Tacoma – Page 4 – Retreading for Retirement

Dear Community Members,

Thanks to WordPress Daily Prompt for this writing topic:

Community Service

Your entire community — however you define that; your hometown, your neighborhood, your family, your colleagues — is guaranteed to read your blog tomorrow. Write the post you’d like them all to see.

Dear Retirement Community Members,

I’m glad to have this opportunity to address all of you at once. I want to thank you for making me feel so welcome when I moved here a little more than three years ago.

As you know, there’s always a waiting list for available independent-living duplexes. Our name made it to the top of the list in late March 2013. My husband wasn’t planning to retire until the end of the year, but we were afraid that, if we passed up the opportunity and let our name go back to the bottom of the list, we’d have to wait three to five years for another opening.

I made a quick trip to Tacoma in late March to see the unit. I’d never seen the inside of a duplex, only a drawing of the interior floor plan. I immediately fell in love with it. Even though all the duplexes have identical floor plans, I loved the location of this one on the corner, near the road. Without another building right next to it, this one felt bigger and more open.

When I returned home, my husband and I decided we’d take this duplex instead of waiting. So I packed my little car to the gills, taking what I’d need to set up housekeeping, and drove the 2,100 miles to Tacoma. I arrived at my new home on April 10, 2013. My husband would join me after he retired at the end of December.

It was a bit scary making this move on my own, but several of you knocked on my door and welcomed me to the community. (A few of you even gave me plants as a welcoming gift, and I didn’t have the heart to tell you that house plants come to my house to die.) Your kindness helped me adjust, and I quickly came to love my new home.

Originally I didn’t have much to unpack, so I soon began learning my way around my new home town. We had been visiting our daughter in Tacoma for about 15 years, so I knew my way around a tiny bit, but I had a lot to learn. Once again, many of you came to my aid, telling me how to get to Metropolitan Market and Trader Joe’s as well as other places. When I said I was interested in learning about the city’s history, you suggested parks, monuments, and buildings I might want to visit. You explained to me how to sign up for events held at Franke Tobey Jones and for excursions to other places, such as the monthly Lunch Bunch outing.

By the time my husband arrived to stay in December, I already felt well settled in. Again, many of you went out of your way to come meet him and welcome him to the community.

Now, after more than two years, we both continue to marvel at how friendly everyone here is. We knew we were going to retire to Tacoma because our daughter lives here, but we’re so glad that we chose Franke Tobey Jones. I think that the sign out front should be changed from “Retirement Estates” to “Retirement Community,” because community is what we’ve truly found here.

Sincerely yours,
Mary Brown

Three Things Thursday

It’s Thursday again! Here’s my weekly contribution to Three Things Thursday, the purpose of which is to “share three things from the previous week that made you smile or laugh or appreciate the awesome of your life.”

Tacoma Waterfront

My husband and I enjoy learning about the history of Tacoma. A few weeks ago we ate lunch at a restaurant on the waterfront and took advantage of the opportunity to observe how Tacoma has changed.

1. Horizontal Drawbridge

This is a horizontal drawbridge with “Port of Tacoma” stenciled on the end facing the street (not visible in this photo). The center of the bridge rises horizontally to let large boats pass underneath.

I had never seen this type of drawbridge until we took a cruise on the Columbia River that began in Portland, OR, almost 20 years ago. I thought all drawbridges split in the middle, with a section on each side that levered back to rise up. But we see quite a few of these horizontal bridges here in the Pacific Northwest.

I’ve heard that this drawbridge isn’t used any more. I’ve never see it raised.

2. Former Boat Building Company

Tacoma used to build many of the commercial fishing boats used on the West Coast. These two buildings are the remnants of a ship building company that has been closed for many years now.

Sending the boats built here off to their destinations probably required the raising of that horizontal drawbridge, which is located a bit off the left side of this photo.

3. Marina

People here in the Puget Sound area really love their boats, and this marina on the waterfront is therefore still active. This is the view just to the right of the boat building company in photo #2.

On the right side of this photo you see the famous Tacoma Dome, which I’ve written about here.

See you again next week!

Three Things Thursday: Vashon Island

It’s Thursday again, time for another Three Things Thursday, the purpose of which is to “share three things from the previous week that made you smile or laugh or appreciate the awesome of your life.”

Trip to Vashon Island

Just a 10-minute ferry ride (15 minutes if you count time for unloading vehicles) from Tacoma lies Vashon (emphasis on the first syllable) Island. Since the ferry leaves from Point Defiance Park, right near our house, we’d been meaning to make the trip some time. Yesterday “some time” finally arrived.

