Like sunrise

The Dahlia Garden at Tumwater City Hall

Ancestors -- we've all got 'em

Crosby House, Tumwater

This historic home (1860) is a stone's throw from the pioneer cabin surrounded by hydrangeas that I showed you a couple of days ago. The original occupants of the Crosby House were the family of Nathanial Crosby III, grandfather of Bing Crosby. Apparently, the house contains a grand piano that came by ship around Cape Horn. It's now a museum that is open to the public a few hours a week, but I've never been. I really should remedy that.

Other sources: Olympia Tumwater Foundation, City of Olympia

Coolness

Deschutes River*, Tumwater Falls Park

The water is somewhat low just now, but here is a place you can find deep, welcoming shade and the soothing sound of babbling water on the hottest of days.  Fish ladders assist salmon returning to the hatchery ponds near Tumwater Falls.

For more information, visit Friends of the Deschutes Watershed Center.

*Not to be confused with a much more significant waterway, the Deschutes River in Oregon.

As blue as blue can be

Pioneer Log Cabin, Tumwater

This cabin (1969) features hand-peeled fir logs and a split cedar shake roof, similar to homes built by the first American settlers on Puget Sound in 1845. The hydrangeas that bracket it are spectacular.

Italian Villa?

Nope, it's the old Olympia Brewery, glimpsed from Tumwater Falls Park