Robinson Sotheby's International Realty

Neighborhoods with the best percentage of sales to active listings (only neighborhoods with at least 25 combined actives and solds are included):

1. West Chester //  77 sold with 15 active //  513%
or a ratio of 5.13 solds to each active listing

2.  Deerfield Twp.  //  58 sold with 12 active // 483%
or a ratio of 4.83 solds to each active listing

3. Miami Twp. //  52 sold with 12 active // 433%
or a ratio of 4.33 solds to each active listing

Compiled using information from the Multiple Listing Service of Greater Cincinnati and Northern Kentucky for the period 12/1/2021 through 12/31/2021. Information has not been verified, is not guaranteed and subject to change.

As the colder temps spread across the country and the snow begins to accumulate, there are many people who begin to prep gear for the chilly adventures that await.  If you are familiar with the terms “Bluebird Day” or “Après-Ski”, you probably have spent some time racing down a mountain on skis or a snowboard.  But have you ever tried Nordic skiing?

Originally, skiing began thousands of years ago simply as a means for traveling cross-country over snow in areas like Norway and Scandinavia.  People in the region started using long, wooden boards to make traveling across the snowy landscapes easier. The word ski comes from the Old Norse word skíð which means a stick of wood.  Skiers would wear skis of equal length and depend on a single pole to maneuver over terrain until 1741 when two poles were introduced.  This provided greater balance and made moving through the snow much easier.  By the 1800s, skiing evolved as a source of recreation and enjoyment.

Unlike the more traditional Alpine skis many of us are more familiar seeing today, Nordic skis are attached to a boot only at the toe allowing for liftoff of the heel and to give a skier the ability to move both up and down hills. Alpine skis are connected at both the toe and heel thus giving greater control for turning and stopping.

Nordic skiing involves a technique for pushing yourself along on rolling landscapes and on tracks. Nordic skiers are usually seen on specially made courses, often with two grooves cut into the snow, one for each ski. Nordic tracks are situated on terrain that is generally quite gentle when you compare it to Alpine skiing terrain.

The idea of Nordic skiing is to have an easier way of traveling through deep snow. The skating and gliding motion over snow is much more efficient than sinking into the snow on foot or even snowshoes.

The Different Types of Nordic Skiing

There are three main varieties of Nordic skiing: cross-country skiing, Telemark skiing, and alpine touring.

Classic cross-country skiing uses narrow, lightweight skis and poles on designated “tracks” in the snow. It’s a great choice for beginners because it’s fairly easy to learn and the amount of effort required depends on how fast you go.

Telemark skiing, named after the Telemark region in Norway, is more of an “off-road” variety of skiing that uses thicker and heavier skis. The increased stability of the larger skis combined with the loose heel of Nordic skiing allows skiers to make their way up steep hills as well as glide downhill.

Alpine touring takes is a step closer to downhill skiing. Alpine skis are also thicker and sturdier, but they let skiers either bind their entire foot or keep their heels loose. As a result, the skis are quite versatile, ideal for exploration.

For those of you looking to work on your New Year’s resolution of exercise, maybe think about taking up this activity.  While it might not look all that difficult, Nordic skiing is possibly the world’s toughest outdoor sport, burning up to 952 calories an hour.

Just as the ocean calls to some, so to do the snowy mountain ranges in winter.  Have you ever considered a second home somewhere cold like our featured destination home in Utah? After you move in, seek out one of their Nordic trails to experience it for yourself.

This post was originally published on sothebysrealty.com.

Sam Yo, a London-based Peloton instructor, is the first to say that the months he spent at a monastery when he was 20 years old ultimately had the biggest impact on how he wants to live his life.

“Every day was simple, straightforward, and structured,” says Yo, now 42, who spent his early career in the theater, making his West End debut in The King and I in 2000, before continuing an incredible two-decade career in the theater that ended in 2018. “That gave me the space to have more awareness, to get in touch with my culture, and uncover the answers to some of the questions I had about my identity, what I can contribute to the world, and what I could let go.”

But Yo also is clear on another thing: You don’t have to join a monastery—and shave your head, he says with a laugh—to achieve that same sense of serenity you can get in a place focused on contemplation and prayer.

“We can all agree that there’s a lot of noise and it’s ongoing 24/7,” he says. “But you can find a way around that by evaluating what you have in your life that you can strip back on and I always try to tell people that it’s not so much about stuff. Rather, it’s more about the quality of stuff you have and the quality of people you have around you.”

Read on as Yo shares his tips for resetting, and something he does every day to maintain serenity:

SET GOALS—AND STICK WITH THEM

To feel healthier during a stressful time, break down your goals. “Make your game plan manageable,” Yo says. “The words I always use are motivation, discipline, and structure,” he says. “So if you haven’t exercised [since Covid began], motivate yourself to start small and do it for 10 minutes twice a week and then add more time—that takes discipline and structure.”

