Owner Kyra White is as lovely and inviting as her business.  From the minute Bernardo greets you at the front door to the moment you see the beautifully presented homemade desserts to the first whiff of your exotic loose leaf tea - you will be transported to another time and place.

As always, if you are looking for a home or condo in Coral Gables, do not hesitate to call me 786-663-4382!

]]> http://blog.ewm.com/2008/10/01/escape-to-a-french-tea-salon-shop-in-coral-gables/feed/ http://blog.ewm.com/2008/09/24/things-to-do-in-weston-this-october/ http://blog.ewm.com/2008/09/24/things-to-do-in-weston-this-october/#comments Thu, 25 Sep 2008 02:30:24 +0000 Dawn Nicole Witherspoon http://blog.ewm.com/?p=10674 There are lots of exciting things to do in Weston this October.  So, I thought I would share some of them with you….

• On Saturday October 11th 7:30 p.m. ”The Moonlight Movies in the Park” start again.The movie is shown on a big screen at the event stage in The Weston Regional Park, located at 20200 Saddle Club Road.  They will be showing “The Spiderwick Chronicles” the movie starts at 7:30p.m. and you should bring your own lawn chairs and blankets. This event is free to everyone who would like to attend. More Info

• On  Wednesday, October 22, 2008 7:00 p.m. Don’t miss the “Kick off of the Arts and Culture Season” Sponsored by the Art Council of Weston. The event takes place in the Grand Ballroom at The Hyatt Regency Bonaventure From live music, refreshments to art exhibits and much more, this FREE event, open to everyone, will showcase the art and cultural events planned for the upcoming year.
• On Saturday October 25, 2008 froom4:00 p.m until 8 p.m. “Weston’s Fall Harvest Festival and Halloween Safety Expo” sponsored by Joe Dimaggio’s Childrens Hospital, City of Weston and BSO Weston will take place at Tequesta Trace Park at 600 Indian Trace Weston, Fl 33326. There will be a D.J., Free Cotton Candy and Snow Cones, safety demonstrations, health screenings, booths and lots of entertainment.  There events scheduled are as follows…………………

Children’s Costume Parade @ 4:30 p.m.

Pet’s Costume Parade @ 6:00 p.m.

Pumpkin Carving Contest @ 6:30 p.m.

** These are just some of the great events in Weston This month you can always check with the City of Weston Calendar for more ideas and fun things to do**

**********

*4 bedrooms, 3 bathrooms, nearly 3000 sqft of living space.

*Home sits on approximately 10,000 sqft of land (enough space for a large pool&deck)

*Two large living rooms *Formal dining room *Huge Custom Walk-Thru Master Closet with Build-In-Dresser *Custom Cedar Lined Walk-in Closets * Quality Interior Doors, Mouldings & Hardware * State-of-the-Art Burglar & Fire Alarm * New Barrel Tile Roof * All New Exterior Doors & Windows with Hurrican Shutters * New Dual Air Conditiong/Heating Systems & Instant Hot Water System *

*Fenced in Dog Run * Circular Front Entrance Driveway * Side Entrance Covered Carport for 3 cars * Sweeping Views of Golf Course and Breathtaking Sunsets * Wrap-Around Deck with a Covered Dining Area.

For photos please click on the link below:

http://homesite.obeo.com/Viewer/Unbranded.aspx?tourid=493383
http://www.obeo.com/U.aspx?ID=493383           ***********

In Sally Deneen’s “Cutting Corners” section it mentions that at the AMC Coral Ridge 10, 3401 NE 26th AVE., Fort Lauderdale; 954-566-9663 TUESDAYS ARE SENIOR SPECIAL DAY and all people 60 or over only pay $5 to catch a flick all day.

Also, for the students 13 and older, Thursday’s are their lucky day, with $6 admission…

Not a bad tidbit, especially with the price of movie tickets today, concessions and parking!

I checked out the AMC website and it does state it is for a limited time, so enjoy now, while the heat is on and most likely we will be drenched with more rain….

The latest are the quotes by her fitness instructors glued onto the backs of the treadmills , so when you are on the treadmill you can read these quotes and push yourself a little more! it helps!

