Author Archives: admin

For Sale $275,000

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For Sale $275,000 by Gexydaf
For Sale $275,000, a photo by Gexydaf on Flickr.

When I see property like this for sale I wonder what happened. Somebody obviously had a vision for the site as some kind of multifamily living unit but now it is for sale with an asking price of $275,000. The concrete footings will only have value if a new buyer has a very similar vision. For now, this property on the southwest corner of Yakima Avenue and South 15th Street awaits purchase and development. Oddly, I couldn’t locate information about the Delaurenti Realty Co. on the internet.

Going into the Ocean

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For years I’ve wondered about Saltwater State Park in Des Moines, WA. I mean I like parks and one with saltwater just has to be good, right? And yet I’ve only seemed to think about it as I drove by on I5 on my way to or from somewhere with no time to stop. Well, today after dropping my dad at the airport, I finally went!

It is lovely. There is plenty of Puget Sound shoreline (1,445 feet) with rocks to turn over and look for sea life, a stream that goes into the sound, some wooded trail areas, picnic tables, restrooms and a seasonal concession stand. I visited with a woman who was getting ready to scuba dive and she told me about seeing octopus and seals. There is an underwater artificial reef for scuba divers. My only caution would be to wear sneakers or other thick soled shoes because the beach area is covered with barnacles and broken shells.

http://www.stateparks.com/saltwater.html

 

 

Japanese Garden at Point Defiance

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The new place of the day for yesterday was the Japanese Garden at Point Defiance (5400 North Pearl Street). Their website says “Azaleas, rhododendrons, Japanese cherry trees, crabapples and large and small pines flourish in the Japanese garden. An oriental footbridge, waterfall, Japanese lanterns and a small “tea house” further enhance the grounds. The garden provides a peaceful area to enjoy a bit of solitude and is especially enchanting in early spring. The Capital District of Washington State Federation of Garden Clubs helped to establish the garden in 1965 and continues to provide support.”

Pagoda at Point Defiance Park

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I love driving around Point Defiance Park. It soothes my soul. Today I stopped at the Pagoda at 5801 Trolley Lane and took a couple of rainy photos. It was sensibly locked, but looking through the windows worked pretty well. One window shot makes it look like Mother Nature is taking over the building!

Per the Metro Parks Tacoma website “the Pagoda was built in 1914 as a replica of a 17th century Japanese Lodge. It was originally a waiting room for streetcars. Now this magnificent structure functions as a rental facility for weddings and other private parties as well as a venue for garden shows, lectures and concerts.”

http://www.metroparkstacoma.org/page.php?id=62

   

Update 4/15/2011  the pagoda was badly damaged by a suspicious fire.

http://www.thenewstribune.com/2011/04/15/1627154/report-tacoma-fire-responding.html

Update 12/5/12 A community grand re-opening celebration is scheduled for January 12, 2013.

Spirit of British Columbia and the Spirit of Vancouver

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The BC (British Columbia) Ferries in Canada are amazing. Dear daughter, my dad and I took the Spirit of British Columbia Ferry from Tsawwassen (south of Vancouver, BC) to Swatz Bay (on Vancouver Island, north of Victoria). On the way to Victoria we took the Spirit of British Columbia and on the way back we traveled on the Spirit of Vancouver. The photos are of both ships.

While I’ve been on my fair share of ferries, none of have matched these ships for size and style. They hold 410 vehicles (including up to 34 semis) and 2,100 people (passengers and crew). Amenities include Seawest Lounge, Pacific Buffet, Coastal Cafe for hot & cold dishes, Coast Cafe Express for lighter fare, Passages Gift Shop, video arcades, play areas, work/study stations, telephones, elevators, wheelchair-friendly decks and washrooms. The trip took over two hours, allowing time to enjoy the spectacular scenery as we traveled through the San Juan Islands.

http://www.bcferries.com/

   

Tea at the Empress

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Today’s new place was extra special because dear daughter and I went to the Empress Hotel for afternoon tea. We had tried to do this once before in the summer, but it was impossible to get in.

The tea was an experience! Much more refined than our usual Starbucks break with a gorgeous, classic interior and dignified, warm service. They seated us by the window and we happily visited and watched the city walking by us. There was a pianist for most of the time that we were there.

As for the tea, it included five types of finger sandwiches, a marvelous scone and assorted treats. I’m embarrassed to say that we ate almost all of it! We were sent home with two boxes of tea to help us recreate the experience

http://www.fairmont.com/empress/GuestServices/Restaurants/AfternoonTea.htm

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Empress_%28hotel%29

   

Nautical Nellies, Victoria, Canada

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Nautical Nellies by Gexydaf
Nautical Nellies, a photo by Gexydaf on Flickr.

Two sweet words… spring… break. And time to go a little further afield. Today we hopped in the car and drove up I5 into Canada. Then we took the Spirit of British Columbia Ferry and over to Victoria. Our delicious halibut and chips dinner was at Nautical Nellies. Dear daughter and I shared a meal and a dessert and it was more than enough.

http://www.nauticalnelliesrestaurant.com/

 

AAA Tacoma Gets Me There

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We have been members of AAA for years now. Some years we don’t need any road service and one recent year I used it four times (once on the Narrows Bridge on a Saturday night when my friend’s car got a flat). It is worth the price to have the piece of mind. And they are invaluable for trip planning, supply my family with maps, guide books and good advice

Note, the AAA Tacoma office looks nicer than this lackluster photo!.

www.aaa.com

Kalakala, is it sinking?

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Kalakala by Gexydaf
Kalakala, a photo by Gexydaf on Flickr.

The newspaper yesterday talked about how the Kalakala was in danger of sinking because it is taking on water. I had just asked my husband last week if the vintage ferry boat was still at the port. We had gone to see it years ago and hadn’t heard much about it since.

http://www.thenewstribune.com/2011/03/26/1600781/dreams-for-art-deco-ferryboat.html#storylink=misearch

I have no idea about the financial feasibility of restoring this ferry, which is in pretty bad shape, but I’ sure wish it could be brought back to its former glory. It was spectacular!

The website for the ferry has abundant information about it. http://www.kalakala.org/index2.html

I took a couple of shots from where it is docked and then went across the way to photograph it from across the Hylebos Waterway.

 

For a photo of the Kalakala when it was in Tacoma in the 1940s, see this webpage from the Tacoma Public Library.

http://search.tacomapubliclibrary.org/images/dt6n.asp?un=4&pg=1&krequest=Kalakala&stemming=On&phonic=&fuzzy=&maxfiles=5000

The Kiss

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The Kiss by Gexydaf
The Kiss, a photo by Gexydaf on Flickr.

After a quick lunch today in Olympia, I forced everybody to wait for me while I ran over to snap this photo! The concrete statue is called The Kiss and it is by Richard S. Beyer. The statue is located in Percival Landing.