While I was going through my image library to find images to share in this weeks posts, I came across this photo of a pond in the Billy Frank Jr. Nisqually National Wildlife Refuge outside of Olympia, WA. It made me think of a certain reflecting pool and the struggles of people attempting to control the algal growth. That made me smile. I hope it does you too.
Located on Bainbridge Island, just a short ferry ride across Puget Sound from Seattle, the Bloedel Nature Reserve includes the Bloedel Mansion. The gardens are a photographers delight. The preserve and mansion are open to the public for tours or for just walking through and enjoying the luxury that was paid for from the profits of being a timber baron.
A reminder:
I have a book available on the Kindle site. It is a memoir titled 60 Years of Hiking in the Olympics. It has over 100 photographs and covers more than 100 different hikes and backpacks. I have it priced to share at $2.99 (US).
Here’s the link (Click the “Get Book” button):
Just to be clear, the dam below isn’t what made the pond above. I did see a beaver once in the pond, one day when I was there late in the evening. The dam below is across a ditch that was left from building the dike which kept out salt water from the fields used by a dairy farm. That was back in the olden days before the dikes were breached to provide salt marsh as habitat for salmon.
I thought this was interesting algae that had grown on one of the beaver ponds at the Billy Frank Jr. Nisqually National Wildlife Reserve (just east of Olympia). I like the bare branches of the alder and cottonwood in the background … a nice contrast. Sorry I don’t have a name for the Algae for those of you interested in such details.
The Kestner Homestead is near the Quinault National Park Ranger Station. Depending on your choice of route (there are several loops), the distance is a couple miles. It is a beautiful spot to appreciate the lush growth of this temperate rainforest.
