Send a postcard from Sequim.
We live not too close to the beach- Far enough up the hillside so that we can see the vessels plying the Straits of Juan de Fuca. It is definitely a car-ride to get to either the small boat harbor in Discovery Bay or the Beach itself across from the Spit. And sorry, Chuck, this ocean is not for swimming.
(Seqim-ites who wish to swim head for the community pool... I suppose that makes them sequimmers...)
Nor is the beach safe for clamming, either, as a recent "red tide" has increased the chances of Paralytic Shellfish Poisoning. But it is still beautiful. Taking in a deep breath of ocean air is so calming to coastal-dwellers.
The New Dungeness Lighthouse is not accessible by road; many people have hiked the Dungeness Spit for hours to get there... and then had to hike back the seven miles to the trailhead and their cars. Birdwatching, beachcombing- - the Spit is part of the Dungeness Recreation Area and Wildlife Refuge and harbors shore birds. The meadows adjacent also shelter both migratory and resident birds. Our counterpart and namesake, the village of Dungeness in the United Kingdom, also has an area for bird-watching.
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Back in 1792 British Captain George Vancouver was charged by the Crown with mapping the Northwest Coast line of what is now the US and Canada. He sailed by Sequim, on up into Discovery Bay and on to the Port Townsend area . Then his travels took him to what is now the Canadian city named after him... and beyond that, too. He named our spit the New Dungeness Spit after the Dungeness area he knew in England. This mapping expedition comsumed five years of his life! ...with no time off for a quick trip back to the family. |
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This turned out to be a two-deer excursion; one at the beach and one on the way home- both darted out in front of the car to cross the road. |
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A change has come to downtown Sequim - one of the familiar murals is no longer to be seen. The Straits Seascape by Tim Quinn which graced the western wall of the Perfect Gift has been removed. New owners have renovated the building, replacing the familiar pink logcabin effect with a more modern facade. Lady Truffles now occupies the building. Perhaps the mural will resurface elsewhere. It was a real study in marine life, with whimsical moments which required a very close scrutiny to be noticed...like the mermaids and the extra moons... Sequim has surprises everywhere - and they don't last forever, either. I'm glad I had the chance to examine this mural before it vanished.
Sometimes what you wish for actually happens-- The mural has emerged; it is now on the west wall of the renovated Clallam Co-op (the True Value Store). Thank you, co-op, for rescuing this mural from memory-only existance and letting everyone see it again.
News from Sequim:
It seems that this area has grown sufficiently to support the concept of ...(gasp)... malls!
A request last week to rezone 51 acres east of the Sequim Avenue highway 101 to encompass a large 'commercial development' was tabled for further input after Sequimmers showed up at the public council meeting to protest the change in 'the way of life that is small-town Sequim.' The council will meet Monday night to consider this rezoning request. - no public testimony will be taken at that meeting.
Read in the Peninsula Daily News this morning:
Filed Thursday with Sequim Planning Department was a second plan - 'a Regional shoppping center larger than Silverdale' to be called Sequim Town Square - on 63 acres- extending from the Visitor's Center south and east to the highway. This proposal also includes private developer's willingness to finance the missing half of the Sindars Road exit off Highway 101 - since the WA Dept of Transportation can't find the money to build it. Rumors put Home Depot and Fred Meyer as possible big tenants...
Sequim may officially have 4200 citizens - but the trading area is bigger than that- evidently much bigger!
Oh My!
Post Script June 24, 2003 - All that went by the boards when the real bombshell was dropped: Wal-Mart is planning a superstore for the west end of town on the property at the NW intersection of Priest Road and Washington Street. And across the street from that, Home Depot and Albertson's grocery have been mentioned as the anchors in a 12 building Mall. The commerce center of town would just shift west if all this comes to pass. Public hearings that have been held have gone into the wee hours. And Wal-Mart's lawyers don't think people will use Priest Road much- that 2-lane narrow bumpy country road connection? oh-oh!
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© Helen Hille and deebrrs, 2003
Last updated Sept.6,2003