Name/Age: Julie Rajcich/29
Where do you live: Aberdeen
Profession/Day job: Student/Library Outreach Associate/Julie Rajcich Designs Owner & Photographer
Loyal to: Go Bobcats!
Best Harbor moment: There are many to choose from. A moment from the past that I always enjoy thinking about is when I was a junior in high school. I was on the football cheer squad and our team was having a serious losing streak. Well this particular night was different, we were WINNING! It was a cool crisp night and you could feel the excitement in the air. We made another touchdown and the crowd went wild. We might as well have been winning the super bowl :) It was great to see such great support from the community. Even though our guys had lost the other games the stadium was full. As the game neared an end my squad and I were nearly in tears just bursting with excitement. As the time on the clock ran out the football team ran over, the guys beaming. I've never seen so many happy, excited teens in one place. After such a hard season it felt so great to see the guys celebrating after all of their hard work ;)
Favorite Coffee Stand: I've never been a coffee, I'm more of an ice cream fan. I love Scoops. They're reasonably priced and it is fun to go to a unique ice cream shop. I was enjoying some ice cream one day when a group of young boys came into the shop. They each ordered about three scoops of ice cream with so many toppings that the dessert maker was having a difficult time finding room for all the extras. It was quite comical watching the treats being dished up and then watching the boys attempt to devour them!
Favorite Local Business: Wiitamaki's is great. My family and I have been shopping there ever since I can remember. The customer service is always amazing and they've always been very eager to help whenever I've needed any adjustments or repairs.
Grunge, Metal or Country: Music is great for the soul. I've never really been picky when in comes to different genres of music. To me, anything that has a fun beat and makes me want to dance is at the top of my list. I took dance lessons from the time I was 5 to 19 so music of almost any kind has always been a friend of mine.
Beach, Forest or River: This is what I love so much about Grays Harbor, we're close to a little bit of everything. I love them all! Each has such wonderful things to offer and now, as a photographer, I have learned to appreciate them even more. They each have such a storied past and as I photograph, I find myself imagining what these areas were like in days gone by and what's to become of their futures.
Favorite outdoor adventure or day trip: Since the age of 8 I have been taking trips out to the Wynoochee Dam in the Olympic National Forest. This place is special to me because it holds years of family memories and I love to see how it changes from year to year. Several miles down the road from the dam I also like to visit Wynoochee falls. The area is so peaceful and beautiful. It's a great place to go when you need a nature fix :)
Define the harbor in one word: Home
If you could change one thing about the area, what would it be: I would love to see downtown Aberdeen revitalized and the mall in south Aberdeen shut down. The mall is in horrible condition and filled with vacant storefronts. I really feel that moving the major stores that still exist in the mall to the downtown area would be a great face lift and would also bring more shoppers downtown to the other great shops that are often overlooked.
Grays Harbors best kept secret: The history. I feel the history of the area is often overlooked when really it is quite interesting. I wish that when artwork was brought into the Aberdeen area there would have been more focus placed on the history of the area instead of fictitious creatures in cages. There is so much to share with tourists and newcomers but I feel like they aren't exposed to it unless they seek it out. To most Aberdeen/The Harbor is just an area to pass through on their way to the beaches...this is unfortunate.