Vashon Island is about 13 miles long and eight miles across its widest point (about the size of New York City’s Manhattan, many descriptions say). It’s predominantly rural, with a resident population of about 11,000. It’s accessible only by ferry, from either Tacoma, West Seattle, or Port Orchard. There are two major towns on the island, Vashon and the much smaller Burton.

Many small local farms on the island offer produce and eggs for sale. Vashon Island also features a thriving arts community, with its own community theater and several shops and galleries that feature the work of artists from the Puget Sound area.

Tourists from the Greater Seattle area come to here for biking on the island’s many wooded trails or for kayaking. Both ferries and public buses operated by Seattle Metro Transit and Pierce County Transit offer transport of bikes. Kayaks can be rented through the Vashon Park District.

We’ll have to go back again, probably several times, because there’s a lot we didn’t see on yesterday’s visit.

(Click on any photo to see a larger version.)

1. Logs on the Beach

Vashon Island features 45 miles of shoreline. On a walk along the beach at Point Robinson Park we discovered that somebody enjoys using the driftwood like Lincoln Logs. (I told you this is an artsy community.)

2. Ivy

I have never seen a wall completely covered with ivy, like this side of a building in Vashon.

3. Heritage Museum

The Vashon-Maury Island Heritage Association sponsors The Vashon-Maury Island Heritage Museum, located at 10105 Bank Road in the town of Vashon. The building that now houses the museum was originally a Lutheran Church built in 1907. Museum hours are 1:00 to 4:00 Wednesday through Sunday.

Though small, the museum is well laid out. After entering, visitors learn about the history of the island by moving counter-clockwise around the central room. The exhibit begins with information about the island’s first inhabitants, the Puyallup Tribe. When European-American settlers came to the area in the mid nineteenth century, the Native Americans were relocated to the mainland. The Puyallup Tribal Center remains in Tacoma. Artifacts and reproductions of photos, newspaper articles, and other documents present the area’s history as a center of logging, lumber milling, boat building, and farming.

Lunch Bunch: C.I. Shenanigans

3017 Ruston Way, Tacoma, WA 98402
Phone: (253) 752 – 8811

The first Friday of every month our activities director at Franke Tobey Jones offers us the opportunity to go out for lunch. Today’s destination was C.I. Shenanigans, on beautiful Ruston Way. Shenanigans advertises that it features sustainable seafood, Harris Ranch beef “from cattle that spend approximately 80% of their lives grazing on grass,” and artisanal cocktails.

I can vouch for the cocktails. My Moscow Mule (vodka, ginger beer, and a splash of lime) was delicious. There were five people at our table. I had a cup of their lobster bisque, which turned out to be delicious. My husband ordered the crab-stuffed mushrooms and pronounced them quite good as well.

For our main courses, the gentleman who ordered mac and cheese said that it was too dry. Two women liked their salads, which were generously sized. My husband and I both had Columbia River King Salmon, “simply grilled,” which was cooked through but not dry. Our vegetables—green beans, wax (yellow) beans, and broccoli—were also good, not overcooked.

Our only complaint was that it took a LONG time to get the food. We had a group of 20, so it’s understandable that we might have put a strain on the staff. But our activities director always lets restaurants know well ahead of time how many people will be coming, so I’m disappointed if an establishment doesn’t prepare adequately for us. My husband and I have eaten at Shenanigans a couple of times on our own, and I don’t remember the service being particularly slow.

I see that Shenanigans gets three out of five stars on Yelp, 3.5 stars on Trip Advisor, and 4 stars on Open Table and Facebook.

Ruston Way hosts a huge crowd every Fourth of July. Early in the day the road is closed to traffic, and people pack the place. On our way to and from the restaurant we saw city workers setting up out rows and rows of blue portable toilets all along Ruston Way to accommodate tomorrow’s crowd. They were also setting out many huge plastic trash receptacles. We’ve never gone down on the Fourth because it’s just too crowded. And tomorrow’s high temperature will be about 88 degrees. So we’ll stay home tomorrow and let all those other people enjoy the day along Commencement Bay’s beautiful Ruston Way.

Three Things Thursday

I’m really excited about today’s Three Things Thursday, the purpose of which is to “share three things from the previous week that made you smile or laugh or appreciate the awesome of your life.”

Tacoma Rainiers Game!

Our new activities director took a group of us from Franke Tobey Jones to a Tacoma Rainiers baseball game this week.

