JULY 4 2010 - Anacortes hosts an old-fashioned Independence Day celebration with a parade, old-time games, patriotic program, food and a community fireworks display that rivals any other in the region.

Town Photo: 11:00am at 5th & Commercial

Parade: 12:00 noon from 2nd to 10th on Commercial Ave., then to Causland Park.

Patriotic Program: Causland Park at 8th & N Ave. after parade (1:00pm)

Annual Fireworks: 10:00 pm over Fidalgo Bay & Cap Sante Marina

Everyone at Coldwell Banker Island Living wishes you a safe and happy 4th of July!

Diane Hudson

Diane Hudson, Anacortes resident, won the contest at the Coldwell Banker Island Living booth at Bark in the Park on Saturday.  Diane guessed that there was 3200 of Jingles’ kibbles in the jar.  The actual number was 3150.

There were fun demos by dogs that amazed the crowds, and a few dogs that clowned around making the crowds laugh.

We had lots of visitors at our booth and had fun connecting with not only our Anacortes friends, but friends and clients from Skagit and Island Counties as well.

Enjoy some of these photos from Bark in the Park and watch for the post on who won our contest.

Dogs of Anacortes 2011 Calendar – Vote for Jingles!

] Get your Dog’s Photo in the new Calendar, coming out late 2010!

Thank you for all your support of our dog park!
My friends and I really appreciate it!!!

This month, the kids will be out of school and for a lot of families relocating, it is time to pack up and move. Moving brings on an entire new set of stresses and tasks for the family.

Here are some tips for moving, courtesy of Move.com. It might just help save you a bit of time, stress and headache for the move ahead.

4 weeks from move date: Get organized and start notifying the right people and companies that you’ll be moving soon and give them a date to forward or terminate service. Start looking for licensed and professional moving companies, moving guides and relevant coupons.

Tip: If using a professional mover, get quotes from multiple moving companies to get the best deal that is right for you and your needs. Ask plenty of questions like whether or not they give binding quotes and what kind of insurance is included. Be sure to talk with them about the different options available with full-service moves such as packing and unpacking services and providing boxes and packing supplies.

Tip: Important documents such as your child’s school records may need to be accessible during your transition. Make sure to put these items aside and make copies of any records for yourself, in case you forget what box they’re packed in.

3 weeks from move date: Once you’ve selected a mover, begin by taking inventory of your belongings and their worth and decide what will be coming with you to your next home.

Tip: Start cleaning out closets, drawers and storage areas of your home and divide things into categories: “pack,” “recycle” and “give to friend.” You can always have a garage sale or donate old items to charity. This will make packing day a lot easier and you may reduce the total weight you’ll be paying for to move.

Tip: If you’re moving yourself or contracting for a self-service move, pack the items you know you won’t need until 30 days after the move. It will feel great to get started early.

Tip: If possible, take pictures of rooms and areas inside the home or apartment you’ll be moving into so you can start thinking about placement of furniture, artwork and other items. This will help save time, headaches…and money…on moving day.

2 weeks from move date: If you choose not to take advantage of full service mover packing services, or are planning to do it yourself and rent a truck, start packing things into boxes. Figure out the logistics of the move, travel plans and if other specialized plans need to be made.

Tip: If you are using a professional mover find out what items are on their “non-allowables” list and discard those items or find a way to transport them separately.

Tip: Instead of stacking plates, pack them vertically; they will travel safer this way.

Tip: If you are moving long distance, remember travel arrangements for your pets. There are pet-exclusive airlines available such as Pet Airways but regular airlines have travel options for pets as well.

Tip: If you have young children, you may want to make childcare arrangements so you can be 100% focused on moving day and your little ones remain safe and busy with fun activities.

Tip: Schedule “move out” cleaning service, carpet cleaners and heavy appliance disposal if necessary for once you’ll be out of the home you’re vacating. Even if you’re selling your current home, it’s a nice welcome for the buyers to move into a clean and tidy home.

1 week from move date: Set aside valuable items and keep those with you. Clean before moving and leave your house or apartment as clean as it was when you moved in.

