2018 Is Here!

My new year doesn't start on January 1st. It starts after I take down my Christmas tree. So 2018 started for me on the 4th this year. We spent the holidays here in Portland then headed north to Vancouver, Canada for New Year’s Eve.

Getting to Seattle from Portland usually takes two and half hours; but the Friday after Christmas, it took us over four hours to crawl up the I-5. We pretty much hit every rush hour from Portland out. It didn’t help that it was pouring rain that afternoon and into the night.

Though at the end of the road, we were rewarded with a bit of a getaway to our favorite hotel, The Sorrento. It’s a small boutique hotel built in 1909; it has a great vibe that the newly built ones just can't replicate.

The morning after our stay, we started our trip onto Vancouver. With all the other holiday travelers on the road, we were slowed to a stop at the Canadian Border. It took us a nearly two hours to cross that day!

Once in Vancouver, it was great to see all my friends and to celebrate with them over food, drink, and laughs.

Happy Holidays

With Thanksgiving turkey in the rearview mirror, it's a quick countdown to Christmas only three weeks down the road.

Waterwatch wrapped up this year's fundraising with a bang. Thanks to Nina Johnson for sharing her photography skills. Next year is already looking to be a Happy New Year filled with fun fundraisers. Good to have our loyal repeat customers back and a warm welcome to new clients joining our team. We look forward to starting the 2017 fundraising season right with a new-to srdorsey auctioneering not-for-profit group. Revving up in February and gearing down in November, there is still lots of availability remaining in the first and last months of next year's auction calendar. If you have a specific date in mind, best to get on the stick!

A couple of notable upcoming events is auction week in Arizona, January 18 to 22. You will see a record number of cars consigned this week in 2017, with seven auctions competing for your business. Even I have been eyeing a few auctions I may head down to. There are some worthwhile cars to bid on. Of course, don't forget to check out the first motorcycle auction of the year too.  Mecum returns to Las Vegas January 27 to 29. I'm planning to make it down there for at least one of those days.

So happy holidays to you and your families. Thanks for a tremendous 2016! I wish you all the best in the new year and am excited to see what 2017 has in-store for us all.

Can You Believe?

It's two months till the end of another school year and only eight months till Christmas! I cannot believe how quickly the time is moving this year. Can you?

I wasn't quite ready to plan for next year, until a few of my eager-beaver clients asked to book me as their auctioneer again for next March. So now I've got two weekends of the first quarter of my 2017 daytimer already filled. March is the earliest that I have ever had a client request a booking into the following year. Al likens it to booking your favorite, annual vacation rental. You've had such a fabulous time; that no sooner you are packed up and out the door, you are ready to commit to coming back to another wonderful weekend at the cabin.

So if your fundraising group is going ahead with your scheduled event next year, you might want to pen in a date with your chosen venue and preferred auctioneer.

Calendar by timeanddate.com.

Happy Holidays

Here's a little Christmas cheer from our house to yours in the form of a photo collage. We baked to our hearts' content. I roasted a 5-boned, nearly 15-pound prime rib and served it with garden-grown horseradish. We paired that with mashed Yukon Gold potatoes from my folks' property and Pinot Noirs from the Willamette Valley. Leftovers transformed into steak and eggs for breakfast the next day and today, we're enjoying it as an overnight, slow-cooked beef and barley stew!

I hope you and your loved ones are having a safe and very happy holidays! Wishing you all the best of health and happiness for the coming year. See you soon.