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The Summer Olympics in Rio de Janeiro

This last Friday saw the opening ceremonies of the Games of the XXXI Olympiad, or the Summer Olympic Games, taking place this month in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. We hope you were able to catch the excitement (or at least watch the highlights on Youtube afterward). This years Olympic Games will be running from last Friday, the 5th, until Sunday the 21st. Rio de Janeiro is only the third city in the southern hemisphere to ever host the Olympics, and the very first city in South America. To celebrate, we wanted to highlight some of the history of the Olympic Games. The Ancient Olympic Games were Grecian religious and athletic festivals held every four years at the sanctuary of Zeus in Olympia, Greece. The most widely accepted inception date for the Ancient Olympics is 776 BC. The Ancient Games featured running events, a pentathlon (consisting of a jumping event, discus and javelin throws, a foot race, and wrestling), boxing, wrestling, pankration, and equestrian events. It is generally agreed that the games ended in either 393 AD or 426, at the decree of the Roman Emperor. In modern times, many people and cities hosted games inspired by the Ancient Olympics, and many even used some variation of the tem Olympic in their titles. In 1890, after attending the Olympian Games of the Wenlock Olympian Society, Baron Pierre de Coubertin was inspired to found the International Olympic Committee (IOC). Coubertin worked with the aim of establishing internationally rotating Olympic Games that would occur every four years. He presented these ideas during the first Olympic Congress of the newly created International Olympic Committee. This meeting was held in June 1894 at the University of Paris. On the last day of the Congress, it was decided that the first Olympic Games run by the new IOC would take place in Athens in 1896. While the 1896 Games were widely viewed as successful, for the first decade afterward the IOC struggled to gain the traction and popularity necessary to continue the games. As their popularity gradually increased, events like figure skating and ice hockey were added to the programs. The difficulty of maintaining these events during the summer and the wide variety of other cold-weather sports that were not possible to play during the summer led to the creation of the Winter Olympic Games, with the first being held in 1924 in France. The Winter Games were held in the same year as the Summer Games until 1992, when they were moved back two years and have remained on that schedule since. We hope that all the residents of our Willow Hill apartments in Puyallup are enjoying this years Olympic Games!

Recipes for Ice Cream Sandwich Day

August isnt really a month that is known for its major holidays; July has Independence Day, September has Labor Day, but there isnt really much going on in between. But in reality, there are plenty of lesser-known holidays in August you just have to go to the trouble of looking them up and deciding to celebrate! Or better yet, you can let us look them up for you, which is what weve done. And we were delighted to discover that tomorrow, August 2nd, is known as Ice Cream Sandwich Day! Now, the quickest and easiest way to celebrate Ice Cream Sandwich Day would be to stop by the store, grab some ice cream sandwiches, and then sit out on the balcony of your apartment at Willow Hill here in Puyallup and enjoy a good book while you devour your desserts. But if you really want to enjoy the holiday, you can make your own ice cream sandwiches: pick whatever kind of ice cream you want, buy or make some tasty cookies, and combine! Or you could try out one of these tasty recipes from Allrecipes.com: Ice Cream Sandwich Cake This frozen cake is quick and easy to make; layers of ice cream sandwiches, whipped cream, chocolate and caramel sauces, and nuts make for a delicious treat! Toasted Waffle Ice Cream Sandwich The name says it all. Pick your favorite ice cream, toast your favorite variety of waffle (buy them frozen or make your own), and combine with maple syrup for a taco-like dessert. Frozen Strawberry Cheesecake Sandwich Cookies Okay, its not technically ice cream in the middle, its cheesecake. But its creamy and its frozen, so were calling it close enough! These take the most effort out of all the recipes weve included here, but you can make a whole lot of them and save them for later. Who doesnt love the sound of a hand-held, cookie-shaped cheesecake? What is your favorite kind of ice cream sandwich? Feel free to share in the comments.

Blast from the Past Puyallup, WA

You already know that Puyallup, WA is a great place to live. This month the Willow Hill Blog is bringing readers a little bit of our towns early history. Ezra Meeker is widely considered to be one of the founding fathers of our town. Born in Ohio, his family moved to Indiana while he was still young. It was in Indiana that he met and married his wife, Eliza. Ezras dream was to become a farmer; Eliza supported his plans to travel out west. Ezra and Eliza made a treacherous trip on the Oregon Trail before arriving in what was then known as the Oregon Territory. Eventually, the Meekers settled in Puyallup, WA. It was Ezra Meeker who gave our town its name. Eliza organized the citys first library, and Ezra was Puyallups first mayor.They dedicated their lives to the town, always looking to improve and build upon the city. Ezra eventually became a successful hop farmer, but his dedication to his frontier past fueled his true passion preserving the Oregon Trail. Ezra Meekers life is a testament to the entrepreneurial spirit, determination, and fire of Puyallups residents. You can visit the Meekers home, known as the Meeker Mansion , today. Admission is only four dollars for adults. If you would like to buy a membership at the Meeker Mansion, prices range from twenty dollars for an individual membership to a thousand dollars for a lifetime membership. You can sponsor the Museum as a Pioneer, Founder, Investor, or Preservationist. The Museum is run by the Puyallup Historical Society at Meeker Mansion. The Societys mission is to restore and preserve Meeker Mansion, to preserve and promote the historical aspects of the Puyallup Valley and its links to the Oregon Trail; to provide students and other visitors with programs, exhibits and events for a greater appreciation of local history and community; to serve as an education resource and repository for historical artifacts. Other great places to visit if youd like to learn more about Puyallups early history are the South Hill Historical Society and the Sumner Historical Society. The City of Puyallup also has a great timeline of our citys past. We hope youve enjoyed learning a little more about Puyallups history! Have you ever visited the Meeker Mansion? Tell us about it in the comments!

