The Totem That Stands at the Entrance to Port Ludlow…

There’s this Totem…

It stands on a short spit of land welcoming all who come by sea. The cedar tree it was carved from was recovered after a wind storm blew it down. At the time of it’s demise it was 720 years old.

Well… there is this slight problem with my opening description. It faces towards land. It’s back is flat and that is what faces to sea… But hey… it is there and the townspeople wanted it that way so.. there you have it.

The pole depicts the evolution of Port Ludlow from its past natural state to its present as a residential community, arrayed in six Tsimshian figures.

The eagle at the top represents the natural state prior to any human occupation

The two dudes happily interlocking their arms because pandemic just wasn’t part of their lives just yet… being prior to 1918 and now… represent Mr. Pope and Mr. Talbot who happened to get here first, and push the S’Klallam tribe off their tribal land. Oops. I liked the Eagle and bear better… but that’s just me. That being said… I probably grew up in a house of lumber they logged and sawed into boards.

Next comes the beaver… which represents the building phase of Pope Resources, responsible for many things in this neck of the woods. Their precursor companies have been in the area for 165 years… or so.

As Kai and I walked away from the Totem area where I had taken the above pictures, the sun was getting lower and the light was changing. I met Les and she and I sat in a couple of Adirondack chairs looking back at the marina. An eagle was flying around harassing some mallards and other bird types. It landed on the eagle figure on the totem pole and just sat there looking about. Sorry the light is so bad… but it was pretty kewl.