Sam Yo, a Peloton instructor, suggests you break down your fitness goals into a manageable game plan in order to stick to them.
Photo Credit: Dominic Marley for Peloton

TAKE CARE OF YOUR BODY

As you age, the way you move should evolve, too. “As I’ve gotten older, my joints have gotten stiffer so I always make sure to stretch during at least four sessions a week,” he says. “I’ll do a five- to 10-minute yoga or meditation session at the end of the night to keep my body mobilized.”

FIND WAYS TO FOCUS

For Yo, this includes tending his 15-year-old bonsai tree named Bruce Tree, a gift he received from a friend a decade ago. “I water and clip the dead leaves first thing every morning and this exercise lets me put my thoughts into focus,” he says. “At the monastery we were told to give merit and service to others. My first action is to give Bruce Tree my attention every morning.”

LEAN INTO ROUTINE

While it’s fun to wake up and cook up a different breakfast every day, Yo has eaten the same morning meal of scrambled eggs with smoked salmon, whole-grain toast, and a cup of tea for as long as he can remember. “I enjoy it, but it also eliminates the need to make a decision every morning,” he says. “Having this sense of clarity about my breakfast gets my day off to a really good start.”

FIND YOUR OWN UNIQUE WAY TO STAY GROUNDED

Ask Yo and he’ll tell you that feeling grounded remains a work in progress. “For me, it’s all about taking time to cut out the noise,” he says. “I focus on my breathing, working out, spending time with family, and there’s always Friday night dim sum and Netflix to look forward to!”

Neighborhoods with the best percentage of sales to active listings (only neighborhoods with at least 25 combined actives and solds are included):

1. MT. WASHINGTON //  21 sold with 4 active //  525%
or a ratio of 5.25 solds to each active listing

2.  WESTERN HILLS  //  29 sold with 6 active // 483%
or a ratio of 4.83 solds to each active listing

3. MIAMI TWP //  64 sold with 16 active // 400%
or a ratio of 4 solds to each active listing

Compiled using information from the Multiple Listing Service of Greater Cincinnati and Northern Kentucky for the period 11/1/2021 through 11/30/2021. Information has not been verified, is not guaranteed and subject to change.

Decorating the Christmas tree is one of many cherished holiday traditions passed down from generation to generation around the world.  Families gather together each year, pull out boxes and boxes of treasured Christmas ornaments, and make memories together.   But how did evergreen trees and ornaments come to play such a role in our Christmas experiences?

Plants and trees that remained green all year have always held a special meaning for people in the winter.  Evergreen boughs or trees were used to represent the certainty that life would return in the spring, that farms and orchards would be green and fruitful, as a symbol of good luck to ward off evil spirits and illness, and even triumph of life over death.

The modern Christmas tree tradition is thought to have originated in Germany during the 16th century when devout Christians brought small trees decorated with fruits, nuts, or berries into their homes.

Legend has it an early glass blower did not have the money to buy nuts and sweets for his tree so instead of leaving it bare, he blew a few colorful baubles to hang on it.

Then in 1847, in Lauscha, Germany, Hans Greiner began producing glass ornaments and adding mercury or silver nitrate inside to give them a beautiful silvery sheen.

In the late 1840s, a published depiction of the beloved Queen Victoria celebrating Christmas with her German-born husband, Prince Albert, and their family around a decorated evergreen tree transformed the practice into a fashionable one that wealthy Americans soon rushed to adopt.

In short order, local businesses caught on to the ornament’s potential. The decorated Christmas tree had arrived!

By the 1890s Christmas ornaments were arriving from Germany and Christmas tree popularity was on the rise around the U.S.  It was noted that Europeans used small trees about four feet in height, while Americans liked their Christmas trees to reach from floor to ceiling.

One of the first American mass merchandisers, F.W. Woolworth, saw the commercial opportunity and began importing German glass ornaments into this country.  By the mid-1930s, over 250,000 ornaments were imported to the United States from manufacturers all over the world.

As time went on, tree decorations became increasingly artful, incorporating new materials such as tinsel, silk, and wool.  Today the most common materials for modern Christmas ornaments are glass, metal, plastic and wood.  In 1973 Hallmark introduced their “Keepsake” ornaments which encouraged the yearly collection of limited-edition ornaments.

Regardless of how it started, decorating the tree is a memorable time each year when families come together and share in the delight of unwrapping treasured ornaments, remembering moments from the past as they look forward to celebrations and new holiday memories.

We have all heard that pairing your wine and food helps to enhance the dining experience.  For some, its essential while others choose to drink simply what they like.  When enjoying a meal in fine a restaurant you may even encounter a sommelier, the wine professional formally trained in all things wine.

