The Sierra Nevada Mountains are home to some of the most majestic sites one could ever imagine.  One of the things I love best are the season changes; Fall being my favorite.  It does not matter if you are in Oakhurst, Coarsegold, Ahwahnee, Bass Lake, or one of the other beautiful surrounding towns you will have the opportunity to experience God’s work.  I have lived in many areas and I have only experienced the beauty of Fall while living in the mountains of Eastern Madera County.  I love the changing colors of the leaves and watching them as they make their way to the ground.  The crisp mornings and cold night air are a refreshing change from the summer heat.  One of my favorites is the howling wind that blows the dark storm clouds across the sky.  Nothing beats the changing of seasons.   There is no better place than the beautiful foothill towns of Oakhurst, Coarsegold, Ahwahnee, Bass Lake, Fish Camp, or North Fork (and of course the ones I have not mentioned) to experience the beauty of the seasons. 

Coarsegold is a small town on the lower slopes of the Sierra Nevada, not far from California’s exact geographic center and Yosemite National Park. The name Coarsegold was derived from nearby Coarsegold Creek, also known as Coarse Gold Gulch, in which gold rush prospectors found large nuggets of gold.

Coarsegold is rarely mentioned as part of the mother lode—but it is, in fact, the southernmost populated settlement in California’s famed mother lode territory. The town was once a stage stop for Yosemite-bound travelers. The Golden Chain Highway (State Route 49) through California’s old gold rush towns and foothill topography begins about seven miles north, in the town of Oakhurst.

Coarsegold consists of scattered ranches, homes on big lots, Indian trust land, and “estate-style” subdivisions. The most populated section is strung along an eight-to 10-mile stretch of State Highway 41 in Eastern Madera County. It’s well worth a trip to visit the town of Coarsegold but better yet to buy and own a piece of history. It’s a great place to live and raise a family. Go see my friends at Montecino and Associates Real Estate.

There are many things in life and situations we encounter each day that we have no control over. You can’t control the people around you or the circumstances that you are dealt. However, there is one thing you do have control over and that is your attitude. You choose your attitude each day and in every situation you encounter.

Each morning when I take my kids to school I ask them the question, What kind of attitude are you going to have today? Everytime they yell out OUTRAGEOUS! Think about how your outrageous attitude can affect others around you.  Attitude is contagious, positive and negative. It’s easy to find negative attitudes everywhere you turn these days.  Don’t hang around these people or their negative attitudes may wear off on you.

I challenge you to choose your attitude each day. Make it an OUTRAGEOUS one and watch how your day will be better and the people around you will find their days better as well.

With Halloween around the corner, children are getting excited about the one night of the year they get to dress up.  What would you do if you had a four-year son who wanted to be a princess.  Yes, a princess.  No matter what costume is offered to him, he continues to want to be a princess.  Do you allow him to dress as a princess or do you deny him that privilege?

Is there a double standard when it comes to dressing up?  A girl can dress in a boys costume and not be judged but if a boy is to dress in a girl’s costume then they are looked down upon.  Is that fair?  What would you tell your son?

Years ago when my family moved to Coarsegold my parents bought a home on Thornberry Mountain in the Mudge Ranch area.  I remember being told that some where on that mountain was a gold mine that was believed to be rich in gold.  The only problem was nobody had been able to find it. 

The legend goes like this:  During the California Gold Rush and father and his two sons came out west to strike it rich.  After much hard work in the gold mine they finally struck gold.  Before they were able to make a profit the father and one of the sons was sent off to war.  The son who was left behind vowed to remain at the mine until the return of his family.  The son who was sent to fight was killed during battle.  After many years, the father finally returned to find his son he had left behind.  However, he was never able to locate the mine and it is believed that somewhere on Thornberry Mountain remains a mine full of gold.

 Fact or Fiction?  Who knows.  All I do know is that it provided many hours of fun and adventure for my brother and I growing up.  Who knows, someday maybe we will find the mine and stike it rich!!!

Jim Cramer, of MAD MONEY, blogged on July 23, 2008, “I am now telling you that between now and the next six months you have to buy a house.”  Mr. Cramer is giving great advice. Home prices are low and so is the interest rate.

