Flower Bulb Farming

Mural commemorating
flower bulb farming
in the Puyallup River Valley
near Tacoma.

Artist Unknown.

Hello Cupcake

The creamcheese frosting

"Hello Cupcake" photo copyright 2009 Meri Arnett-Kremian

is to die for.

Dragonfly

Dragonfly is a gallery
and accessories shop on Pacific Avenue
across from the federal courthouse.


In addition to the courthouse reflected in the window
you can see my hands clutching
my little "take-everywhere" camera.

Something's Fishy

Pardon the pun
but I can't help thinking


"Don't play koi with me."

(Conservatory fish pond - Wright Park)

Invitation

If you're itching for something creative to do


Open Art Studio.
Tacoma Art Museum.

Alt Heidelberg

Sometimes the most interesting signage
is faded by time.


Pacific Avenue in the Museum District.


Since I'm not a beer drinker,
I didn't know the history of this famous Tacoma brewery.
Click here to find out more about it.

Column

On the University of Washington campus


outside the entrance to the bookstore
and University Center.

Artists in Residence at the Glass Museum

Noted glass artist Tom Rowney
was the artist-in-residence
at the Museum of Glass last week.


The team, under Rowney's direction,
created works right in front of your eyes.


This week's artist-in-residence is
Molly Wolfe.

If you can't make it to the Museum in person
to watch her work, you can always check out the live feed
Monday through Saturday, 10 am to 5 pm
Sunday 12 pm to 5 pm
Third Thursday 10 am to 8 pm
(all times Pacific Standard time)

If you're coming to the museum to watch the fun,
just remember to wear something cool.
No, the fashion police aren't on duty.

It's just that
the Hot Shop is aptly named.

Mr. Foote's Middle School Art Class at Baker Middle School

I'm only supposed to post one Tacoma photo,
so I'm treating what's written above as text,
even though I took a photo of this message
to share it with you.

There were three large-scale portraits
exhibited at The Hub
but I chose this one

to show what fabulous collaborative art
these young people created.

Kudos to art teacher Mr. Foote
for designing a project that could give
students such a feeling of success.

Kudos to The Hub restaurant
for providing gallery space
for all three pieces to be exhibited and admired.

New Student Orientation

There was a lot of purple,
but not much gold in evidence
as new students got oriented
to the campus at University of Washington-Tacoma.

Go Dawgs!

This is Only a Test

Yesterday, when I took my son and his girlfriend
to Seattle-Tacoma International,
there were a lot of gawkers on the airport access road.


No, there wasn't an emergency with the new light rail system.
This was only a drill.

Ezra Meeker Mansion

The Ezra Meeker Mansion,
one of the historic homes
in the greater Tacoma area
(specifically Puyallup -- pronounced pew - Al - up)

is getting a new set of stairs
to the front door.

Suspension Bridges - Night

We have these two suspension bridges
spanning the Tacoma Narrows,
side by side.

The one on the right, with the decorative XX's
is the "old" bridge, the one that replaced "Galloping Gertie,"
the bridge that collapsed November 7, 1940.

(The remains of that bridge lie deep beneath the surface
and formed an artificial reef that is a favorite cold-water dive spot.)

The "old" bridge was designed to carry about 15,000 cars per day.
By the time construction began on the "new" parallel bridge,
it was carrying around 90,000 cars per day.

Traffic was a mess.

Now water flow through the Narrows is the same.

Traffic flow is much improved.

Is it Art?

I'm sure Burlington Northern Santa Fe Railroad
doesn't think this is art.

But it does have a certain je ne sais quois.

Sunset Silhouette

This image pretty much


speaks for itself
about the colors of sunset at Titlow Park.

Cool Details

I love the attention to detail

someone paid to this building.

Notice the sculptural "head" motif
and the decorative painting on the arch.

Open Art Studio

The Tacoma Art Museum
has an open art studio
where kids of all ages
can cut and paint and paste and get messy
to their hearts' content.

There's no cost to use the studio or the materials provided
and frequently there are free days when there's no admission fee.

Donations, however, are always gratefully accepted
as a means of defraying the costs of staffing
and supplying materials for the studio.

False Advertising

The photo of St. Joseph Hospital
in my earlier blog post today
wasn't taken yesterday, for sure.

Our environs got a soaking yesterday
from a strong cell of thunderstorms.
The roofs of Tacoma looked like this

mid-to-late afternoon.

The blue sky was just a memory.

St. Joseph Hospital, Tacoma

That white building with the curvilinear walls
and the porthole-like windows
is Tacoma's St. Joseph Hospital,

part of the Franciscan Health Care System.

Port City

Ships are thought to be female
for some reason
so I wonder:

does the Cape Intrepid ask the Cape Island,
"Does this color make my aft look big?"

Minoela

One of the newest wine bar & bistros
in Tacoma is at Sixth and Fawcett.


As I understand it,
the food selections are somewhat limited but tasty
and the wine selection is the star.

The Spar in Old Town

The Spar


a pub and eatery in Old Town.

Splashing Around

Water cascades down these sculptural forms

making splashing simply irresistible
on hot days.

To the Point

Don't you love the swooping and soaring,
the imaginative thrust

of modern architecture?

Take Me Out to the Ball Game

There would be no baseball,
either major or minor leagues,
without fans.

This must have been when there was a change of pitchers.
The attention level is less than rapt.

Sunset Over the Pond

Sunset
at Titlow Park in west Tacoma
on Puget Sound.


The last light of day.

Keeping Watch

Around eight o'clock
on a warm and sunny evening

Mt. Rainier keeps watch over Tacoma.

(view from Dock Street)

Ice Ice Baby

Luckily this isn't ice,
it only looks icy.

As warm as it's been the past couple of weeks,
it wouldn't have survived.

Butterfly Bush

A butterfly bush
adorns a vacant lot
along Dock Street.


The land there's not completely covered with condos.
Not yet.

The Workz Cafe

The cafe at the Tacoma Art Museum
is under new management
and is no longer
"Untitled."


It's now called
"The Workz Cafe"
and is run by the Jonz Catering folks.

I had a yummy turkey Cobb salad there.
The cafe still has the same friendly service
and the hours have expanded.

If you head over there,
see the jewelry exhibits
(I particularly love the Nancy Worden Loud Bones show)
and then have a bite to eat.

If you want to make a day of it,
head on down the street to the history museum
and then across the skybridge to the Glass Museum.

William Traver Gallery

Not only is the gallery filled with wonderful things
artfully arranged in a delightful space,


it's well-positioned to make you reflect on art.

Chalk the Walk

As usual, the corner of 9th and Pacific
was busy yesterday with artists

creating temporary masterpieces
at Chalk the Walk.