Keep Reading Puyallup Public Library

This month Willow Hill Blog is featuring the Puyallup Public Library! The Puyallup Public Library is a great place to spend a summer afternoon relaxing and reading. We want our residents to know a little more about what they can do at the Puyallup Public Library, besides just checking out books. This month were covering the librarys programs and special services. The library holds special events and programs each month. One of the librarys programs, History at Your Fingertips !, gives residents access to historic materials once a month. This month the program is opening on Wednesday, July 27th. This program allows volunteers to act, as guides to the photograph collection, past City Directories, Puyallup High School yearbooks and a wide range of other materials that have historical significance to the community. Materials available date back to the early 1900s. The library also offers basic computer classes for patrons to participate in. Computer Basics for Adults is a two session class that teaches attendees, the basic skills necessary for using a computer. The library asks that you attend both sessions, [s]ince each lesson builds on the previous one. The other computer classes offered are Introduction to Microsoft Word and Technology Tutor . Want free admission to Tacomas hottest museums? Youre in luck. The library lends out special passes each month for patrons to use at the Museum of Glass, Tacoma Art Museum, and Washington State History Museum. For more information on this pass, visit this site . If youre wondering whether the Puyallup library has your favorite title, you can check their online catalog. Recent library purchases show up on their New Book Alerts page (with reviews!), and you can request materials for the library to purchase using a Purchase Suggestion Form online. We hope that youve enjoyed learning a little bit more about the Puyallup Public Library. Have you ever attended one of the librarys programs, classes, or special events? Have you used one of their special Museum passes? Leave us a comment and let us know!

Summer Movie Marathon

This month Willow Hill Blog has five movies for you to watch for your next summer movie marathon. Because of Winn-Dixie (2005) India Opal Buloni (AnnaSophia Robb) is new in town. When she finds Berger Picard Winn-Dixie at the local Winn-Dixie supermarket, she thinks its fate. Her new dog helps her make new friends, connect with her father, and adjust to life in a small town. This is a heartwarming tale of friendship, love, and loss. The Karate Kid (1984) Mr. Miyagi (Pat Morita) trains high school student Daniel LaRusso (Ralph Macchio) in karate. Daniels been having trouble at school with the members of the Cobra Kai dojo. Mr. Miyagi prepares Daniel to fight against the Cobra Kai students in the Under-18 All-Valley Karate Tournament to end the bullying once and for all. The Sandlot (1993) Scotty Smalls (Tom Guiry) is the new kid in town. Fitting in with the other kids means joining the neighborhood baseball games at the Sandlot. During this eventful summer, Smalls learns the value of honesty, friendship, and not judging a book by its cover. This iconic film is chock full of quotable lines like, You call that pitching? This is baseball! Not tennis! and Youre killing me Smalls! Grease (1978) Danny (John Travolta) and Sandy (Olivia Newton-John) have the perfect summer romance, but staying in love during the school year turns out to be more difficult than they thought it would be. Danny and Sandy navigate the tricky waters of high school romance while the T-Birds and Pink Ladies sing, dance, and battle it out with their rival gang, The Scorpions. This classic movie musical is perfect for a summer sing-a-long. The Parent Trap (1998) Annie and Hallie (Lindsay Lohan) have never met, but theyve got a lot in common. When their parents (Dennis Quaid and Natasha Richardson) send them to the same summer camp, they develop a fierce rivalry before discovering that theyre twins. In attempt to get to know their estranged parents, the twins decide to switch places for the rest of the summer. When Annie discovers that their father is about to marry his horrible girlfriend, Meredith Blake, the twins hatch a scheme to get their parents back together. We hope that youve enjoyed our recommendations! What are your favorite movies to watch for a movie marathon? What should we watch next? Let us know in the comments!

Museum of Glass

Washington is the home of some of the greatest glass artists in the world, including internationally recognized artist Dale Chihuly. Tacomas Museum of Glass celebrates the citys proud history of glass artistry through live glass making, incredible exhibits, and a visiting artist program. Entering the Museum from the city, you will pass under the Chihuly Bridge of Glass. The Chihuly Bridge of Glass introduces visitors to the powerful art held by the Museum by exposing them to the art of one of Tacomas greatest artists: Dale Chihuly. This bridge is composed of three installations: Chihuly Bridge of Glass, Crystal Towers, and Venetian Wall . This exhibit is meant to whet visitors appetite for glass art before entering the Museum of Glass. The Museum has two other outdoor art pieces Martin Banks Fluent Steps and Howard Ben Tres Water Forest. Right now the Museum is putting on four different exhibits. David Willis: Daisies adds on to the Museum of Glass Picking Up What Im Putting Down, a forest of large-scale flowers meant to make the viewer feel as though they are roaming through a floral forest. #BeTheCurator gives visitors the opportunity to decide which pieces of art the Museum puts on display. The Museum used Facebook to track which pieces of art got the most response from the public; those pieces are now on display. Every Soil Bears Not Everything celebrates the collaboration between Washington artists Joey Kirkpatrick and Flora C. Mace. Their works are an interesting blend of wire and glass; you wont want to miss their eye-opening exhibition! The Museums Hot Shop Live! lets visitors watch the museums artists and visiting artists at work. You can ask the artists questions while they work to learn more about the craft. Visiting artists give Hot Lunch Lectures where youll get a little more insight into each artists process and art. These are just a few things you can see and experience at the Museum of Glass this month. Have you ever been to the Museum of Art? What was your favorite exhibit? Let us know in the comments!