Category Archives: Parks

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.

Flaming Geyser

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Flaming Geiser by Gexydaf
Flaming Geiser a photo by Gexydaf on Flickr.

Today dear daughter, the two pups and I went to Flaming Geyser State Park in King County between Auburn and Black Diamond. This day use park has a couple of interesting features.

* It has a geyser which releases a methane seep. With a lighter or matches, it can actually be lite and flames will come out for a couple of minutes. It’s kind of cool!

* There is an open field for model airplane flying.

* There is over 3 miles of freshwater shoreline along the Green River. In the summer months, it is used for tubing and when we were there today there were kayakers.

The website for the park states “Flaming Geyser State Park has existed on this location since the 1920’s. Operated as a private park into the 1960’s, it fell into bankruptcy. State Parks rescued it from conversion to home development and has operated it as a park ever since.”

http://www.parks.wa.gov/parks/?selectedpark=Flaming%20Geyser

Tumwater Historical Park

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Tumwater Historical Park by Gexydaf
Tumwater Historical Park a photo by Gexydaf on Flickr.

Tumwater Historical Park is the sister park to Tumwater Falls Park, which was my new place of the day on October 17, 2010 (see http://blog.firsttries.com/?p=1407)

This park, which is situated on the Deschutes River, features a wonderful view of the now defunct Olympia Brewing Company. The park is listed on the National Register of Historic Places. In addition to the lovely setting, there are big toys for the kids and restrooms. Of note is a sign that says the lake is closed because of the New Zealand Mud snails, an invasive species. The City of Tumwater is attempting to quarantine Capital Lake and this lower part of the Deschutes River to stop the spread of the snails.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/New_Zealand_mud_snail

http://www.olytumfoundation.org/park.asp

http://www.ci.tumwater.wa.us/historicaldistrictboundaries.htm

  

Norton Memorial Park, Tacoma

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The other day when going to King’s Books, I noticed a delightfully compact city park. Yes, I must have been by it hundreds of times, but that day I really took note of it. And today in the freezing cold I went back to take some photos. The triangularly shaped park is located at 99 Tacoma Avenue South and fronts on Tacoma Avenue South, Saint Helen’s and South 1st. It has been around since 1927 and was named in honor of Percy Dunbar Norton, a Tacoma businessman and city counsel member who died at the age of 44 in April of 1900. The small park includes a commemorative column, a concrete bench, a couple of planters, an old fashioned street light and a bright blue street clock from 1993, which was not keeping accurate time.

More information about the park, including a photograph from 1927 can be found here.
http://search.tacomapubliclibrary.org/images/dt6n.asp?un=1&pg=1&address=99+TACOMA&stemming=&phonic=&fuzzy=&maxfiles=

Small parks like this one are often called pocket parks, as defined here
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pocket_park

Tom Schuster Memorial Park

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Today’s new place is the Tom Schuster Memorial Park, located on the southeast corner of McKinley Avenue East and East Division Lane. The original marker says Ray C. Roberts Post No. 969 V.F.W. and over that is a newer sign that says Tom Schuster Memorial Park. This is a relatively small park with some benches, a marker dedicating the park to veterans and a flag pole. It is nicely landscaped and well kept.

Information on the history of V.F.W. 969 can be found here http://webspace.webring.com/people/dv/vfw969/HistoryPost969.html

and their facebook site is here
http://www.facebook.com/pages/VFW-Post-969/450529600007#!/pages/VFW-Post-969/450529600007

Tacoma Public Library Northwest Room was kind enough to provide the following information. “The park was renamed in honor of Thomas M. Schuster, after his death on Nov. 5, 2000. According to his obituary, Tom Schuster was a lifetime member of the Ray C. Roberts Post #969 VFW (Veterans of Foreign Wars) and had been very active with fundraising and numerous leadership duties within the VFW. His obituary states that he was “instrumental in acquiring the mini park near the post home, which is being renamed in his honor for the many accomplishments achieved with distinction as a #969 Comrade.”

http://www.tpl.lib.wa.us/Page.aspx?nid=7

 

People’s Park Mural

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Originally uploaded by Gexydaf

I was thinking that since November is Tacoma Art Month, that I’d try to do most of my new place of the days with an art theme. First up is the mural in Peoples Park at 924 Martin Luther King Jr. Way. I cleverly took this photo yesterday when it wasn’t raining and then drove past again today so that I could say I’d been there! I love this mural which depicts the area as it use to be including a trolley and a farmer’s market. At first I thought the trees were in the way of the mural, but now I think they add to the photo 🙂

For more information on Art Month, check out the Art at Work site http://www.tacomaculture.org/arts/resource/ArtAtWorkTacoma/web/Default.htm

And for a great overview of art in Tacoma go to http://wspdsmap.ci.tacoma.wa.us/website/art/splash2.htm

For more info on People’s Park, go here http://www.metroparkstacoma.org/page.php?id=620

http://wspdsmap.ci.tacoma.wa.us/website/art/splash2.htm

Irving Park, more history than you’d think

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Originally uploaded by Gexydaf

 

I thought I’d best make some outside places my new place of the day, while I still have some daylight to work with. So, off I went to the 4+ acre Irving Park on Hosmer. It was a pretty typical park, a big field, restrooms, some playground equipment. I suspect what makes this park special is the view it has of Nalley Valley. But there was nobody in the park and I just wasn’t comfortable walking to the isolated area to check out the view. Maybe when I have company I’ll try that.

http://www.metroparkstacoma.org/page.php?id=664

The part is on the site of what use to be the Irving School, which was named after Washington Irving. The school was closed in 1930 and demolished in 1934. If you’d like to see a photo of some students from the Irving School in 1926, go here

http://search.tacomapubliclibrary.org/images/dt6n.asp?un=11&krequest=subjects+contains+School+children+Tacoma+1920-1930&stemming=&phonic=&fuzzy=&maxfiles=

A lovely fall day at Tumwater Falls Park

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Originally uploaded by Gexydaf
 
 

 

This jewel of a park was worth the short drive down to Tumwater. It is a perfect park, especial if you just have an hour or so. There is a quick loop that shows off the waterfalls and the accompanying Deschutes River. And there are also several well placed signs that share the history of the area including the now closed Olympia Brewing Company. I love the idea of going back in the winter when the falls partially freeze! I guess I also need to go back in the spring to see the salmon run. And I bet it’s pretty nice in the summer, so it’s an all season park! The park is listed on the National Register of Historic Places.

http://www.ci.tumwater.wa.us/historicaldistrictboundaries.htm

http://www.olytumfoundation.org/park.asp

The interesting history Titlow Lodge

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Originally uploaded by Gexydaf
 

 

I took a quick photo of Titlow Lodge today for my new place of the day. The history of the Lodge, which isn’t now actually used for lodging is pretty interesting. When it was built in 1911 it was called the Hotel Hesperides and had 30 guest rooms. The building’s architect was Frederick H. Heath who also designed Stadium and Lincoln High Schools and the Central School Building. In 1926 the property was purchased by Metro Parks and between 1937 and 1941, the top two floors were removed. The building is now being upgraded and is not open to the public.
http://www.metroparkstacoma.org/page.php?id=734

A photo of the building taken in 1977 can be found in the Tacoma Public Library’s Tacoma-Pierce County Building Index.  http://search.tacomapubliclibrary.org/buildings/bldgv2.asp