A morning browsing the farmers market. Lunch overlooking the water. An afternoon exploring local shops, followed by a relaxing evening at home. Around Olympia, there are plenty of ways to make an ordinary day feel special and the lovely community of Alonda Villa offers a welcoming place to enjoy it all. A Community with Connections Alonda Villa combines a neighborhood atmosphere with opportunities to connect. Its clubhouse, library, and entertainment space give residents places to gather, find a new book, and spend time with neighbors. Community activities have included potlucks, sewing groups, games, book discussions, and seasonal gatherings. Whether you enjoy joining in or prefer a quiet afternoon of your own, there’s room to find your rhythm. With stores, restaurants, and everyday services nearby, you can take care of errands and leave more time for the things you enjoy. Fresh Finds at the Olympia Farmers Market The Olympia Farmers Market is a wonderful destination for an unhurried outing. Browse locally grown produce, flowers, handcrafted goods, and regional foods, then pick up something delicious to take home. The market operates throughout the year on a seasonal schedule, giving you reasons to return as the offerings change. Meet local growers and makers, discover a new favorite, or choose fresh ingredients for dinner. Waterfront Walks and Meals with a View Percival Landing brings Olympia’s waterfront into everyday life. Stroll along the boardwalk, pause to watch the boats, and enjoy the views across Budd Inlet. Make an afternoon of it with lunch at Budd Bay Cafe , or enjoy waterfront dining at Anthony’s Hearthfire Gril l. A walk and a meal with a view can turn a simple outing into something worth looking forward to. Shops, Coffee, and Creative Discoveries Downtown Olympia rewards a little wandering. Independent shops, bookstores, galleries, and public art give the city a character all its own. Browse the shelves at Browsers Bookshop , look for a thoughtful gift at Compass Rose, or stop for coffee between destinations. Murals and galleries offer discoveries along the way, while local theaters and music venues provide options for an evening out. You don’t need a packed itinerary. Start with one destination and leave room to explore. Make Time for the Outdoors At Squaxin Park , wooded trails, shoreline, and picnic areas offer a chance to enjoy the natural beauty of the South Sound. Bring lunch, take a walk, or simply spend time among the trees.  Olympia’s waterfront and parks make it easy to build fresh air into your routine, whether that means a short stroll, a longer outing, or a peaceful place to sit and take in the scenery. Find Your Own Olympia Favorites Part of loving where you live is discovering the places that become yours: a favorite market stall, a bookstore you return to, a waterfront table, or a gathering with neighbors. Alonda Villa’s established community offers a home base for enjoying those connections and exploring the surrounding area. From local food and creative shops to outdoor outings and community gatherings, there’s plenty to fill your days, and plenty of room to enjoy them at your own pace. Interested in learning more about living in the Olympia area? Contact Stacey Gendreau with RM Home Specialists at Windermere West Campus.

Some homes are memorable because of their architecture. Others because of their setting, their gardens or the people who gathered inside them. 405 N Stadium Way has all of those things-but what makes this home especially remarkable is its story. Perched above Tacoma with sweeping views of Puget Sound and Commencement Bay, from Rainier to the Cascade mountains, Thea Foss Waterway and the lights of the city, this is a home that feels distinctly Northwest. Beautiful woodwork, walls of windows, intimate built-in sitting areas and balconies give it the feeling of a sophisticated tree house tucked into the hillside. But this wasn't simply a house designed around a view. It became home to Dr. Eugene and Kathleen “Kathy” Wiegman , two people whose lives became deeply woven into the fabric and history of Tacoma. A Life of Service in Tacoma Gene and Kathy arrived in Tacoma in 1969 when Gene became the ninth president of Pacific Lutheran University . What followed was far more than a professional chapter. Tacoma became their community, and service to that community became an extraordinary part of their lives. During his presidency at PLU, Gene championed education, inclusion and community engagement. He later served as Washington State Commissioner of Employment Security, became an ordained Lutheran pastor and served numerous local congregations. Perhaps one of the Wiegmans' most enduring contributions came from recognizing a fundamental need in Tacoma: access to health care. Gene and Kathy were part of the early community effort that helped establish what became Community Health Care, beginning with services for Tacoma's underserved Eastside and Salishan communities. What started modestly would grow into a major health care resource serving people throughout Pierce County. Their service wasn't limited to boardrooms or institutions. Thanksgiving morning might find Gene and Kathy serving meals at Nativity House. At Christmas, they rang bells for the Salvation Army. Gene served and mentored people throughout Tacoma, while Kathy became known for quietly finding clothing, food and household necessities for anyone who needed them. Kathy was also an original board member of Second City Chamber, supporting chamber music and young musicians for more than four decades. Their commitment to Family Counseling Service was supposed to last six months. Instead, it became ten years of helping stabilize the organization, raise funds and ultimately establish a new counseling center. For the Wiegmans, community service wasn't something added to life. It was simply how they lived. A Home Created for Gathering Knowing their story makes the house itself feel even more meaningful. This is a home filled with places to sit, talk, read, gather and look outward. The main level embraces the extraordinary view with built-in sitting areas, warm woodwork and spaces that invite you to linger. There is a traditional kitchen, a full dining room where countless dinners were shared, and a beautiful sunroom overlooking the gardens. The family remembers large dinner parties here—and a soaring holiday tree becoming the centerpiece of the room. Upstairs, an entire level becomes the owner's retreat, complete with a walk-in closet, private bath with sauna and tub, and a large balcony overlooking the city and water. Downstairs, two additional bedrooms, a full bath and generous laundry and pantry space open through glass doors to the gardens. And those gardens have their own story. Kathy's Garden Sanctuary Kathy was known for her love of plants, and visitors to her garden didn't necessarily leave empty-handed. She happily offered gardening advice and was known to send people home with a transplant or two. Today, established landscaping surrounds the home with rosemary, lavender and changing color throughout the seasons. Combined with the home's natural wood, hillside setting and views through the trees, there is an almost tree-house quality to the property: private and peaceful, yet looking directly out over the city the Wiegmans loved. Art and Architecture The home's artistic origins add another fascinating layer. Its design has been attributed to Ernst Schwidder , a noted Tacoma-area artist and longtime Pacific Lutheran University professor whose work often blurred the line between art, craftsmanship and architecture. Schwidder was especially known for carved wood, religious artwork and architectural elements created for churches and other buildings throughout the Northwest. His connection to PLU and Tacoma during this period makes the home's attribution particularly intriguing. The woodwork, relationship to the landscape, unexpected spaces and intentional framing of the views make this a home unlike anything being built today . A Front-Row Seat to Tacoma And then there is that view. Morning light over the water. Boats moving through the waterfront. Mountains appearing and disappearing with our Northwest weather. The changing colors of sunset. And finally, the lights of Tacoma sparkling below. It is an ever-changing portrait of the city. That feels especially fitting for a home occupied for so many years by two people who didn't simply live in Tacoma—they participated in it. From their perch above the city, Gene and Kathy Wiegman spent decades looking out over a community they helped shape, while opening their doors, their garden and their lives to others. 405 N Stadium Way is certainly a remarkable piece of Tacoma real estate. But more importantly, it has been a remarkable Tacoma home. And now, for the first time in a generation, it is ready for its next story.