Spring, Sun, and Bubbles

Above: In celebration of the first day of spring, students of Olympia School District’s Transition Academy joined in the fun at the 26th Annual Community Bubble Blow in downtown Olympia on Tuesday.

By Janine Gates

Little Hollywood

https://janineslittlehollywood.blogspot.com

Sunny skies and warm temperatures made for excellent bubbles and great fun at the 26th Annual Community Bubble Blow on Tuesday.

Come wind, rain, hail, sleet, snow, high tides, sea-level rise, or maybe even sun, the event is always held on the first day of spring from noon to 1:00 p.m. near “The Kiss” statue on Percival Landing in downtown Olympia. 

Glorious batik windsocks are provided each year by Earthbound Productions.

This year, jump ropes were added to the festivities. When the children showed reluctance to try them out, the adults tied the two ropes together and played their own games. 

The event is sponsored by People-Who-Know-We-Live-In-A-Great-Place.

Above: Keatyn Cummings, 2 ½ , came with her mom, Jasmine, and Uncle Jesse to make some fantastic bubbles.

Above: The adults could not resist jumping rope. 

Above: Skye, 3, and her mom created amazing bubbles with the very special Romper Room wand. 

Above: EF International Language Campuses coordinators Kagan Yabas, left, and Deniz Kutluhan of Istanbul, Turkey also stopped by on Tuesday. Tomorrow, they leave for Santa Barbara, California. 

First Day of Spring 2017

Above, left to right: Reed Tomita, 5, with his cousin, Connor Stephenson, 4 ½, and Alexander Kahn, 4, had a blast creating and chasing bubbles on the first day of spring at Percival Landing in downtown Olympia.

By Janine Gates

Little Hollywood

http://www.janineslittlehollywood.blogspot.com

Folks aged four to ninety braved uncertain weather to welcome the first day of spring at the 25th annual community bubble blow. 

Held near “The Kiss” statue on Percival Landing in downtown Olympia, the celebration goes on, no matter what the weather - come wind, rain, hail, sleet, snow, high tide, sea-level rise, or maybe even sun. 

Luckily, the rain held off during the noontime event and a good time was had by all.

Several batik windsocks from the nearby Procession of the Species studio added to the festive frivolity. Bubbles and bubble wands are provided.

Above: Connor Stephenson, 4 ½ , with his mom, Susan, is amazed by a monster bubble.

In contrast to the frenzied energy of several children, first-time bubble maker Dawud Al-Malik demonstrated a calm demeanor. His strategy served him well, earning his bubbles several ooh’s and aah’s from supportive bubble makers.

“The technique that I use to create the bubbles is being in harmony with the forces of the wind,” he explained as he held his arm high. 

“I was fortunate enough to get the right angle with the wind, turning the wrist slowly,” he added with a smile.

Above: First time bubble maker Dawud Al-Malik of Olympia was in harmony with the forces of the wind on Monday.

The annual event is sponsored by People-Who-Know-We-Live-In-A-Great-Place. 

First Day of Spring 2016

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 held from 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

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

 

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!

 

 

 

First Day of Spring Brings It On

 

Cedar, 5 1/2 years old, tries his hand at bubbleblowing today on Percival Landing, as Julia Crane-Jacobs, 6, upper left, does not seem to know that a bubble is following her home.

by Janine Unsoeld
www.janineslittlehollywood.blogspot.com

A few brave, bundled up folks continued a 20 year tradition of greeting the first day of spring with a celebration near The Kiss statue on Percival Landing today. Bubbleblowing and camaraderie kept muscles moving throughout the noon hour.

"This is a lot harder than it looks!" said Hildi Flores, who participated in the celebration for the first time. Wind gusts often stole her bubbles away before they ever had a chance.

Cedar, 5 1/2, felt the heavier bubble wands played a factor in the making for better bubbles.

Gita Moulton said she has experienced snow flurries during the celebration on the first day of spring before, but heavy rain and sudden wind gusts are worse, and do not make for good bubbles. Brief bursts of sun were welcomed.

Sponsored by People-Who-Know-We-Live-In-A-Great-Place, come wind, rain, sleet, snow, hail, or high water, or maybe even sun, the celebration occurs regardless of the weather.

The weather today provided for some dramatic scenes, as a rainbow threatens to burst forth over The Kiss statue and Budd Inlet.