We are pleased to announce the launch of pickuphockeyfinder.com a tool to find local hockey games, schedule scrimmages, or just get back into the game.

Games will be scheduled once enough people are registered with their preferred time of play. This will include regular adult hockey, youth hockey and pond hockey.

Everyone that registers between now and July 15th will be entered into a drawing for 10 Free Hockey Games.

Okay the first thing I expect, and it is deserved, is there has not been a hookup of the week in many weeks, I know. Trying to get back on track…

As many of you know I play tennis on occasion. I have been really involved with coaching innercity tennis, playing usta league tennis, and playing with friends.

That all got a little side tracked last October when our kids Griffin and Gavin started playing mini mites hockey with the Washburn Hockey Association. Little did I know but I quickly started helping coach the mini mites and started playing minneapolis hockey with a group of my friends (several times a week now.) Don Giroux and I started hockeyisourgame.com to help keep the good sport going in the metro.

And to the hookup… While I love hockeygiant.com for its big box selection of gear, there is something to be said for the real local hockey shops for keeping it all together. My good friend Ryan Alexander introduced me to Phil Ronnebaum, the manager of Varsity Sports in Medina, there is also a store in Mound. Besides being a modern day hockey store with a winter season net set up so you can sample hockey sticks (currently a batting cage, they also have baseball gear) and the look of a happening restaurant, Phil is great!

Phil has really taken the time to explain the differences in all the hockey gear, from sticks to skates. He knows it all. And, he is willing to take the time to share his knowledge.

While I do not know if Phil will hookup you up with price deals, he will take the time to make sure you get what you are looking for. Stop by, hit some balls, or shoot some pucks in the fall. Tell Phil that Derrik sentcha. He might give you the flippingrich.com discount, doesnt hurt to try!

I ran into this website that features free realtor websites. It is an interesting concept, for instance they seem to feature most major cities and publish real estate for sale. I set up a site in the Minneapolis Real Estate section that mirrors the flippingrich.com website.

Mixed feelings but the concept is interesting. If nothing else, its additional free exposure. Anyone else run into this?

Just listed, best condo with old world charm in the Kingfield neighborhood of Minneapolis ( Uptown ).

2 bedrooms, heated garage, arched doorways, updated kitchen with granite and stainless appliances.

Just a few steps from the indoor tennis center.  Easy bus access. FAST getting downtown on this one way all the way to downtown Minneapolis.

3948 1st Ave S, Minneapolis

Just listed, an immaculate townhouse in Woodbury.  $204,900. Two bedrooms, two baths.

Updated with California Closets

All new light fixtures and hardware throughout.

Finished garage with new epoxy flooring.

Private setting on nature preserve.

3200 Juniper, Woodbury

I just listed a townhouse in Maplewood, close to Woodbury. This is a great opportunity for anyone wanting to build equity. The property was purchased new a few years ago and used as a rental.  It now needs TLC. Units in the complex are selling for $180,000+, ours was just listed for $149,900.

If you are looking for a rental unit or building equity, this is worth looking at.

2702 New Century, Maplewood.

Sure, that $175,000,000 ( yes 175 million!) might set you back a bit, but a modest downpayment and favorable interest rates, who could pass on this!

Yes, supposedly, this is the most expensive house on the market.

Main house The penthouse floor consists of four bedrooms, two bathrooms, two shower rooms and two powder rooms, two dressing rooms, two walk through sitting/dining rooms, a terrace with infinity pool and central leisure/reception area.

There are also a further three balconies/terraces, including the large terrace over the port cochere. The first floor incorporates eight bedroom/bathroom suites. Each is individually designed with balcony access. The ground floor surrounded by wide marble terraces providing access to the gardens, incorporates a grand hallway, a sunken reception area, as well as bar and dining areas which lead to the East and West Wings.

The East Wing holds the Master-bedroom Suite consisting of a sitting area, bedroom and bathroom, a limed oak corridor between the bedroom and the bathroom, direct access to the East Wing pool balcony and the glass lift to the pool area. There are two powder rooms, conference room and library/reading room.

