Gig Harbor Undressed

‘08 Whiskers Wine and Dine a Success!

The 2008 Whiskers Wine and Dine was held this past Friday night and was another fun success. Whiskers Wine and Dine is the annual auction and dinner fund raiser for the Peninsula Spay and Neuter Project, which is now known as Coalition: HUMAnE. This is a pretty amazing group that is dedicated to helping Gig Harbor and the surrounding area control our pet population. Make sure you check out their website to see all of the cool things that they are doing.

Here are a few photos from the evening, as well as a portion of the slide show that was shown highlighting the opening of their new spay and neuter clinic.

One of the many cool pieces of art that was donated for the live auction. This lazy susan was one of the most popular items of the night.

My favorite table of the night!

Laura Michalek is an energetic and fun professional fundraising auctioneer.  If you have any fundraising auctions in the Gig Harbor, Seattle, or Puget Sound region, you may want to look her up.

Police K-9 Foster Program

Officer Dennis of the Gig Harbor Police Department is unveiling a new K-9 program that is beneficial for multiple people.  The Gig Harbor community is going to have the opportunity to help Officer Dennis raise police service K-9’s! 

It doesn’t take much time being around Officer Dennis before you understand his passion for dogs.  He dreamt and developed this program and is taking it to Gig Harbor, looking for your help.  His goal is to strengthen the community participation in understanding and raising police service dogs.  This program will benefit the Jaycox Gig Harbor Police Benevolent Fund which supports youth and families in Gig Harbor during their times of need. 

Officer Dennis is donating 3 puppies from his dog Tabor’s litter to begin this program.  He is looking for volunteers from the Gig Harbor community to raise these German Shepherd puppies from 8 weeks until they are 14-16 months old.  Volunteers will work closely with Officer Dennis in providing these pups with a loving environment in which they’ll grow and learn and become socialized. 

Through various donations and his own provisions, Officer Dennis will provide the volunteer families with everything they’ll need to raise these pups.  Multiple crates, a kennel with covering, toys, leashes, food bowls will all be provided to the families.  Diet is a raw, natural diet that will be provided by a local company  at no cost to the foster families.   All veterinary care will be provided by the Purdy Animal Hospital.  This is truly a community project!  Those who are selected to raise the pups will join Officer Dennis frequently for training and socialization exercises. 

Volunteers don’t necessarily need a great deal of experience raising dogs.  Officer Dennis will work with you closely to ensure that you have everything that you need.  He is remarkably flexible and wants to work with families to make sure that the dog and the family is as comfortable as possible.  This program is about the dogs and about the Jaycox Fund, so Officer Dennis will do anything possible to make sure that this is a success.

If you are interested in learning more about becoming a foster parent for a police service dog, you are encouraged to attend an informational meeting on April 8th at 6pm at Gig Harbor’s Civic Center.  You can also view the Jaycox Fund Foster Program’s website for more information.  Downloadable brochures and applications are available on that site, as well as Officer Dennis’ contact information. 

This first year two puppies will be raised by foster families, one by Officer Dennis.  He hopes that this will become an annual program, benefiting the Gig Harbor community, other police departments in need of K-9 dogs, and The Jaycox Fund.  If (my wife says “when”) Sebastian passes away, this is a program I’d love to participate in.

The pups’ mom, Tabor, sniffing the grounds.

How could you not want to foster one of these guys?

Whiskers Wine and Dine

Tomorrow night I get to be the MC for the Peninsula Spay/Neuter Project’s annual Whiskers Wine and Dine Auction.  I love dogs, I want to see the pound problem go away, I enjoy auctions, and I love being in front of people with a microphone, so this is a fun night for me.  Hopefully I’ll have time to get some photos and post those on Saturday.  The auction/dinner is sold out, but if you want to know more about this cause, please visit PSNP’s website.

Galaxy Theater Grand Opening in Gig Harbor

Are you excited about tomorrow’s grand opening of the new Galaxy movie theaters in Gig Harbor?  Think you can be one of the first 100 and get your free 90 day pass?  Think again!  Here was the scene at 5:30 this evening, 18 hours before the Uptown Center theaters open.  The rainbow is real, by the way, not photo-shopped in!

