25 FREE Things to Do in the Florence Area

1. Go kayaking or canoeing on Cleawox Lake at Honeyman State Park. The lake has a long narrow finger that's great to explore. Look and listen for lots of interesting birds.
2. Hike the Siltcoos Lake trail through old growth Douglas Fir, hemlock and Western Red Cedar. The loop is a couple of miles round trip and the rewards are many, not the least of which, depending on the season, are brown newts and banana slugs crossing your path.
3. Take a walk on Heceta Beach from the North Jetty to Driftwood Shores. Be on the lookout for seals playing in the near shore waves.
4. Stroll Saturday & Sunday Market along the boardwalk in Old Town and chat with artisans about their work.
5. Check out the fabulous beads at The Brown Dog in the Highway 101 Antique District.
6. Go swimming at Woahink Lake. You'll love the little sandy beach and refreshing clear water.
7. Ask to see Boris Karloff's room at The Lighthouse Inn on Highway 101, a 1930's treasure.
8. See Cobra Lilies at Darlingtonia State Natural Site. No, they don't bite.
9. Listen to the ukeles play at the Old Town gazebo. You'll think you're in Hawaii.
10. Dance to Curtis Delgagdo at Traveler's Cove.
11. Look for Sea Stars and anemones at Stawberry Hill.
12. Watch the salmon make their run up the Upper North Fork River in the fall.
13. Agate hunt just about anywhere.
14. Tube down the Siuslaw above the Mapleton Bridge, and on down the river.
15. Check out the art work at Backstreet Gallery, an artist's cooperative.
16. Bike the Munsel Creek Bicycle Trail.
17. Attend the Pioneer Museum's Storytellers event.
18. See Lemon yellow Gorse in bloom in February on the rocks at Southview.
19. Eat sun-warmed blackberries you pick yourself in August. Yum!
20. Skate at the skateboard park in Miller Park.
21. Watch the Rhododendron Parade, 102 years old, in May.
22. Paint a picture of the Conde McCullough bridge over the Siuslaw from the beach on Bay Street.
23. Hunt for wild iris in the late spring.
24. View Sweet Creek falls any time of year. Enjoy the swimming holes in the summer.
25. Read The Siuslaw News online.

Florence Oregon Real Estate Sales Report

Tawfik Ahdab, our local Certified Residential Appraiser, prepares sales reports for us every quarter. Here's some pithy remarks from his summary:

"Extrapolating from the current rate of sales since the beginning of this year, the total Greater Florence sales volume for 2009 is projected at about 142 units, which would be 33.65% lower than the already-pathetic 214 sales of 2008. Even with the summer season having begun, there is little evidence of a reversal of the continuing contraction of the Greater Florence residential market...One reason for the current market lethargy is that tightness in the mortgage market persists...The median sale price reached $179,900 in the second quarter of 2009, very near the low registered in the third quarter of 2008.... Most market activity has been at the lower end, with very little action above the $350,000 price segment. This is partially explained by the eager response of buyers perceiving good deals among foreclosure and short sale related listings. It should be noted that the handful of foreclosures on the market tend to be purchased more quickly than nonduress related listings, such that are not just piling up. And although the number of listings at mid-year was within the recent historical range at 487, the months’ supply of listings was up to a record 31.4 months...Much uncertainty remains about the direction of Florence real estate, just as there is lingering concern about the recovery of most housing markets nationally. The silver lining is that purchasers who are able to buy at all are responding to good and even excellent deals in the Greater Florence market.

From the Florence Oregon Real Estate Expert: Florence Woman Wins International Beading Prize

The Florence, Oregon area is amazing in so many ways, not the least of which is the number and quality of artists who make their home here. Take Charmaine Pesnell. She just won the Treasures of TOHO, Emerging Artist Competition by creating an intricately beaded face of a Japanese Geisha surrounded by beaded cherry blossom branches. To see a photo of the piece and of the artist and to find out what she won, check out The Siuslaw News , June 27th issue. If your art preference leans toward watercolor, I take watercolor lessons from Pamella Vosseller and I own three pieces of Morgan Johnson's art. If it's art, it's in Florence, from microbrew beer at Wakonda Brewing--you know that's an art--to glass jewelry. You can see a few of Florence's fabulous artists The River Gallery and Backstreet Gallery in Old Town Florence, Paradise on the Pacific.