Military Life
Last Sunday morning, I took a seat on a Sound Transit Express bus. The driver was courteous; the vehicle clean. A few minutes later, the bus departed Lakewood Station at exactly 7 a.m. Seventy minutes later, the bus stopped in front of Century Link Field in Seattle. I got off and hiked
Military Life
Twenty-four-year-old Jordan Griffin is an unabashed adrenaline junkie who takes life by the horns every waking minute he gets. "I love doing any kind of action sport - anything that gets my adrenaline going," the Steilacoom resident said. For the past eight years, Griffin has endured 50 to 60 surgeries, mostly related
Music
I'm not going to pretend that I know every little in and out of the multitudes of metal's subgenres. Much like when I was read the riot act about subgenres by a commenter after writing an article about techno several years ago, my brother has also impatiently explained the subtle
Arts
Salon Refu owner Susan Christian describes the gallery's current show, "Hatch", as an experiment in literary installation. "It began as a chapbook of poems exploring a devastating birth experience and the eventual joys of parenting an uncommonly determined (and exceptionally funny) child. Images from the poems are ‘built out' into
Stage
Playwright Bryan Willis' riveting play Seven Ways to Get There premiered a year ago this month at ACT Theatre in Seattle and is now being performed by Theater Artists Olympia. It was good in Seattle, and it's even better, perhaps - more intense and more engaging in the intimate performance
Travel
Leavenworth is a popular local getaway, a Bavarian town tucked into the Cascades that's known for its Oktoberfest each autumn. There are a number of hotels in town, but the real jewel of the area is just a few minutes away from the quaint downtown - Sleeping Lady Resort is
Stage
"O Fortuna," the opening chorus of Carl Orff's 1935 classic Carmina Burana, is as famous and ubiquitous a melody as any in 20th-century music. Its staccato chant added drama and majesty to the soundtracks of Excalibur, Speed, and Jackass: The Movie. It powered trailers for Glory and South Park: Bigger,
Features
Of all the available foods across the South Sound, my favorite has to be the sandwich. It's the simplicity of it all - bread, meat, and cheese - the formula for success. However, there are a handful of places nearby that have elevated this to a new standard. Magical Sandwich
News Front
A four-day hike into the Olympic wilderness to search for a missing fighter jet that crashed nearly 54 years ago ended with disappointment. Last summer, Tomasz Biernacki's search party hiked about 20 miles into the Olympics near Mount Lawson to search for the wreckage of an F-102 Delta Dagger. On Nov. 10,
Military Life
Keeping fit and healthy is a family affair, and this month, spouse fitness is in the spotlight as commands all over Naval Base Kitsap join in the 6th annual Military Spouse Command Cup. Throughout the month of May, the ladies and gents who proudly stand behind our service men and women
News Front
Stories about military drawdowns might be popular in many recent news cycles, but the number of youth enlistees continues to grow in the Puget Sound area. Six years ago, John Faust, the then Seattle Army Recruiting Tacoma Company commander, asked four people to join him in creating an event designed to
Arts
Tacoma's major museums will offer free admission to military families from Memorial Day, May 26, through Labor Day, Sept. 1, as part of the Blue Star Museums program. Blue Star Museums is a collaboration among the National Endowment for the Arts, Blue Star Families, the Department of Defense, and museums across
Military Life
Betsy Reed Schultz will never forget that day, five years ago in May, when she learned that her son, Capt. Joseph William Schultz, a Green Beret stationed in Wardak Province, Afghanistan, had been killed in action when the Humvee he was riding in was hit by an IED. According to those
Music
Almost six years ago, I wrote in these very pages about a group called Twig Palace. They were a duo, consisting of Evan Hashi and Colleen Johnson, and their music possessed a certain ramshackle charm. Twig Palace embraced a lo-fi aesthetic that put the duo's charm and eclectic tastes into
Arts
I am continually surprised by the museum-quality art Gary and Deborah Boone bring to B2 Fine Art. Few commercial galleries, especially not in smaller cities such as Tacoma, can mount shows such as B2's recent showing of works by Faith Ringgold and Aminah Robinson or bring in top-notch artists such