Tip: Make sure the details for paying the moving company are taken care of. Some will require money orders or cashier’s checks upon delivery; know their policy in advance to avoid stress on moving day.

Tip: Start eating all the frozen foods you have, or give them to a neighbor or friend. This way you won’t have to throw them away on moving day, or worry about packing an ice chest.

Tip: Also think about necessities for managing moving day like confining your pets and anticipating the amount of time you will need.

Tip: Place necessities such as toiletries, toilet paper, rags, “must-have” cooking supplies and organize them in boxes marked “open first” so it’s easy to find the initial items you’ll want handy on those first few days of being in your next home. Don’t forget the flashlight!

Tip: If possible, take one last tour of the new location and identify water and gas shut off locations, as well as the electrical breaker box just in case something happens in the first few days so you’re prepared. Might be smart to drop off a fresh box of light bulbs too!

Moving day and beyond: Take one last walk through and make sure nothing has been forgotten or overlooked. Also, make sure all doors and windows are locked and switches turned off, then you are on your way to your new house or apartment.

Tip: Go back to the photos you took when you began to pack up. Now you can show the movers or those helping you unpack exactly where everything goes with photos.

Tip: Unpack one room at a time according to basic needs starting with the kitchen and at least one bathroom…and don’t forget to make a bed as early in the day as possible if you’ll be sleeping in your home that evening! Remember, you don’t have to unpack everything in one day, or even in one week.

Tip: After you’ve settled in a bit, introduce yourself to some neighbors, ask for advice on the best places to eat, grocery shop, etc. This way you will feel like part of the community and can get some great local tips. Don’t forget, you can contact Coldwell Banker Island Living for any information you may need to find a new home & for relocation information. You can call any of our professional agents or email us at islandliving@coldwellbanker.com

Fundraising Campaign

The Coldwell Banker Office manager, Jingles is trying to help all her friends at the Ace of Hearts Dog Park. The permanent home at Ace of Hearts Rotary Park (38th & H Aves) opened in July 2009!   The site has a 1.5 acre fenced dog park, a baseball field and an extensive wetland and pond system from the Ace of Hearts Creek. The new park complex is a community and City of Anacortes project.  Anacortes Noon Rotary Club as well as FIDO (Fidalgo Islanders for Dogs Off-leash) are assisting through fundraising and volunteer efforts.

 The new park will be developed in stages:

The dog park portion is the first area being worked on and the gazebo & water features are now in!   The next projects to be installed this summer are the fundraising bricks and several benches.

Our Dog Park needs new members on our FIDO STEERING COMMITTEE … Email us at info@anacortesdogpark.com if you’d like to help!  Make sure and visit the Coldwell Banker Booth at the 2010 Bark in the Park, June 26th where you can meet Jingles in person and get a tattoo of the image above!

Donate $75 for an engraved brick to be installed in a walkway around the dog park, and you will help us to buy benches, a gazebo, trees, and other cool stuff!  

Donate $200 to the dog park, and receive a personalized, permanent fence plaque, which will go on an 8′x10′ section of the fence just installed at the Ace of Hearts Creek Rotary Park dog park.

Jingles and her friends thank you for all your support of our dog park!!

If you think your pooch is cute, funny, handsome, or has the face only a mother could love…submit up to 3 high-quality digital photos to anacortesdogpark@yahoo.com to be considered to have your dog in the Anacortes Dog Calendar for 2011. If you have sent in more than one adorable photo of your dog(s), the DOA 2011 committee will choose one photo per dog that we think will best represent that dog for the calendar.  Photos and money must be received before your dog(s) will be entered.  The categories below are guidelines for the dog of the month but ALL dogs entered will be in the calendar somewhere.