Ciscoe at Peninsula Gardens in Gig Harbor

I’m definitely not a green thumb.  About the only thing I can consistently keep green is the moss in my yard.  One of the advantages of living in Gig Harbor is our climate pretty much grows things on its own.  I have rhododendrons, roses, lavender, and other plants that I either don’t know their names or can’t spell and pronounce them that seem to grow year after year, regardless of my ignorance.  And blackberries?  I’ve got gorgeous, plump, sweet blackberries all around me and I don’t have to do a thing!

Many of you are more serious about gardening, however, and may be looking for a place to get some answers.  For the first time in my 11 years here, I visited Peninsula Gardens this weekend.  I didn’t go there to find plants or answers to my mole problems, I went there to see Ciscoe.  If you’ve never experienced Gardening with Ciscoe, I encourage you to click on the video below.  You can’t help but laugh and become enthused about plants when you watch this guy.

Ciscoe was at Peninsula Gardens doing a live radio broadcast and seminar for local gardeners.  Not being a gardener myself, but just thinking Ciscoe is a great personality, I stopped by to take a visit.  Peninsula Gardens is HUGE.  I had no idea of how big of a nursery it was.  Every plant, gardening tool, water feature, statues, anything you want for your garden was there, as well as an Espresso and sandwich shop…you gotta love the Northwest! 

I wasn’t able to talk with Ciscoe as the crowd was pretty good sized and they were actually charging to ask questions, so I didn’t learn anything other than how big Peninsula Gardens is.  So if you’re looking for gardening tips, this blog is the wrong place to visit.  Try visiting Ciscoe’s website.  You’ll find a lot more answers there than I could ever even make up.  If you’re looking for a fun pick-me-up and you’ve never seen Ciscoe on TV, take a look at the video below.  You’ll learn a cool trick for composting your food and yard scraps here in the Northwest and get a good laugh as well!

Looking for a great private school in Gig Harbor?

The Peninsula School District is commonly known as one of  Washington’s best public school districts.  Even with the great schools that Peninsula offers, many Gig Harbor families still opt for the private school route.  One of Gig Harbor’s finest private schools, Lighthouse Christian School, is having a public open house tomorrow (Feb 12) from 9am-11am and again on Thursday, March 13th from 5-7pm.  Tomorrow’s open house will allow families to see the school in full swing, with students present, while the open house in March may be more accommodating for families that need an evening schedule.

I have a special interest in LCS, having worked there myself part time for one year, my wife taught there for a year prior to having our first child, I have sold homes for four LCS teachers, and just generally really enjoy the school!  If you are looking for private schools in Gig Harbor, LCS offers K-11th (with 12th coming).  It’s well worth checking out!

Helping Love, INC in Pierce County

Later this month, a group of folks from Believer’s Fellowship church here in Gig Harbor will be setting out to renovate a barn at Love, INC’s headquarters in Puyallup, WA.  Love, INC’s mission is to “mobilize the Church to transform lives and communities In the Name of Christ.” 

One thing that Love, INC does is provide families who have lost everything to a flood or a fire, or someone who abandoned all they had to flee an abusive relationship, with new furniture for their home.  The furniture is not really new, but to someone who has literally nothing, gently used furniture can be an amazing gift.

Currently, Love, INC doesn’t have the space to store the donated furniture that they distribute to folks in need.  That’s where we come in, and where we can use your help.  On Saturday the 16th, we will begin by clearing junk out of a barn currently on Love, INC’s property.  Then on the 17th, we’ll pressure wash the inside of the barn and begin painting the lumber.  The following Saturday (the 23rd), we will begin building the structures that will transform the old barn into an adequate storehouse for furniture.  Then, on Saturday March 1, will will need to fill the re-habbed barn with furniture.  IF YOU HAVE ANY FURNITURE THAT YOU’RE WILLING TO DONATE, please bring it to Believer’s Fellowship on March 1st.