While all this fuss is made over the wine you are selecting, not much thought is put into the water you drink.  Until now.

While many might snicker at the thought of someone being an expert at making water suggestions, water sommeliers aren’t entirely uncommon in Europe.

Just like the subtle variances found in wine, a water sommelier is educated on understanding the nuances and varied properties of water and how they are unique to their origin, how each of them differs in composition, nutritional benefits, taste and health properties, if any.

All water is originated from rain or other precipitation but once it falls there are other factors that influence its taste.  Most water we consume today fell hundreds or even thousands of years ago.  Water then emerges or is extracted from various sources: spring water, artesian water, well water, rain water, iceberg water, glacier water, or deep sea water.

Lets take a closer look at what is in your water and how it contributes to the taste:

Minerality – The amount of minerals dissolved in water is indicated as total dissolved solids (TDS or Dry Residue), measured in milligrams per liter (mg/l) or parts per million (ppm), which are equal.

Natural Carbonation – Certain rare geological conditions can produce naturally carbonated water; often the carbonation can be attributed to volcanic activity. Naturally carbonated waters have historically been highly sought after for their supposed curative properties. The carbon dioxide helps this water absorb minerals in high levels.

Added Carbonation –  Current carbonation techniques involve pressurizing carbon dioxide before adding it to the water—the pressure increases the amount of carbon dioxide that will dissolve. Opening the bottle of water releases pressure, allowing the carbon dioxide to form bubbles that hadn’t previously been visible.

Vintage – The age of bottled waters should be noted, though, as an enjoyable part of their backstories, which add to the epicurean pleasure. Wine needs time to smooth out its tannin structure, but the quality of mineral water is not determined by its age. Vintage does influence water, however. Very young water and bottled Rain Waters don’t have much time to absorb minerals, so they tend to have low TDS levels and hence light, clean tastes. Old water may feel more substantial due to the higher Minerality.

Hardness – Calcium and magnesium levels combine to determine the mineral water’s “hardness”.

Orientation – pH Factor of Water – pH (for “potential hydrogen”) measures the waters’s level of acidity or alkalinity

Virginality – Indicates how protected a water is from its surroundings. It is determined by the water’s level of nitrate

Balance – Carbonation Levels of Bottled Water

The first recorded water sommelier in America was Martin Riese in 2011 when he relocated to Los Angeles from northern Germany.  Martin believes water is the most important beverage on the planet, and he’s urging consumers to rethink the value of this precious resource.

Like wine, water experts use words like minerality, balance and mouthfeel to describe a taste and use flavor profiles to match food.

Denmark makes a water called Iskilde. It is from a spring that was discovered 15 years ago by a retired insurance broker and his wife. Experts think water from that spring might be so old it could be from the last ice age.  According to Riese, Iskilde has both sweet and earthy notes making it a solid companion for pasta, mushroom dishes or pizza with truffles.

For delicate food, like sushi, it’s best to go with something smooth and subtle, like still water with low minerality. The water Lauquen from Patagonia would work for even the most discerning palate.

For dessert, a Spanish water called Vichy Catalan, which is very salty and bitter, can add a surprising dimension to chocolate dishes.

One of the prime joys of matching water and food, and one of the true marks of water connoisseurship is changing waters for each course, developing a progression of waters to guide you through the meal. Drinking a different water for each course highlights their subtle differences, and the progression adds enormously to the dining experience.

When it comes to bottled water, in the US we drink mostly spring water and filtered tap water. In Europe, mineral water is much more common. Mineral water comes from a naturally occurring source and has been revered for its therapeutic benefits for centuries.

Europeans have always known that water should not be “pure.” It needs to have dissolved minerals in it, like magnesium, calcium, sodium and potassium. A lot of the bottled water sold in the US is highly processed, essentially just boiled and bottled tap water.

That’s not to say Martin doesn’t believe people should drink tap water. He recommends installing a water filter, which doesn’t need to be expensive but does need to filter out chlorine and drinking tap water over any bottled purified water.

Neighborhoods with the best percentage of sales to active listings (only neighborhoods with at least 25 combined actives and solds are included):

1. WESTERN HILLS  //  40 sold with 7 active //  571%
or a ratio of 5.71 solds to each active listing

2.  LOVELAND //  22 sold with 5 active // 440%
or a ratio of 4.40 solds to each active listing

3. WEST CHESTER //  102 sold with 29 active // 351%
or a ratio of 3.51 solds to each active listing

Compiled using information from the Multiple Listing Service of Greater Cincinnati and Northern Kentucky for the period 10/1/2021 through 10/31/2021. Information has not been verified, is not guaranteed and subject to change.