Brown's Point Lighthouse - Tacoma, WA

We celebrated our 39th wedding anniversary with a visit to the Brown's Point Lighthouse in nearby Tacoma, Washington.  Both of us had ulterior motives.  I wanted to compare lenses to see which to take on my upcoming mother-daughter-granddaughter cruise to Alaska.  My husband hoped to spark an interest in lighthouses that would someday lead to a vacation serving as lighthouse keepers.

The lighthouse, operated by  the Coast Guard but located on land belonging Tacoma's Metro Parks, it can be visited during daylight hours.  Saturdays from May through September volunteers offer tours of the lighthouse keepers house and boathouse from 1 to 4 p.m.

The house is more picturesque and interesting than the lighthouse itself.  The main floor includes the music room, office (converted to a bedroom which can be rented out), remodeled kitchen, parlor and the house's only bathroom.  Upstairs are two more bedrooms and a closet displaying clothing typical of the early 20th Century.  But the most interesting portion is the basement - which includes a school room, kitchen typical of the era, a period kitchen, profiles of locals who served in the military, and a small gift shop.  The gift shop carried two different postcards for 40 cents each, one a nice artists rendering of the house and boat house, and the other a photograph of a decades-old Christmas light display.  It also sold lighthouse "passports," with space to be stamped at each lighthouse visited.

All of the volunteer tour guides were very knowledgeable, but my favorite was in the basement.  She provided interesting background on the Tulalip Indians which originally inhabited the land.  Local streets have Indian names - some of which have been lost in the Tulalip language.

The Boathouse

The boathouse displays tools used during the era, which my husband - who like his father and grandfather served in the Navy - enjoyed examining, while I went outside to photograph flowers in the well-kept gardens.

It's a winding road through a residential neighborhood to reach the park, located at 201 Tulalip St. N.E. Tacoma, WA 98422.  The tour is free but donations are accepted.

Parking was a bit of a challenge; I'd suggest arrive early, or be prepared to walk in.

It's definitely worth a visit.

Confessions of a Postcard Addict

I don't know when it started, but I'm pretty sure it's hereditary.

When my older brother went off to college, my mother would type recipes onto blank postcards she'd purchased at the post office.  The primary reason was to prevent him from starving while living in an apartment with three roommates.  But it also meant he had something in the mail besides bills.

Fast forward to when I went away to college, and spent four months in Europe, taking summer courses Monday to Thursday, and traveling on the weekends.  I discovered two things:

1. I could buy postcards for less than getting my photos printed - and they were better shots, because the photographer had access to the best angles under ideal photographic conditions; and 
2. Postcard stamps were a lot cheaper than regular air mail stamps.  One of my friends took me to buy a superfine pen, which enabled me to write super small and cram as many words onto the postcard home to my parents.  (It would be a few decades before I understood how hard it was to read small type once your eyes passed 40.)

Over the year, I continued to buy postcards of the places we went.  They came in handy when I took up scrapbooking.  Again, the postcard photographers could get better shots than I could.  

When my oldest son went away to college, I started sending postcards once or twice a week, so he'd have something in the mail.  (Later, he and his roommate both became photographers; his roommate, Kevin Russ, now sells beautiful postcards.)

I almost did the same thing when my second son went away to Marine Corps bootcamp;, but I was warned off by other Marine moms who suggested it was best not to give the drill sergeants any reason to single out my recruit.  A few years later when he deployed, I found  a set of "Star Wars" postcards.  I wanted to make sure he heard his name at every mail call. While I could send him e-mails, it wasn't the same as knowing he would hold something in his hand that I had sent.

As each child left home, I continued sending postcards a couple times a week - so they'd have something in the mail besides bills, and they'd know I was thinking of them.  Today I send postcards to five adult children, three grandchildren, my mother, sister-in-law and best friend from fifth grade.  

Some signs that I'm addicted to postcards?

1. Before I leave on a trip, I check my files to see if I have one from that location so I can pre-address and stamp postcards to send while I'm at that location.  (I usually do.)
2. I call ahead to the local Wal-Mart to see if they have postcards.
3. I have no idea how much postcard stamps cost, because I ask my husband to pick up a 100-stamp roll at the post office.  
4. My husband knows he can propose any day trip, as long as there are postcards involved.
5. When I'm checking in on Yelp, I note whether the establishment sells postcards.
6. At check-out, I let the other customers go ahead of me since the clerk will be counting out dozens - if not hundreds - of postcards.
7. I swap postcards with other postcard friends around the world.
8. When my friends downsize, they know exactly where to send their old postcards.

This blog will be about travel - and postcards.  Follow me, and grab your 34-cent stamps!