Category Archives: WA State – Thurston County

Deep Lake at Millersylvania State Park, Olympia

Leave a reply

I found a little bit of winter at Deep Lake at Millersylvania State Park in Olympia. And while I’d like to write that I took a long healthy walk on the trails, the truth is that I stood admiring the lake for about 10 minutes and then gave in to the cold and trotted back to the heated car. I haven’t seen a lake completely frozen over in decades and it brought back memories of ice skating in New Jersey during my high school years.

The image below is on a shady rural street. I thought the ice configuration was interesting.

Cabrillo Amarillo

1 Reply

 

image

The brightly colored Cabrillo Amarillo by Paul Kuniholm Pauper is part of the Percival Landing Plinth Project, an initiative involving 15 pieces of art. The public is invited to visit Percival Landing, view all of the pieces and then vote for their favorite. The winning art piece is then purchased by the City of Olympia and the are available for sale.  More information about the project can be found here and more information about the artist is here.

Little Free Library,

Leave a reply

imageThis Little Free Library is located at 3215 Centerwood Court SE, Olympia and is part of the Little Free Library Project. This high quality Little Free Library has bright, cheerful colors and inside there are over a dozen books, mostly children’s chapter books. It seems like I always have read at least one title and this time the title was Gone Girl.

Little Free Libraries is part of a community movement which offers free books. When I considered my first Little Free Library in November 2012, a Wikipedia article informed me that there were over 200 of these libraries. Per their website, there are now over 25,000!  Each of the libraries is registered and can be located by their GPS coordinates.

imageLittle Free Library

 

The tugs at Harbor Days in Olympia

Leave a reply

imageOlympia’s Harbor Days is held Labor Day Weekend (Friday evening through Sunday) and is always fun. My favorite part is seeing all the vintage tugboats, several of which were available for tour. My least favorite part was when the largest tug sounded its horn right next to me and almost gave me a heart attack! But is was funny later 🙂 There was some great entertainment including music and a juggler. More information can be found here.

This slideshow requires JavaScript.

Wet Science Center, Olympia

Leave a reply

imageThe LOTT WET Science Center at 500 Adams Street NE, Olympia was a pleasant find. LOTT’s WET (Water Education and Technology) looked pretty inviting with its outdoor water features, so I went in, asking if it was strictly for kids.  The lady behind the counter assured me that I was welcome and I explored the space with great interest. The center is open 10-4 and is free. They even have things to give away like a shower timer and a small bag carrier (poo bags) that can be clipped to a dog’s leash. There is a variety of educational interactive exhibits and they even have a box turtle.  There are often special events especially on Saturdays and school groups come by during the school year. They have a website and a Facebook page. They also have a Twitter Feed and a YouTube Channel!

This slideshow requires JavaScript.

Grandpa’s Soda Fountain and Ice Cream Parlor

Leave a reply

15236516533_6152cb9e3e_kGrandpa’s Soda Fountain and Ice Cream Parlor at 208 4th Avenue, Olympia is a fine place for a sweet treat. We had stopped in a while back only to learn that they are closed on Sundays, but today after a hoagie at Merconi’s and a little shopping, dear husband and I visited for some ice cream. I had a small Sundae and he had a cone. Grandpa’s have specialty hard packed ice cream, soft serve ice cream and delicious looking candies. We were the only customers for a while, which makes sense at 5 pm, but I hear that in the summer the line goes out the door. I especially appreciate the care that they took to make the space into an old fashioned parlor, the checkered floor tiles, the metal stamped ceiling, the seating and more. The other photo features the handmade glowing jellyfish hanging in a tree a few doors down.

 

This slideshow requires JavaScript.

Saint Martin’s Prairie & the Abby Cemetery

Leave a reply

13813889994_65fe2fd1ec_bSaint Martin’s College and Abbey in Lacey has been around since the 1890s. It’s small cemetery is located in a rich stand of woods behind the Monastery and is for members of the abbey, thus the vast majority of the uniformed headstones read Father. The metal gates have two welcoming angels and there is a low stone fence.

The nearby College Regional Storm Facility is like a small, tranquil park with a gravel trail that leads around the full storm water ponds. There were plenty of birds and insects, as well as college students playing Frisbee and riding a bike.





This slideshow requires JavaScript.


 

					

		
		
	


	

				

			
						

				Three Meter House ( Schmidt House)
			

										

					Leave a reply				

					


				

			
12398795915_f3d03a564c_cThe Schmidt House, also known as the Three Meter House, was built 1904 for Leopold and Johanna, the owners of the Olympia Brewing Company which operated in close proximity to property. The Olympia Brewing Company operated between 1896 and 1983, when it was acquired by a different company. The Schmidt House, at 330 Schmidt Place SW, Tumwater, is on the national and city of Tumwater historic register. It is operated by the Olympia-Tumwater Foundation.
This slideshow requires JavaScript.


 


 

					

		
		
	


	

				

			
						

				Lacey Community Center
			

										

					Leave a reply				

					


				

			
12197728476_353fec40c3_oThe Lacey Community Center at 6729 Pacific Avenue SE, Lacey has a charming little pond adjacent to it. If it had been warmer, I would have strolled around it. The center itself is relatively new and very well tended to and the staff was very accommodating. 

  


12164097906_1b5fb897b8_b


 

					

		
		
	


	

				

			
						

				Garfield Nature Trail
			

										

					Leave a reply				

					


				

			
This slideshow requires JavaScript.


Garfield Nature Trail at 620 Rogers Street NW, Olympia is like a little haven of wilderness right in the middle of a residential neighborhood. It isn’t a typical park with picnic areas and playground equipment. Instead it is a trail through a ravine between Rogers Street NW and West Bay Drive NW. I hiked from Rogers to West Bay and back again. The path has several sets of stairs and boardwalks and I wish I had worn my sneakers because is places it was damp and a tad slippery. The trail was busy with young people, families and folks walking dogs.