 If you have the desire to serve the community, we would love your help at any of these stages.  You don’t have to be a member of our church (well, I guess there are no members of our church as we don’t have membership…if you join us you’re as much a member as anyone!) to help out.  This is just a group of Pierce County residents, most of whom happen to go to church here in Gig Harbor, who have decided to help out a great organization in need. 

If you’d like to help with any of the construction phases or by donating furniture, please contact me so we can plan for any necessary transportation and tools.  Caring about our communities is what makes us a community.

Gig Harbor Open Houses this weekend

Following is a list of open houses for the Gig Harbor area this weekend.  For more information on any of these homes, driving directions, etc, please feel free to contact me.  While I am not the listing agent for all of these homes, as a Realtor it is my job to know these houses and show them to prospective buyers.  It is interesting to note that 17 of the 24 open houses this weekend are listed by Keller Williams agents.  You can swing by our office at 11515 Burnham Drive to pick up a Keller Williams open house packet, or simply use the form here.

Be sure to check back each Friday for the new list!

SuperSpa Sunday in Gig Harbor’s Target

The Seahawks are out, Favre is done, so what to do on Super Disappointment Sunday? Gig Harbor resident Nancy Presser works as a Beauty Advisor for an English company called Boots which is new to the United States. They offer an extensive skin care and cosmetic line at the Gig Harbor Target and she is available for FREE skin care consultations, make-overs, facials, and hand treatments every Friday, Saturday and Sunday. This Sunday, during the Superbowl, Nancy is offering a SuperSpa Sunday with free services for those that may not be interested in sports. She’ll be doing mini spa treatments, i.e. massage, facial, make-overs, etc. in the Boots cosmetics aisle at Target. Make sure to visit Nancy at the Target store if watching Brady instead of Favre and Eli instead of Peyton is just not your idea of a good day.

Nancy Presser
Boots Lead Beauty Advisor
Gig Harbor Target
Store (253)858-9777
In Store Hours: Friday 12pm - 6pm, Sat 12pm - 6pm, Sun 11am - 4pm or by appointment during the week.

Open Houses in Gig Harbor

It was recently suggested to me that I give you a list of all of the open houses in Gig Harbor each week.  I was tardy this week, but from now on will try to have you a list each Friday of Gig Harbor’s open houses.  These are from all real estate brokerages in Gig Harbor that are reporting to the MLS.  While I am not the listing agent for these homes, I would be happy to provide information to you on any home that you may find of interest.

Gig Harbor Open Houses for Sunday, January 27th:

1015 Island Blvd Fox Island–5bd, 3.5ba  $1,145,000  Open 1-4pm

1235 Kamus Dr Fox Island–3bd, 2.75ba  $1,345,000  Open 1-4pm

6520 27th Ave NW 98335–3bd, 1.75ba   $1,450,000 Open 1-4pm

9723 Harborview PL 98332–4bd, 3ba     $669,950   Opwn 12-4pm

2717 60th St NW  98335–4bd, 4.5ba       $1,489,000  Open 12-4pm

12207 50th Ave Ct NW  98332–2bd, 2.25ba $659,000  Open 1-4pm

4926 Canterwood Dr NW 98332–4bd, 3.5ba $800,000  Open 1-4pm

4804 Old Stump Dr NW 98332–4bd, 3.25ba  $888,000  Open 1-4pm

7218 81st St Ct NW 98335–3bd, 2.5ba     $394,000   Open 1-4pm

7633 Beardsley Ave NW 98335–4bd, 2ba   $425,000  Open 12-3pm

7920 61st Ave NW  98335–4bd, 3ba   $479,950     Open 1-4pm

5113 64th Ave NW  98335–3bd, 2.5ba    $589,000  Open 11:30-4:30

Condos

9502 31st Ave Ct NW–$545,000 Open 1-4

3889 Harborview Dr–$599,950   Open 1-4

3806-3808 73rd Ave Ct NW– $250,000-$275,000  Open 9:30-1pm

Info provided by NWMLS.  Info from reliable sources but not guaranteed.