Tacoma Celebrates Its Native Son

While you can find Dale Chihuly’s amazing glasswork all over the world in famous museums, botanic gardens, and office buildings, but nowhere is it more accessible and abundant than in his hometown of Tacoma, Washington.

Chihuly, born in 1941, grew up in Tacoma, studied interior design at the University of Washington, and narrowed his focus to glass art at the University of Wisconsin. While on a Fulbright Fellowship in Venice, Italy, he first observed the team approach in glass blowing to create large-scale pieces. Utilizing this concept, he cofounded the Pilchuck School of Glass outside Seattle, and began producing large, multicolored, glass art works. He established the glass department at the prestigious Rhode Island School of Design and taught there for many years. Today he is considered the world’s premier glass artist and has made the Northwest a world center for glass art.

In Tacoma, many of his pieces are concentrated in an area known as the Museum District, a few blocks along Pacific Avenue adjacent to downtown. The Museum of Glass, Tacoma Art Museum, Bridge of Glass, and Federal Courthouse all feature Chihuly’s work. The best introduction to his style would be a stroll across the Bridge of Glass, a 500-foot span connecting the Museum of Glass and the plaza area of the Washington State History Museum on Pacific Avenue. The pedestrian-only bridge

showcases three Chihuly installations including two 40-foot, blue, translucent crystal towers. While they appear to be crafted from glass, they are made from a polyurethane material designed to withstand the elements. The main feature, however, is a tunnel called Seaform Pavilion. Inside, the ceiling displays over 2000 colorful, amorphous-shaped pieces of glass inspired by marine life in Puget Sound. On a sunny day, the sight is spectacular. Along the sides of the tunnel, are 109 glass sculptures, mostly Art-Deco style floral arrangements.

The bridge ends in a plaza adjacent to the Museum of Glass, easily identified by its silver, angled, conical shape. The museum houses a permanent collection of contemporary glass, and contains an amphitheater called the Hot Shot where visitors can observe a team of artists demonstrating glass making and glass blowing. There’s an on-site café, an excellent gift shop with unique glass items, and outside the doors, a mammoth, clear acrylic sculpture called Water Forest.

Back across the bridge, on Pacific Avenue, is the old Union Station, another successful historic preservation story. Built in 1911, it was praised as “…the most beautiful passenger station in the Pacific Northwest.”  With the demise of train travel, the station closed and the

dilapidated, aging facility was sold by Burlington Northern to the city of Tacoma for $1.00. After three years of renovation, the beautiful Beaux Arts building reopened as the U.S. Federal Courthouse. The interior is every bit as attractive as the outside and is decorated with examples of Chihuly’s glass work.  A colorful chandelier is suspended from the rotunda’s domed ceiling, and bright orange flowers cover the arched, north-facing window.  Altogether, the lobby area features five major installations.

Next door to the courthouse, is the Tacoma Art Museum. Nationally recognized for its collection of Northwest art, the museum has an entire gallery devoted to Chihuly pieces, many donated by the artist. Within walking distance of the Museum District, additional Chihuly installations can be seen at the University of Washington-Tacoma library which houses a striking red chandelier, and at the nearby Swiss Restaurant and Pub with an array of Venetian glass pieces above the bar.

Visiting these places requires a bit of pre-planning. The art museum is closed Monday, and the Union Station Federal Courthouse is only open on weekdays, leaving Wednesday, Thursday, and Friday the best times to visit. A picture identification is required to enter the courthouse. While the bridge and courthouse are free, there is an admission charge at both museums. A pass is available ($35 for seniors) that includes these two museums, the Washington State History Museum and the nearby LeMay-America’s Car

Museum, and Children’s Museum.

You can learn more about Chihuly and his works and these museums as the following websites:

 

www.chihuly.com

www.tacomaartmuseum.org

www.museumofglass.org

www.traveltacoma.com

Seattle's Olympic Sculpture Park

Typewriter Eraser, Scale X

Among the items in the bin of obsolescence, you’ll find rotary phones, cassette tapes, carbon paper, hardbound encyclopedias, and a funny little round, rubber circle with a plastic brush attached.  Remember the typewriter eraser?  It has not been forgotten by the famed husband/wife team of Claes Oldenburg and Coosje van Bruggen who created a whimsical, 19-foot sculpture of stainless steel and fiberglass called Typewriter Eraser, Scale X for the Seattle Art Museum’s Olympic Sculpture Park.