The Rainiers, of the Pacific Coast League, is the AAA team of MLB’s Seattle Mariners. That means that players stop here just before being called up to the Major League Baseball team. In fact, we watched Franklin Gutierrez play in Tacoma on Tuesday, then saw him on television with the Mariners on Wednesday, just after being called up. Fortunately, it’s a short trip from Tacoma to Seattle.

Tuesday nigh was a beautiful night to be at a baseball game. It was a sunny day, but our seats were in the shade of the high stadium wall up the third base line. The temperature was just right. Here are some photos. (Thanks to my husband for photo #3).

1. Stadium Hill

Hill along first base side of Cheney Stadium

The grassy hill next to right field, up along the first base line, is a popular destination for families with young children. Both young and older fans can spread out and relax while watching the game. A lot of foul balls end up there, so if you go, you should bring your glove.

2. Rainiers’ Mascot: Rhubarb

The Seattle Mariners’ mascot is a moose, and I used to think that Rhubarb, the Rainiers’ mascot, is also a moose. But this week I discovered that Rhubarb is in fact a reindeer. It has a nice alliterative ring to it: Rhubarb, the Rainier Reindeer.

Rhubarb, Rainiers' mascot — Rhubarb, Rainiers’ mascot

But be honest here. Could you really tell from those antlers that Rhubarb is a reindeer and not a moose?

Cheney (pronounced chee-nee) Stadium, home of the Rainiers, is a very family-friendly place, and Rhubarb plays a big part in creating that atmosphere. He dances on top of the dugouts, and mingles and schmoozes with fans up in the stands. And after every Sunday game at the stadium, Rhubarb brings kids down onto the field and leads them in running around the bases.

3. Tribute to Ben Cheney

Ben Cheney was one of the community leaders responsible for getting a stadium built in just three months and 14 days, in time to open as the home of the San Francisco Giants’ AAA club in 1960. Since that time Tacoma has been the home of a number of minor league teams. The Rainiers have played at Cheney Stadium since 1995.

Cheney Stadium underwent a massive remodeling between the end of the 2010 season on September 2 and opening day of the 2011 season on April 1.

The spirit of Ben Cheney attends every home game at the stadium named in his honor.

U.S. Open: We Tuned in for the Scenery But Stayed for the Drama

I have absolutely zero interest in the sport of golf. But the U.S. Open is being held at Chambers Bay, which is just a hop, skip, and a jump from our new hometown of Tacoma, WA. So I tuned in to Fox this afternoon to see if the Goodyear blimp (which we’ve seen, as a far-off speck in the sky, circling for the last couple of days) would provide some shots of our beautiful local scenery.

And it certainly did. The weather here has been clear and just gorgeous all four days of the tournament. The blimp caught postcard-perfect shots of Mount Rainier, Puget Sound, and the Tacoma Narrows Bridge. But what surprised both my husband F. and me was that, between the gorgeous scenery shots, we got caught up in the tournament drama.

Even though I don’t follow golf, I am interested in other sports, notably baseball, basketball, NFL football (which you are required to like when you move to the Seattle-Tacoma area), and tennis. But I’m not much into personalities and statistics. Even though baseball is my first love and I watch the World Series faithfully every year, no matter who’s playing, sometimes, come January, I’ve forgotten who won.

What I like is watching games. I love the way games unfold and the way players react to and cope with changing situations. This is why I prefer National League baseball to American League play: because the AL use of the designated hitter means that managers don’t have to make key decisions about whether to pinch hit for a pitcher who’s working well to take advantage of a potential scoring situation. I love to see which players step up in clutch moments and which ones choke, which athletes are able to recognize and adapt to what their opponents are doing and which ones stubbornly keep doing what they’re doing and hoping for different results. I love the pressure of the moment, the opportunity to step up or shut down.

And the final round of this year’s U.S. Open golf tournament provided some of the best sports drama I’ve seen in a long time:

one player who was completely out of the running until an amazing string of birdies brought him within one stroke of the lead
three or four players who kept tossing the lead, or a share of the lead, around among themselves
a player who made a seemingly unbelievable putt near the end of his final round
another player who could have won the tournament, then could have forced a playoff on the following day, and then finally lost the tournament, all because of his inability to putt

I admit that I can’t putt either—or I assume I can’t; I’ve never tried—but that’s why these guys were at Chambers Bay while I was watching on TV in my living room just a few miles away. But even though we got caught up in the drama, I don’t anticipate watching too many more golf tournaments—unless the U.S. Open comes back to Chambers Bay one day.

Tacoma, WA: “Hollywood-by-the-Sea”?

A made-in-Tacoma silent movie – thought to be lost forever – has been found in the vaults of a New York City museum and will once again be projected on the big screen.

