White Christmas

Snow in St. George and southern Utah is quite rare. But this time of the year, as we get closer to Christmas, most of us don't mind a little dusting the mountaintops (as long as we don't have to shovel anything). After last night's alarming-sounding warnings about not driving to Santa Clara from St. George and staying indoors we awoke this morning to rain that has since stopped, clouds that have since burned away, and snow only dusting the mountain ranges. Zion National Park is quite snowy and beautiful right now, but they are at a higher elevation than we are, so that is typical. Pine Valley mountain is covered, which is also typical (what do you expect for 10,000 feet?) and the Red Mountain in Ivins is frosted.

Here are some photos from the Red Mountain Resort and Spa this morning.


And here are images from the National Park Service's Webcams at Zion National Park this morning. Since webcams, by nature, are live, these photos are from 9:15 AM this morning (before the snow melts!)

Temples and Towers of the Virgin

And here is an image from the National Weather Service, the Zion Canyon Theatre:


Perfect weather for a sweater and hot chocolate, just in time for Christmas, and by this afternoon, we'll be be throwing on our windbreakers and hitting the golf course!

Sunday Golf

Have I mentioned what a spectacular time it is to be in southern Utah? The fall is the perfect time to be here for two reasons: 1) the weather is gorgeous, sunny with cool breezes in the afternoons, 2) the snows aren’t coming. So it’s a glorious time to visit simply because it’s so beautiful and warm, and it’s a glorious time to live here (full-time or seasonally).

This last weekend we went golfing at my go-to golf course, Dixie Red Hills: a very nice city course located right in St. George. It's an older course, so the landscaping is mature and beautiful, it's not too challenging, not too expensive, and not too busy. Perfect for a casual game. The course is tucked below the local Elks club, lies between Diagonal and Bluff Street (ridiculously easy access), but is well-designed so you only know you're near a road on the 8th hole. There are homes and condos around the course, and many of these were built in the 70s--with a few historic gems still around from the pioneer days--and are mostly cute little brick or wood-sided numbers.

The weather was wonderful; a high of 85 degrees. Afterwards we had lunch outside at the home of a local Utah chain, Cafe Rio. Though they can be a little cilantro-heavy, the tortillas are made on site and the fresh, tex-mex style food is prepared right in front of you.

The last time I played this course, let's just say one of the players lost a lucky ball in the drainage culvert and was determined to get it back, and let's just say somebody had the misfortune to have just found a cell-phone photo of what ensued:

This might be somebody holding somebody else by the ankles. I'd rather not go into more details.

Have a wonderful weekend, and don't hestitate to drop me a line if you're headed to sunny St. George!

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Farmer's Market Saturday

What a beautiful weekend in sunny St. George! The weather this time of the year is incredible: 55 degrees in the morning, 70 by midday, 80 by late afternoon and back to chilly at sundown. After feeding the dogs and reading the paper, I headed down to our local Saturday Farmer's Market (just a note: thanks to our spectacular climate, our farmers market runs every Saturday from May to November).



The market takes place in Ancestor Square, in the corner of Main St. and St. George Boulevard, the same square that houses the Painted Pony Restaurant (one of the finer dining options in our fair town), the Pasta Factory (a local favorite with the college crowd; there's also a location in Provo, UT), and the Panama Grill (famous for its fish tacos).


The vendors change, as with most farmers markets. Today I browsed plentiful vegetable stands full of onions, heirloom tomatoes, squash, bok choy and potatoes (best to get there early for the best selection), artisanal cheeses, jams, tamales (too early in the day for me, but they smelled wonderful), fudges, handmade soaps, funky aprons, soy candles that supposedly melt into soy hand cream (unlike wax candles that melt into, well, wax I suppose). I wasted no time buying a pastry from "Authentic Danish Delights and More." Being of Norwegian descent, and she of Danish heritage, we shared words about our love of simple flaky pastry with intoxicating almond fillings and our genetic inability to tan.


And there is always live music, a requirement for the easygoing but family friendly atmosphere. This was a good weekend for business, I imagine, as the "snowbirds" have all started their grateful descent out of the higher climates and the risk of snow down to our warm and sunny oasis.

There was also a fair showing of local artistry. (The sculpture above is regrettably not for sale.) The usual showings of sketch artist and yarn art, but also a few jewelry booths. My favorite was a gentleman forming beautiful bracelets out of old silverware. Silverware! Shiny, wiggly tines wrapped around a piece of turquoise. I'll admit, my intentions were more food related than trinket related, so I came quite unprepared to buy a bracelet. But I'll be back next week!

