Flowers galore

Sunflowers

There’s an eye catching display of flowers on Towne Road that I look forward to seeing this time of year.

Flower row

They are all annuals so there’s nothing but bare soil in winter. But by July and August there’s a long row of blooms, enough to bring a smile to the face of any flower lover.

Gardener

I caught a glance of the talented gardener as I headed back to my car. There’s quite a garden behind the wall of flowers.

Paddle to Nisqually

Canoe journey

This summer there is another more-or-less annual canoe journey undertaken by groups representing Northwest tribes from Vancouver Island, B.C. and Washington state. The most northern group from Vancouver Island began their paddle on July 13, stopping each night along the western coast of the island and joining with other canoe groups heading south. Click here to see a map of journey starting and stopping points and layover dates. The journey will end in August in Nisqually at the southern end of Washington’s Puget Sound. It’s a long voyage, testing endurance and showcasing Native pride. Many of the canoes are made in traditional fashion and showcase the beautiful lines of large, seaworthy vessels.

Canoe journey drummer

Gale force winds last Friday morning forced some paddlers to trailer their canoes for a leg of the journey from Port Angeles to Jamestown Beach in Sequim where the local S’Klallam Tribe would welcome them. Others braved the journey on the big waters of the Strait of Juan de Fuca. Paddlers headed next to Port Townsend.

Much to my disappointment I had to miss the event. DH took these shots in my absence. Pretty good, no?

Now and then

Photo shoot revisit

This piece of land juts out at the base of the bluffs at Dungeness Recreation Area. It’s taken a beating over the last year and is a fraction of the size it once was. We’ve paid attention to it because from time to time it’s been a perch for a passing eagle and lots of seagulls.

Photo shoot

Here’s what it looked like about 18 months ago when we were shocked to discover a photographer and model had scrambled onto it for a photo shoot.

Early voting

Ballot walker

We vote by mail in Washington state. We can also leave our ballots in drop boxes. Sequim’s drop box was recently replaced with a new, larger version to accommodate anticipated high turnouts for our presidential primary on May 24.

Ballot drivers

Our ballots arrived last weekend and we deposited them in the new drop box. I don’t exaggerate when I say that the box was swarmed with voters.

Ballot cycle

While I was there – the time I took to walk up to the box to deposit ballots and take these shots – the traffic past the box was constant. And ballots aren’t due for two weeks. I think most observers would agree we’ve never seen anything like this election.