Category Archives: Industry

Cryogenics at Pacific Welding Supplies

The word cryogenics gets my imagination going! Per Wikipedia, It means “the study of the production of very low temperature (below −150 °C, −238 °F or 123 K) and the behavior of materials at those temperatures“. When I hear it I think of human bodies being frozen until a cure for the disease they are dying from has been found and I think of science fiction books where the characters are frozen for a long, long space voyage.

I found an interesting article on cryogentics here http://abcnews.go.com/Health/life-ice-world-crazy-cryogenics/story?id=14167348#.TwuZh1auHTo.  The article states “And for approximately $30,000, anyone can be cryogenically frozen. Currently, there are over 200 people in a frozen state at cryonics centers in the U.S. – and some 2000 people have signed up for it.”

Cryogenics is the word printed on the large canister at Pacific Welding Supplies, 2902 S M Street, Tacoma, WA 98409. I suspect that the canister is most likely used for the gases involved with industrial welding instead of human preservation or space travel, but still its fun to consider the possibilities! The website for Pacific Welding Supplies is http://www.pacificwelding.com/

Need a book?

Need a book? by Gexydaf

Friday I went off to the Scholastic Books warehouse at 9631 Lathrop Industrial Drive S.W., Olympia, WA 98512. I was on a mission to purchase books for two school libraries. Scholastic books is the largest children’s book seller in the world and there warehouse is only open to school employees and book fair volunteers. While the shopping itself can be a little overwhelming (so many books and people), the people are wonderful.

http://store.scholastic.com

While I was there I picked up ten copies of the new Wimpy Kid book (5 per school) because yes, it is just that popular!

http://store.scholastic.com/webapp/wcs/stores/servlet/ProductDisplay_Diary+of+a+Wimpy+Kid+6%3A+Cabin+Fever_51022_-1_10052_10051

 

The Fern Hill Substation is located in the 8300 block of  Yakima Avenue in Tacoma. Puget Sound Energy states “To increase reliability for our customers and meet their growing demand for power in Pierce County, Puget Sound Energy is upgrading our existing low-voltage 55 kilovolt (kV) transmission lines to our now current standard of 115 kV. These projects will entail upgrading two substations and 12.5 miles of transmission line, and decommissioning our existing Fern Hill substation.”  The timeline to decommission the substation is 2012-2013. I wonder what one does with property that had been occupied by a substation!

To read more, go to http://pse.com/inyourcommunity/pierce/ConstructionProjects/Pages/Woodland-St-Clair.aspx

 

The airfield at Boeing in Everett

On Friday we found ourselves in Everett with a little time on our hands. Not enough time to take the Boeing Tour, but enough to go check out the airfield near the Future of Flight Museum.  There were several wonderful things about the experience. The day was lovely, warm and sunny. Mt. Baker was hoovering in the background. There were a bunch (30+) planes on the field. But best of all, I think, was the fact that the Boeing Co. was thoughtful enough to create berms that provide a view of the field. There were a bunch of people out checking out the planes, and many of them appeared to be fathers and their children. This is the kind of thing that memories are made out of!

The really huge aircraft in the photo below is a Dreamlifter and it is used to move airplane parts. The back part of the plane is hinged and can swing open! I thought that was pretty cool! To read more about it, go here http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Boeing_747_Large_Cargo_Freighter

Heidelberg Brewery

The Heidelberg Brewery has been at 2120 South C Street in Tacoma under various names since 1900.  There is a most excellent history of the brewery located here http://www.brewerygems.com/columbia.htm and a reader would learn much from reading it.  I was interested to learn that the brewery was actually constructed over an artesian well. Also of interest was that during prohibition, the brewery made soft drinks and a non-alcoholic near-beer called “Colo”. The brewery closed its doors in 1979 and was vacant for many years and was slated for demolition when it caught on fire on July 7, 2011.  As you can see from the photos, at least part of the site is currently being cleared.

 

 

Gas Pump Happy Hour!

Gas Pump Happy Hour! by Gexydaf
Gas Pump Happy Hour!, a photo by Gexydaf on Flickr.

With all the street improvement getting around Pacific Avenue and the Dome District is a little tricky nowadays, but early this morning I did just that. And I was rewarded by this most excellent sighting of a vacant lot on the corner of East 26th & C Street. The lot is full of gas pumps! They are mostly branded Shell and 76. The lot is well secured with a barbed wire fence.

Nalley’s

Nalley's by Gexydaf
Nalley’s, a photo by Gexydaf on Flickr.

I’ve been meaning to stop at Nalley’s Fine Food at 3303 South 35th Street, Tacoma for a while. When I went to write up it up as the new place of the day, I found an article in today’s newspaper discussing how the company is closing soon. Nalley Valley was named after the Nally’s Fine Food, which was established in 1918. When the plant closes, 160 people will lose their jobs.

http://www.thenewstribune.com/2010/12/04/1451025/nalleys-fine-foods-to-close-after.html

Brown & Haley, Home of Almond Roca

For Valentine’s Day I stopped at the Brown & Haley outlet at 110 East 26th Street, Tacoma, WA 98421 because my guy is fond of Almond Roca and he is always happy with a deal.  Actually, I already had his present, Night of the Living Trekies (see below) because nothing says love like zombies and Star Trek.

Brown & Haley has been in Tacoma incorporated in Tacoma in 1914. There most famous candy, Almond Roca, was invented in 1924.

Their website is https://www.brown-haley.com/index.php

Update: 3.12.2016 – Dear husband and I stopped in again (he still likes a deal!) and we learned that the outlet building was originally a ticket booth during the 1962 Seattle World’s Fair. And Elvis was there! How cool is that? I added a picture of the plaque below.

image

 

U.S. Oil and Refinery

Originally uploaded by Gexydaf

Tonight I found myself in the Port of Tacoma and was attracted to the bright lights of the U.S. Oil and Refinery property. Since I knew next to nothing about the company, I went to their website to learn that “In the fifty plus years since U.S. Oil & Refining Co. first located in the deepwater Port of Tacoma, it has grown to become a consistent supplier of petroleum products in the Puget Sound Region. U.S. Oil & Refining Co. is a industry leader in the production and supply of high quality motor, aviation and marine fuels and asphalt in the Puget Sound market. With refining capacity in excess of 39,000 barrels per stream day and storage capacity exceeding 2.8 million barrels, the company is well positioned to help meet the region’s growing energy needs.”

http://www.usor.com/