Located on the waterfront north of downtown in the Belltown neighborhood, this nine-acre park combines landscaping, art, and a stunning view of Puget Sound and the snow-capped Olympic Mountains to create an urban redevelopment success story. The site was previously occupied by Union Oil of California as a transfer facility and tank farm. When they pulled out in the 1970s, they left behind a blighted, industrial eyesore with soil contaminated by years of oil seepage.

The idea of creating a sculpture park in this wasteland grew out of a collaboration between the Trust for Public Land and the Seattle Art Museum. Sufficient funds were raised to purchase the land, clean up the contamination, and engage the New York architectural firm of Weiss/Manfredi to transform the property into a vibrant green space to showcase art.

The landscaping, an important element in the design, consists of four Northwest ecosystems: Valley, Meadows, Groves, and Shore. Each is planted with native trees (over 500), shrubs, and wildflowers; and the entire area is connected with a 2200-foot long, Z-shaped, pedestrian path.

Interspersed along this path is a collection of monumental, modern sculptures designed by some of the best-known regional, national, and international artists.  Probably the most recognizable is Alexander Calder’s bright red Eagle which provides a perfect picture frame for Seattle’s Space

Caler's Eagle

Needle.  Other noted artists represented in the collection include Mark di Suvero, Richard Serra, and Louise Bourgeios. The twenty-plus sculptures are mostly metal and abstract including benches mimicking eyeballs, curving monoliths in oxidized steel, and a 50-foot tall stainless steel tree.

One unusual piece brings together art and science. The Neukom Vivarium consists of an 80-foot greenhouse occupied by a giant, dead “nursery log” where viewers can observe life and decay amid the ferns, lichens, and insects that have made the tree their home.

The park is open all year and is free to the public. In summer months, a café serves espresso and snacks, and the park’s amphitheater hosts a variety of special concerts and other events.

Love & Loss

 

Wintering in Olympic National Park

Olympic National Park in the northwestern corner of Washington might not appear on too many winter vacation agendas, but it’s the season when the park shows its more dramatic side. Sure,

Ruby Beach

you’ll run into wet weather, but the payoff in solitude and tranquility is worth it. There’s snow in the mountains, wild waves along the beaches, and the rainforests are never greener.

Most of the winter sporting activity is centered at Hurricane Ridge with skiing, cross-country, snowshoeing, and sledding. The road is open on weekends only (weather permitting) and all cars are required to carry chains. On the other hand, the lower altitudes in the park including the rainforests and beaches, receive only occasional snow but plenty of the damp stuff.  The wet season brings out the green lushness of the mosses and lichens making a hike through the Hoh or Quinault rainforests a drippy, but beautiful experience.  Pacific Ocean storms blow through frequently delivering spectacular waves for storm-watching and beachcombing along the coast.

Lake Crescent Lodge

One of the major highlights of a winter visit to the park is enjoying the indoor comforts of the lodges. While booked full in the busy summer months, reservations are much easier to obtain and the prices are reduced during the winter season. Sol Duc Hot Springs Resort is closed during the winter, but Lake Crescent Lodge is open until December 31, and Lake Quinault and Kalaloch Lodges are open year round.

Lake Crescent Lodge dates back to 1916, and enjoys an idyllic setting on the shores of a glacier-carved lake ringed with forests and mountains, about 18 miles west of Port Angeles. The Main Lodge features a lobby with a stone fireplace, a cozy sunroom, a wood-paneled dining room overlooking the lake, and rooms on the second floor with great views, but shared bathrooms.  The property offers a variety of other accommodations to choose from including the historic Singer Tavern Cottages and the Roosevelt Cabins as well as more modern motel-like rooms.

Sunroom, Lake Crescent Lodge

The Roosevelt Cabins are especially popular with guests because of their lakeside setting and fireplaces. While the rest of the lodge closes at the end of the year, these cabins remain open on weekends-only throughout the winter season. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Kayaks awaiting summer guests at Lake Crescent

 

Further south and just outside the park boundary is another rustic, lakeside inn, Lake Quinault Lodge. Built in 1926 by the same architect who designed Old Faithful Lodge in Yellowstone, it has an expansive front lawn leading down to the lake and a warm and inviting lobby with a large brick fireplace.  In addition to rooms in the main lodge, there is a more modern building with an additional 36 rooms as well as an indoor pool and sauna.

Lake Quinault Lodge

The lodge’s dining room is named after Franklin Roosevelt who lunched here in 1937. He must have enjoyed the meal and view as he signed the bill creating Olympic National Park only a few months later. Winter specials offer room rates equivalent in price to the average Motel 6.

