Mundane Beauty

While driving down Hwy 101 through Olympic National Park today to reach my next destination (Ocean Shores, WA), I was able to enjoy much of the full vertical length of the park. No wonder Ken Burns calls these national spaces ‘America’s Best idea’. Although they may seem commonplace in an area like this, the trees that line these forests are quite spectacular. Douglas Fir, Sitka Spruce, Western Red Cedar - all phenomenally adapted species for this environment and all stately, noble trees.  Given the density of such fauna in the Olympics, I sense they are often taken for granted, perhaps even overlooked. And yet they are quite impressive. Starting only as seed specks in overcrowded soil, they fight to sunlight to carve out a small slice of the sky, only then to tap into the soil with elaborate root systems in constant search of water. Photosynthesis, respiration, transpiration – all vastly intricate processes. If only we could ’stop and smell the roses’ a tad more often, I think we’d discover there is much to celebrate all around, even in the seemingly mundane spaces like a tree canopy along the highway. This beauty of the mundane also inspired a late artist I knew briefly named Christopher Martin Hoff. Driving through the forests today reminded me of him. Living not far from here in Seattle, before his untimely death not long ago, Chris was a plein air painter who marveled in everyday landscapes. He saw ‘common’ landscapes with awe. His work still speaks to me about the splendid treasures 'hidden' all around us, as do the trees that call the Olympic Peninsula home.