January 24

When I arrived home last night, this beauty was lying next to my doorstep. A herd lives at Fort Worden. At night, they take the shapes of sphinxes in the shadows. In ancient Egypt, the sphinx was a spiritual guardian—royal and sacred. It is so special to watch them move across the campus during the day and to know they are watching over us at night.

It’s Friday. Time to put away the paints and start packing. I decided to take one more adventure. I wanted to find one more sea stack at the water’s edge. I find them magical!! Standing in their presence, they feel like nature’s wisdom keepers

Minnie the Mouse and I headed west for the 1.5 hour trip.. Once you get away from the coast, the landscape changes into dark shadows across the highway— miles of dense forest on the edge of Olympic National Park. I pulled into the parking lot, walked around a bend and my jaw dropped. Here are a few pictures from the beach and the Campground area. And, as with every other sacred place I have visited, the US had defense presence, Camp Hayden at this location during WWII.

Salt Creek Beach, Crescent Bay. The Klallam people—The Strong People— have lived in this area for thousands of years.

Tongue Point, a marine life sanctuary on Strait of Juan du Fuca

And to end on a more modern note - a painted wall on a US bunker from Camp Hayden. Built in 1941, abandoned several years later.

Came home and made these two little wall objects. Obviously, the colors of the day played a role in my decisions.

And my sketch. These little drawings are companions.