Holiday Decorations

For years we've decorated the blue trees (can't find the correct species name) in front of our house.  They started out at a height that didn't require even a step ladder to get lights to the very top.  Now they've grown so high that I can barely reach to top with our fully extended aluminum ladder and, even then, I have to "cheat" a bit by mounting the very highest lights on two foot bamboo stakes and hoisting them to the top where I can't reach. 

No matter.  Every year it's worth the effort, especially for the reaction of kids who come by with their parents.  Apparently, the display has achieved a certain reputation with a number of neighbors commenting on how they look forward to them and were concerned that they might not go up this year.

The video is a little retrospective and our holiday wish for all our friends and neighbors.

(And a greeting from Cleo).

A Concert Surprise

I have to admit I wasn't expecting much from my series concert Friday night.  Right in the middle of the holiday music season, this seemed like an odd program:

Sibelius

Pohjola’s Daughter

Esa-Pekka Salonen

Violin Concerto

Wagner

Excerpts from Götterdämmerung

 

The following nights feature Peter and the Wolf, Colors of Christmas, and of course Messiah.

 

So it was a pleasant surprise to hear two works that were new to me that are definitely worth repeat hearings -- the Sibelius and Salonen's concerto.  And the Wagner excerpts were beautifully done with Christine Brewer as an excellent Brunhilde. 

 

San Francisco Symphony concerts are broadcast locally on KDFC and on the web.  I don't see this concert on the list yet but, if and when they broadcast it, it's definitely worth a listen.

 

As a side note, it was also a surprise to see how many empty seats there were in the hall -- very unusual for a series concert.  Offsetting that were the presence of numerous, enthusiastic younger audience members -- something we need to encourage.

Sales Continue to Increase

The number of sales of single family homes and condos/TICs continues it's upward trend this month.  November sales were 10% higher than October, unusual for this time of year when traditionally the number of sales slows down.

Total sales for the first eleven months of the year are higher than they've been since 2007.  At the same time, prices remain steady.  More about that tomorrow when we post our detailed sales report for November.