Although whale tours can be restful and relaxing, they can also get pretty exciting for people of all ages! The summertime especially is ripe with opportunity for spotting whales, and Puget Sound Express offers a fantastic  variety of trips whether you’re interested in watching for orcas and other whales, an eclectic variety of birds, or even puffins. In fact, during March and April, there’s a boating trip to see the majestic gray whales that are passing through the Strait of Juan de Fuca and the Puget Sound.

You can also take a scenic ferry ride from Seattle to Bainbridge Island (voted one of the most scenic ferry rides in the country) for a leisurely day trip and a spectacular view of the Seattle skyline–enjoy the ride, hop off for dinner, and admire the sunset on your way back! There’s also a ferry that runs from Point Defiance to Vashon Island, a fun trip to take along with a visit to the Point Defiance Zoo.

“You can really make a whole day out of heading to Point Defiance,” says University Place Real Estate Agent Amy Lowry. “When we had some family come visit us from out of town, our families spent the morning at the Point Defiance Zoo and Aquarium and then we took the ferry to Vashon, grabbed a bite to eat and then headed back. It also gave us a great way to show off how beautiful the Puget Sound area is.”

If you’re interested in experiencing another new perspective of the Gig Harbor and Tacoma area, Destiny Harbor Tours offers daily boat rides around the region. Depending on what tour you choose, there are opportunities to see the Narrow Bridges, where the old Galloping Gertie rests, sea lions, harbor seals, bald eagles, beaches, lighthouses, Vashon Island, Brown’s Point and more.

THere are big things happening in the world of water sports in Gig Harbor, and the Gig Harbor Paddle Cup and Expo offers a great way for the public to check it all out! Taking place on April 20th and 21st at Skansie Brothers Park in downtown Gig Harbor, the weekend promises two days full of competitive kayak, canoe, outrigger and SUP (stand up paddle board) races ranging from novice to expert. This event provides a great way to check out races, a complete expo of watercraft, and a huge variety of demonstrations. It also marks an exciting time for the sport in Gig Harbor; in 2012, the Canoe and Kayak Racing Team won it’s first national championship, the junior division of the USA Canoe/Kayak sprint contest!

The team of 48 youth athletes includes four with disabilities and are all lead by volunteer Coach Alan Anderson. For the team, everything really began in 2002 when Anderson decided to start up a canoe and kayak program for kids in Gig Harbor. It started out small, but eventually grew into a nonprofit organization with an ambitious mission statement: to develop athletes that can race in national, international and Olympic competitions by 2016. It just so happens that for the first time in 2016, paracanoe (a sport for physically disabled athletes that includes both kayaks and outrigger canoes) will be contested in the Paralympic Games. In trying to develop the sport more, USA Canoe/Kayak offered $25,000 grants to clubs that would be able to train Paralympic-level athletes, and GHCKRT was one of the only teams in the country to win one. 

Part of the grant money is being used to outreach to disabled veterans through the Madigan Wounded Warrior Project at Joint Base Lewis-McChord. In March, GHCKRT offered its first demo camp for disabled veterans that was meant to give veterans a chance to get a feel for the club’s equipment and techniques—a camp the club hopes will be the first of many to come. Learn more about Coach Anderson’s inspiring ambitions here.

“We are really looking forward to this year’s Paddle Cup,” says Gig Harbor Real Estate Agent Karrie Griffin Betts. “It’s fun to see what local people are doing, fun to see  the wide range of skill, too. As the downtown Gig Harbor area is lovely, it’s also nice to wander off to get a bite to eat down in the Harbor—I recommend Java N Clay Coffee and Eats, Suzanne’s Deli and Bakery, or maybe Seven Seas Brewery! I also know that this year, the budding singer and songwriter Sofia Boyden will be singing the national anthem which we are also really looking forward to.”

Hand’s On Children’s Museum: Located in Olympia, this fun and interactive museum is no ordinary museum. It offers hands-on science and art education and is geared towards children, families and school field trips.