• A lot of life’s problems can be solved by running faster -  Brian
• You only get what you give so give 100%  -   Octavia
• Remember your mind is the engine of your body what your mind can perceive you can achieve -  Martin
• Conquer your  fears and you will bypass every obstacle in your way - Donna

These affirmations really cross all types of work and help keep one positive. I know it helps while on the treadmill!

I will add more soon!

Feel free to add your quotes in the comment box  below.

Wondering how to navigate the new lanes on I-95?  They are to be used for long distance trips only, and are supposed to alleviate traffic on the “free” lanes.  Here is an article which explains how to use the new lanes:

http://gomiami.about.com/od/transportationparking/a/95Express.htm 

and also visit

www.95express.com

for more information directly from the Florida Department of Transportation.

In South Florida we have one of the premier kayaking locations in Biscayne Bay. For those who are visiting and brought your own kayaks, you can launch them at the Dante Fascell Visitor Center of Biscayne National Park or further north at the Deering Estate/Canal located just off Old Cutler road and SW 173rd Street. If you did not bring your own, you can rent a canoe or a kayak from the park concessionaire at Biscayne National Park on a “first-come, first-served basis from 9:00 am to 3:00 pm Wednesday through Sunday when weather permits” (Call 305-230-1100 for further information).

Living in Paradise Point, we put in our Hobie kayaks in the canal right behind our townhome that leads to Biscayne Bay. Hobie kayaks have the MirageDrive pedaling system which makes it feel like you’re bicycling on the water. It is so easy to pedal that you get a great work out without noticing it. In the areas that are very shallow, the kayak paddles work well and provide an upper body work out. We have two Hobie Mirage Sport kayaks which, because of their relative short length, work great as we get into the mangrove trails.

Once on the water, we venture to Chicken Key or to the mangrove trails to the east of Deering Bay Estates. We have seen several Manatees, Spotted Eagle Rays, and countless varieties of fish. This area also has a large variety of aquatic birds and we typically see cormorants, white ibis, great blue herons, anhinga and pelicans. We even have a pelican that spends the winter evenings roosting on a large pine tree across the canal from our townhome!

If you are looking for waterfront property that has the feel of the Florida Keys, the security of a private guard gated community, with the convenience of living in Miami, contact me at 1-305-331-2765 or at sanpedro.j@ewm.com. There are a few properties available and this is a great time to own a piece of Paradise!

HOMEOWNERS BLOG: Earth Date 08.0725.00

It’s been 20 days since my last blog — what did I accomplish? In that time frame I finished the revisions to all the drawings; resubmitted the drawings to the Health Department and after a couple of additional minor changes, they approved the drawings. The Health Dept. approval allowed me to finish the submittal for the plumbing at the City of Coral Gables. The plumbing comments were minor… change one existing water line from 3/4″ to a new 1″; change the drain line from the clothes washer from 2″ to 3″ and get the Health Dept approval stamp on the drawings.

I went into the attic and photographed the roof structure and the connections to the walls for the structural analysis. The structural engineer performed the structural analysis and added filed block cells with #5 steel re-bars every 4 ft. I can hear the cash register ringing when the contractor gets a hold of these changes.

Since I had been denied approval for the AC design twice before, I asked a friend who’s a mechanical engineer to review and redesign the AC system and the energy calculations. That increased the size of the AC system by about 1.5 tons - I know I could have done the job with less, but I need to get a permit. Ring, ring, there goes the cash register again.

Most of the zoning comments had been addressed in the previous submittal and I had to meet with the plans processor to show him the information. Since zoning asked me to show a piece of chain link fence on the elevations and the Health Dept. asked me to remove an irrigation pump from the site plan, I had to go back for the 5th time before the Architectural Review Board. The changes were minor and could have been done administratively, but the City Architect was backed up and could not look at the drawings for a week or two. So I opted to pay another $70 to have the ARB review the drawings on Thursday. Fortunately it only took a 40 minute wait and 3 minutes to review and sign.

Now the drawings go back to the Building Department for final approval by Zoning, Structural, Mechanical and Plumbing. Hopefully this is the last submittal and they will be ready to issue a building permit. Monday I meet with one contractor to discuss the work and give him final construction drawings - Tuesday I meet with another contractor. We also will discuss what contract we will use… since I am an architect I have access to basic contracts through the American Institute of Architects. But I will add my own conditions that I’ve learned from my 25 years in the business. Hopefully the next few blogs will be about the negotiations with the contractor.