Old dogs (10 and older)

Dogs of Anacortes Business Owners

Service/therapy dogs

Puppies under 9 months old

Best dressed dog

Funniest pose

Dog at dog park

Dogs on boats

Athletic dogs

Cute dogs asleep

Santa and dog photo

Dog smiling

• Every dog entered will get into the calendar.  Not every dog will be the star of one of the 12 months, but every dog will be pictured in the calendar. 
• $25 submission fee for up to three digital photos for ONE dog gets him/her in the calendar (somewhere) plus 1 calendar.
• $35 submission fee for up to three digital photos for TWO dogs gets them in the calendar (somewhere) plus 1 calendar.
• $40 submission fee for up to three digital photos for THREE dogs gets them in the calendar (somewhere) plus 1 calendar.
• The DOA2011 committee will choose ONE photo of each dog to be the official calendar entry.
• If your entry fee is not received, your dog will not be included.
• NO humans allowed in any of the photos. 
• Calendars will sell for $15 each.   Pre-purchase price of $12 each accepted until September 1, 2010.   See order form below.
• If you need good quality photos taken of your dog, contact Lydia!!

FRONT COVER WINNERS will be chosen by the public attending Bark in the Park Saturday, June 26, 2010.  So get your entry in early!  Don’t miss the chance to have YOUR DOG on the cover of our first Dogs of Anacortes Calendar!  Bring your family and your dog(s), have a blast, and VOTE!!

Cutoff for submitting photos August 31, 2010.

Jingles – Coldwell Banker Island Living mascot

Cocoa Mulch, which is sold by many garden supply stores contains a lethal ingredient called Theobromine. It is lethal to dogs and cats. It smells like chocolate and it really  attracts dogs.

Dogs are particulary attracted to this product and if they eat it they can die.

Theobromine is in all chocolate, especially dark or baker’s chocolate which is toxic to dogs. Cocoa bean shells contain potentially toxic quantities of theobromine, a xanthine compound similar in effects to caffeine and theophylline.

Please be very careful to consider anything that you put in the garden or anywhere that pets and children play!

Jingles

I love dog friendly events so I love the ANACORTES GARDEN ART FAIR

 Saturday and Sunday  April 24 & 25  10 AM -  5 PM  

Come and enjoy this free event at the DEPOT ARTS CENTER at 611 R Avenue in OLD TOWN ANACORTES WA.

 You’ll find display gardens, plants, garden art, art exhibits and demonstrations, food, wine, and beer garden, and a market place with unique offerings such as raised bed planter boxes.

 The focus of this 7^th annual event is “green gardening on a budget” this year.  Many organic plants and garden supplies will be offered.

 This fun and relaxed event is “dog-friendly” for dogs on leashes.  Even homemade dog biscuits will be available for purchase.

 Rain or shine, you won’t want to miss this fun Anacortes opportunity to gather ideas for your yard.

 For more details:      www.depotartscenter.org

Jingles - Coldwell Banker Island Living mascot

Do you know that many people that died during the Katrina disaster died because they would not leave their pets?  Most of the pets that were left behind either died or were never reunited with their owners.

It is essential that your disaster preparedness plans include all members of your family inlcuding your pets and livestock.

Skagit County has published the following on their website which is a good short list of suggestions to help you start planning for your animals:

Ask dependable friends or relatives who live away from an at-risk area, if you and your animal(s) can stay with them during an emergency. Keep their phone numbers with other important contacts in your purse or wallet;

Develop an evacuation plan which includes your animals and review and update it regularly. If you have kids, get them involved as well;

Learn which shelters and motels take companion animals and/or have a designated evacuation location;

Stay tuned to your local news media for disaster coverage and the safest evacuation routes. Be prepared to evacuate when advised by local authorities.

Have all supplies, kits, transportation and evacuation locations prepared now. Waiting until an evacuation is ordered to start planning will delay your safe evacuation and possibly expose you to traffic tie-ups and other risks.

Stock an animal emergency supply kit to take with you.

For more animal preparedness information, and a list of items you will need for an animal emergency supply kit, go to the following links:

• http://www.emd.wa.gov/preparedness/prep_pets.shtml

• http://www.avma.org/disaster/saving_family.asp#essentials

• http://www.hsus.org/hsus_field/hsus_disaster_center/resources/disaster_preparedness_brochures.html