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Life~Death & Real Estate
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There are so may different stages of life; Youth = Teens and Twenties, Mid-Span = Thirties and Forties, Fall = Fifties thru Seventies, and Sunset = Eighties thru Hundreds. The one common thread that runs the gamut is Real Estate. Whether you live in an apartment, a tent, a modest or luxury home, it will be on some plot of land = Real Estate.
At this Fall stage of my life, and in this industry, it seems I have had lots of exposure of late to families, caretakers and loved ones who are tending to those in their Sunset of life. For many, it is a painful time to watch those that have been immovable pillars, fixtures, since they were wee-ones, cycle backwards to babysoft skinned distant warriors riding off into their Sunset of life.
With this transition often comes; the tug-of-war of letting go of independence, at times, a move into assisted living, or, the inevitable–death. Homes must be sifted of contents which can be a joyous review of days-gone-by coupled with the struggle of what to keep as priceless mementos, what to donate and what to sell to new treasure caretakers. 
The sale of any home involves a plethora of paperwork and complexity bringing the house into, 'ready to sell,' condition, 'simplifying,' or 'decluttering,' just to get the house listed. And, when you add the dynamic of needing to liquidate this asset to support an elder in assisted living or to divvying up net proceeds amongst heirs, the stress level is even greater.
Real Estate Brokers should have the capacity to be sensitive to the current state and stressors of their clients. They should be a grounded resource for those balancing heavy emotional burdens while working to bring complex real estate processes and transactions to fruition. The saying, 'it's all business, not personal,' does not mean you can remove the face, the heart, the soul, and the tears from what is often a change of season for a generation within a family. Taking the time to truly work to understand the needs of your clients at a very specific snapshot in time within their life cycle, equates to being a Real Estate Professional. Clients are people too–much, much more than just a business transaction.
What does a Military Reservation converted to a Public Urban Park look like?
A Military Reservation converted to a Public Urban Park looks precisely like the magnificent Point Defiance Park. The Park is located on a pure and essential slice of Tacoma, Washington's northwestern slope with the northern most 400 acres of the original 702 acres being preserved old growth forest. This amazing and definitive piece of land was identified in 1841 by Charles Wilkes, a naval military explorer, who visited the Puget sound to map the bays and estuaries during the Wilkes Expedition, Wilkes is thought to have noted what an ideal fortress location this would be to, "bid defiance to any attack," with a fort positioned at the point that included views of Gig Harbor and across the narrows.
In 1866, President Andrew Johnson preserved the Point as a military reservation. The Park was allowed to be developed over time to include adding a street car from Downtown Tacoma into the Park under the condition the Park could be reclaimed if needed for military use. In 1899, a permanent zoo began to take shape with the construction of the first bear pit. There were also herds of elk, deer and bison that were featured. 1903 brought a restaurant and pavilion on the waterfront, and in 1905, President Theodore Roosevelt signed ownership of Point Defiance Park over to the City of Tacoma. A giant heated saltwater pool, the Nereides Baths, created a special draw to Park enthusiasts in 1906.This was Tacoma's first indoor swimming pool, once called a natatorium, with the salt water heated to 80 degrees and rental bathing suits available for 10 cents.
When I was growing up, my Mom would take us to Point Defiance to marvel at the Beluga whales that once splashed there, absorb the sites, sounds and smells of the famous Cindy the Elephant (an Asian elephant born in 1962, spent 40 years in total at this zoo and was known for her crankiness). She would take us by the bear cages still in place and tell us stories of the great Grizzly Bear escape in the late 1930's. I can recall and visualize black bears in those concrete and metal caged areas but am not certain that there were actually still live displays in that spot any longer (a vivid imagination I had when it comes to seeing large animals).
The Park today continues to be a place of peaceful escape. Winding roads through the forest and towering trees take your breath away, all the while skirting the high bluff cliffs overlooking the Puget Sound. The gardens, picnic areas and zoo offer incredible educational exposures to all who come to visit. Fort Nisqually rims the south western edge of the Park, a great place for young and old to imagine what the fur trade era was like. As a Brownie and Girl Scout, I carry fond memories of lunches and nature walks in and around the fort. The beach, Owen Beach, is a place suited for naps in the sunshine or large picnic venues with covered and open eating spaces. During the spring and summer, you see proud displays of shiny hot rods basking in the radiance of the sloped parking area as kayaks and fishermen float by. When I was in college and worked graveyard shift, as class schedules allowed, I would frequent the sandier spots of Owen Beach to steal a nap in the warmth of the sun to refresh my soul and remind me of the beautiful place Point Defiance Park has been and is to so many.
Why on earth would you live in Pierce County?
Quality of life has very specific meaning for every individual. Choosing a home in a particular geographic location is often tied directly to those individual quality of life definitions to include proximity to recreation and environmental jewels. Pierce County, comprised of Tacoma, Gig Harbor, University Place, and beyond, is uniquely positioned within Washington State to provide a pivot or launch point for easy access to breathtaking recreation and natural settings.
The Olympic National Forest is one of those amazing milieu's. This National Park is located along the northwestern most corner of Washington State. Nestled along the southeast portion of this park, just 1 hour from Tacoma, Gig Harbor and University Place, Washington is a place called, The Staircase Rapids Trail. Towering old growth Douglas Fir trees and other Evergreens create a canopy of moss adorned branches, rocks and waterfalls.
The curvy drive along the Hoods Canal, Lake Cushman and Skokomish River provide time and opportunity for quiet reflection of journeys once made by mule and cart while hauling logs and supplies through the Olympic Peninsula. A dam on Lake Cushman, originally created by glaciers during the last ice age, now provides electricity to the growing City of Tacoma carried across the lines that span the Tacoma Narrows, an active supply since March of 1926.
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Sometimes it is hard to imagine how this location, so close to home, could remain so wild and free. Even in Spring, the peaks of the mountains wear dustings of snow from low passing clouds building pack to supply the lake below and in turn, electricity for the City of Tacoma and nourishment for flora and fauna in the seasons to come. The waters of the river and the lake are so aqua-green-blue, you can feel and smell the frigid, clean and cold temperature without even a touch.
The Olympic National Forest is within arms reach of any resident fortunate enough to have chosen to live and breathe within Tacoma, Gig Harbor and University Place. To ride in your vehicle and hour or so west while gazing at passing Bald Eagles, tufts of white bubbly current along river ways, tumbling lake beds and waterfalls provides a much different experience than driving north in commuter traffic for an hour or more. So, when considering what to do to enhance your quality of life by touching nature, absorbing pure wild west ambiance, throw the Olympic Peninsula and the Staircase Rapid Trails into the mix–I pledge to you, your exposure to this wilderness and beauty will bring you a sense of peace and awe, not just about what you have seen, smelled, touched and tasted, but that you live so close to such an unbelievable utopia.
