Category Archives: Art — there is art here!

Boehm’s Candy

BoehmsI was driving around Issaquah looking for something interesting and was pleasantly surprised at my choices — a root beer drive in, a restored vintage gas station, cute stores, etc. The day’s winner was Boehms Candy at 255 NE Gilman Blvd. Issaquah, WA 98027. The company began in Seattle’s Ravenna neighborhood in 1943 and in 1956 they moved to their current location. The store is located in the “Edelweiss Chalet”, the first Alpine chalet in the Northwest. In addition to the store and the candy manufacturing facility, there is a replica of a 12th century chapel near St. Moritz, a fountain, a statue of William Tell, a park area with a decorative fountain and an enthusiastic water fountain (water is life).

To order learn more about Boehms or to order candy, click here

It occurs to me that I know nothing about William Tell except he has a theme song. I learned he was a folk hero of Switzerland. Looking over Wikipedia, I remembered that he is know for shooting an apple off his son’s head.  The statue shows Tell and his son, Altdorf and is (I assume) a replica of the original statue by Richard Kissling in 1895.

9168013671_a0295048e0_b 9168010599_54c8e48256_b(1) 9170242760_949e226eb1_b(1)

 

 

1950 Cold War Rocket in Fremont

9110734153_baf159f2aa_o

Every year we can, we go to the Solstice Parade up in Seattle’s Fremont neighborhood. Since this blog is rated G (ok, maybe PG) I won’t post photos of the body painted pre-parade bicyclists, though I admire their joie de vivre! Instead I focused on the 53′ Cold War era Rocket on the building at the corner of Evanston and 35th Street. In 1991 the rocket was deemed quirky enough for the off beat neighborhood and in 1994 it was installed.

http://fremont.com/about/storyrocket-html/

9112240943_4cc5210983_b(1)

Gargoyle Bridge

9032286059_558bc90c59_b

Sunday dear husband and I went on the University Place Garden Tour and discovered a a gargoyle bridge at the end of Memory Lane West. It is a simple bridge over a ravine and along it to either side are gargoyles, one of which was shooting water out of his mouth. You have to look hard to see the gargoyles in the bridge photo, but they are there!The gargoyle artist also created a tranquil water scene.

The yard adjacent to the bridge had a miniature horse and a goat, as well as a chilled bag of carrots. They each got one from us 🙂

9112253381_6e521fcf99_b

9032274131_146e7e42cd_b 9001815278_daca2727c9_o

Feeding the Horse & Goat video. Click on the words.

Significant Figures in the Development of Polymers, Wapato Police Substation

8920614919_a0f3e8b34d_bThe Tacoma Police Substation at Wapato, 1501 South 72nd Street,  has a delightful sculpture piece titled Significant Figures in the Development of Polymers. It features slightly abstract figures and was created by Justin Hahn. It was his first public art commission.

8920618463_27b95ecfce_b

Be Safe: Look Both Ways at South Tacoma Station

8729684473_520ff11002_c(1)End of the Line by Ilan Averbuch represents the golden spike at the end of the railroad tracks and indeed the South Tacoma Station at South 54th and Washington Streets was the end of the Sounder line for a while. The artwork stands 6′ tall. While I was there, the Sounder came by, so I took that photo too 🙂

8730807822_73797432b9_z8722678964_4601e6e90b_z(1)

The Second Touch

8706791712_9b0c1648f6_bSculptor Larry Anderson created The Second Touch bronze art in the hospital near Mary Bridge Hospital. It commemorates the 100th anniversary of Tacoma Public Hospital. Larry Anderson also created the Trilogy piece in Wright’s Park, the Tacoma Fallen Firemen Memorial, New Beginnings outside the Union Station and many others.

8706792450_0aa6b20333_b

Mill Creek Earthworks Park

8701045748_4395d4cdd1_b(1)On Wednesday I was in Kent and stopped to enjoy the day at Mill Creek Earthworks Park at 742 East Titus, Kent, WA. It was a lovely day and there were baby ducks! The park had good and bad to it.

The Good:

  • It was designed by Bauhaus Master, Herbert Bayer.
  • It is a very cool storm water detention system and designed to handle a 10,000 year flood.
  • It looks like a place that hobbits would live in.
  • The restrooms have delightful art on them.
  • It is part of a restoration project.
  • It connects to other Earthworks Project.
  • Plenty of free parking.
  • It was recently restored.
  • Did I mention the baby ducks? You can see them crossing the trail on the photo above.

The Bad:

  • The toilets in the women’s room don’t have doors and I really like doors.
  • The trail was closed, so I didn’t try to go down it.
  • There was a homemade cross on the site that said “the truth will come out about how you died”. Kind of creepy to me!

So the good out ways the bad and I’d love to go visit again.

8701039528_6efa7e81d4_b

 

 

 

Columbia Basin College

8667747502_b12b84dab7_b

The Columbia Basin College at 2600 N 20th Ave, Pasco, WA 99301 (in Franklin, my 11th Washington County!) is simple and attractive. My group meant in three of the building with the most interesting being the inside courtyard which had a tropical rainforest vibe going on with warm temperatures and an indoor pond.  There is also a great sculpture of Martin Luther King, Jr. walking with a young, determined boy. The college’s mascot is the hawk.

8668960580_d1578b2263_bCourtyard

Epic Mural in Puyallup

8620091265_44c58141f9_bI was driving around the other day and found this terrific mural 2914 East Main Avenue. It is a Trompe-l’œil style and I was tempted to drive on through to the beautiful mountain sunrise. But of course that would be a bad idea. I think the building is used as apartments. There is a sign on one of the doors that says “Due to the recent thefts, the upstairs tenant has been instructed to shoot … then call police“.

8621226656_9efd0a312b_b

Edible Book Festival at the Collins Memorial Library at UPS

8612732922_ca0d1afc7f_bThe Edible Book Festival took place in the Collin Memorial Library at the University of Puget Sound. My favorite was Jello Pages, which was covered in a cheerful yellow jello. It was all I could do not to tap it to see it wiggle 😀

Below are photos of the one day exhibit and some of the exhibits. The art includes Little Men (with small gingerbread men), Ketchup in the Rye, Who is Afraid of Virginia Ham and Moveable Feast (the banana). There is also a photo of the library (interior and exterior) and the bound periodicals entrance. The last one lead to an interesting conversation about old fashioned library practices. The library was constructed in 1954.