Stop in at Stowe's Piecasso for a Slice of Local Music

Join the Seven Days crew at Piecasso Pizzeria and Lounge Tuesday nights at 5 p.m. (July 6 - August 10) for a local music showcase.

Relax after work with delicious food, refreshing Magic Hat brews and great live music. Prizes and giveaways, too!

Slice of Summer Musical Lineup (so far):

• 7/6: Eames Brothers* (blues/rock/jam)
• 7/13: David Warren Trio (singer-songwriter)
• 7/20: Sarah Grace and the Suits (jazz/funk/rock)

Go: 1899 Mountain Rd., Stowe
If you're lost: 802.253.4411

*one of my personal favorites

Watering Holes: The Alchemist Pub and Brewery (Outside Magazine)

The Alchemist, in Waterbury, Vermont is the only eatery (and brewpub) in Waterbury, Vermont that my wife and I frequent! Here's an excerpt from the The Guide: Watering Holes in the July 2010 issue of Outside Magazine.

The Alchemist Pub and Brewery
Waterbury, Vermont
"Yes, it's always remarkably jamming, and, yes, they have the requisite gluten-free beer on tap. But this isn't your run-of-the-mill upscale gastropub: The beer (award-winning-Light-weight pilsner) is so good and the food (sweet potato fries with herb sour cream) so local and fresh that, after a day of skiing or mountain-biking at nearby Stowe Mountain Resort, we'll happily wait in line with the local neo-hippies, greennecks, or whatever they're calling themselves these days."

Go: 23 South Main Street, Waterbury, VT 05676
If you're lost: 802.244.4120

4th of July Parade and Marathon - Stowe (Moscow), Vermont

My friend and colleague, Teresa Merelman, shot these yesterday. Enjoy! (Click on "HQ" at the bottom right of the screen for a high-quality viewing)

4th of July Fireworks - Stowe, Vermont

Annual "Exposed!" Sculpture Exhibition in Stowe

Stowe's Helen Day Art Center has announced its 18th annual Exposed! 2010 Outdoor Sculpture Exhibition, July 9th through October 9th.

Artist Nadine Faraj strength-testing
the steel skeleton of Haven, in her studio.
(Completed piece is Haven, 2010
steel reinforced concrete, 5'x7'x4')

Curated by UVM sculpture professor Meg McDevitt, it features more than 20 individual works by artists from around the region. Sculptures will be displayed on the Helen Day Art Center lawn, on Main Street and neighboring streets, along the 5-mile recreation path, and in other highlighted sites in Stowe.  A marquee event on Stowe's summer calendar, the exhibition attracts an estimated 75,000 visitors during its annual 3 month run. 

This year's exhibition includes works by regional and international artists, including Nadine Faraj (Canada), Joel Fisher (England/ USA), Kenji Endo (Japan), among others.

The Opening Reception is Friday, July 9th at 5pm, and will feature the traditional artist-led Walkabout tour of Exposed! During the tour, the majority of the artists share their reflections on their work. This year's artists include Leila Bandar, Jon Black, Tyler Buswell, Mireille Clapp, Kat Clear, Chris Curtis, Tom Douglas, Kenji Endo, Nadine Faraj, Joel Fisher, Rob Hitzig, Bruce Hathaway, James Irving, Harlan Mack, Jordan Pratt, Peg Smith, Piper Strong, Denis Versweyveld, and Catherine Ward.

"Walking Tour" maps of the sculptures, will be available on the Helen Day Art Center lawn, on Main Street, and along the Recreation path. For more information, call 802.253.8358.

Exposed 2010 sculpture exhibition is made possible by Major Partners: Steve and Mary Jean Beimdiek, Peter and Brenda Christie, Cushman Design Group, Robert and Jana Giordano, Stephen and Petra Levin, Drs. Leslie Abramson and Fred Rossman, Steve and Gail Blumsack, Frank J. Motter Construction, and Patterson and Smith Construction. And by Sponsor, Chittenden Bank, a division of Peoples United Bank.

HGTV's 15 Anniversary Dream Home will be built in...