Green Spring Golf Course area

The Green Spring Golf Course is an 18-hole city course in Washington. Surrounded by hills, ravines, and gorges, the course is challenging and breathtaking. Green Springs Golf Course includes all the amenities you would expect: clubhouse, snack bar, pro shop, driving range.

At the very edge of Washington and situated higher in elevation than the rest of the city, the Green Spring area seems like its own little scenic oasis. Championship golf awaits you steps from your door, and all the shopping, dining, and social convenience of the city and beyond are just down the street. The natural majesty of the region is reason enough to tour Green Spring: shadowed by the stunning and often snow-capped Pine Mountain, surrounded by the Black Knolls to one side and towering red monoliths to the other, and with the sanctity of the Desert Tortoise Wildlife Preserve which borders much of the area.


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The Ledges of St. George

The Ledges Golf Club is an impressive course; just before the entrance to the Snow Canyon State Park you will find an imposing overpass announcing the area. This Matt Dye course is challenging, and the back nine are set in such stunning landscape, you won't mind hunting for that last slice. Ranked #5 by GolfDigest in 2007 in America's Best New Public Courses, and just recently awarded "Best Outlying Course"; by Vegas Golfer, The Ledges is the course you've been reading about. It is also one of the best examples of luxury St. George golf; the Fish Rock Grille and Chef Kenneth Migneault offer fine dining in a gorgeous setting, the golf valets are delightful, the carts are GPS-equipped. Construction on the Valderra Resort and Spa at the Ledges is to begin soon, and will offer a broad range of luxury health and healing therapies, as well as planned construction on a community center with fitness facilities. The Ledges has good presence, and is definitely an up-and-coming community. This would be the time to buy a lot at a great price.

The homesites of The Ledges are some of the most extravagant and exclusive in the southern part of the state. Designed to reflect the "intersection of Spanish Revival and Southwestern architecture," The Ledges certainly speaks to those with the most discerning of taste. There are large luxury homesites available, intended for large custom homes, and smaller patio homes that are built to existing floorplans.


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Not Bad for a Parking Lot!

I snapped this photo last night in a grocery store parking lot. The sun was setting in a cloudy sky and had just tucked itself behind the giant red rock bluff. If this is the view from a concrete parking lot, imagine what it would look like off of the back patio of your winter home in warm, beautiful St. George!

Prices are lower than they've been in years, and though many homes in the region are distressed sales (foreclosures, short sales), there is great opportunity to buy a nice home in a good neighborhood for an excellent price. The timing can be the most frustrating thing to deal with on a short sale, as banks are overwhelmed with requests in volume they've never had to deal with before and can take much longer to respond to offers than we're all accustomed to. However, if you do not need to sell your present home first or do not need a place to live immediately, a short sale is a fantastic way to own well-priced property in Washington County. The current economic climate in St. George makes this an great time to buy any property, but it is a particularly opportune time to purchase a vacation home or rental property.

I am headed out on a long overdue camping trip this weekend. We're headed up to Dixie National Forest, in a little spot about 9,000 feet in elevation. This time of the year we'll see the aspens turning bright yellow and the scrub oak turning red, and the beautiful ponderosa pines and spruces staying their dark, dark green. We might even see some frost, but that's what happens when you keep putting off leisure time! The Dixie National Forest and the Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monument are full of history. Some little towns in the region are so remote that they didn't even get power until after WWII. The CCC improved the main roads through this area, and most locals in St. George have a grandfather or great uncle who worked on these projects.

This is a fantastic time to visit St. George. If the looming winter has you antsy for a breath of that indian summer, fly into our local airport (Skywest and Delta), or into Las Vegas' McCarren International Airport and make the short drive. We're coming into high season for golfing, hiking, and experiencing the wonders of the American Southwest. And as school has started for most families now, crowds are down in our hottest tourist areas. And while you're in town, don't hesitate to drop me a line and we can visit about the current market here in sunny St. George.

Open House This Weekend

Come Visit us at the Red Mountain Resort and Spa
Saturday, September 5, 2009
10:00 AM to 4:00 PM, MST

We have 5 beautiful whole-ownership units left in the current phase. If you have stayed at Red Mountain and loved it, why keep paying for hotel stays when you can own a piece of a very successful spa business, opt into the rental program, have a fully maintained and staffed vacation home, and make the Red Mountain Resort and Spa a more permanent part of your personal adventure?

The weather is going to be gorgeous this weekend, and if you're in town or headed through town, please drop by and say hello!