Views of Sequim, the Olympic Peninsula. . .and beyond
Pioneer Park is a little park in downtown Sequim. It’s on Washington Street, the town’s main drag. In springtime a combination of flowering trees and shrubs completely lights up this little corner of the world.
It’s a pretty spot year round but springtime is magnificent.
I took this a year ago at the Dungeness Recreation Area.
A sign of the times: the public is no longer welcome at the Dungeness Recreation Area.
I can understand that camping has been discontinued. But so has walking. Beyond the gate and this sign is another that reads “Do Not Enter.” And just in case it wasn’t clear, yellow caution tape has also recently been strung across the signs and bollards.
There are so many things one can do in a time of self quarantine. Cancellations have cracked open freshly minted hours of free time. Yesterday’s competing tasks: tidy up my office or take a walk.
We’ve lost the second and last pullout area at the Dungeness Recreation Area, a pull through parking area where people could overlook the Strait of Juan de Fuca. I last showed this here, when a portion of its fence took flight over open air.
Vancouver Island, British Columbia is off in the distance. In the closer foreground is where visitors could drive up and park. A path and fence was just beyond the parking places. Mother Nature is taking that back.
Whimsy Park, which I showed you yesterday, has a small area called the Sequim Friendship Garden. A group of Sequim artists populates the garden with hand-painted rocks and tiles. I think it’s an outgrowth of Sequim Rocks, which I’ve told you about here and here.
The sign says, “Need a rock. Take a rock. To help you thru today. Have a rock, leave a rock to send it on its way.”
Many of the painters try to encourage a positive message, be it on a tile or lettered on a painted rock. Painted rocks are also randomly left around town. They brighten the day of people who unexpectedly discover these little gifts. A painted heart rock above came home with me.
Happy Valentine’s Day!
I showed you Whimsy Park several years ago here when it was just getting started. I dropped by recently with a mission I’ll tell you about tomorrow.
Since I first showed it to you in 2017 the landscaping has matured. A formerly bare portion of the wall shown above now has a neutral backing for a small stage that hosts occasional live entertainment. Small trees are beginning to mature though late on a winter’s day I didn’t photograph them.
Interesting characters overlook the scene.
This little park is on East Washington Street in downtown Sequim next to Jose’s Famous Salsa restaurant.