Think this will intensify worldwide buzz about and interest in Stowe? You can count on it! Here are some strong monthly-average stats for HGTV.com in Q1 2010:

SITE METRICS

• 6.0 million unique visitors
• 203.8 million monthly page views
• 4.8 sessions per person
• 2.1 million HGTV Ideas newsletter subscribers
• 14:35 average minutes per person
• 31 pages per person
• (monthly average for Q1 2010)

You can bet every one of these site visitors knows about the HGTV program lineup and the annual Dream Home. And, soon, they'll all be very Stowe-aware. Read today's HGTV press release here.

Can I help you find your dream home?

write or call (802.730.4343)

Let the Selling Season Begin!

I'm delighted to show you this home in Stowe I just sold to a young couple from a Boston suburb. It's on a private road close to Stowe Village and Stowe Mountain Resort. This 4-bedroom, 2 bath home on 1.66 acres offers lots of privacy, great views of the Worcester Range to the south; and, distant views of the ski trails on Mt. Mansfield to the north. It was on the market for only 32 days and under contract for 36 before closing last Friday. The market is picking up!

Can I help you find yours?

write or call (802.730.4343)

Looking to Esc to Vermont?

I can help. Call (802.730.4343) or write.

Fifteen-Year Mortgage Hits a Record Low

From the Wall Street Journal
FAMILY FINANCES | JUNE 4, 2010

WASHINGTON—Home-mortgage rates were little changed last week, holding steady for the most part at or near recent lows, including a record for the 15-year fixed-rate loan, Freddie Mac said.

The 30-year fixed-rate mortgage average rose slightly to 4.79% for the week ended Thursday, according to Freddie's weekly survey.

In the prior week, the average rate was 4.78%, the lowest since December. The year-ago average for the 30-year home loan stood at 5.29%.

"The economy grew at a slower rate than originally reported in the first three months of the year … which suggests inflation will remain tame in the near term," said Freddie Mac chief economist Frank Nothaft, referring to revised data on U.S. gross domestic product.

"As a result," he said, "mortgage rates held at historic levels this week."

Rates on 15-year fixed-rate mortgages averaged 4.2%, the lowest level since Freddie Mac began tracking the mortgage in 1991, down from 4.21% in the prior week.

One-year Treasury-indexed adjustable-rate mortgages averaged 3.95%, unchanged from the prior week and the lowest level since May 2004. The one-year ARM averaged 4.81% a year ago.

The five-year Treasury-indexed ARM averaged 3.94%, down from 3.97% in the prior week and 4.85% a year ago.

Peculiarities of Realty

My friend Brad was one of the most experienced, knowledgeable, and well-liked real-estate Brokers in the Stowe area for years. And, as our across-the-street-neighbor, he was the first person Fran and I met when we found our home in Hyde Park almost seven years ago. I received this eMail from Brad a few days ago:

"I read in the online edition of the Burlington Free Press of the death of Emma Davis, Waterville.

She was a part of the Manchester clan of the upper west side of Lamoille County, and a devoted Nazarene.

She was also Waterville's Town Clerk, and I think she kind of inherited that role from her husband. As I recall, there was no real "town office" in Waterville, and she kept town records at her house.  I had little real-estate activity in that town, but occasionally I did. In one instance, I had a listing that went under contract. The seller was the estate of the property owner. The local attorney for the estate had documentation for his appointment. After a protracted period of time, it seemed that he did NOT have a death certificate, and we were on the brink of closing. He asked that I go to Waterville to get a copy of the certification. So dispatched, I appeared on Emma Davis's doorstep. I let her know what I was looking for. She was busy, and said that the death certificate should be in her back bedroom in a volume on her bureau. I discovered the appropriate book, indeed, on her bureau. There were orderly filings properly bound, and additionally, a whole bunch of loose documents shoved at the beginning, the end, and in between bound pages. I was at a loss as to how I might find the death certificate I was seeking. Ultimately, I went back to Emma's kitchen and said I seemed unable to find what I wanted. She looked up at me and said, "Look, the guy is dead. I know it, and I went to his funeral, and now I need to go."

This was before FedEx, and long before fax and email. We delayed the closing, and sent for a certified copy of the death certificate in Manhattan, where it was the Seller had died. Couple of weeks later it finally appeared. Emma was right, he was dead."