Steve Sloboda

Recently I was approached to join the advisory committee for the ArenaSolution.org group working “behind the scenes” to support a regional effort to bring a world class arena facility, premium concerts, and new professional sports teams (NBA/NHL) to the Puget Sound area.

By assembling a large and diverse coalition willing to publicly state support of these efforts, ArenaSolution.org is demonstrating to political and private business leaders the public’s overwhelming desire to find an arena solution.   This solution must be responsible to the taxpayers and spur economic growth, while bringing a strong sense of pride to the community.

Please let me know if you’d like to join the effort to build a new facility, bring the NBA back, and possibly land an NHL team.  For a list of people already involved please click this link for an info sheet.
(I’m on page 7)  http://goo.gl/3fqFl

Take a look at the Arenasolution.org website here:  http://www.arenasolution.org

Lastly, if you haven’t seen it, please set aside a couple hours and watch this well produced documentary about the events that led to the Sonics departure. 

SS

This house is right across the street from the High School I attended in Lakewood, WA.  It’s always been a curious house with a colorful history.  It was interesting to read this article about the sale.  I added some pictures from the listing.

Woman with an affinity for old homes has purchased the historical  Boatman-Ainsworth House in Lakewood without even coming west to see it in person:

Story From the Tacoma News Tribune

A New Jersey woman with an affinity for old homes has purchased the historical  Boatman-Ainsworth House in Lakewood without even coming west to see it in  person.

Marjorie Thomas-Candau of Medford, N.J., becomes the sixth owner of the  colonial home on 112th Street Southwest across from Clover Park High School.

The sale closed Nov. 4, according to the county auditor’s office, and the  sale price was $280,000.

“It’s very hard to find an old home and one that’s not so expensive you have  to be a millionaire to be able to afford it,” Thomas-Candau said. “That’s  something that I thought was pretty lucky.”

The house is named for its first two owners. Willis Boatman, an early settler  to the area, built it on his 160-acre homestead in the late 1850s. Boatman sold  the property to Capt. John Ainsworth, a founder of the Oregon Steam Navigation  Company, in 1878.

It was listed on the state historic registry in 1974 and the National  Register of Historic Places in 1982. It was one of the first listed on the city  registry of historic properties in 2003.

Thomas-Candau, an occupational therapist, plans to move to the area to be  closer to family and her best friend who lives in Seattle. She enlisted the help  of her daughter, who lives in Tacoma, to find her new home. She gave some  criteria to assist the search, specifically requesting an old home with  character and land.

She wasn’t sold on the house when her daughter first sent pictures. But  continued prodding by her daughter and best friend, who both toured the house,  convinced her the property was the right fit for her.

Thomas-Candau hasn’t yet visited her new home and said she won’t be moving to  Lakewood for at least a year so she has time first to take care of some personal  affairs. She plans to do repairs but said she doesn’t intend to make major  changes to the house or property.

Thomas-Candau grew up in a farmhouse in southern New Jersey, not far from  where she lives now. Her home was built circa 1860 and was Medford’s first free  public school.

The Boatman-Ainsworth House’s previous owners, Craig and Margaret Gunter,  passed the home to their three daughters after Margaret Gunter died last year;  Craig Gunter died in 2005. The daughters, who all live outside Pierce County,  said they made the difficult decision to part with the house their family owned  for 40 years.

“Even talking about it brings tears to my eyes,” one of the daughters,  Jeannie Gunter, told The News Tribune in September. “That home is really  something very, very special.”

So, this is pretty much the coolest picture ever.  You can pan all the way around Husky Stadium just before kickoff of the last game before the remodel.

The GigaPixel FanCam image consists of more than 20 billion pixels, allowing you to zoom in and explore every corner of Husky Stadium. If you were there, be sure to tag yourself in the FanCam to prove it! If not, you can still tag anything
cool you find.

Enjoy the Husky Stadium Farewell Game FanCam, and share it with your friends!

Here’s the fan and stadium tribute video that was played on the big screen.  It was very well done.  I have so many great memories in that Stadium.  Excited for the new and will fondly remember the old!  Go Dawgs!

Movember is a month-long celebration of the mustache.  It was started to highlight men’s health issues – specifically prostate and testicular cancer.  During the month of November, participants grow a mustache and raise funds for charities like the Prostate Cancer Foundation and the Lance Armstrong Foundation. 

Here are the official rules.  Let me know if you spot any participants and have a great Movember!

Congratulations to my friend Eric Brubaker along with the staff, students, and parents of Narrows View Intermediate School!  2011 School of Distinction Award winners!  Nice work!

http://goo.gl/lm8gh

It’s been awhile but when the Sonics were still here in the Seattle area, I worked for the team on game nights.  It was pretty much the best gig ever.  I went to every game, ran the scoreboard sitting courtside, and went into the visiting locker room after the game to get quotes for the media.  In short, I loved it.  Still sad that they left and hope one day for their return.

In the meantime, here’s a cool video commercial for Nike.  Basketball Never Stops..

Oh, one more thing…Feel free to call or e-mail if you or someone you know has residential real estate needs in the Tacoma – Seattle area.  I’m happy to be of assistance.

Enjoy-