Point Defiance Zoo & Aquarium: Located in North Tacoma right on the beautiful Puget Sound, this zoo is filled with animals from all around the world. Take advantage of daily animal presentations and the fun events offered every month.

Nisqually Wildlife Refuge: This huge refuge is a fantastic way to enjoy the outdoors and observe wildlife. This refuge is packed with trails, boardwalks and observation decks that offer tons of opportunities for animal sightings! There are self-guided walks, ranger-led programs, and a wealth of information about the animals available. There’s even a special Nature Explore Area especially for kids and a Junior Manager Program where kids can earn a certificate and badge after exploring the refuge with a special workbook.

Charlie’s Safari Family Fun Center: Located in Lacey, Charlie’s Safari is a dynamic center that offers indoor play structures, laser tag, an arcade, bounce toys, birthday party venues, a restaurant called The Watering Hole and even a relaxing Parent’s Lodge.

Pump It Up: Located in Tacoma (with more locations in the Puget Sound area as well), Pump It Up offers an exciting new place for kids to run and jump around on indoor bounce houses, obstacle courses, inflatable slides and more. There’s even special events like Jump-N-Art and structured play programs, as well as ‘Pop-in Playtime’ that’s great for burning off some energy!

“Our kids love Pump it Up. They create such a fun, bright atmosphere filled with kid-friendly music and it’s so nice that they have drop in play times available, too,” says Pierce County Real Estate Agent Brandy Brazeau. “On weekends it can get very busy with birthday parties, so make sure to call ahead!”

What do YOUR kids like to do in the JBLM area?! We’d love to hear your ideas!

Whether you’re stationed at JBLM and living on or off base or about to PCS here, you’re probably curious about what is going on with JBLM Real Estate prices. JBLM Real Estate has been continuing its steady recovery. For the purposes of this post, we’re including Lakewood, Dupont, Steilacoom, and Tillicum in the area we’re reporting on.  Looking at the chart above, you can see how just in the past year, the number of pending sales (homes that are under contract) has held steady at about 100 pending at any given time, while the number of homes for sale near JBLM continues to decline. The median home price near JBLM is $188,000.

What this means for folks PCSing to JBLM or thinking of moving off base, is that there are fewer homes on the market to view. What it means for sellers is that if you have a good home that is priced correctly for its location and condition it should sell in a reasonable amount of time. In the past year 393 homes have sold in Lakewood, Dupont, Steilacoom, and Tillicum. Of those 137 were bank owned homes and 60 were short sales. There are currently 393 homes for sale in Pierce County, of those only 12 are bank owned and 52 are short sales.  What this means for buyers is that when you’re looking at homes for sale in Pierce County about 1 in 6 of the homes you look at will be short sales or will be owned by banks that have foreclosed, which may require more patience than fair market sales.

If you’re interested in finding a home for sale near JBLM, contact us! We’d love to help.

USA Cares has launched a new education course designed to provide loan officers, realtors and housing professionals with a clear understanding of how to work with military clients. JBLM Real Estate Agent Cyrus Bonnet is pleased to have been awarded a Military Housing Specialist Certification and be among the first housing professionals to offer this level of expert customer service to military men and women.

“The course is a natural fit for me,” Says Cyrus. “This is what I specialize in, looking for programs and any grants  or useful resources for soldiers. I strive to know the VA in and out along with the programs that go along with them. This course particularly stuck out because I saw how beneficial it is to soldiers looking at foreclosure  and how this program helps tremendously  stop or slow the process to get the soldier back on track. As time goes on and I develop a military team I will have more people certified in the company through USA Cares.”

Cyrus Bonnet is a military veteran dedicated to helping military find affordable homes, programs and grants to help ease their already burdened lives with deployments, PCS moves, and vast amount of other issues soldiers face. Cyrus is not only certified with USA cares but various other military programs and continues to find other ways to help soldiers with their home buying and selling needs.For more information or to contact Cyrus Bonnet click here.

