community by Centex Homes is located in the heart of San Ramon, offering home buyers several spacious floorplans to choose from, thoughtfully crafted for comfort and livability, where gourmet kitchens inspire years of fine dining and elegant master suites upstairs invite long, leisurely relaxing mornings. Fioli new homes offers gracious three, four ...
Costa Rica Real Estate... San Ramon Style
2008-02-01 20:37:00 While the economy has become more global in nature, real estate tends to reflect more local factors. The news from the U.S. is dominated by foreclosures, the subprime mortgage mess and home values plunging in many areas. Costa Rica on the other hand has a booming real estate market with strong demand as the world discovers this special country. Until recently most of the boom was at the beach, especially the Guanacaste region on the Pacific Ocean and suburbs of San Jose like Escazu. The prices there started to look more like those in the developed world with little local culture to speak of. English and dollars became predominant and the international scene seemed like it could have been in any number of continents or countries. This is my 7th year living in San Ramon and when I got here, I could count the number of English speakers around town on one hand. Having experienced every part of Costa Rica and every country in Central America, this Central Valley town clearly won my heart...
At Last - Good News For Danville and San Ramon Real Estate
2008-01-25 18:09:00 At last it looks like we have a good chance of seeing more movement in the California real estate market this year. Earlier this week, Governor Schwarzenegger put his support behind the proposition to increase the conforming loan limits to $625,000 for California home loans in a letter to President Bush. Yesterday, Bush announced his support of increasing the conforming loan amount to $625,000 as part of his $150 billion stimulus package. The expectation is that the Stimulus Bill will be fast-tracked through Congress as early as next week and this will quickly be followed by Senate approval. This means that the conforming limit for California home loans could be increased to $625,000 as soon as next month. The effect on many potential home buyers as a result of this increase will be significant. First of all, it should create impetus among first-time home buyers who will now be able to afford to get into the home ownership market. And remember tha...
Christmas = Summer in San Ramon, Costa Rica
2007-12-18 02:45:00 While there?s something charming about a white Christmas, it?s way overrated. I barely escaped a week of snow and ice storms in Upstate NY to return to the mild weather and festive Latino scene here in San Ramon. Our partners Pablo and Mary welcomed us back as family and our neighbors and friends shout their greetings as we walk the streets of San Ramon. After 6+ years here, I feel accepted as a Ramonenese (San Ramon person) and more like a visitor in my home of origin. This year all the trees in the central park are decorated with lights as local businesses each adopted and outfitted a tree to decorate and make a beautiful nighttime glow in the center of town.Last week, cultural festivities kicked off with a performance in the big Church of Handel?s Messiah by The Costa Rica National Symphony and National Chorus. Although this isn?t my kind of music, the acoustics were awesome and a good time was had by all. Like many cultural events here, it was free and open to all supported by t...
Catching up with San Ramon Valley Coach Tim Hunter
2007-09-27 22:00:00 Today, we touch base with San Ramon Valley Coach Tim Hunter. His teams have achieved consistent success during his time at SRV, highlighted by the 2002 Boys team, which won the NCS Division II title with an eye opening 23. One runner from that group, Scott Bauhs, won the NCAA Division II 10,000m. title last year running for Chico St. Thank you Tim for taking the time to answer the following 12 questions.XC Race Alert: Along with SRV, Amador Valley and Monte Vista will be presenting a first year cross country event being held on Saturday, October 13th. They are looking for 10-15 teams and spaces are still available.Information to the first annual event can be found at the following link:1st Annual Tri-Valley Harrier Classic1) How long have you been coaching at San Ramon Valley?This is the 12th year at SRV for Cross Country and Track.2) Describe your running and coaching experiences before San Ramon Valley. How did you get involved in coaching?I have been running in some capac...
My 7th Winter (6 years) in San Ramon, Costa Rica
2007-07-13 18:57:00 Winter is clearly a relative global concept. Here in San Ramon, winter means temperatures in the 70?s ?. fresco. After 25 years of New York State winters ? snow, freezing temps, days without sunlight ? I?ll take this anytime.Without freezing temperatures and extreme swings of light and darkness, there are 2 seasons in San Ramon with little variance of hot and cold. There is basically 12 hours a day of both daylight and darkness year-round. The winter is characterized by a few hours a day of rain most afternoons?.while summer has months at a time of sunny days with no rain. My Ithaca, NY life has darkness at 4:30PM in December and 9PM in July which puts a real strain on my body and emotions. I feel healthy and balanced here. My summer visits to Ithaca, NY are now totally exhausting by 8PM and I try to avoid winter visits for obvious reasons.Many Ticos prefer the winter season here as everything is lush and intensely green with plants and other species boldly alive. For travelers, it?...
