CRAIG’S BLOG
LAKE HOMES FOR SALE AT MILL, OSAKIS, MINNEWASKA, & IRENE

Today there is a new MLS listing of an HOA property for sale at Lake Minnewaska and three "coming soon" lake home listings. The three listings that are "coming soon" are at ...
NO MOSQUITOES

They aren't inexpensive but the string lights I bought at the beginning of summer have already paid for themself. No mosquitoes on my patio when the Tiki Brand BiteFighter is turned on ...
EXPLORER STREETS

South of Voyager Elementary School and north of City Park in Alexandria on the east side of Lake Henry there are the 'Explorer Streets'. I don't think that is an official label ...
Alexandria, Brophy, Burgen, Carlos, Cowdry, Darling, Geneva, Ida, Jessie, Latoka, Le Homme Dieu, Louise, Maple, Miltona, North Union, Stony, Taylor, Victoria
17 TEMP NO-WAKE ZONES

Until July 15th or until the lake levels have decreased there is a no-wake zone 300 feet from the shoreline. The new rule is for the following lakes; Brophy, Burgen, Carlos, Cowdry, ...
L’HOMME DIEU 2007

Before I bought the first consumer drone in 2011 (primarily out of searching for a solution to show off great lake lots to buyers because the lots were so thick with trees) ...
DOWNTOWN ALEX SUP

If you see me on a paddleboard it will usually be out on Darling, Carlos or Le Homme Dieu. But I keep one of my boards locked into my roof rack so ...
FIRST PONTOON ON THE CHAIN?

Passing by the Legacy of the Lakes Museum in Alexandria you might notice a small pontoon outside the front entrance. Here is the story about one of the first pontoons on Alexandria's ...
ADDITIONAL INTERNET OPTION

Earlier this week Alexandria added four to its population. A couple and their two kids will be living and working remotely from the home I helped them purchase on the east side ...
AERIAL FOOTAGE OF STORM DAMAGE

KARE11 has aerial footage of some of the damage from Thursday's storm. The aerial video shows the east end of Lake Darling's Casa Marina Lane and the southern end Casa Marina Road ...
FENCES IN ALEXANDRIA

Sun starved Alexandrians were outside in force yesterday, myself included. The ice is off the lakes and everyone's spirit was brightened. I was glad to be outside doing yard work in the ...
BIG OLE AND 1965 WORLD’S FAIR

58 years ago on April 22, 1964, the New York World's Fair began on 646 acres of Flushing Meadows-Corona Park. There were two six-month seasons at the fair, April 22 - October ...
L’HOMME DIEU STATUS

If you aren't in Alexandria and are wondering about the status of the ice at our lakes, here is a photo of L'homme Dieu looking towards L'homme Dieu Bay, Zorbaz, and Lure ...
GIS FOR IOS & ANDROID

The screenshot to the left is of an app on my iPhone that I use and if you aren't familiar with it I am confident you will want to use if you ...
NOTARY IN YOUR POCKET

Over the past two decades, there have been many instances where buyers or sellers that I am assisting need to find a notary public. Usually, it is because they aren't going to ...
HICKS HOME

The old post office building on Broadway in Alexandria was renovated by my dad back in 1977. He owned Crown Realty (now Crown Realtors Coldwell Banker, a friendly competitor of yours truly) ...
LOONS ON THEIR OWN

I've been around the Common Loon for a long time but learned something new about them this week. At the beginning of summers, I will often see Loon babies with their parents ...
FARWELL RISING

A friend and classmate that grew up a few blocks from the Alexandria home where I was raised on Douglas Street bought a church in 2016. Yes, a church. The church is ...
CO-OP OWNERSHIP

Co-ops are common in Manhattan but not Minnesota's Douglas County. One local co-op is on the east side of Lake Ida. The photo above (July 2017) shows a bird's eye view of ...
DRAWING FOR HOMES

If you are in the market for a home and know the area of Alexandria that you'd like to live, consider using my real estate search with advanced features. In it there ...
PAINTED FRIDGE

Did you know that refrigerators can be painted? I didn't until reading an article from Architectural Digest. To top it off, they say it can be accomplished for less than $75. At ...
LAKE TIME TRANSPORT

It was a tough week to be in Minnesota unless you really love sub-zero weather, bad driving conditions, and shoveling snow. I don't mind any of it and the Winter Classic was ...
COMING SOON AND NO CHANCE

If you were on a lake home hunt in 2021 you have likely become familiar with "Coming Soon" as a listing status. It is a listing option that is a fantastic tool ...
LAKE IDA NEWS

Lake Ida is already one of the cleanest lakes in Douglas County and steps are being taken to keep it that way and even improve its water quality. Close to $288,000 in ...
Aerial Agnes Alexandria Amelia Andrew Brophy Burgen Carlos Central Lakes Trail Chippewa Cowdry Darling Geneva Glenwood Henry History Ida Irene Jessie Latoka Le Homme Dieu Lobster Louise Maple Mary Mill Miltona Minnewaska North Union Osakis Pocket Red Rock Reno Smith Statistics Stony Taylor Tips Vermont Victoria Video