 

 

 

 

 

Lobby, Lake Quinault Lodge

 



Driftwood brought in during storms

The Pacific Ocean coast can be an exciting place in the winter when storms bring in blustery winds and crashing waves.  There’s no better place to enjoy the action than the Kalaloch Lodge, perched on a bluff on the west side of the park.  There are rooms in the wooden, rustic main lodge as well as cabins with fully stocked kitchenettes. The dining room, also open year round, serves up Northwest cuisine accompanied by a sweeping ocean view. With easy access to beaches, a winter visit means great beachcombing and storm-watching. To accommodate guests, the lodge offers a special Brave the Storm package that includes ponchos, hand warmers, hot chocolate, and peppermint  schnapps.

To learn more about rates and seasonal packages, or make reservations at Lake Crescent and Quinault Lodges, check out www.olympicnationalparks.com.  The Kalaloch Lodge website is www.thekalalochlodge.com.  It should be noted that these park lodges are not suitable for guests addicted to wifi, cell phones, and big screen tv. Instead, the simple pleasures of sitting in front of a roaring fire, curling up with a good book, or working a jigsaw puzzle prevail. When visiting the park during the winter months, it’s always prudent to check weather and road conditions in advance.

Port Gamble: Where the Past is Always Present

Turn onto Rainier Avenue in Port Gamble, Washington, blink twice, and you’d swear you had been transported to a tree-lined village in New England. And, you wouldn’t be entirely wrong.

In 1853, Maine lumbermen, Andrew Pope and William Talbot, sailed around Puget Sound seeking the right place for a Northwest logging outpost for their successful San Francisco- based timber and shipping company. They chose a small harbor off the Hood Canal, brought in mill machinery, and constructed a saw mill, bunkhouse, store, and cookhouse. Named Port Gamble, it became one of several successful, company-owned logging towns taking advantage of the plentiful, first-growth forests around the Olympic Peninsula.

When gold was discovered in the Klondike, workers abandoned their lumber jobs to seek fortunes in Alaska. It was obvious to the company that married men would provide a more stable, dependable workforce.  Pope and Talbot sought to recruit workers from their hometown of East Machias, Maine, and to lure them into taking the long trip west, they recreated the town on the shores of Puget Sound. A proper church, school, and Victorian frame houses complete with picket fences and lawns transformed the rough sawmill town into a little bit of New England in Washington State.

The mill and town thrived and timber from Port Gamble was shipped to ports all over the world including Australia, Hawaii, and England. However, by the late 20^th century, overharvesting, economic downturns, and some bad business decisions forced the company to shut down the mill in 1995. It was the oldest continuously operating mill in North America.

However, the company (now called Pope Resources) recognized the unique value of the town, and poured money into restoring the community to its former glory days.  The only remaining company owned town in Puget Sound, Port Gamble is now listed as a National Historic Landmark with tourism replacing timber as the main business.  The homes, commercial buildings, common outdoor areas, and water/sewer system are all owned by Pope Resources and are leased rather than bought and sold.

A good place to begin a visit is the General Store. In the downstairs level, is the Port Gamble Historic Museum (open May through October) where local history is interpreted through a number of realistic tableaux. On the mezzanine, is Of Sea and Shore Museum featuring a remarkable collection of seashells, part of one of the world’s largest private collections. The store, dating back to 1916, sells everything from candy to

sweatshirts, and houses an excellent restaurant serving breakfast and lunch.  Get there early as it is quite popular, but a good alternative is the award-winning Mike’s Four Star BBQ located nearby in the former service station.

The main street is lined with a number of attractive, frame homes and commercial buildings now occupied by antiques shops, retail stores, and a tearoom. You can’t miss the grandiose Walker-Ames house, next door to the General Store. The Queen Anne mansion, built for the mill manager, faces the bay so ship captains would spot it first. Today, it has a reputation for being haunted with mischievous ghosts residing in the basement.

Walker Ames House

Beyond the iconic, wooden water towers, sits the St. Paul’s Episcopal Church, also a company-owned property. Built in 1879, its Gothic windows and needle spire are reminiscent of the Congregational church in East Machias, Maine. The church and a new pavilion overlooking the water have made Port Gamble an increasingly popular wedding destination.

To reach Port Gamble from the south, follow Interstate 5, US Hwy. 101 from Olympia, and Wash. Hwy. 3 past Bremerton and Silverdale. If you want the ferry experience, take the Seattle-Bainbridge Island or, further north, the Edmonds-Kingston ferry.  Other sites nearby include the neighboring town of Poulsbo known for its Norwegian roots, and the Victorian city of Port Townsend. Or, make your stop in Port Gamble a launching pad for a visit to the Olympic Peninsula.