CNNMoney.com reported in August that nationally, 55% of homes sold from April through June were affordable to families earning the US median income of $61,500.00. This was according to a quarterly report released by the National Association of Homes Builders (NAHB). That’s up from 53.8% in the first quarter of 2008, and the most affordable home prices have been since the second quarter of 2004.

The Housing and Economic Recovery Act of 2008 (H.R.3221), has many programs to help people buy the American dream. Under H.R. 3221, new homebuyer tax credit is available for qualifying home purchases after April 11, 2008, and before July 1, 2009. The Act provides eligible first-time homebuyers a refundable tax credit equal to the lesser of 10% of the purchase price of a principal residence or $7,500 ($3,750 for married individuals filing separately). A taxpayer is considered a first-time homebuyer if he (or spouse, if married) had no ownership interest in a principal residence during the 3 year period before the purchase of the home to which the credit applies.

Under H.R. 3221 the Department of Veterans Affairs is raising the ceiling on its no-down payment home loans from the current $417,000 to as much as $729,000. VA home loans are available for veterans to purchase or construct single-family homes, and to purchase condominiums or cooperative apartments. There are about 2.3 million existing VA home loans, more than 90% made with no down payment.

This is just to name a few great programs available which reinforce Mr. Cramer’s reasoning to buy NOW.

The Boys & Girls Club of Oakhurst will be the recipients of a couple of events this weekend. The Lions club will be serving lunch on Saturday, Sept 13, during the Bass Lake Lions Home Tour. A self guided tour begins in the Pines Village in Bass Lake, at 10AM. The tour runs until 3PM and includes lunch. Cost is $25.00 and the event benefits the Boys & Girls Club.

Also, on Saturday, Sept 13, from 11AM – 2PM there will be a FREE BBQ with games and prizes. The event will be held at the Oakhurst Community Park. Come celebrate the new beginning of the Boys & Girls Club of Oakhurst.

Have you been watching the Olympics?  The United States of America is absolutely awesome!!!  Michael Phelps taking home 8 gold medals- amazing!! On the news last night (when he had just won his 7th gold) said that if Phelps was his own country he would be ranked 4th for holding the most gold medals, just behind the U.S. and China. That’s crazy.  Not to mention  our men’s beach volleyball teams and of course the talented Misty May and Kerry Walsh with an outstanding record.  Every event is such a blast to watch.  I turn on the T.V. in the evening and am captivated by all the events.  I have seen great competition the past few days.  I loved watching the gymnastics teams and softball, baseball, basketball, track and field- you name I probably have seen it.  The Olympics are so much fun to watch. 

Ahh… the joy of commuting.  Commuting is the price we pay for living in our beautiful mountain communities.  Those who live in Yosemite Lake Park have a nice, easy 25 minute commute to Fresno.  The further north we live the longer the drive.  Coming from Coarsegold or Oakhurst you can expect to drive 30-50 minutes.  Although those seem like dreaded minutes; it is actually a great time to relax, spend some time to yourself (if you don’t have a commuting buddy), and wind down from a busy day at work.  In the end the commute was worth it.  As you come around the corners and see the beauty that these small Eastern Madera County towns have, you remember it is a small price to pay for living in such beautiful country.  Whether you live in Yosemite Lakes Park, Indian Lakes, Coarsegold, Raymond, Oakhurst, Bass Lake, Fish Camp, Ahwahnee, or North Fork the short commute down to the valley is well worth it.  Drive Safe.

Summer is coming to an end.  Teachers are back in their classrooms preparing for yet another eventful year.  Each year is full of new children, new experiences, and new expectations.  Children are home dreading the early hours, longs days, and nights full of homework.  Living in Eastern Madera County we are fortunate to have wonderful area schools.  Coarsegold’s Rivergold and Coarsegold Elementary are terrific schools with high achievement scores.  Oakhurst Elementary School and Oak Creek Intermediate are both wonderful schools.  In addition, Ahwahnee’s Wasuma School and Bass Lake’s elementary school are also terrific schools that display high achievement scores.  As the school year begins, feel fortunate knowing that your child will attend a school with qualified teachers, low classroom ratios, and where achievement is highly valued.