Author: Kay

Then and now – Snowberries

Dungeness Recreation Area is a wonderful place to walk and it’s particularly nice to observe the changing of the seasons.  This past spring I took pictures of some of the native plants in bloom and remembered this as I’ve watched the season’s changes. Snowberries, shown here, are one of the interesting surprises.

Snowberries have very inconspicuous blossoms, 1/4 inch or less in size. Compared to many other plants in bloom in late spring, they’re the quiet girls at the back of the room. But come Autumn, it’s a very different story!

By summer’s end the blossoms turn to bright white 1/2 inch berries that form a sea of white on the many shrubs in the Recreation Area. They lighten the landscape with a brightness that looks like polka dancers masquerading as ballerinas. Paired with the common bright red rose hips, which I’ll show in another post, they’re an especially beautiful sight.

The folage of the snowberries are browsed by deer and elk. The flowers attract butterflies. And the berries are eaten by many birds and by winter’s end may also serve as a food source for other wildlife.

Warning

 

This sign got me thinking: Wouldn’t it be nice if life came with an occasional warning sign? But then I wondered this: Would we take the warning and do things differently if there were signs? What do you think? Would you turn off the proverbial road if there was a sign that said, “trouble ahead?” Or does it just make it seem more interesting?

And how many times has there been a quiet voice that whispered warnings. . .have you listened?

Best of the Peninsula – Clothing

 

Here’s another Sequim selection from the Peninsula Daily News voting on “Best of the Peninsula.” JC Penney was voted best in the “clothing” category.

They must have known I was coming, because they moved a selection of their clothes out front so you could get a view of what’s on offer. Sorry the price tags are so hard to read.

There are places to buy clothing here and there on the Olympic Peninsula, but if you’re a serious clotheshorse the nearest racetrack is the mall in Silverdale, or you’ll want a trip to Seattle.

New Dungeness Lighthouse

The New Dungeness Lighthouse is an important part of local history. It isn’t always in clear view and it’s not easy to get to. It’s at the end of Dungeness Spit, the longest natural sand spit in the U.S. Conquering the spit and exploring the lighthouse means a five mile walk on sand and rock each way, or an approach by water. You can sign up and pay to stay at the lighthouse for a week as a lighthouse keeper. There are chores, like cleaning the public restrooms and watering the lawn, but your rent also includes a roundtrip ride to the lighthouse. 

The lighthouse has been in continuous operation since 1857 and provides navigational aid to ships in the Strait of Juan de Fuca. I’ll post more about the New Dungeness Lighthouse in a week or two. Stay tuned!

Spooky trees

 

One of our locals, Patricia, commented on these trees a while back so I decided to take a look at them. They’re off Jamestown Road, which is where the early S’Klallam peoples bought back their original lands.  There’s a line of these trees, all dead and standing.

Patricia wondered what kind of trees they were — someone she knows speculated that they are Garry Oaks. And she wondered what might have killed them.

The trees are all beyond a fence so there’s no getting up close and personal. I’ve seen others with similar form as I’ve driven in this region but not had an opportunity to stop and study.

I know I haven’t provided much to go on here, but is anyone else willing to venture a guess? Are there any locals care to weigh in?