We followed the narrow path into the forest, winding our way past an old grave yard....each individual gravesite surrounded by a small picket fence. The only sound that was heard were our own footsteps upon the forest floor with the occasional hoot of an owl or cry of a passing crow. It felt like we were alone in the world. Deeper into the trees,we climbed a gently sloping hill. Suddenly there it was.....our destination. We felt like we had traveled 2,000 years back in time. Tall Corinthain columns errected in a circle, with shallow steps rising up to the main floor of the edifice...beautiful and unexpected.
The edifice appeared out of "nowhere"....deep in the middle of the forest.....a reminder of things long gone.
Each angle presented a difference perspective......but the Corinthian columns dominated the structure.
Atop the Corinthian columns was a Moorish style arch...painted a pale peach color.
Trying to find the best angle to photograph was not an easy task.....but definitely interesting.
Photographing the photographer......
The massiveness of the Corinthian columns was very impressive.....we literally felt like we could have been on a remote hillside in ancient Greece......
.......when in reality we were on San Juan Island, near the resort town of Roche Harbor. The copy of a Greek temple is actually a family mausoleum called "Afterglow", errected by John McMillian for his family.
In the base of the stone chairs that were surrounding a round stone table, were the ashes of each family member, with their names and dates of their lives.
Not far down the road, is Lime Kiln State Park and Lighthouse. We were hoping for a beautiful sunset that evening.....but we were disappointed.
The Lim Kiln Lighthouse area is a favorite spot to whale watch. Pods of Orca whales travel up and down the strait between San Juan Island and Vancouver Island, Canada. Several years ago we were here watching for whales, when a pod swam by......they stopped, and one huge orca came over very close to shore (no more than 20 feet offshore) and poked his head up and just looked at us. We felt like he was just saying "hi."
The Lime Kiln Lighthouse was the last lighthouse in the United States to receive electricity, because of the difficulty of getting electricty to the remote area. But it is still a working lighthouse....albeit an electric one.
In the summer, Lime Kiln State Park can be very busy....but on this October evening, we met only a few people.
The view looking west toward Vancouver Island, Canada.
It wasn't the sunset we were hoping for.....but it was still a beautiful evening on San Juan Island.
1 comment:
I really like that last photo with the light house. Very pretty colors. You were very poetic with your words in this blog! Fun!
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