Tag Archives: WA

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

Freighthouse Art Gallery

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Originally uploaded by Gexydaf

The Art Gallery at Freighthouse Square has some lovely Northwest art. We have purchased several pieces here and appreciate that we can have some original art at a doable price. It is located on the upper level of Freighthouse Square beyond the food court. It is run as an artist cooperative and usually at least one of the artists is on site.

602 East 25th Street, Suite 60
253-383-9765

http://www.freighthousesquare.com/

http://www.freighthousesquare.com/Merchants/Freighthouse_Art_Gallery.html

Franklin School, under 300 students

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Tacoma Public School has announced that it may close schools in order to save money. Foss is the high school they are considering and elementary schools with less than 300 students are also possibilities. These elementary schools are Franklin, Lyon, Roosevelt, Stanley, McKinley, Wainwright and Geiger. Geiger has had a program change and has been taken off the table. I thought over the next week or so, I’d take photographs of the mentioned schools and use them as my new places of the day.

Read more about possible school closures at : http://www.thenewstribune.com/2011/01/19/1509242/foss-students-fret-over-possible.html#ixzz1Bn2OnEp6

Today’s school is Franklin Elementary at 1402 South Lawrence Street. Their mascot is a panther. I’m sure when they constructed this school in 1998, nobody pictured it possibly closing in 2011.  They educate just under 300 students.

Dorky’s Arcade Pinball Food Drinks

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Dorky’s is one of the newer businesses in downtown Tacoma. It is a multilevel arcade that as of tomorrow will offer food and in the future will have a liquor license. For a couple of dollars, you can have a lot of entertainment with machines like Ms. PacMan, Frogger and Asteroids.

I love the PacMan on the wall that they made out of keys!

Their Facebook page says “Dedicated to Old School Video Games and Pinball Machines we are working to have a place to play all the fun machines from our youth that you can’t find any where. 80’s and 90’s Classics All Video Arcade Games and Vintage Pinball Machines are 25 cents Newer Pinball machines are 50 Cents.”

754 Pacific Ave
Tacoma, WA 98402
(253) 627-4156

 
  

Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Library is Closing

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For Martin Luther King Day, I went to the Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Library at 1902 South Cedar Street, Tacoma, WA 98405 . As of January 31, 2011, this branch of the Tacoma Public Library System will close, leaving eight locations. The Swan Creek Branch is also closing and the main branch will also have its hours reduced from 66 to 54.

There are news reports of the closures here http://www.thenewstribune.com/2010/12/16/1467131/2-small-tacoma-libraries-to-close.html?storylink=rss

http://www.thenewstribune.com/2011/01/16/1504222/library-to-serve-fewer.html

The library’s previous sign has been replaced with the sign in the photograph. There is also a notice on the door that states “Tacoma Public Library Service Alert. As a result of a $1.8 million dollar shortfall in the Library’s 2011 – 2012 budget, the Tacoma Public Library will close two branch libraries and reduce hours at the downtown Main Library effective Monday, January 31, 2011.” Per the news report, the MLK Branch has some of the lowest circulation figures and has considerable deferred maintenance. While I an see the logic of the closure, it is a certain loss to the families in the area.

The closing of this branches no doubt would have saddened Dr. King, who is know to have said “The function of education is to teach one to think intensively and to think critically. Intelligence plus character – that is the goal of true education.” Sounds like the function of a public library to me.

For information on the Swan Creek Library closure, go to http://blog.firsttries.com/?p=2099

 

How long has that ACE Hardware been there!?

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This morning I’m driving around looking for a cup of coffee because it is that kind of day when I notice that there is an ACE hardware on Sprague.  Where did that come from?  My husband said that it use to be a lawn mower store and maybe it still is to a point because the secondary sign said Agrishop (see link http://www.agrishopinc.com/) and they seem to have lawnmowers and more.  It is a small hardware store and a nice alternative to the megastore.  Not that ACE isn’t a big chain.  Their website says they have more than 4,600 stores in 50 states and 70 countries!  There are 30 ACE locations within 30 miles of this one!  Who knew?

