Sequim Daily Photo

The Point Wilson Lighthouse is located on the grounds of Fort Worden State Park and marks the convergence of the Strait of Juan De Fuca and Admiralty Inlet.

The lighthouse, activated in December, 1879,  was originally located on top of the lightkeeper’s house. It was moved to its current position in 1913 when the present structure was completed. The Coast Guard operates the lighthouse. It was automated in 1976 and is closed to the public.

If you’re interested in lighthouses, check back in a few days. I’ve just completed a week’s stay as a “volunteer lighthouse keeper” at the New Dungeness Lighthouse in Sequim and will post pictures and impressions from my visit.

The view of Admiralty Inlet from Fort Worden State Park affords a glimpse of the occasional passing submarine. A rain shower bathed it in a rainbow.

Fort Worden, located next to Port Townsend in Washington, was established in the late 1890s. Along with Forts Casey and Flagler, its purpose was to prevent hostile fleets from reaching targets such as the Bremerton Naval Yard and the cites of Seattle, Tacoma, and Everett. Construction of the fort began in 1897 and continued in one form or another until the fort was closed in 1953.

The Fort Worden Officer’s Row housing looks onto an open parade ground. The buildings were constructed between 1904 and 1915. To the far left, at the end of the row, is Admiralty Inlet.

I love any excuse to go to Port Townsend, a neat town with an interesting maritime history that is about a 45 minute drive from Sequim. My boat lover husband often finds reasons that take us to ship’s chandleries or places like Edensaw Woods, a high level danger zone for anyone interested in wood or tools. But I digress. . .

Our latest trip found us exploring Fort Worden State Park which is next door to Port Townsend. The Fort is part of a network of early fortifications that guarded the nautical entrance to Puget Sound.  The park is now used as a conference center with accommodations in historic military housing as well as camping and has a beautiful view of the Admiralty Inlet. I’ll share more views of the Fort Worden area in the next several days.

Dungeness Recreation Area is a wonderful place to walk and it’s particularly nice to observe the changing of the seasons.  This past spring I took pictures of some of the native plants in bloom and remembered this as I’ve watched the season’s changes. Snowberries, shown here, are one of the interesting surprises.

Snowberries have very inconspicuous blossoms, 1/4 inch or less in size. Compared to many other plants in bloom in late spring, they’re the quiet girls at the back of the room. But come Autumn, it’s a very different story!

By summer’s end the blossoms turn to bright white 1/2 inch berries that form a sea of white on the many shrubs in the Recreation Area. They lighten the landscape with a brightness that looks like polka dancers masquerading as ballerinas. Paired with the common bright red rose hips, which I’ll show in another post, they’re an especially beautiful sight.

The folage of the snowberries are browsed by deer and elk. The flowers attract butterflies. And the berries are eaten by many birds and by winter’s end may also serve as a food source for other wildlife.

This sign got me thinking: Wouldn’t it be nice if life came with an occasional warning sign? But then I wondered this: Would we take the warning and do things differently if there were signs? What do you think? Would you turn off the proverbial road if there was a sign that said, “trouble ahead?” Or does it just make it seem more interesting?

And how many times has there been a quiet voice that whispered warnings. . .have you listened?

Here’s another Sequim selection from the Peninsula Daily News voting on “Best of the Peninsula.” JC Penney was voted best in the “clothing” category.

They must have known I was coming, because they moved a selection of their clothes out front so you could get a view of what’s on offer. Sorry the price tags are so hard to read.

There are places to buy clothing here and there on the Olympic Peninsula, but if you’re a serious clotheshorse the nearest racetrack is the mall in Silverdale, or you’ll want a trip to Seattle.