The intact melodrama, complete with Hollywood stars and scenes of 1926 Tacoma, is being restored for a late summer screening at the Rialto Theater – the first theater it was projected at more than 80 years ago.

As a newcomer to Tacoma, I knew nothing about this fascinating piece of Tacoma history. What a story! ‘Eyes of the Totem’: Long-lost silent movie from 1920s Tacoma is found appeared in last Sunday’s local paper, The News Tribune.

Hollywood, California, had become established as the center of the movie industry by the mid 1920s. But in 1924 Hollywood producer Harvey C. Weaver came to Tacoma to establish what he called Hollywood-by-the-Sea. Together with a few local businessmen eager to get in on the investment opportunity, he started H.C. Weaver Productions, Inc. They acquired a five-acre piece of land at Tacoma’s Titlow Beach, near the current Tacoma Narrows Bridge. Tacoma was a regional center of the local lumber industry, and lumber companies donated wood used to build a 108-foot by 105-foot studio with a 50-foot-high ceiling.

According to the news story,

Weaver was bullish on the Pacific Northwest and its varied terrain.

“The public is getting tired of seeing the same scenery – the country immediately surrounding Los Angeles,” Weaver said. “Within the same distance of Tacoma we have much more wonderful scenery.”

Weaver also hinted that local residents might be used in the films, although he acknowledged that well-known actors would have to be cast in the major roles.

Weaver Productions made three films in Tacoma, the second of which, Eyes of the Totem, was released in 1927. The film is of great local interest because it features many scenes that show the downtown area of Tacoma at the time. The totem pole referenced in the film’s title, carved for President Theodore Roosevelt’s 1903 visit to Tacoma, still exists. It currently stands in downtown Fireman’s Park.

The third and final film of Weaver Productions was also released in 1927. After that, little was heard of the three films again, and all copies of them were presumed to have been lost. Of the almost 11,000 films made during the American silent film era, 1912–1929, only about 30% now survive. Weaver Productions was one of the casualties of the introduction of sound films heralded by the October 1927 release of Al Jolson’s The Jazz Singer.

The moving force behind the rediscovery and refurbishment of Eyes of the Totem was Lauren Hoogkamer, a Washington native hired as Tacoma’s historic preservation coordinator after a stint at the Los Angeles Conservancy, where she was involved in a project that screens silent films at the city’s historic theaters. She had heard a rumor that a copy of the film might exist at the Museum of Modern Art in New York City. She was finally able to track it down by searching under the director’s name rather than that of the production company. Many other people have played a role in the preservation of the film, which will be shown to local audiences in Tacoma’s historic Rialto Theater in September.

This brief summary is just a taste of all the coverage by The News Tribune. I encourage you to take a look at the newspaper’s web site, which offers lots more information, including photos and a short video excerpt from the movie.

Also see A Tacoma house made for Hollywood from today’s newspaper:

Architect Gaston Lance designed the home about a decade after he wrapped up his movie career as art director and set creator for H.C. Weaver Studios.

Tacoma’s War Memorial Park

In honor of Memorial Day here in the United States, here is a look at Tacoma’s War Memorial Park.

This park is not part of Tacoma’s Metro Parks organization, and I can’t find out exactly who owns and runs it. Most of the information here comes from a presentation by a member of the Tacoma Historical Society, which organized today’s Memorial Day event at the park.

War Memorial Park, originally called Living War Memorial Park, dates from 1952, when the land was donated by Harold Woodworth. The narrow strip of land served as the staging area for the construction of the Tacoma Narrows Bridge (the bridge on the right in the photo at the top of this post), completed in 1950. That bridge was constructed to replace the famous “Galloping Gertie” bridge that collapsed on November 7, 1940, which you can read about here. When the 1950 bridge proved inadequate for traffic between Tacoma and the Kitsap Peninsula, a second bridge, the one on the left in the photo above, was built; it opened in 2007. Now the 1950 bridge carries traffic heading west on Highway 16, and the 2007 bridge carries traffic heading east. Drivers pay a toll to cross the newer bridge.

Entrance: War Memorial Park — War Memorial Park

The covered shelter that marks the entrance to the park houses the bell from the cruiser USS Tacoma, launched in 1903. The ship visited Tacoma in 1904, saw service in the Caribbean during WW I, and ran aground off the coast of Mexico in 1924.

War Memorial Park includes a World War I memorial, dedicated to the memory of the 162 residents of Pierce County who died in the war, that was dedicated on Memorial Day in 2011. There is also a World War II memorial with 760 names that was built through the joint efforts of the Tacoma Historical Society and American Legion Post 2. The park is also a stop on the Blue Star Memorial Highways, a project that originated in 1944 and is now overseen by National Garden Clubs, Inc.

