I learned something at Election Center for Pierce County

 

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Dear daughter happily sent off her vote a couple of weeks ago, but soon afterwards she received a letter back politely saying her signatures didn’t match. So on Friday, we popped into the Pierce County Election Center to remedy the problem. The man behind the counter was very efficient and pleasant. He showed her the original signature and her current one. College has really made a difference in how she signs her name!

Anyway while we were there, we picked up a copy of the unofficial results to date. Below is a slightly more recent version from the auditor’s office website (which is full of interesting information!) There are also things to be learned on their Facebook Page.

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Things I thought were interesting:

  • Only about 30% of the eligible voter’s have voted. Maybe because we keep hearing that this vote isn’t particularly important?
  • Hillary is way ahead of Bernie.
  • When comparing the two parties, about 10,000 more Democrats have voted
  • The ballot was created prior to Trump being the only real Republican candidate so there are other Republican candidates listed on the ballot, By the time we received the ballots in the mail, only Trump was a viable candidate. But still about 25% of the vote went elsewhere.
  • The Democrats had 193 write in votes and the Republicans had 904. I’d like to know what some of those were!
  • There is a new “Civic Pierce County” mobile app, which works on my phone. It let’s me know my elected officials, voting history, deadlines, a sample ballot and more. Pretty cool.

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The University Place Garden Tour 2016

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Most years I manage to go to the University Place Garden Tour which is spearheaded by The University Place Historical Society (UPHS). This year the theme was “Spring into Summer,” and there were five gardens and the Curran House. Each garden had several docents that were amiable and  knowledgeable. The gardens varied significantly. One was a farm like setting, one was packed with flowers, one had hidden art and a stunning view, one had 100+ rhododendrons and one was a reclaimed barren lot. It was really a delight to visit each one with my friends and daughter. Lunch was an unexpected bonus.

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Perkins House, Colfax, WA

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The drive out to Pullman, WA from Tacoma is a long one and I especially don’t like doing it over a weekend (one day there and one day back). But it was time for dear daughter to come home and off we went. I mentioned that I wanted to stop at Colfax on the way home to see a log cabin. The website I found said “Perkins House, Colfax, built in 1886, an original log cabin.” So I figured the Perkins House was a log cabin. I imagined it would take five minutes to walk around a small cabin, snap a couple of pictures and be on our way.

But when we got there it turned out to be an amazing house and a log cabin, and it was open to the public. Dear daughter happily agreed to a tour (muttering that it was my mother’s day present) and our guide took us through the entire property, sharing the history. Really, it was fascinating, well worth the stop. The property was placed on the national historic register in 1972.

We learned that Mr. Perkins founded Colfax and the local saw mill. He, his wife and their four children lived in the log cabin (built in 1870, the oldest standing building in the county) for a while, but in 1880s moved into the lovely Victorian house. We also got to hear an early record player and listen to the honey bees that live in the wall. We especially loved the wallpaper, which was mostly reproduced based on the original. Oh, did I mention, there is an outhouse with the traditional moon on the door? Our volunteer guide was terrific, so pleasant and knowledgeable. He was also patient with our many questions.

 

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The Barn on Highway 26


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Along Highway 26 between Colfax and Washtucna there is a barn I have often admired and today I pulled over and snapped the photo. Since I know nothing else about the barn, I’m including a photo from the other side of the mountains in North Bend and another random highway scene with a tree.

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The World’s Longest Floating Boardwalk

The World's Longest Floating BoardwalkThe World’s Longest Floating Boardwalk is located in Coeur d’Alene, Idaho. It was completed in 1985 and extends 3,300 feet including a bridge with a spectacular view of the lake on this unusually warm spring day. There were a handful of love locks on the bridge itself. Along our walk dear daughter made a ladybug friend.

imageThe World's Longest Floating BoardwalkView from The World's Longest Floating BoardwalkLadybugView from The World's Longest Floating Boardwalk

Our visit to Coeur d’Alene also included a stroll through downtown with associated shopping and snacks. My favorite piece of art was the huge dandelion sculpture.

The World's Longest Floating Boardwalk

 

The World's Longest Floating BoardwalkA lock on The World's Longest Floating Boardwalk

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Downtown Moscow, Idaho

MoscowEvery time I visit dear daughter at WSU, I pop across state lines to visit Downtown Moscow, home of the University of Idaho’s Vandels. It really is a charming downtown with a selection of restaurants and shops. I love the bookstore, Book People of Moscow, and Cafe Artista. This time I also tried Moscow Bagel and Deli and it was yum. The Moscow Downtown Historic District includes 60 buildings and was placed on the National Historic Register in 2005.

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Washtucna, WA

I drove to Pullman today and along the way I stopped in the town of Washtucna in Adams County. The town has a population of about 200 people. I picked Washtucna because I heard it had a good birding park known as Bassett Park after the first mayor. It was some nice little park with a small creek running through it and one of the local residents came and chatted with me for a while. And then as I was leaving the town I found their original sheriff’s office/jail which consisted of a very small wooden building with two jail cells and a front area for the sheriff. There was also the original outhouse, a two seater!  Altogether it was a pleasant little diversion on the long drive to Pullman and I’m glad I stopped.


  
  
  
  

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Wild Fin Restaurant

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One of the joys of Spring Break is going out to eat and see a movie during the day. I guess it wasn’t an original idea because I ran into not one, but two tables of school friends and then after the movie, yet another friend from school! It was so fun!

Wild Fin is a chain of three seafood restaurants and this location is at 5115 Grand Loop, Tacoma at Point Ruston.  Dear husband and I stopped in before our movie and had very yummy and filling appetizers. I’m looking forward to evenings on the patio which features a marine view and summer days on the beach eating fried fish from the fish bar which will open soon.

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L&L, The Original Hawaiian BBQ

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I had never had Hawaiian BBQ before and wondered how it was different from Texan BBQ. Apparently L&L’s BBQ is “fusion of Asian and American dishes prepared with a unique island flare”. The L&L BBQ is located at 4502 S. Steele Street #161A in the Tacoma Mall. Both dear husband and I had bowls, his chicken and mine beef. They were served with rice and veggies, There was so much food, that we have enough for another delicious meal each.

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The Guardian Stone, Poulsbo

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The Guardian Stone is Poulsbo’s newest public art installation and it is really lovely. My first thought was “oh, look, a sword in the stone! King Arthur!”, but no. It being Poulsbo, the piece is reflective of Norwegian history.  The rock, steel and glass sculpture by Lisa Stirrett was installed in February 2016 at the Muriel Iverson Williams Waterfront Park. The nine foot tall piece is a nod to Swords of the Rock in Norway, though that piece is much larger (see a photo of that too). Really, it is captivating. You should go see it!

 

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