Category: Local Events

Did someone say “lavender?”

Sequim has lavender farms, big and small. Most have many varieties of the plants — early or late blooming, in shades from white to deep purple, aromatic, and culinary.

In addition to fields that are open for visitors to wander through and cut lavender bouquets, most of the farms offer lavender distillations and products such as lotions and soaps.

It’s wonderful to walk through the fields on warmer days an be immersed in the fresh lavender scent. It was overcast the day I took these photos but the scents made up for the dull light.

Top to bottom the farms shown are Jardin du Soleil, Olympic Lavender, and B & B Family Farm.

Wings of Freedom, 2 of 2

Some of the larger planes in the Wings of Freedom Tour last week made fly-bys in our neighborhood as they took in aerial views of the Strait of Juan de Fuca and the Olympic Mountains.

This and the first shot are of a B-25 Mitchell.

We saw the B-24 Liberator, on the left, and the B-25 Mitchell, right, as they left the Olympic Peninsula for whatever’s next. It was nice to have them in our skies. The sound of those big aircraft engines is so distinctive.

I hope I can get out and see them on the ground next year.

Wings of Freedom, 1 of 2

The Wings of Freedom Tour came to the Olympic Peninsula for a few days last week. An assortment of World War II military planes came to Port Angeles for tours of planes on the ground. We were buzzed by a P-40 Warhawk that flew over our home.

People with more disposable income could opt for flights in some of the aircraft, B-24 Liberator, B-25 Mitchell, and a P-51 Mustang. And big spenders could opt for full dual control flight training in the P-40 Warhawk, above.

We have a number of pilots and small plane owners in our neighborhood. A flight like this would be just the ticket.

Masterful carvings

The carvings of Dusty Humphries, Sr. were featured at the Peninsula College Longhouse for three months recently. I got there last week on the second to last day of the exhibit. I’m sorry I couldn’t publicize the beautiful show to locals before it closed.

Humphries is of the Jamestown S’Klallam and Makah Tribes and his work explores Native American themes. The detail above is part of a seabird paddle.

This is a Salmon spindle whorl. I’ve lightened the shot to show more of the detail. It’s a deeply colored red cedar piece, approximately 18 inches (approx. 1/2 meter) across.

Early versions of these contemporary combs have been found in local archaeological digs. Similar pieces from one dig were displayed by the Lower Elwah Tribe a couple of years ago but photos were not allowed. I was pleased to photograph these contemporary beautiful, functional pieces.

This piece was carved from yew with applied abalone shell. There were other works on display but these were some of my favorites.

Working wood

There was an exhibit of the beautiful wood carvings of Dusty Humphries, Sr. at the Longhouse of Peninsula College in Port Angeles recently.

Humphries’ work features traditional Native American themes. These handmade tools were part of the display.

Most tool users can appreciate the beauty of these pieces.

Can you make out the piles of wood chips in this old photograph? This is a massive tree trunk being worked into a traditional Native American boat, chip by chip. The Native woodworker here is using an adz, variations of which are shown in the top photos. The man was photographed around 1914-15 by Fannie Taylor, an early postmistress in Mora, an early white settlement on our coast that no longer exists. This photo was in an office in the Longhouse.

Come back tomorrow to have a look at some of the work of Dusty Humphries, Sr.

Rhythm of the Dance

I was treated to a performance by the National Dance Company of Ireland on Sunday. In addition to a fabulous four day festival in May, our Juan de Fuca Foundation offers a season of concerts, music, dance, and performance. A friend had a spare ticket and I got lucky. A front row seat to Irish dancing.

It was a blur of high energy step dancing accompanied by lively music. Check their website here for a video and more information about the company. They have traveled the world and are touring the U.S. over the next month with a schedule that looks exhausting.