The West Wing at ground floor level includes a cherry panelled office, open plan breakfast room, kitchen, private sitting room, two further powder rooms and the banqueting hall. There is access to the West Wing pool, which is surrounded by marble pillars and which includes a beauty salon, sauna and male and female dressing rooms. The basement of the property includes an underground garage, which can hold up to eight luxury cars, various store rooms and the industrial kitchen with cold rooms, freezer rooms and a wash room.

A corridor leading from the garage accesses a glass lobby which leads into the bowling alley and the gymnasium area. Close by are the male and female changing rooms, the cinema and wine cellar. There is also a walk in strong room/safe, a billiard/snooker area and a squash court. A lift has been designed to service all floors and there is a separate lift to connect the industrial kitchen with the breakfast room. Guest accommodation There are two separate guest properties. One consists of six bedrooms with en-suite bathrooms, a kitchen/dining area and an upstairs sitting room.

The other includes three bedrooms with en-suite bathrooms, a kitchen/dining area and upstairs sitting room. Estate manager’s office Attached to the three bedroom guest accommodation is the block providing further garaging for four large vehicles, the laundry and the estate manager’s office with ensuite facilities.

Gatehouse The gatehouse incorporates two bedrooms, a conservatory, a kitchen/breakfast room, a sitting room, two separate powder rooms, a security room and waiting area. There are also two pool houses on the estate, one by each of the outside pools.

For more info see: http://www.dreamrealty.com/listing_info.php?lid=185

I have decided to go back through some of our travel posts and add a note to the bottom of each post. The additional will be called “Desire to return”, with a yes, no, and a qualifier (probably).

Sunny and I just spent the last weekend in Palm Beach Florida at the Ritz-Carlton. The trip was an incentive reward for Ameriprise employees that had reached certain levels of sales and/or volume for Riversource products. Sunny has continued to be one of the highest producers as a Regional Sales Director, Asset Management (more commonly called a mutual fund wholesaler). In any event the trip was a reward which the company considers to be a top notch reward program where among VP’s and Senior VP’s, CEO and CIO of the company were present to recognize the high producers.

The Ritz-Carlton in Palm Beach is a beautiful hotel. The staff, for the most part, were incredibly hospital, as it should be with the hotel rates. However the facility is really isolated. There is not much around. With the developments nearby I would guess the 10-20 years ago the property had no neighbors at all, a rather strange location to stick a high end hotel.

Apparently the more central place to be is West Palm Beach.

Desire to return: None. There are much more festive place in Florida. Unless you like staying at a beautiful hotel with little resources surrounded by 55+ condo buildings, the Ritz-Carlton is a dud too.

The Minneapolis public school Clara Barton is having its 26th annual plant sale.

The plants are provided especially for Barton School by a local nursery.  The 25 year success of this sale allows the school to sell top quality plants at a competitive price.  Purchases help provide educational materials, art performances, field trip scholarships, and parent involvement assistance, which enhances the educational opportunities for all the students at Clara Barton Open School.

Click here for the order form.

The deadline for ordering is April 21.

Help suppot a local community school.

The good old rock of Gibraltar is by far the biggest surprise port I have ever been to.  One of our kids had a bit of a cough and I thought that I would just stay behind with him for the day.  We ended up letting him sleep in and taking a tour.

The first thing that really surprised me is how built up the island is.  Prior to the visit I assumed it would be a big rock island with little on it.  However real estate must be booming as there a many buildings being built.

Our first stop was St. Michaels Cave.  This is a beautiful cave that you can tour and also has a concert hall within. We went a little further up to a scenic point where you could see Africa (Morocco), Spain, the Atlantic Ocean, and the Mediteranean. Its quite impressive. To share your view is a small army of wild apes. They are surprisingly friendly, looking for food.  One was even kind enough to jump on our kids shoulder for a photo.