People – Page 24 – Sequim Daily Photo

Early voting

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.

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.

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.

Theme Day: Smell

Today’s theme day challenge, “smell,” could take many pictorial forms: lush flowers, food, icky stuff. I choose to go to the source. What’s a smell without a nose to identify, reject, or savor it? And don’t noses take wonderful and interesting forms? Two of the noses above belong to siblings but they are each entirely unique.

And in the Department of Noses, humans routinely come in rather inferior to animals in what can be discerned in a sniff.

Click here to see other photo interpretations of “smell” from around the world.

Colorful people

Sometimes people are as irresistible as scenery.

Emily Carr

Canadian artist and writer Emily Carr has a permanent monument in Victoria on Government Street. As a mid-20th century artist, she was a rare woman to gain prominence and her interest in Aboriginal peoples was also unique in its time. Her love of nature is captured with exuberance in her paintings. She is portrayed here with one of her dogs and her monkey Woo. Carr’s home in Victoria, a boarding house that supported her in her later years, is preserved and open to the public during summer months. Those of us visiting Victoria when it’s not open can see Emily Carr on the street.

Ross Hamilton

Last night one of the Olympic Peninsula’s premier photographers, Ross Hamilton, spoke at the Sequim Library. Hamilton recorded the beauty of our area for 45 years; many of the most indelible images of the Olympic Peninsula have come from his camera. Last night he shared some of these images and explained his philosophy. This was his second presentation for the library. The first was standing room only with many disappointed people turned away. Knowing this we arrived early…and were lucky to find seats at the back of the room. Ross is justifiably well loved. Sadly vision loss has ended his photo gathering but he still produces gorgeous and popular calendars.

Guys on bikes

Here’s another shot from last Saturday’s Tour de Dungeness bicycle race. Locals: the second set of this year’s races is tomorrow. Drive with care and patience if you encounter racers in the Dungeness area.

Them again

Yesterday was the first of two days of the annual Tour de Dungeness bicycle races, more commonly known as “Tour de Dung.” The race draws hundreds of bicyclists who compete on a 12 mile course through the Dungeness area of Sequim.

Both men and women compete, rain or shine. Yesterday’s weather included light rain and wind but was appreciably better than it had been earlier last week. The second set of races will be ridden next Saturday.