Category Archives: Once in a while events

It’s the Year of the Dragon

What luck! The family decided to get out of the house today and each of us picked a place to go. Dear daughter wanted to go to Uwajimaya in the International District of Seattle. When we got there we learned that it is the Chinese New Year and they were having special events, such as a dragon parade. While we were there was grabbed lunch in the food court and picked up some groceries (pocky, drinks, fortune cookies). Uwajimaya is a wonderful store, which is full of treasures. It actually started in Tacoma, but when the US entered WWII the family was sent to Tule Lake Internment Camp in California. After the war, they felt more welcome in Seattle and settled themselves and their new store there. It was a loss for Tacoma! It is the largest Japanese grocery store in the Pacific Northwest.

http://www.uwajimaya.com/

   

Santa in the Shark Tank

When I heard that Zoolights at Point Defiance Zoo & Aquarium was featuring a scuba diving Santa on select days, I knew that we had to go! So, despite the fairly heavy rain, yesterday dear daughter, her dear friend and I went off to the zoo. It was really great! The rain mostly stopped and it was pretty temperate. I thought parking would be a snap, but the lot was almost full. Must be the pull of Scuba Santa! There was a short wait to see Santa, but when we got in we had a pretty good view and didn’t feel rushed. Everybody was having fun and the kids really got a kick out of it!

Franciscan Polar Plaza

The Franciscan Polar Plaza at Tollesfon Plaza in Downtown Tacoma is pretty cool It is the joint effort of Franciscan Health Care, The City of Tacoma, the Tacoma Art Museum and many other contributors. Mostly what I noticed while there is just how much fun everyone was having! There were young couples, kids with their parents and adults acting like kids. Plenty of folks fell, but they got back up laughing (ok, the kids laughed a little more than the adults). A couple of the skaters were pretty good, but most were obviously new to this, Some got around the rink by hanging on to the railing!

http://www.polarplaza.org/

Occupy Tacoma

The small park next to the Washington State History Museum is now informally known as Occupation Park. Dear daughter and I walked through it this evening, taking some photos and visiting. The folks there were articulate and warm (their personality, not their bodies which are going to be cold camping this late in the year!). Perhaps my favorite moment is when I realized they had created a small lending library!

Their website says the following:

We Are the 99%

In solidarity with #OccupyWallStreet and countless other @Occupy movements across the world, Occupy Tacoma is part of a peaceful, nonviolent movement fighting corporate abuse of American democracy. We are gathered together in solidarity, to exercise our First Amendment freedoms of speech and peaceful assembly. We are the 99%. Please join us.

 http://occupytacoma.org/

http://www.facebook.com/OccupyTacoma

     

 

Wish & Pray This Will Never Happen Again

Life Center on Union Avenue has devoted a corner of its property to a 9.11 Memorial. On both sides of a freestanding wall people have written their memories and reflections.  There are words from children too young to remember the day and from adults that were affected.  Some used the preprinted cards and filled in their memories and other brought their own paper.

Art on the Ave (Sixth Avenue)

Today was 13th annual Art on the Ave and today’s new place is the Sixth Avenue Business District.  We knew from reading status updates that parking was going to be tough, so we went to the TCC transit center and caught the #1 bus to Sixth Avenue.  It let us out withing a block of the festival.  It’s been a couple of years since we’ve been to this festival and it has really grown with lots of quality art for sale.  We purchased some 253 (the local area code) tshirts and I bought two hair clips.  We watched Vicci Martinez (recently on The Voice) belt out a couple of songs and then we had a cool drink and went home.  I think my favorite photo below is the guy who was filming Vicci Martinez on his iPad!

The website for Art on the Ave is here http://on6thave.com/art-on-the-ave.html

 

 

 

Blue Willow Lavender Farm

 



What I should have been doing is cleaning the kitchen. Why do we have six nut crackers? Really, we don’t even eat nuts in a shell!

But I really wanted to go to the festival at the Blue Willow Lavender Farm (10615 Wright Bliss Road, Gig Harbor, WA 98329) , so I did that instead. The farm is lovely and smells divine. The festival was small, but really nice. There was an excellent harp player in the middle of one large field. We enjoyed the the you pick (cut) lavender and the gift store and all the booths.

http://www.bluewillowlavenderfarm.com/Blue_Willow_Lavender_Farm/Welcome.html

Chickens are Beautiful!

Saturday we happily went on the Urban Chicken Coop Tour, organized by Garden Sphere in the Proctor District.  I’m considering the tour one large place!  We managed 8 or the 9 stops on the Tacoma tour and were so impressed with the graciousness, knowledge and openness of the owners and the good looks of the urban chickens!  While we don’t qualify for chickens ourselves because of our two terriers, I can certainly see the appeal.

Wiener Dogs and Windmills

Once in a while I go to two wonderful, new places in one day and I usually decide which one to blog about.  But Saturday’s two places are just so wonderful that I’m doing a double entry — Wiener Dogs and Windmills!

We went to Ellensburg for a quick get away and where delighted to find out that it was the 9th anniversary celebration of Dachshunds on Parade.  We got there late for the parade (next year!), but made it in time for the pet tricks and races.  Apparently Dachshunds have their own thoughts about if they should be racing.  There were races in which all of the dogs flew from one end of the track to the other.  There were races where the dogs got away from their owners before the ready-set-go and races where none of the dogs went anywhere (except maybe rolling over on their backs!).  One race, a dog ran right into the stands!  It was really a wonderful way to spend a couple of hours!  And I’ve never seen so many Dachshunds at once!

http://www.dachshundsonparade.com/

Afterward, we traveled about 15 miles outside of Ellensburg to the Wild Horse Wind Farm.  I’ve always wanted to see the wind turbines up close and they were glorious!  It was pretty windy when we got to the information center and the employees explained that they don’t give tours when the wind is over 25 miles per hour.  But still we looked all over the information center and got to touch one of the blades that they have at ground level and see the solar panels and hear the wonderful whomp, whomp, whomp of the blades as they turned.  The view was wonderful also.

http://www.pse.com/inyourcommunity/kittitas/Pages/Wild-Horse.aspx

All in all, it was a very successful day!

Battle for Fort Steilacoom

Battle for Fort Steilacoom by Gexydaf

The Battle for Fort Steilacoom was fought yesterday and today in Fort Steilacoom Park, 8714 87th Ave. S.W., Lakewood, WA, 98499. The Washington Civil War Association produced this event and it was very well done. There were hundred of reenactors in their Civil War garb. They were playing instruments, fighting battles, making speeches, drilling, cooking and selling their wares. It was a pleasure to stroll around in the sunshine and visit with these fine folks.

The website for the group is here http://www.wcwa.net/