A handy and comprehensive “Walking Tour of Historic Port Gamble” with map, photographs, and descriptions may be downloaded from the following website:  www.portgamble.com.

Ghost Canneries of the Lower Columbia River

 

 It was much more than our childhood memories of those unsavory, school-lunch salmon patties served with creamed peas that brought down the salmon cannery business along the lower Columbia.  A combination of overfishing, degradation of spawning habitat upstream, and the construction of dams on the Columbia and its tributaries combined to destroy what had been in early history, salmon runs estimated as large as 16 million annually.

For centuries, natives fished the river, preserving the salmon through smoking or drying processes. Early Europeans tried salting and packing salmon in barrels which were shipped to Hawaii and the East Coast with mixed results. However, improvements in canning methods meant the fish could be packed safely and travel all over the world.  The Hume brothers opened the first salmon cannery in 1866 in Eagle Cliff, Washington, a few miles upstream from present day Cathlamet. Their success spawned the development of more canneries along the lower Columbia River, and by the heyday of the late 1880s, there were 38 canneries in the area, packing as much as 30 million, one-pound cans a year. That’s a lot of potential salmon patties.

Pier 39, Astoria

The canneries brought jobs to the area along with a rich mix of ethnic groups whose cultures and influence have remained.  In the early days, much of the dirty work of butchering salmon was done by Chinese men supplied by labor contractors out of San Francisco.  With the Chinese Exclusion Act of 1882, canneries turned to Filipinos and Japanese workers, while at the same time immigrants from Scandinavia, Finland, Yugoslavia and the Mediterranean arrived to fish and labor in the canneries.

Inside the Bumble Bee Museum

Astoria, Oregon, was the center of the canning business and carried the moniker, Cannery Capital of the World. Once home to 22 canneries, it’s a good place to begin a tour of what remains of this important industry.  Nearly all the wooden cannery buildings have succumbed to old age and blustery winter storms, but a few remain in Astoria. At the end of 39^th St. on the eastern end of town is Pier 39, the old Hanthorn/Bumble Bee Cannery.  It was the last operating cannery in the area, closing in 1980. Today it houses a coffee shop, pub, and the free Bumble Bee museum. Inside are wooden gill-netter boats, old cannery processing equipment, and photos of the days when Bumble Bee was Astoria’s largest employer.

Big Red, Astoria

Nearby, at the end of 31^st St., is a large, hulking, red building sitting out in the river and looking a bit tattered. Known as Big Red, it served as a satellite station for Union Fishermen’s Coop where fishermen could drop off their catch and spread their nets to dry. Over 100 years old, the wooden structure lost its top story in a wind storm in 2007, but efforts are underway to save this piece of history.

Cross the Astoria-Megler Bridge to the Washington side of the river and follow Hwy 401 east to Knappton Cove. Rotting wooden posts extending out into the water are all that remain of the Eureka and Epicure Packing Co. In 1899, the federal government built a quarantine station on the site of the abandoned cannery. Ships arriving in Astoria were inspected for any signs of contagious diseases. If infected, they were directed across the river to the quarantine station, or pest house.  Ships were fumigated with burning sulfur and passengers treated for disease. Today the building houses a museum open on Saturdays during summer months.

Knappton Cove Quarantine Station

Altoona, Washington

A bit further east, a winding road leads south from Rosburg to the ghost town of Altoona. A few houses and wooden pilings in the river are all that remain of a town that was once a major port for steamers traveling between Portland and Astoria. This stretch of the river had six canneries in the early 1900s, but today it is a quiet spot in a beautiful setting.  Large rock pillars topped with hemlocks sit in the harbor, and the end-of-the-road atmosphere makes it well worth the 13-mile, round-trip detour.

In the town of Cathlamet along the riverfront, a little upstream from the boarded-up Water Rat Tap Tavern, is what remains of the Warren Cannery. Two years ago, a large part of the building collapsed and today what little remains is being salvaged. Once gone, it will join its fellow ghost canneries along the lower Columbia.

Remnants of the Warren Cannery, Cathlamet

Ballard Offers Some of Seattle's Best

Ballard Locks

Like Portland, Seattle is a city defined by its neighborhoods. One of the oldest and most interesting for out-of-towners to visit is Ballard, in the northwestern part of town bordering Puget Sound and the Lake Washington Ship Canal. The area was settled in the 1860s by Scandinavian immigrants who came to work in the lumber and fishing industries, just as they had in their native lands. Local timber mills cranked out millions of roofing shingles earning Ballard the enticing nickname, Shingle Capital of the World. Scandinavian fishermen developed the Fishermen’s Terminal on the other side of the Ballard Bridge, and it is today home base for the North Pacific Fishing Fleet, one of the world’s largest, and a fun place to wander around.

