Home Again, Home Again

ROADIES: Christmas 2012 is now in the rearview mirror, as today was the long (6+ hour) drive home.

Before we headed out, we hit the lovely, lovely pool in Siletz (thanks Nonnie & Bops!). There, CJ exercised his new-found swimmer boy confidence. It was great to see, and we'll definitely have to be hitting up the municipal pool so he can keep his water progress going.

We left Siletz a little before 10 a.m. and made a mid-point stop in Vancouver, Wa. around 1 p.m. There, I whipped up a batch of Chex Mix for someone very special (hi, Undine!), and we stretched our legs and then hit the road again.

We stopped in Tacoma to let the dogs visit some grass and for a little sustenance for the humans. Rather than just hit a random spot off the highway, thanks to the magic of the Internet and a smart phone, I found a point of interest with a little history - Engine House No. 9.

The former fire station was built in 1907. It had 100 percent horse drawn fire-fighting carriages, until it converted to the newfangled steam pumper machines in 1919. Today, a nod to the firefighting ponies past is visible on the entrance to the bar, which is the former horse stable. The names of Nip, Dick, Joe, King, Rowdy and Barney are displayed over their former stables.

In 1965, the station was abandoned. It sat vacant for several years until 1971, when a local newspaper reporter bought it. He and a partner restored it, converting the ground floor into a tavern and turning the second story into an apartment. In 2011, the present day owners purchased it.

Today, Engine House No. 9 is on the National Register of Historic Places, and it boasts many claims to fame. It's purportedly Tacoma's first craft brewery, it's home of the area's first beer club, and features the longest brass firepole still in existence.

This artifact was hanging over our table. It was fun listening to the kids' guesses regarding what this object was.

After the first couple of errant guesses, and we pointed out the target on it, reminded them where we were and then they figured out it was a device for catching jumpers from a burning building. 

The surrounds inspired Annabelle to create some artwork. Here's a graphic representing the Unicorn Fire District. :) 

We got home around 6:30, in time to see the Holiday Bowl and watch UCLA get overwhelmed by Baylor early and often. Ouch. Was rooting for the Bruins, in the interest of Pac-12 solidarity and all.