Independence Day

Today is Independence Day in the U.S.

The bald eagle was chosen in 1782 as the symbol of our new nation, though not without some controversy. Benjamin Franklin felt eagles were birds of “bad moral character” because they rob food from other birds. Franklin felt the turkey a brave and more respectable candidate. His loss was our gain. After all, what would people in the U.S. eat on Thanksgiving Day? Certainly not our national bird!

Be safe and sane if you’re celebrating Independence Day. I’m of a mind to grill a turkey burger.

Next stop: Lavender

We’re heading into the Sequim lavender season. Early blooming lavender is showing its color and our commercial lavender operations are getting ready for company: the annual Lavender Faire and Festival begins July 19. Jardin du Soleil, above, is open for business.

Sequim and the Dungeness Valley is a premier lavender growing region and as our growers open their gates to visitors and harvest this year’s crop there are plenty of attractions for visitors and locals. It’s time for total lavender immersion.

Lights! Camera! Slug!

This shot falls into a category that I should create entitled “all creatures great and small.” It qualified for lens time because I’ve never seen a slug this color before. Have you? All the ones I’ve seen have been that sluggy shade of yellow-green that defines a banana slug. This slug looked like it was dressed up in formal wear, ready for some high class slug event. Maybe the slug version of Audrey Hepburn in “Breakfast at Tiffany’s.”

Theme Day: Facade

Today is theme day at City Daily Photo and I found this month’s challenge, “Façade,” in the coastal town of Florence, Oregon. “Old Town” Florence has a number of late 19th century buildings that sport classic high fronts that reveal a different look if you can peak around the side.


Façades haven’t faded from the architectural toolbox. I found this one in Florence, too, in a newer part of town. The building is being renovated, but I still found the backside of the façade amusing.

Click here to see other blogger interpretations of this month’s theme.

Strawberry fields. . .for a few more days

The Beatles had the right idea with “Strawberry Fields Forever,” but it doesn’t work that way in Sequim. They come and go w–a–y too fast, and our intermittent rain this month hasn’t helped much. These are the last days of strawberry season at Cameron’s, my favorite go-to spot.

Cameron’s is selling the last of their pre-picked berries and dedicated pickers like those above can still pick their own for the next several days. I stopped by, innocently, to take a few shots. Then I innocently bought some to take home for breakfast. After inhaling strawberry perfume on the way home, remembering that there are a few square inches in our freezer, I headed back for more. Strawberry smoothies anyone?

Where’s the campfire?

It’s time to hay the fields in these parts. Sometimes it’s bundled in standard, familiar rectangles. Sometimes it’s rolled up in giant rounds with mesh on the outside. And sometimes it’s wrapped in white plastic like this. To my eye it looks like some huge aliens have come in the night and left a batch of giant marshmallows. You know, like they were interrupted before they could pull out graham crackers and Hershey bars to make ‘smores.

Poppy time

Poppies are blooming all over these days and the colors are predictably gorgeous. Red ones really pop in the landscape and orange California poppies pave roadsides. Last night I got a fistful of purple poppy seeds from a neighbor. Mixed with red ones from another neighbor (that I forgot to plant last year) I’m imagining a glorious display next summer. This time I’ve made a note on the calendar to plant them. I hope it works to remind me.