Ballard Farmers Market

Ballard was a separate city at first, but was annexed by the much larger Seattle in 1907.  Long known as a blue-collar, working-class neighborhood where you could buy Norwegian culinary delights like lutefisk and lefsa, the area is becoming gentrified and transitioning into a hip, urban village. Historic commercial buildings now house boutiques, trendy shops, chic cafes, and live music clubs.

On Sundays, year around, Ballard hosts what many consider to be the best farmers’ market in Seattle. Tree-lined Ballard Avenue is closed to traffic and vendors selling seasonal produce, flowers, cheese, and pastries take over the street from 10:00 am to 3:00 pm. At the western end of Ballard Avenue is a small park and tower containing the original city hall bell. King Carl XVI Gustaf traveled all the way from Sweden to ring this bell in 1976, officially dedicating the Ballard Avenue Historic District.

Nordic Heritage Museum

The Nordic Heritage Museum, located in an old school in a residential neighborhood, celebrates Ballard’s Scandinavian roots. On the first floor, the Dream of America exhibit chronicles the story of immigration from Europe to the Pacific Northwest; the second floor galleries tell the story of logging and fishing, the two primary employers of immigrants; and the third floor has rooms featuring the costumes, crafts, and stories from each of the five ethnic groups: Norway, Sweden, Finland, Iceland, and Denmark.  It is interesting to note that in 1910, one third of Seattle’s immigrant population was from one of these five countries. There is also a gift shop featuring Scandinavian books and knick knacks.

However, Ballard’s biggest tourist attraction, drawing in over a million visitors a year, is the Hi

Chinook Salmon heading home.

ram M. Chittenden Locks complex located in the neighborhood’s west end. Known locally as the Ballard Locks, they were first opened in 1917, and are operated by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers. The locks connect Puget Sound with Washington and Union Lakes and serve to keep the saltwater out of the freshwater lakes, and to raise and lower boats the 26-foot difference between the bodies of water. Nearly 100,000 ships a year pass through the locks, and on any given day you might see commercial fishing boats, pricey yachts, kayaks, and tugboats all waiting for a lift. Adjacent, and part of the locks, are a series of fish ladders built to help salmon on their upstream migration from the ocean back to the headwaters of the Sammamish River, a feeder to Lake Washington.  Underwater, glass panels allow for a close-up observation of the fish, and the best viewing season is from June to early October.  Also on the grounds of the locks, is a seven acre botanical garden featuring a large collection of rare and unusual shrubs and plants.

Puget Sound and Olympic Mtns. from Ray's Boathouse

If watching the salmon navigate the fish ladders has whetted your appetite for some seafood, you’re in luck. Right outside the entrance to the locks is the Lockspot Café, known for their “world famous” fish and chips. For something a little more upscale, Ray’s Boathouse is only a short drive west along Seaview Avenue. This Seattle institution is well-known for its fresh, Pacific Northwest seafood as well as its panoramic view of Puget Sound fringed by the snow-capped Olympic Mountains.

 

The Washington Side of the Columbia Gorge

From Washington, looking across to the more rugged Oregon side

Some say the best thing about the Washington side of the Columbia River Gorge is the view of the Oregon side. Granted, Oregon has the dramatic waterfalls, precipitous cliffs, forested gorges, and historic highway. However, the less-visited Washington side can proudly boast about its own attractions, not the least being its sunnier, Southern exposure.

Highway 14 heads east from Vancouver passing the town of Camas. Over 100 years old, Camas has a history centered on its large paper mill. Despite the industrial appearance, the city has done an admirable job in creating a pretty downtown area with statues, restaurants, shops, and antique stores.

Up next is Washougal, best know for its Pendleton WoolenMill. Factory tours follow the process of creating fabric from bales of raw wool, through the dyeing, carding, spinning and weaving processes. An outlet store offers attractive discounts on clothing, blankets, and fabrics.

Cape Horn

A few miles beyond Washougal, the road enters the Columbia River Gorge National Scenic Area. Unlike the Oregon side with its fast-moving freeway, Washington’s road is twisty and two-laned, with no shortage of slow moving trucks. However, the stunning view from Cape Horn makes it all worthwhile. A small pullout on the right side of the road presents a sweeping panorama of the gorge and river that many consider the best view on either side.