The Tacoma Historical Society hopes to add memorials for the Korean and Vietnam wars in the future.

Today’s service at War Memorial Park, arranged by the Tacoma Historical Society and American Legion Post 2, honors all soldiers who have served in the U.S. armed forces.

An 11-Year-Old Hero

On April 13, 1949, a magnitude 7.1 earthquake hit Tacoma, WA, at 11:55 A.M. Marvin Klegman, 11 years old, was a school safety patrol member at Tacoma’s Lowell Elementary School assigned to noon patrol duty. Marvin was out of the school when the earthquake occurred but went back to look for any students still inside. He found 6-year-old kindergartner Kelcy Allen, took his hand, and told him they had to get out. As they ran, bricks from the school’s cornerstone fell, and Marvin threw himself on top of the younger boy. Kelcy survived, but Marvin was killed by a brick that fell on his head.

(Click here for a photo of the fallen debris from the archives of the Tacoma Public Library.)

Kelcy Allen has always remembered that day. He’s grateful that he got a second chance at life. Although he knew about the rescue, he did not know the name of the boy who had saved him. But another earthquake that hit the Puget Sound area in 2001 sent him to the Tacoma Public Library to see if he could find out who the older boy was.

There Allen learned that the boy who had saved him was Marvin Klegman. Allen began telling the story of how Klegman had rescued him, and that lead to an effort to raise funds to commemorate Klegman’s heroic action. Tacoma sculpture artist Larry Anderson was commissioned to design the statue, which was installed outside the current Lowell School at the corner of North 12th and I streets, and dedicated on September 11, 2003. The statue portrays Klegman holding Allen’s hand and looking upward as the two run to safety. Bricks lay at their feet.

Marvin Klegman statue, Lowell School, Tacoma, WA

Marvin Klegman was a Cub Scout as well as a school safety patrol member. He also delivered papers for the Tacoma daily, The News Tribune, and had won a Schwinn bicycle for selling the most subscriptions in a contest. Today, students of Lowell School celebrate Marvin Klegman Day every year by hearing the story of his bravery and participating in their own acts of kindness toward others. The local Red Cross now presents a Marvin Klegman Memorial Award for heroism.

Last month Kelcy Allen spoke at Lowell School’s Marvin Klegman Day commemoration. Students were surprised to learn that he is the young boy represented in the statue. He told the students that not everyone can save a life the way Marvin did, but everyone can perform smaller acts of kindness. He suggested baking cookies and taking them to a senior center, befriending a new student at school, or donating their outgrown toys to charity.

Lowell School has its own historical importance as the district’s oldest school. Originally known as the First Ward School, it was established in Old Tacoma in 1869 in a log cabin built at the corner of North 28th and Starr streets. That log cabin was destroyed by fire in 1875. Renamed Lowell School after American poet James Russell Lowell in 1890, the school occupied several locations until 1892, when the building at the intersection of North 12th and Yakima opened. That building was condemned after the 1949 earthquake, and a new school was completed in February 1951 on the corner of North 12th and I streets.

Three Things Thursday

I love the weekly challenge Three Things Thursday, the purpose of which is to “share three things from the previous week that made you smile or laugh or appreciate the awesome of your life.” This challenge makes me pay attention to my world in the search to document the awesomeness of my life.

1. An Introduction to Your Colon

Last week we visited the Pacific Science Center in Seattle to see Pompeii: The Exhibition. The Pacific Science Center focuses on educating children, and one of their approaches is Grossology, which heightens the yuckiness quotient to get kids to learn about how their bodies work.

Part of the Grossology approach is a set of Grossology restrooms. Here, courtesy of the women’s Grossology restroom, is an introduction to how the human colon works:

diagram of the colon — Photographed at Pacific Science Center

Gross! Yucky! Great!

2. In a Galaxy Not so Far Away…

When we came out of Costco last weekend, the characters from Star Wars were participating in a fund raiser for the Children’s Miracle Network. I didn’t notice them until we were well across the parking lot. I snapped this quick shot:

I particularly enjoyed seeing the Sand Person, who doesn’t usually get as much publicity as the major characters.

3. Want to Go Parasailing?

The return of warm weather this past week brought with it the return of parasailing to beautiful Ruston Way along Commencement Bay.

Thanks to my husband for this gorgeous photo.

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Tacoma Waterfront

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Trip to Vashon Island

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Tacoma Rainiers Game!

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