OCT 2021
The power of Windermere. The personalized service of Windermere Chambers Bay.
Fall Adventures! We are celebrating with pumpkin patches, corn mazes &autumn fun!
Halloween We know all about the tricks and the treats, but how did it begin?
Candles: Why we love them There's just something about the warm glow that whispers home.
Local Real Estate Market Statistics
To find fall adventures you don't have to go very far. Some of the best spots to watch fall captivate and amaze with all it's glory. The chill is coming.
OCTOBER
Sweater weather, fall leaves, and pumpkin patches! Visiting a pumpkin patch and participating in hayrides, corn mazes, and other festive activities is a tradition for many. We are lucky to have some great farms within just a quick drive, so pack everyone in the car and get ready for a day of making memories.
Rutledge Family Farm Olympia
Corn maze • Punchin Pumpkins Cow train • Zip Swing • Swing Set Calf Roping Station • Spookley Story Time Pumpkin Scavenger Hunt • Corn Cannon Night Corn Maze • Haunted Maze Zombie Paintball and more!
Picha Farms Puyallup
Pumpkin Patch • Corn Maze Sling Shot • Hay Rides Concessions • Fall Décor
Maris Farms Buckley
Double R Farms Puyallup
Pumpkin Patch • Corn Maze Pumpkin Sling Shot FREE Tractor Pulled Hay Rides Educational Field Trips • Painted Pumpkins Retail Pumpkins • Mini Pumpkins Squash & Gourds • Concessions
Corn Maze • Feed Mill • Ropes Course Ziplines • Tubeslides • Jump Pillow Pedal Carts • Wagon Ride • Corn Room Cow Train Ride • Crazy Maze Wagon Chalk’olate Truck • Roller Bowler Animal Barn • Live Pig & Duck Races Live Honeybee Hive • Mechanical Bull Hot Seat Escape Room Haunted Forest and more!
Looking for a pumpkin getaway? This site lists ALL the pumpkin patches and festivities in the state. pumpkinpatchesandmore.org
History & Traditions
More than 2,000 years ago, the Celts celebrated the new year on November 1, when the summer ended and the harvest and winter seasons began. They believed that on the night before the new year, the worlds of living and dead became blurred and ghosts would return to earth. Lighting bonfires was believed to ward off the spirits return. The Celtic Priests believed the presence of the spirits made it easier to predict the future of their peoples. So, on the night of October 31 they would build sacred bonfires, gather the people, and burn crops to honor the Celtic deities. The celebration typically consisted of wearing costume and telling each other’s fortunes.
By 43 A.D the Roman Empire ruled the Celtic lands and their celebration of honoring Pomona, the goddess of fruit and trees, was combined with the traditional Celtic celebration of Samhain. The symbol of Pomona is the apple, which may explain the Halloween tradition of bobbing for apples. The church created a day to honor the dead in 1000 A.D., calling it All Souls Day. All Soul’s Day was celebrated in much the same way as the Samhain festival with big bonfires, parades, and dressing up in costumes as saints, angels, and devils. The All-Saint’s Day celebration was also called All-hallows or All-Hallowmas (Meaning All Saints Day in middle English) and the night before being All-Hallows Eve, which eventually became Halloween.
Most American Halloween celebrations were found in Maryland and the southern colonies, and a distinctly American version of Halloween emerged as the Native American Indians meshed with the European groups. Festivals known as "play parties" were staged in celebration of the harvest. Neighbors would gather to dance and sing, tell fortunes and tell stories of the dead. Mischief and ghost stories also featured prominently in Colonial Halloween festivities. As we reached the late 1800s, Halloween focused more on community and neighborly get-togethers and less on the traditional witchcraft, pranks and ghosts. At the turn of the century, Halloween parties became the most common way to celebrate the day. By the beginning of the twentieth century, parties were more about games, seasonal foods and costumes, having lost much of the religious and superstitious connotations. ___________________________________________________________________ Read all about the history of Halloween and Trick-or-treating here.
The History of Trick-or-Treating On All-Hallows Eve the poor would visit the houses of wealthier families and would receive pastries called soul cakes in exchange to pray for the souls of the homeowners’ dead relatives. This tradition was taken over by children, who would go from door to door asking for gifts such as food, money and ale. In Ireland and Scotland, the youth took part in a tradition called guising. In exchange for treats, they would dress up in costume and visit households to sing a song, recite a poem, tell a joke or perform a “trick.” In the early 20th century, Irish and Scottish communities revived the Old World traditions of souling and guising in the United States.
CANDLES Why we love them
HISTORY Candles have long been a source of light in cultures around the world. In many different religious traditions, the act of lighting candles in a religious context is considered a sacred action. The candle symbolizes light in the darkness of life and is the symbol of the holy illumination of the spirit of truth. In Christianity, the candle is commonly used both for decoration and ambiance in worship, and as a symbol that represents the light of God or, specifically, the light of Christ. When lit in times of death, candles signify the light in the next world, and represent Christ as the light in Christianity. Candles are lit for prayer in some religious denominations. To “light a candle for someone” indicates one’s intention to say a prayer for that
person, with the candle symbolizing that prayer. Candles come in all shapes and sizes, from tiny tealight candles which derived their name from use as teapot warmers but are also used as food warmers and decorative accents, to large candles used in both indoor and outdoor landscapes. Tealight candles are a popular choice for votive candles in many churches. They are also suitable for heating scented oil in potpourri pots. Candles were used in ancient times as a source of light for travelers and in homes, and were popular holiday decorations in many countries, adorning Christmas trees, holiday wreaths, doors and fireplace mantles.