Beacon Rock

Beyond the small town of Skamania, is Beacon Rock, the second largest rock in the world after Gibraltar. This core of an ancient volcano was named by Lewis and Clark who noted the spot as the first place they observed the ocean tidal influence on the Columbia River. In 1915, Henry Biddle purchased the rock with the idea of building a trail to the 848-foot summit. After his death, his heirs offered to donate the land to the state of Washington to be used as a park. The state did not like the terms of the donation, and turned it down. After the Army Corps of Engineers proposed blasting the rock to bits for building material for jetty construction, the heirs offered the property to the State of Oregon for $1. When Washington residents realized the possibility of an Oregon state park on their soil, they decided to accept the donation. Today, the big rock is safely in the Washington state park system and Mr. Biddle’s mile-long trail with 52 switchbacks still provides visitors a route to the summit and a great view.

Looming ahead and straddling both sides of the Columbia River, is the massive Bonneville Dam. The first of 14 federally funded dams on the river, it was built between 1933-37 as part of the New Deal’s Public Works Administration, providing jobs for the Depression’s unemployed and bringing electricity to the Northwest. Today, visitors can see underwater views of migrating fish, watch spinning turbines, and observe outdoor fish ladders.

Columbia Gorge Interpretive Center

A bit downstream from the dam is Ft. Cascades National Historic Site where a short, self-guided trail relates the story of the Cascades Massacre. In 1856, the fort here was attacked by local tribes, leaving six dead. The U.S. Army, under the leadership of Lt. Philip Sheridan, rode to the rescue.

In the nearby town of Stevenson is the Columbia Gorge Interpretive Center, an impressive, modern building of steel and glass. Inside, exhibits and films explore the Gorge’s geology, Native American culture, and history. There’s a 37-foot high replica of a fish wheel, restored sawmill steam engine, and Corliss bi-plane that delivered the area’s first air mail. The second floor is dedicated to the history of Skamania County and includes such oddities as the world’s largest rosary collection.

It’s worth spending some time exploring the town of Stevenson and its collection of antique shops, historic buildings, and restaurants. Their waterfront park is a good place to watch colorful kite boarders racing along the river.

Bridge of Gods

The Bridge of Gods crosses the Columbia River here to Cascade Locks, Oregon. Built in the 1920s, its  name is taken from several versions of Native American legends all having to do with various love triangles, competitive brothers, rival tribes, and an angry Great Spirit.

From here, the interstate offers a fast route back to Portland with excellent views of the Washington side of the Gorge.

Lakewold Gardens: In Search of the Blue Poppy

Himalayan Blue Poppy

The vivid color of its petals has been compared to the blue of Paul Newman’s eyes. Rare and difficult to grow, this flower has earned the reputation as the “elusive butterfly of the garden”. It is indigenous to the sub-Alpine meadows of the Himalayan Mountains in Bhutan, Tibet, China, and Nepal; but, no need to get out your passport or pack your bags to see this marvelous plant. The Himalayan Blue Poppy’s taste for cool, moist summers; shade; and acidic soil means the Pacific Northwest is one of the few places outside its native habitat where the plant can thrive. Lakewold Gardens Estate, just south of Tacoma, bills itself as the spot “Where the Blue Poppy Grows” and is the best place to admire this pretty perennial.

The gardens consist of ten acres of manicured grounds surrounding a Georgian-style mansion on the shores of Gravelly Lake. Considered one of America’s great estate gardens, Lakewold features large collections of Rhododendrons (250 different species), Japanese maples (30 varieties), camellias, and cherry trees along with several gardens within gardens, sweeping lawns, European-inspired parterres, reflecting pool, and gazebo.

Brick pathway connects home and gazebo

The property was first developed in the early 1900s as wealthy Tacomans established summer retreats along the shorelines of a series of lakes south of the city. H.F. and Ruth Alexander, owners of the Admiral Lines, inherited the land, added additional acreage, and enlisted designers to create a fabulous estate and gardens that would capture the views of Gravelly Lake and Mount Rainier. The Olmstead Brothers, known for their work in public parks of Seattle and Portland, are credited with designing the brick walkway, perimeter fence, and gate.

Reflecting Pool

In 1938, the estate was sold to George Croydon and Eulalie Wagner. He was an established Tacoma businessman with ties to timber and coal production and she was a daughter of the Merrill’s, a prominent Seattle lumber family. With her strong interest in gardening and the arts, she is largely responsible for the look of the garden today. She was an avid plant collector, and added a sizeable collection of choice and rare plants, including the blue poppy, to the grounds.

