Author Archives: admin

Yauger Park, Olympia

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10375312376_ea29bd01f8_bYauger Park in Olympia has a lovely wetland area that doubles as a storm water retention pond during times of heavy rain. Per their website, the area can hold 27 million gallons of water which is slowly released into Percival Creek and eventually into Budd Inlet. One comment I noted on Yelp said that the rain water will sometimes cover the parking area also, which is better than local streets! The park also has picnic facilities, sports areas and playground equipment.

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Salmon Beach

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10374461144_05be38c531_b(1) I’ve been wanting to visit Salmon Beach ever since I learned that there was a Salmon Beach! Friday night I was invited to a soiree at one of the cabins. It was great! Good friends and food, and an amazing view of the Tacoma Narrows and the Narrows Bridge. We even saw a seal 🙂

From what I’ve read, the community started as fishing shacks, but in 1934 electricity was brought in and the shacks became cottages. They are an eclectic collection of homes accessed by going down a long series of stairs (more than 200) and then a path.

My only regret is that I didn’t walk down to find the mermaid sculpture. Guess I’ll just have to go back!

To read more about the history of Salmon Beach try this link.

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Throwing Mud Gallery

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mud Luckily my friend reminded me that it was Art Mingle this afternoon. I decided to stay out of the main action downtown and go to the only option in Tacoma’s Old Town. It is Throwing Mud Gallery at 2212 North 30th, Tacoma, WA. They were very pleasant and told me that their gallery items were all regionally made (and really great!). Besides the gallery, there is studio space for throwing pots and painting and a work/party area (pictured). They offer all levels of classes. I was particularly interested in the monthly ladies night out which involves painting, snacks and wine. Throwing Mud’s website is here.

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Black Bear@ the YMCA

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bear'1The coffee shop at the Lakewood YMCA is a Black Bear, but as recently as last month it had been a Forza. In fact it is still listed as a Forza on the Forza website. I took them up on their suggestion of a pumpkin, space latte (decaf) and it was a treat.

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Gallucci Learning Garden

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photo 2 (1)This salamander at the Gallucci Learning Garden (South 14th & ‘G’ Street) was featured in several gardens when the Community Garden Tour occurred. It is really a sweet garden with a large wagon, a lovely round courtyard, shoes filled with plants and, of course, plenty of plants. The garden, which was named in honor of local activist Bob Gallucci, was dedicated in August 2011. Their extensive website is here.

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Trader Joe’s in Olympia

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Trader Joe’s at 1530 Black Lake Blvd SW, Olympia, WA 98502 is a typical Trader Joe’s with great produce, interesting products, a large selection of wine and free samples 🙂

Yashiro Japanese Garden, Olympia

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image (5)The Yashiro Japanese Garden at 1010 Plum Street SE, Olympia is a small, well proportioned public garden. It is a a joint effort of the Olympia-Yashiro Sister City Association and the City of Olympia.There are a few art pieces and a waterfall and some colorful fall foliage. More information can be found here.

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The UWT Stairs

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stairsI remember when these stairs were the site of South 19th Street and there was a Les Schwab TIre Center to the left. When the University of Washington opened their Tacoma branch they convert the street to these stairs. The designer really did a great job.

Starbucks at Green Firs, the story continues

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photo(3)The new Starbucks in the Green Firs Shopping Center is at the site of the former Shari’s Restaurant. When this Starbucks opened, the smaller Starbucks in the center closed and of course the employees moved over.

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Welcoming Figure at Evergreen

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LadyEvergreen State College gained a Welcoming Figure by Andy Wilbur-Peterson of the Skokomish Tribe and Greg Colfax of the Makah Tribe. More of Andy Wilbur-Peterson’s work can be seen here and there is more information to be found on the artist here. Information on Greg Colfax can be found here. The statue was constructed in 1987 and the statue stands 12′ tall.