First Day of Spring 2016

First Day of Spring 2016

the kiss  

Above: Maddy Russell, 4, created amazing bubbles on the first day of spring!

By Janine Gates

www.janineslittlehollywood.blogspot.com

The first day of spring was welcomed with enthusiasm at an annual community bubble blow on Sunday by “The Kiss” statue on Percival Landing.

Sponsored by People-Who-Know-We-Live-In-A-Great-Place, the activity is heldfrom noon – 1 p.m., regardless of wind, rain, hail, sleet, snow, high tides, or sea-level rise. 

This was the 24th year for the event, and while the sun has made an appearance some years, it is certainly not expected.

A special, earth friendly bubble elixir was painstakingly created just for the occasion. Wands were provided, but some folks brought their own. This year, someone cleverly brought an automatic bubblemaker! It really spit out the bubbles and added to the festivities! Sponsors hope they come back next year!

Above: City of Olympia councilmember Clark Gilman tries his hand at bubbleblowing. 

Above: Bubble Blow Matriarch Gita Moulton knows how to do bubbles.

Above: Wearing Batman boots, Wyatt Nichols, who will be four next month, created several great bubbles with his mom Joanne!

Above: Daphne Williamson, almost six months old, will be ready to blow some bubbles next year, says her mom, Shannon.

For past Bubble Blow events and pictures, go to Little Hollywood, www.janineslittlehollywood.blogspot.com, and type key words into the search button. 

First Day of Spring 2015

First Day of Spring 2015

washington  

Above: Jamal Briscoe, Olympia, shows off his two-fisted bubble blowing technique.

By Janine Unsoeld

www.janineslittlehollywood.blogspot.com

As predicted, the first day of Spring brought almost everything, especially wind, rain and smiles. Undaunted by the weather, some were silly enough (of course!) to continue a 22 year tradition by greeting Mother Nature on her terms. Welcoming the day at noon on Percival Landing, passersby were encouraged to take a wand and create bubbles. Of course, the weather cleared just as folks packed up their wands.

Above: Dave Loyie, of Slave Lake, Alberta, Canada, was the first to stop by “The Kiss” statue in Olympia this morning. Representing the Aboriginal Alliance of Alberta, Loyie will be speaking at a conference called, “The Future of Railroads: Safety, Workers, Community and the Environment,” at The Evergreen State College this weekend. For more information about the conference, go to www.railroadconference.org.

Above: A good time was had by all!

 

 

First Day of Spring in Olympia

First Day of Spring in Olympia

wind  

 

By Janine Unsoeld

Babies in strollers, puppies on walks, cherry blossoms in bloom, and children of all ages blowing bubbles on Percival Landing…hey, it’s the first day of Spring!

A 22 year tradition continued with bubble blowing on Percival Landing by “The Kiss” statue during the noon hour today. The event happens no matter what the weather – wind, rain, hail, sleet, snow, and yes, sun! This year, it was all sun, blue skies, and puffy white clouds, with just the right amount of wind to help blow the bubbles up into the air.

Above: Ten children from Debbie’s Daycare in Tumwater participated, and many others who heard about the event, or just happened to be walking by. Many said they will come back next year. The tradition will continue!

There are many critical life lessons to be learned during the tricky craft of bubble making and blowing. For the adults, the secret formula for the perfect bubble juice is very exact and concoction amounts must be measured carefully for the creation of awesome bubbles.

For the children, patience, too, is key: bubbles don’t always work out, depending on the wind and other factors, especially when other children take great joy in stomping and popping them before they get too far away.

Above: One boy received a private lesson on the art of bubble making from Gita Moulton, left, as he used a special wand that opened and closed. He showed great patience and his efforts paid off splendidly.

Above: Devon D., an artist who was making a rubbing of nearby tile art onto black construction paper, also came by to participate in the festivities.

A great time was had by all!