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A Historical Moment in Time

Posted on July 8th, 2009 by Richard. Categories: Just for Fun

clock-12-34I was remided that a unique moment in time is occurring soon. Today, a little past 12:30pm, the calendar and time synchronize to produce an interesting set of numbers. At 12:34:56 o’clock  on July 8th, 2009 it will be  1,2,3,4,5,6,7,8,9. I’m sure everyone will feel a cold chill run up their back at that exact moment. I suppose I should run outside and shoot off some firecrackers, bang some pots or pans, or maybe if I’m in the car then I should honk the horn for a bit. This is something that only occurs every thousand years!

I’m the kind of person that goes for this kind of stuff though. Like in the car when the speedometer changes from 99,999 to 100,000…that’s a huge event for me. And then I got to thinking, this moment occurs again in every single time zone around the planet an hour apart…not just here in ours. So I guess it’s not really that special. Just another man-made event courtesy of our calendar and timing systems. The planet doesn’t really know what the time is. The calendar is just something someone made up to keep track of the number of times the earth has gone around the sun and number of times the earth has rotated on it’s axis. Time measures the speed at which the earth rotates.

Years from now I’m sure everyone will remember exactly where they were at that moment, when the clock ticks to this exact time, like President  Kennedy’s assassination or the World Trade Center disaster.    Then again probably not.

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Final Closing…Time to Relax

Posted on July 7th, 2009 by Richard. Categories: For Home Buyers, For Home Sellers

bench-time-to-relaxThe sale of one of my listings closed today. What I hope for at final closing is that everything goes smoothly, that the mood is positive and everyone goes away happy. That’s exactly what happened today. It’s an important time in the lives of the Seller and Buyer. Both are ending a chapter and beginning another one, so you want things to begin or end on a happy note. The key is to get the details worked out well in advance so there’s no pressure on my clients or myself. It’s better than being uptight with lots of last minute loose ends to pull together. If I’ve done my job correctly, then there’s nothing left to do for me except show up, relax and smile.

It’s always interesting to me how every closing has it’s own personality. Most go very smoothly, but sometimes the sale can be a stressful time because of the circumstances. Maybe a job loss, or divorce, or settling an estate….so it’s not always easily done. But still, that’s what I try to do anyway. When a transaction closes, there are literally dozens of things that have to come together at the same time for the event. I do whatever is necessary to step through the process or supply the information needed to the Title Company who coordinates everything for closing.

And if all those details weren’t enough, there’s a new requirement that puts another demand on everyone. Now a Buyer can’t just show up at the closing with a Cashiers Check for their down payment. New laws that took effect July 1st require that these funds be wired to the closing instead if over $10,000. It just means that people have to get their money together a couple days earlier and make sure their bank wires the money with enough time to make it before closing. It’s just my own theory, but I think they changed that law because some of the government agencies just want to know exactly where the money is coming from for a closing. They can’t monitor checks as easily but can tell exactly where a wire comes from.

Oh well… just tell me what I need to do and I’ll get that done too. The sooner I do it, the sooner I can relax.

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Open Air Tour

Posted on July 6th, 2009 by Richard. Categories: Downtown

yellow-rose-carraige

If you feel like doing something a bit out of the ordinary, and a little romantic and fun, this may be just for you. Take a slow cruise in one of the horse drawn carriages for a ride through the central downtown area. Can you imagine… a moon lit summer evening, a comfortable seat in your regal looking carriage and the soft clip clop sound as your horse walks along.

I have always been a bit curious about the carriages so when I was downtown on foot not too long ago, I happened to talk with a carriage driver named Sky who works for Yellow Rose Carriages. Both he and his horse Riley were taking a short break near the Monument while waiting for their next fare. It doesn’t take much to tell that Sky has a genuine love and enthusiasm for what he does. Which is great because it’s a full time job for him. I always admire anyone who is working at something they love to do.

And if you watch Riley, he’s a natural at working the crowd…sort of the strong silent type…a really gentle animal. I studied Riley for a while from a short distance as people came up to him and he always brought out a smile from everyone. Sky told me about the lodging and care that Riley gets on a daily basis. It’s extensive. I know some people that don’t have it that good. He said Riley really enjoyed pulling the carriage and also it was good exercise for him. He’s a draft horse and helped him to stay in shape. It was sort of spooky though. Some of the time I was looking at Riley, I found myself having to resist the urge to ask him  “Are you the Key Master”? I guess I have seen the movie Ghostbusters too many times.

As long as the weather permits, the carriages are available about every day of the year from mid-evening to 11 or 12 o’clock at night, with extended hours on the weekends.

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Yesterday Today

Posted on July 5th, 2009 by Richard. Categories: Cuisine & Restaurants

hollyhock-hill

Even if it’s not Sunday…there’s one place that serves a Sunday-style family dinner every day. Hollyhock Hill is one of those places that just never changes. The building, the decor, the menu…hasn’t essentially changed since they opened more than 75 years ago. They don’t have to. Their customers love it just the way it is. You can’t argue with the logic. If it isn’t broken, you don’t need to fix it.

If you are looking for fancy, upscale modern decor, then this is not the place. You feel much like you are entering someones home, and sitting down to eat in their dining room. If it’s exotic cuisine you are interested in, it’s not here either. They are famous especially for their traditional fried chicken dinners, including a big platters of chicken, bowls of mashed potatoes and vegetables and all the trimmings that everyone passes around the table just like you would at Grandmas house.

There really isn’t another restaurant like this one in the Indy area that I know of. One of few places left where you can have yesterday today. Located at 8110 N. College Ave.

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Ka…Booom!

Posted on July 4th, 2009 by Richard. Categories: Holidays, Just for Fun

flower-fireworks
A magnificent aerial display. The sky went from dark as midnight to bright as high noon in a split second with an incredible explosion that rocked the airwaves and sent thousands of light fibers flying from the explosion’s center core. Then secondary explosions erupted with ivory colored filaments expanding…turning to flame red…and back again to bright ivory in every direction. An incredible light show……courtesy of Mother Nature?

Was it convincing for even a moment or two? By now it must be clear how my imagination runs with things. When I snapped the shot of this flower and saw the resulting photo afterwards, I thought it looked a lot like a commercial sized aerial fireworks shell exploding in the air. So, I’ve been saving it for today. When I showed it to someone else, their first reaction was they thought it looked like a colored sparkler. So, possibly I might have been on the right wavelength?

Well, this is the day where a huge proportion of us will travel this evening to view fireworks in large public gatherings. Or maybe you will orchestrate your own private display, or watch the neighbors light show from a lawn chair in your own front yard. But even if you miss an aerial show, wherever you are, chances are high that you won’t be able to escape at least the soft muffled POP of a few firecrackers in the distance at least at some point today. It’s the Fourth of July. Time for backyard barbecues, spirited gatherings with friends and family, and yes…fireworks. While we share in celebration of other major holidays with people in other parts of the world, this is one that we celebrate just by ourselves…as Americans. So hoist up the Stars and Stripes…and let the celebration begin.

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