The neighborhood has a small HOA. For $89 per homeowner per year the HOA maintains the common areas such as the entry and “Munchkin Park” a play area for kids to play and homeowners to relax.

The neighborhood is close to shopping, freeways, and all the local amenities- but has a quiet, tucked away feeling. For more information about buying a home in Candlewyck Glen contact Shirley Knoop. 

Every year Families Unlimited Network and it’s local partners work to gather school supplies for families in University Place. The program is open to any student in University Place School District. We will provide everything necessary for the first days of school.  This is a FREE event for families.

University Place is not generally viewed as a community in need, yet 34.2% of the children in the University Place School District are on free or reduced lunch.  At the Back to School Fair last year Families Unlimited Network helped 402 children receive backpacks and supplies.

They will be collecting supplies through August 20th.  New backpacks and basic school supplies can be delivered to:

• Families Unlimited Network - 2610 Sunset Drive W
• University Place Presbyterian Church
• Olympic View Baptist Church
• Mount Cross Lutheran Church
• Or by contacting Regina Madiera-Gorden a Real Estate Agent with Windermere Professional Partners.  This is Regina’s second year supporting Families Unlimited Network.  If you have supplies but need help getting them to Families Unlimited Network contact Regina at 243-381-6685, regina@windermere.com or by visiting her website www.HomesByRegina.net.

Parkland’s Garfield Book Club at PLU has created 7 weeks of fun that finish on August 21st! Kids learn about recycling and eat some delicious Icee Cream at the “Recycled Ice Cream?” event on  8/7 at 10:30am. Kids will get to meet some real live animals from Point Defiance Zoo at the “Animal Encounters” prgram on 8/14 at 1:30pm. There is a cost of $5 for each program.  For a full list of Garfield Book Clubs summer fun click here.

Festivals & Fairs

Aug. 9–12: Pierce County Fair.  Entertainment and a kids’ zone, a carnival and 4-H displays, located in
Frontier Park in Graham. Admission is $5.

Aug. 24–26: Sand in the City. Downtown Olympia turns into a beach to benefit the Hands On Children’s
Museum.

Aug. 25–26: Tacoma MaritimeFest. Celebrate Tacoma’s working waterfront with free port harbor tours,
train rides, dragon boat races and boat building for the kids.

FREE Open Swim

Metro Parks has offered to make every Thursday from 1:15pm to 2:45pm FREE open swim at the
Eastside Pool for the rest of the Summer. The pool is located on the field side of Gault Middle School at
3524 East L Street.

Fast & Affordable
Taqueria Las Torres - 2516 6th Ave, Tacoma, 98406, (253) 272-1774- This Taco
truck is fast, affordable and YUMMY! Our favorite is the Torta de Asada.

Family Friendly
Moctezumas - 4102 South 56th St, Tacoma, 98409, (253) 474-5593 – This is a
great family restaurant with great food & some delicious Margaritas! Our favorite
is Chili Verde and their Cadillac Margarita.

Modern & Hip
Masa – 2811 6th Ave, Tacoma 98406, 253-254-0560 – This is your place if you
want to get dressed up and go out. The food is modern & authentic. Their happy
hour is one you will come back for. Our Favorite is their Chips & Salsa and a
Margarita made by Tessa.

In addition to a space to work, they have easels, classes, art supplies, sewing machines, a kiln, and even a black and white photo lab. For a complete list of all of the art supplies available, (including SLR Cameras you can check out) click here.

Tacoma Art Place is open Wednesdays and Thursdays 1:00pm to 8:00pm, Fridays from 1:00pm to 5:30 pm, Saturdays 10:00am to 6:00pm and Sundays Noon to 5:00pm, they’re located at 1116 South 11th Street in Tacoma, about 20 minutes from Base. The drop in rate is $10.  The cost for an annual membership for Military is $38 for an individual, $75 for a couple, and $100 for a family.