Tag: Carrie Blake Park Sequim

The earth laughs in flowers

Who doesn’t love flowers? The peonies at Carrie Blake Park in Sequim have to be among the most beautiful I’ve seen.

The park has dozens of bushes of peonies. It was my good fortune that they were at a peak of splendor.

I haven’t had the pleasure of seeing so many different kinds before. They all were spectacular.

If you live in or near Sequim it’s well worth a trip to the garden at Carrie Blake. The peonies and iris are heavenly. If you can’t make it soon the next gorgeous displays will include lavender, roses, and, later, dahlias.

Tomorrow I’ll show you some of the iris.

Theme Day: Park

Carrie Blake Park is a Sequim city park that packs a lot of attraction. I’ve chosen to highlight it for today’s City Daily Photo theme.

Its flower garden is glorious right now, filled with beautiful iris and peonies. Within a month or two the bed will be filled with blooming lavender, roses, and dahlias. It’s wonderful all summer.

Summer concerts are offered in the band shell, above, and the open grassy area is used for fairs and other events.

There are a number of ponds. One, which I’ve featured before, is the centerpiece of a Japanese friendship garden. A small facility can host community events.

The park also has a colorful playground as well as a nearby dog park, skate park and playing fields.

Click here to see other parks featured by City Daily Photo photographers from around the world.

Sequim's Olympiad

There’s a small, open structure off the main road into Carrie Blake Park. Inside it is a bronze bust of Sequim’s claim to Olympic fame. Native son Matt Dryke claimed a gold medal at the 1984 Olympic Games in Los Angeles. Dryke has bragging rights as an International Skeet Shooting Champion and world record holder.

Here’s the enclosure.

Judging by letters to the editor in the local paper there are plenty of strong feelings on both sides of gun control. I guess it reminded me that I wanted to have a shot of Matt, a sport shooter. A camera is my weapon of choice. I’ll leave the debate to others with the hope that cool, sane heads will prevail.

Sequim’s Olympiad

There’s a small, open structure off the main road into Carrie Blake Park. Inside it is a bronze bust of Sequim’s claim to Olympic fame. Native son Matt Dryke claimed a gold medal at the 1984 Olympic Games in Los Angeles. Dryke has bragging rights as an International Skeet Shooting Champion and world record holder.

Here’s the enclosure.

Judging by letters to the editor in the local paper there are plenty of strong feelings on both sides of gun control. I guess it reminded me that I wanted to have a shot of Matt, a sport shooter. A camera is my weapon of choice. I’ll leave the debate to others with the hope that cool, sane heads will prevail.

Carrie Blake Park IV



There’s a lovely terraced community garden at Carrie Blake Park. During the Lavender Farm Faire lush lavender bushes took center stage. More recently an eye-catching display of dahlias has brightened the landscape.

Here’s a broader look at the garden as it moves toward winter hibernation.

These shots end my tour of Sequim’s Carrie Blake Park. It’s a great resource for young and old. It’s fitting that Peninsula Daily News polling awarded it “Best of the Peninsula – Local Park.”

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Carrie Blake Park III

The dog park at Carrie Blake Park is a go-to place for dogs to see and be seen. Well, to sniff and be sniffed. It’s also a good spot for their people to socialize with other dog-lovers. Although dogs must be on leash in other parts of the park, the fenced dog park allows romps for free range pups.

There is brightly colored playground equipment in the center of the park. And the periphery of the park has an abundance of play fields. There were pairs of men playing catch the morning I took these shots.

Kids and adults with younger bones than mine can use the skate park. It was being cleaned as I took pictures. A church is in the background of this shot, and Bell Hill is beyond.

And I even found a kiosk for people interested in circuit training.