Views of Sequim, the Olympic Peninsula. . .and beyond
Yesterday’s view of these trees was taken looking north. Here’s a view looking south. My favorite mountains, the Olympics, peek out. You can draw back further along this road, heading north, for a longer, broader view of the mountains. But I’ll spare you the addition of the telephone poles that line the road when you do this.
I’ve been away for a few days. I hope to have a chance to visit the Lavender Faire and Festival if I get back in time. If I do, I’ll post some shots soon.
Here’s the last of the “same spot, different season” series, a summer view of the trees on Kitchen-Dick Road. And, making their final appearance, here are the same trees in the other seasons:
. . .Spring. . .
. . .Winter. . .
. . .and Autumn.
Shannon, our previous Sequim Daily photographer, suggested this series (thank you, Shannon!). I think she may have had a different vantage point in mind when she suggested it. These views face north. Facing south there’s often a glorious view of the Olympic Mountains. . .and, I noticed, a string of telephone poles on either side of the road. Artfully arranged, telephone poles have a place. But wandering on a thoroughfare to find the arrangement didn’t work. So I aimed north. Tomorrow I’ll post a bit of that south-facing view, in a spot I found without those poles.
Our wildflower patch – mostly batchelor buttons and golden poppies – this year has drawn a steady stream of goldfinches that are making meals of the available seeds. There’s a goldfinch nestled in amongst those blue blossoms. It’s amazing to see these tiny birds navigating on the thin stems of the flowers.
Native American and Canadian First Nations paddlers in traditional canoes will arrive in Jamestown today on their way to a weeklong potlatch at Squaxin Island near Shelton, WA. The Paddle to Squaxin 2012 is this year’s version of a now annual cultural revival. Tribe members from Western Washington and Canada paddle to the potlatch location, stopping for celebrations hosted by local tribes along the waterway routes. Tonight the Jamestown S’Klallam will welcome up to 25 canoes from 10 to 12 tribes on their way to Squaxin.
The potlatch at the final destination is hosted by a different tribe each year. I took these photos two years ago as paddlers journeyed to the Makah Reservation at Neah Bay. The canoes were gorgeous. Many were hand carved from cedar logs. They can carry eight or more paddlers, called “pullers.” There are formal landing and departure protocols at each landing site and tribes sing and dance during their visits.
I frequently drive by this spot and it nearly always catches my eye: the tall shrubs, the open entryway, and the pillars marking a seemingly stately home. And yet it stops at that. It is set back from the road on a narrow, grassy drive and the whole entrance is blocked by a very modest split rail and wire fence.
There are houses beyond, though this entry doesn’t seem to relate to them. It’s just puzzling. Is it a forgotten dream?
There’s a lot of haying going on around Sequim these days and I think our rains last week came at a bad time. There were many fields of baled hay that got wetted by our thunderous downpours.
Farming is often viewed with warm nostalgia, certainly justified because it embodies many positive values. In truth it’s frequently a high risk venture with long hours and harder work than many of us are accustomed to in the 21st century.
It might be fair to wonder what this shot has to do with an open door. This is one of the irrigation canals that operate during the dry months in the Sequim-Dungeness Valley. The irrigation canals brought water here. . .and opened the door to farming and development, and, eventually to all of us who call this place home.
It’s a modest bit of engineering but has brought profound impacts to this region.