Spoken Gently's Blog: All Categories

Today is the start of the Benton Franklin County Fair and Rodeo. In the Tri-Cities Washington area, there are about a half dozen cornerstone events and the fair is one of them. Our community is one centered around the nucleus of the family, and the fair is all about family fun. Our yearly routine involves buying our kids the arm band that allows unlimited rides. The family fair routine for us involves two visits to the fair on the day of the fair. The first visit is exactly when the fair opens. We get a solid two hours of unadulterated rides riding, or when the children start throwing up, which ever comes first. The second visit to the fair on fair day is in the evening for the exhibits. For more information about this year's fair, I've put together a…

We've lived in the Tri City area of Southeast Washington for four years. We moved here to semi-retire. We cashed-in on properties we owned in Southern California and Mammoth Mountain California, and bought into our current market with the purchase of several multi-family properties. We expected to live off the rental income and didn't expect much by way of appreciation. We've been pleasantly surprised. All our multi-family properties have increased in value by an average of at least 25%, and the house we live in has nearly doubled in value. All this happening while the rest of the nation's real estate market is in dire straights.

Hot Investor Market

Like most markets, forecloses have hit us too. This has created a prime environment for the real estate…

I wanted to check out the authority of a REW blog entry versus a Squidoo lens page. Using the phrase "Tumbleweed Music Festival," a popular festival in our area, I wrote a blog entry here in REW about the Tumbleweed Music Festival, as well as a lens in Squidoo about the Tumbleweed Music Festival. I used unique content in both, as well as the same keywords where possible. Well, the winner is REW. Just thought I would pass that along!

Not everything in the world costs dearly! Love music? Dance? Want a fun time outdoors with your folks? Well, look no further than the Tumbleweed Music Festival—a free festival of acoustic music and dance, scheduled to be held in Richland Washington Sept 1 & 2, 2007.

Nothing can possibly beat a live performance for a performer or even the audience. The TMF has played a major role in revolutionizing the way people relate to and experience music.  Many upcoming artists have also been able to make their presence felt on the music scene. Amateur musicians get a chance to hone their marketing, creative and performance skills. What band would not take up the offer to have live performance opportunities?

This Labor Day Weekend, Three Rivers Folklife is hosting…

Do you simply love to shop? If so, then checking out the famous Columbia Center Mall in the Tri-Cities community of Kennewick, Washington is an absolute must, particularly if you’re considering what your Tri City Wa real estate purchase options are in this vibrant city.

Shopping is actually one of the main recreational activities and attractions to be found in Kennewick, long considered a shopping paradise in the Tri-Cities area and one of the best places to shop in Washington, with a wide variety of local stores, shops, boutiques, larger shopping centers, and, of course, the mall. The Columbia Center Mall, which opened in the late 1960s, is largely responsible for the large crowds of shoppers that flock to Kennewick from as far away as the city of…

Situated close to the beautiful, scenic, and activity-filled convergence of the Columbia, Yakima, and Snake Rivers in southeastern Washington lies the growing and bustling community of Kennewick, the largest and most populated of Tri Cities area, also comprising Pasco and Richland.

Kennewick’s history spans just over a century, with its official founding having occurred in 1904. Since then, the city has grown and developed considerably. The population of Kennewick, according to a 2004 census estimate, was pegged at slightly more than 60,000, although it has grown—not in leaps and bounds, but steadily—since then. Even at 60,000, Kennewick is nonetheless the largest city population-wise in all of Washington’s Benton County.

One of the biggest drawing…

I've read in more than a few places that Google is headed towards placing less importance on inbound linking and more importance on other factors for search engine positioning. Jason L. Miller, WebProNews contributor, does a good job of compiling various resources and suggesting a multilateral approach by quoting another writer:

...a multilateral approach that includes PageRank, inbound links, subscribers, content focus, update frequency, comment numbers, numbers of friends, number of Twitter followers, number of LinkedIn contacts, photos and videos uploaded...

As always, we need to stay abreast of the changing tide. For the complete article, click here.

One thing that can really draw in large crowds (locals, visitors, tourists, homeowners, those thinking about relocation and real estate) and contribute to a growing tourism industry and Pasco Wa real estate market is a good festival or event. Fortunately, the exciting community of Pasco, in Washington’s famous Tri-Cities, offers two fantastic festivals/events every year, attracting crowds from near and far.

The first is the Pasco Farmers Market, an ongoing event held every year during the summer months and including part of spring and fall (generally, early May to late October). The farmer’s market is a favorite tradition for the community, and also offers the opportunity for local Pasco farmers to sell their produce for six months of the year.

Every…