 

 

 

AGRISHOP TACOMA
2012 S 12th St.
Tacoma, WA 98405

 

 

phone: (253) 833-0870
toll free: (800) 805-0513

http://www.acehardware.com/mystore/storeDetail.jsp?store=14923&saddr=47.2492065,-122.4747276%2898405%29&daddr=47.2499,-122.4633%282012%20S%2012th%20St%20Tacoma,%20WA%2098405%29

And yes, I did take some photos of it!  And they are happily living on my camera’s memory chip.  But the memory chip and the laptop had words and now they aren’t talking!  So I tried rebooting (no), I tried taking the chip in and out a dozen times (no), I found one of those cords that connects the camera & the computer (no), I tried all the same things on my husband’s computer (no, no, no), I considered throwing the computer in the bay (maybe).  I gave up and used an image off the internet and will try at work tomorrow using their computer (yes).

In the meantime, here is a photo I took with my phone!

 

Quirky and Tasty – Waterfront Pizza in Port Townsend

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Waterfront Pizza

Originally uploaded by Gexydaf

Because I was traveling, I missed recording a new place of the day on Tuesday. But we went to Waterfront Pizza in Port Townsend for lunch and it was a treat. The two of us had a small pizza and I had a side salad. Pretty much what they have is pizza, basic salads and assorted beverages (beer, wine, soda). The Yelp reviews sometimes complain about the service, but our server was great!

The main level store front area is very tiny and used as a kitchen and a place to buy a slice. The upper level is a small traditional restaurant of about six tables.

951 Water Street
Port Townsend, WA 98368-5732
(360) 385-6629

http://www.yelp.com/biz/waterfront-pizza-port-townsend

Port Townsend Historic District

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We got out of town for a day in Port Townsend. Of course, Port Townsend is a fully functional city with grocery stores, gas stations and medical offices, but it is their historic district that is exceptional. Per MyNorthwest.com (see below) “Port Townsend is cited as one of only three National Victorian Seaports on the National Register of Historic Places (along with Galveston and Cape May, NJ) and is the only one on the West Coast”. Considering its excellent harbor, Port Townsend was going to be the northwest terminus of the railroad lines. In anticipation of the rail coming, many lovely Victorian residences and commercial buildings were constructed. But then the depression arrived and the rail was not extended and the town languished. Now it is a destination spot, combining the natural beauty of the bay and nearby Olympic Mountains with the appeal of the historic buildings. There is an abundance of interesting stores and restaurant. I’m sure that later I will make individual places my new place of the day, but today it is the entire downtown historic district.

http://www.mynorthwest.com/?nid=464&sid=296529

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Port_Townsend,_Washington

Amazing Americano at Metro Coffee

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I had heard good things about Metro Coffee, so I stopped in this evening when I had an meeting on the University of Washington, Tacoma campus. It has a small space in one of the historic brick building and an approprately funky coffee shop feel, but mostly I’m impressed with the coffee. It was very, very good. And the service was great too!

1901 Jefferson Ave # B
Tacoma, WA 98402-1611
(253) 627-8152

http://www.tacoma.uw.edu/features/campus-culture/favorite-places-metro-coffee

Here is a fun review of Tacoma coffee shops based on the foam of their tall cappuccino. 
http://i.feedtacoma.com/Erik/blackwater-satellite-coffee-showdown-tacoma/#comments

 

Votes for Women, Celebrating 100 Years

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Originally uploaded by Gexydaf  

What a thrill to go to the Day of Jubilation at the historic Lord Mansion, which functions as the State Capital Museum and Outreach Center. The Day of Jubilation celebrated the 100th anniversary of women getting the vote in Washington State. The American Association of University Women Washington State hosted a the event, which was a pink tea. Many of the guests came in period custom and were in character.

AAUW-WA’s website is http://www.aauw-wa.org/

AAUW-WA is a fine organization devoted to advancing equity for women and girls through advocacy, education, and research.

The website for the Lord Mansion is here
http://www.wshs.org/scmoc/building.aspx