For 20 years, Jamie Louks has been sculpting everything from cake to chocolate. Owner of Sugarnova, she’s known for combining realism and fantasy in her sculptures.
But Jamie’s prowess extends beyond edible creations: she has been sculpting sand since 2023. From a scaled Mt. Rushmore to a towering pirate ship, her jaw-dropping works of sand have been showcased across the globe. Now, for the world soccer competition, Jamie has been commissioned to create a custom sculpture in Seattle.
…ContinuedSeattle Stadium, a.k.a. Lumen Field, has taken on a wholly different look for the world soccer games. The Stadium is hosting six matches before the final world soccer matchup in New Jersey on July 19th. Two games have already been played with four left to go.
The Seahawks’ home turf is currently buried beneath a sandwich of geogrid, sand, and natural grass. The conversion from synthetic turf to natural grass field was a must to bring the stadium up to the world soccer organization’s strict standards.
The process was rigorous but worth the effort. The Athletic, a sports platform owned by The New York Times, recently ranked Seattle Stadium the #1 venue for the world soccer games based on “atmosphere, location, and suitability for soccer.” It even gave the field a 10/10 in the “suitability for soccer” category.
Read on to learn about how the natural grass system was installed and how Washington Rock’s sand played a role.
…ContinuedLakewold Gardens, featured on our blog last spring, continues to up its game as a storied estate garden.
…ContinuedVisit Benston Hall on a Wednesday, and you’ll find a senior group meeting for lunch in the kitchen.
On a Saturday, you might walk into an outdoor farmer’s market.
On other days of the week, step aerobics, tai chi, line dancing, or swing dancing might be in full swing in the main hall.
…ContinuedOrting, WA—After record floods in December, Washington Rock Quarries answered the call to make and ship material to critical areas in the Puget Sound region.
Washington Rock’s team members worked long hours and even volunteered to come in on their holiday weekends to supply materials. Read on to learn about the flood relief and repairs our materials were sent to.
…ContinuedIt’s a humid Wednesday with clouds looming overhead, and the Gig Harbor Demonstration Garden at Sehmel Homestead Park is busy with volunteers tidying, picking produce, and answering questions.
At a picnic bench in front of the central shed, a volunteer thumbs through a reference book, looking for insights about a visitor’s gardening concerns. Another volunteer helps young visitors fill produce bags with freshly picked carrots. Some of these scenes are pictured in the photos below.
…ContinuedThe Ofuro Spa rises up behind a thicket of alders growing alongside a pond. Inspired by Japanese bathhouses, the spa’s architecture blends Pacific Northwest modernism with traditional bathhouse elements like a hot pool, a cold plunge pool, and a sauna clad in hinoki cypress wood.
The spa received the last part of its glow-up this year when Coastline Concrete Coatings, led by Pararescueman Josiah Stromstad, coated the walking surfaces with epoxy and Washington Rock’s Armorstone product.
Learn more about this unique woodland escape and Josiah’s story in our latest article.
…ContinuedNot long ago, four-year-old Joey couldn’t sit up by himself or hold onto a toy. He didn’t speak much either. His parents were told these skills, which most people take for granted, were out of reach for Jamie.
Now Jamie can sit up by himself and hold on to objects. He’s also started talking more. This profound difference in outcomes was facilitated by a pony and the therapists at Sundance Circle Hippotherapy.
…ContinuedArchisand sand sculptors brought their craft to the Washington State Spring Fair this weekend in Puyallup. Their sculpture features the Fair’s 125-year anniversary logo and the Fair’s Sasquatchian mascot, Big WA.
…ContinuedWashington Rock’s Basic Topsoil is a naturally organic sandy loam.
It’s a fantastic base material that can be used to mound and build up yards and gardens. We use it to create bulk topsoil blends, but you can also mix in your own amendments like compost, manure, and worm castings.
But where does our sandy loam topsoil come from? Read more to learn about the mining process at King Creek Pit.
This article is the third in a three-part series about topsoil:
There are a lot of opinions on the Internet about which sand makes the best flooring for chicken coops and chicken runs. We’re here to add clarity to online recommendations and identify products that may work for you. This super in-depth look at chicken coop sand can be enjoyed whole or in parts as needed.
…ContinuedScreened Sandy Loam is the formal name for our Basic Topsoil. Sandy loam is the base material for all of our topsoil blends.
…ContinuedWhich topsoil mix is best for your lawn and garden? In this article, we discuss our basic topsoil—screened sandy loam—and the formula for each topsoil blend that it’s used in. We’ll also talk about the applications for each product.
This article is the first in a three-part series about topsoil:
A Vietnam Veteran named Mike recently received a memorable 80th birthday gift: his own tiny home.
Mike’s tiny home is the culmination of over a decade of work by a nonprofit called Operation Tiny Home, which celebrated this milestone with a ribbon-cutting ceremony last Friday.
…ContinuedFor the past two years, a black lab named Daisy has spent every day with her trainer learning to become a service dog. Daisy’s past life at a shelter is a distant memory. Now that she has learned tricks like turning on light switches and alerting, Daisy will soon leave her trainer’s care.
Daisy’s trainer, Mae, has learned valuable skills too. Over several years, Mae has become certified as a dog trainer through the Prison Pet Partnership. She already has a job lined up after she completes her sentence at the Washington Corrections Center for Women in Gig Harbor, Washington.
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