Guide to San Ramon
2007-06-20 15:45:00 Check out my new Guide to San Ramon's hotels, restaurants, shops and things to do and see. Here is the link:www.sanramon-costarica.com-
House Construction and Renovation in San Ramon, Costa Rica
2007-03-23 19:27:00 Building or renovating a house in Costa Rica is a wild adventure, a very different process than a non-native might expect. Janet and I are pleased and proud to be nearing the completion of the renovations to our house in El Empalme, just outside San Ramon. The community of El Empalme, with possibly the best ocean views in the San Ramon area and it?s friendly people, has been a fabulous discovery that has been the source of many joys and an equal amount of lessons.When we found this house, we knew this was a special site. The near total renovation put us through many highs and lows. After one year and some false starts with more than one contractor, we found our crew: Christopher, Guillermo, Jose Angel, and Victor. From that point on, things rocked on all fronts. Our crew did great work and together we created a fun work environment with trust and respect in all directions. The house is looking and feeling great. Check out our listings page at www.costaricapm.com for more pics and in...
Back in San Ramon
2007-03-17 01:20:00 It?s a relief and pleasure to be back in San Ramon after 3 weeks in snowy, freezing New York State. My body was stiff, cold and never really relaxed in the cold winter weather. But more than that, the vibe is so different in my 2 hometowns. Life in the USA feels under pressure 24/7 in some way that you can?t quantify but certainly affects everyone there. My first day back in San Ramon it felt like someone took the pressure out of many aspects of life. My daily walks to town keep me balanced and living life at the proper pace. It is easy and normal to return to Pura Vida ?The daily 80-degree weather overwhelmingly affects my mental and physical well being. My neighbors and friends are not rushing around and their greetings and smiles are real and infectious. The nearly 4000 ft. altitude, daily sunshine and moderate temperatures make life easy to embrace.Eating fresh shrimp, mussels and fish in my favorite restaurants for under $2 a plate nourishes me. For under $5, I returned from th...
Taking a Break from San Ramon
2007-03-02 01:51:00 It is time to take a break from San Ramon and experience New York City and Ithaca for a few weeks. There's lots of snow on the ground and it's cold, dark and a little scary. I had fun with my 8 year old nephew Daniel in Brooklyn who seems to enjoy hanging with his uncle. I managed to eat Chinese, Thai, Japanese, Mexican, falafel, pizza, bagels and lox and every other ethnic food favorite that defines the New York culinary scene. Walking the streets of NYC and looking at the people is a fun contrast to San Ramon and Costa Rica. Topping the days off with reading the NY Times and living in English was nice for awhile. Did I mention how cold, snowy and expensive it was here?Manana, I return to San Ramon. We left our crew to work while we were away. There are 4 contractors renovating a house, a Nicaraguan family improving the farm and Rosario and Ivania cleaning and watching our property. And then there's Oscar who drives by the farm on his tractor many times a day and makes me laugh ...
Mi Destino/My Destiny in San Ramon, Costa Rica
2007-02-09 00:40:00 This will be my 6th Christmas season living in San Ramon, Costa Rica. Wow...I have grown, changed, been at emotional highs and lows ... and truly spent my years 45-51 experiencing things that I never imagined for myself. I'm thankful to the Ramonense (San Ramon natives) for taking me in and making me comfortable in this special town and country. While the differences began as English/Spanish, snow/sun, expensive/inexpensive. I now feel the subtler differences... the ones that take awhile to get. Living in the present is a spiritual pursuit in the 1st World, while here it is intrinsically a part of life. A comical and sometimes difficult reality is that it's hard to make plans with people for days or even hours in the future. Punctuality and efficiently productive days are not a big part of the culture. When I walk down the street I shake hands with all my men friends and kiss all the ladies. This takes priority over rushing to accomplish and puts a smile on my face. Another way o... |
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