Growing Up Yakima

Our twelve year old son has been begging to let him watch JAWS for years! We were cautious about allowing this for concern that he may hestiate to enjoy the water as much as we all do! On this 50th anniversary of the release of the movie he finally got his big chance.

I remember watching JAWS on the big screen at a drive in movie theatre with my friends when I was in high-school here in Yakima. As kids it felt like we had more freedom to do things than kids may feel now. Duke has been asking to run to the store on his scooter from time to time this summer so he can buy snacks. Reflecting back, we rode our bikes all over town when we were that age. We have slowly accepted that the independence is a good way to get him out of the house, taking a break from his gaming.

At the same time, he is develpng the skills at home while he plays games with friends here in town, across the country, and in europe. Together they engage in the playground chatter and a bit of taunting if I'm honest, but also learning how to communicate as they are constantly talking through their controllers with one another. They're coordinating their efforts and solving problems.

I can see how this kind of play, problem solving, and communication is setting these boys up to work toether in the future in whatever they decide to do professionally.

Our family loves the outdoors! We've had so many adventures throughout the state! As a kid, Boat camping at the Potholes Reservoir near was always a favorite for me and my siblings and cousins. The freeway lakes here in Yakima were also a great place to learn sail, appreciate the water, and sometimes cause great concern for my parents neighbors.

Wilkinson Multifamily Investing have been prodcuing remarkable results for over 34 years. To learn more about passive rela estate investing, please reach out by phone at 509-833-0063 or check us our on the web at https://wearewilkinson.com

I'm so proud of my hertiage and both of my parents. Each worked very hard and have developed a great reutation, that has helped to open doors for me and my siblings.

This Father's Day, I honor my father and his name: McKinney. It has become a bran know for service, kindness and generosity. I work hard to uphold the values imparted by my him and continue his legacy into the next generation and beyond.

At Wilkinson we pursue these values through an acronym called I BUILD.

I - Inspiring Quality Relationships

B - Building beyond Business

U - Unleashing a wealth of Life

I - Innovating Systemati Excellence

L - Loving People

D - Doing the Right Thing

These values drew me to Wilkinson and are the values our team shares.

The Yakima River is a great place to enjoy the beauty of our valley! We have great memories from the being out on the water as a kid and now as an father with my own kids. The river can be gentle and relxing, and extremely dangerous too. Rafting as a kid has fueled my need for adventure throughout the west. And how about that fly fishing! Shannon Mahre has done a beautiful job bringing people to the vast resources around us, from stand up paddleboarding, mountain biking, fly fishing and skiing.

Passive real esate investing is a great way to break loose of the headaches and hassles that come with direct ownership of rental properties. Intersted in learning more, let's talk!

Growing up our family swam a lot. Both of our kids swam with the Selah Dolphins, and both dreaded the early (8:00 am) summertime practices. Our family swam year round at the YMCA swimteam, including 6:00 am practices at the Y downtown before walking to St. Joe's for the day. The summertime swim meets throughout the Yakima Valley are always so much fun watching the kids, cheering on the teams, and connecting with so many freinds, new and old. Community building is a huge part of our success at Wilkinson, as we create better places and reasons for people to connect.

The eruption of Mt. St. Helens on May 18, 1980 is a vivid memory that will stay with me forever. We could see the mountain from our home and the plume of ash quickly rising and enveloping the valley as day turned to night, the sky so thick with ash that a streetlight could not be seen across the street. We don't face the same natural disaters found in other parts of the country, gratefully. When Wilkinson searches for multifamily real estate opportunties, we consider only great locations in areas that do not commonly expereicne significant natural disasters.

My mother is one of 18 Gamache family kids growing up on a hop and apple farm east of Yakima in Moxee. Growing up a Gamache meant the we learned how to do just about anything. From yardwork, to sewing, to creative projects, my mom always taught us how to or encourgage us to jump in and get the hard work done. Family reunions and easter gatherings were an amazing time to connect with so many aunts and uncles and 65 first cousins! Connections with my family and the can do spirit is whay drew me to Wilkinson in 2007.

We have all done it. Woke up early to catch the 5:00 am flight out of Yakima. It's dark and cold and hard to get going so earlyin the morning. I was rewarded for my effort as we took off at dawn. The reminders of how gorgeous our vallen and as we approached Seattle how incredible our state's landscape is. The Cascade and Olympic Mountains, the Puget Sound, the rolling hills found in our own valley. We go on with appreication to undertand more about the purpose of leveraging tarrifs to build a stronger economy.

As kids we explored so many of the unique areas our state has to offer. From camping on the sand dunes at Potholes Reservoir, water skiing on chilly Hood Canal, to Skiing at White Pass, our summer and winter memories are filled with incredible adventures.

My son is now a middle schooler at Marquette, the same middle school I attended, and the school my father attended high school. It's been great to recall the years I spent playing, studying and getting in trouble on the playground, while empathizing with my son in his new surrounidngs While our routine has changed, we are now exploring Yakima icons to pick up a sweet treat or two on the way home from school as reward for a job well done.