Today, candles are popular in wedding ceremonies as aisle and altar decorations, and as a decorative source of light in reception table centerpieces. During the wedding ceremony, many brides and grooms light separate candles individually and then use their combined flames to light a unity candle, symbolizing the coming together of the two individuals as one united couple. Sometimes the matriarchs of each family will carry out this gesture, symbolizing the coming together of two separate families. Although their origin is uncertain, some believe the first people to develop and use candles were the Ancient Egyptians, who used rushlights or torches made by soaking the pithy core of reeds in melted animal fat. Candle making was developed in many places around the world throughout history, with the ancient Romans beginning about 500 B.C. by making dipped candles from tallow.
While oil lamps were the most widely used source of illumination in Roman Italy, candles were common and regularly given as gifts during Saturnalia. Evidence for candles made from whale fat in China dates back to the Qin Dynasty (221–206 B.C.). In India, wax from boiling cinnamon was used for temple candles. Yak butter was used to make candles in Tibet. In parts of Europe, the Middle-East and Africa, where lamp oil made from olives was readily available, candle making remained unknown until the early middle-ages.
Candles were primarily made from tallow and beeswax in ancient times, but have been made from spermaceti, purified animal fats (stearin) and paraffin wax in recent centuries. The oldest surviving beeswax candles found north of the Alps came from the Alemannic graveyard of Oberflacht, Germany dating to 6th/7th century A.D. There is a fish called the eulachon or “candlefish,” a type of smelt which is found from Oregon to Alaska. During the 1st century A.D., indigenous people from this region used oil from this fish for illumination. A simple candle could be made by putting the dried fish on a forked stick and then lighting it.
1. Invest in Luxury Candles Candles are element that can truly warm a house and make it feel and smell like home, or your favorite seasonal scent! Price points of candles can vary over a wide range, however, we recommend sticking to luxury candles. The reason being that higher lend luxury candles are usually made from soy, coconut or beeswax. These waxes offer a slower and cleaner burn that won't leave your walls covered in black soot, or you running to HomeGoods every other day to restock. Some of our favorite candle brands to keep an eye out for are Alixx Candles (found online or at Details Home Studio), Capri Blue and Paddywax (found at Nordstrom, Anthropology and several boutique interior stores.) 2. Do NOT burn your candles for more than 3-4 hours Burning candles for extended periods of time will continue to heat and cool and the wax, this process allows the perfume or scent to diminish much more quickly. In addition, many candles come in glass vessels and it's a good idea to not let them get too hot for too long. 3. Stop Burning when you have 1 inch of wax left This will help reduce unnecessary soot from being released as well as the vessel from overheating and possibly causing damage or injury. 4. Before extinguishing, allow the liquid pool of wax to reach the edges of the vessel. By doing this you are more likely to get a longer burn by allowing the entire candle to be used up instead of the flame burning straight through the wax to the bottom of the vessel and only using a portion of the wax. 5. After blowing out your candle straighten and reposition wicks. By taking an extra second to straighten or reposition your wicks after extinguishing the flame, you will save yourself from having to "dig-out" the wick and create a mess, as well as assisting the candle to burn evenly and completely. Candles are designed with a certain number of wicks in a specific layout based on the vessel so that the candle can perform as intended.
Designer tip: Don't go cheap when it comes to candles. A quality candle can make all the difference in its effect and feel.
CHANGES ARE HERE, WITH MORE TO COME!
HAS THE MARKET
HIT A WALL?
Not only the leaves are changing.
The market is still very strong, but it can be as varied as the way summer changes to fall. Sometimes it seems immediate and sometimes it takes a slow turn. We are seeing low appraisals, laundry lists of repairs, and sellerpaid closing costs. Buyers are still writing strong offers and buying, but they are not desperate. They are requiring a quality home for the price they pay. Multiple offer situations still exist but not as and everyday occurrence. Homes are getting one or maybe two offers after a few days on the market. Sellers need to be aware that their time of total control is over. They are still in a good position but they need to be more flexible than in recent times. Sellers still are in the better position but that position is not as powerful as it was a few months ago. The Pierce County market is one of change. Prices seem to have stabilized, yet a few properties leave us surprised. Inventory is still low but buyers continue to buy. Today's buyers are well qualified. They're employing some creative techniques, such as using products to perform more like a cash offer now, with financing finance later. Navigating a market in change can be daunting. Its always best to be ahead of the market, not behind it. Pricing a home too high will leave the seller sitting on the market. That generally calls for price reductions, which is never a good position. Sellers who price too low with the hopes of getting multiple are often presented with their own set of issues. It's kind of a catch 22.
MUCH LIKE PEOPLE, EVERY MARKET IS UNIQUE. SOME MARKETS HAVE VIEWS, SOME LARGE YARDS. FROM HOMES BUILT AT THE TURN OF THE CENTURY TO NEW CONSTRUCTION, EACH AREA HAS ITS OWN FEATURES AND TYPES OF HOMES.
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