Thomas Church, a nationally recognized landscape architect, visited the property many times between the 1950s-1970s and greatly influenced the garden design including the pool and teahouse. His emphasis on multiple vantage points and a free flow between the house and garden are observable today.

Upon her death in 1987, Mrs. Wagner donated the property to the non-profit Friends of Lakewold so the gardens could be preserved, maintained, and enjoyed by the public.

Visiting Lakewold seems more like an excursion to someone’s private estate than a public garden. The self-guided tour begins along the Circle Drive leading to the house through a forest of tall rhododendron. The Wagner House, built in the Georgian revival style, is also open to the public and serves as a popular venue for weddings and meetings. Beyond the home’s glassed sun room, an intricate brick pathway leads to the gazebo, or tea house. On both sides, neatly trimmed boxwood hedges surround topiaries and create parterres, small patterned gardens. Next to the rose-covered gazebo is an unusual, decorative swimming pool designed by Thomas Church. He is also responsible for the medieval inspired Knot Garden, shaped like a ribbon bow and filled with culinary herbs. Other “gardens within gardens” include a rock garden, fern garden, woodland garden built below a giant Douglas fir, rose garden and waterfall.

Knot Garden

A special bonus is the Garden Shop located in the original 1918 carriage house. It offers a unique selection of gardening books, tools, seed packets, and many of the rare plants seen in the garden. The Himalayan Blue Poppy is also available here but only once a year and for a few weeks in the spring. Needless to say, the limited supply sells out quickly.

The month of May is an excellent time to visit Lakewold when the spring bloomers, including the rhododendron, are at their peak. In late May and early June, the blue poppy shows off its spectacular blossom. The garden is open Wednesday through Sunday from 10 am to 4 pm and admission is $9 for adults, $6 for seniors. To check if the poppies are in bloom, call 253-584-4106 or visit their web site, www.lakewoldgardens.org.

Leavenworth: A Town for All Seasons

What could attract over a million and a half visitors annually to an ersatz Bavarian village in the middle of Washington State's Cascade Mountains? Could it be the Maifest in May, the Accordian Celebration in June, Autumn Leaf Festival in September, Ocktoberfest, Christmas Market, Christmas Lighting Festival?  Everything is celebrated here from salmon to sausages to snow. The Arts and Entertainment Network honored it as The Ultimate Holiday Town, and as the Chamber of Commerce boasts, “There’s always something happening in Leavenworth.”

It wasn’t this way not so many years ago. In the early 1960s, the once-booming lumber town was in serious decline. The Great Depression, the sawmill closing, and departure of the railroad switching yards had left Leavenworth with an ailing economy and lack of jobs. As the town became more and more run-down, local business leaders and residents formed a committee called Project LIFE (Leavenworth Improvement for Everyone) and turned to the University of Washington’s Bureau of Community Development for help in saving the community. A number of ideas were tossed around, but the concept of creating a theme town was the most popular. There were already several successful examples in the country including “Danish” Solvang, California, “Swiss” New Glarus, Wisconsin, and “German” Frankenmuth, Michigan. While Leavenworth had no single ethnic tradition, it did have an attractive alpine setting and the idea of creating a romanticized, Bavarian village seemed to be the best fit.

Architectural consultants were called in and the transformation took off. Downtown businesses were redesigned with half-timbered facades and embellished with Bavarian elements including window shutters, scalloped designs, flower boxes, and Germanic script. Great efforts were taken to make the town as authentic as possible; even Safeway and McDonalds caught the Bavarian spirit.

Today, tourists roll in by the busloads and the hills are alive with the sounds of oompah-pah, polka music and the ch-ching of cash registers. Leavenworth shines as an amazing success story in community improvement. While some critics consider it a bit too kitschy and way over the top, the concept somehow works. Visitors gladly make the 100-mile trek east from Seattle to experience a little bit of Europe without the ten-hour plane flight, weak dollar, and language problems.

Shopping is a big attraction here with dozens of specialty shops lining Front Street. Many stores stick to the German theme offering cuckoo clocks, music boxes, Hummel figurines, smoked meats and sausages, Christmas ornaments, and nutcrackers. There’s even a museum dedicated to the nutcracker with over 5000 of them, from the traditional, wooden toy soldiers to a silver-plated French courtesan.

Restaurants with names like King Ludwig, Café Mozart, Munchen Haus, and Der Hinterhof offer an opportunity to sample Bavarian cuisine washed down with German beers. If sausage, schnitzel, and sauerkraut are not to your liking, there are dozens of other choices as well.

Likewise, accommodations range from charming, Alpine-inspired bed and breakfasts to rustic cabins on the banks of the Wenatchee River. With so much variety, Leavenworth makes as excellent home base for exploring the Washington Cascades. 

When all the Bavarian gemutlichkeit becomes overwhelming, visitors can escape to the great outdoors. The surrounding Wenatchee-Okanogan National Forests offers over 2600 miles of hiking trails and there are several, easy nature trails in town along the Wenatchee River. Other recreational opportunities nearby include horseback riding, whitewater rafting, and fishing. Winter time brings downhill skiing at Stevens Pass, cross-country skiing, sleigh rides and snowshoeing.

With its many festivals, four season outdoor activities, and scenic mountain setting, Leavenworth has gone from down-in-the-dumps lumber town to one of Washington’s top tourist destinations in only forty years.

Down by the Old Mill Stream



An 18’ water wheel adorns the outside of the Bob’s Red Mill Visitors’ Center in Milwaukie, Ore. While its function is largely decorative, there was a time when these wheels dotted the countryside of rural America. For centuries, it was the force of water that turned these wheels, that engaged the gears, that revolved the millstones, that ground the grain, that fed the farmers and their families. Wherever there was agriculture, there were mills and the Pacific Northwest was no exception. The first grist mill was built at Ft. Vancouver in 1828 and was soon joined by many more up and down the Willamette Valley. Not only were they an important part of the food-chain, mills often became the community social center. Neighbors would gather to gossip and exchange news while the miller ground their grain. Today, grist mills have disappeared from the landscape, but a few survivors in the area remind us of this important part of farming history.

Butte Creek Mill and Store

Claiming to be the last original, operating, water-powered, grist mill west of the Mississippi, the Butte Creek Mill, is located in Eagle Point, about 12 miles east of Medford. The three-story building on the banks of Little Butte Creek dates to 1872 and was one of the first flour mills in the Rogue River Valley. Its 1400 lb. millstones were quarried in France, milled in Illinois, carried by ship around Cape Horn to Crescent City, California, and hauled by wagon train over the Siskiyou Mountains to the mill. Today, visitors can watch the miller at work and observe the hand hewn timbers and old machinery. Also in the building is a homey country store selling freshly ground grains, cereals, and pancake mixes. 

Thompson's Mills State Heritage Site

Oregon’s oldest surviving flour mill was recently saved from dilapidation by the State of Oregon Parks and Recreation Department. Dating back to 1856, Thompson’s Mills, once known as Boston Mill, was purchased in 2007, renovated, and developed into a living history museum describing Willamette Valley agriculture in the 19^th century. Inside the five-story mill, you'll find antique machinery, hand-hewn beams, and interpretive exhibits. The mill is the only one remaining of seven mills along the Calapooia River in Linn County.

Cedar Creek Grist Mill

North of Portland and east of Woodland, Washington, is the Cedar Creek Grist Mill. Tucked away in an idyllic, forested gorge, it remains the only grain-grinding mill in Washington that has maintained its original structural integrity and still uses water power and millstones. Built in 1876, the mill was used for years by families throughout north Clark County, but by the turn of the century it had transitioned to a machine shop and gradually fell into decline. Fortunately, a group of dedicated volunteers rescued and restored the old mill and today it serves as a working museum. On weekends, visitors are invited inside to admire the intricate system of pulleys, gears, and belts, and observe the milling process. In fact, if you bring your own grain, they will grind it for you. At the mill site is one of the few covered bridges in Washington.

Bob's Red Mill

By the early 1900s, most of these labor-intensive mills and their grain-grinding stones were replaced by electric power and high-speed steel rollers. Farmers no longer grew their own grain, and a preference developed for white flour and store-bought bread.  Stone milling became increasingly rare. Today, however, there is a renewed appreciation for this old-time process, and many believe the highest quality flours are made by the slow, cool grinding of stones. Grains are crushed without generating excess heat, thus preserving the nutritional value and flavor of the flour.

Bob’s Red Mill is one of the few commercial mills still using this traditional milling process. While electricity has replaced water-power, the grains are still ground by 19^th century, French quartz millstones acquired from old mills. The Visitors Center, designed to be a replica of the original mill in Oregon City, includes an outlet store, an enormous selection of bulk grains, bakery, deli, cooking classes, and milling display.

Steve is the official tour guide at the Thompson's Mill