Sofia challenges us to “open up the window into the past” with photos of “anything that has had an existence of many years.” You can see her lovely invitation here. As I look about me today on the Long Beach Peninsula, in Washington state, the one constant that is the most ancient is the Pacific Ocean.

For centuries, the Pacific Ocean has inspired peoples living in the Pacific Northwest. Long before British fur trader John Meares, mistook the mouth of the Columbia River for just another Bay (1788) and named it Cape Disappointment, the river and the ocean had been feeding and clothing native populations. I feel blessed to be able to walk along its shoreline on a regular basis, and as the native Chinook people do, feel a spiritual connection by being near the majesty and power of this vast ocean.

In this watery domain live many forms of life, including Jellyfish. The jelly above may be a Fried egg (Phaccellophora camtschatica). It is one of several different kinds of Jellyfish I have found washed up on Long Beach over the years. “Jellyfish have been in existence for at least 500 million years, and possibly 700 million years or more, making them the oldest multi-organ animal group.” (Wikipedia) Older than dinosaurs!

Whenever I see Brown Pelicans, I am struck by what an ancient life form they appear to be. Fossil records date the Pelecanus species’s evolution back at least 30 million years. The modern brown pelican evolved around 5 million years ago in North America.

A fierce advocate for Wildlife Refuges and National Parks, Representative Don Bonker (1937-2023) was responsible for saving an old growth forest, Cedar Grove on Long Island, from being logged and despoiled. Not accessible by land, Long Island is located in the Willapa National Wildlife Refuge near Long Beach, WA. The island hosts a 275 acre cedar grove with trees over 900 years old.

Centuries before Meares (1788), Captain Robert Gray (1792), and Lewis & Clark (1805) this land was stewarded by the Chinook Indian Nation.

Station Camp. https://chinooknation.org/canoe-family/

After 215+ years of broken promises by the United States, the Chinook Indian Nation currently is essentially declared nonexistent in the eyes of the US government. They are unable to access programs and resources which “federally recognized tribes” are entitled to. I find that unconscionable. If you agree with me, you can support them at this website. https://chinooknation.org/political-history/

On your walk with life, please honor our earth, encourage dignity and share kindness. 🐾

Thank you Sofia for another challenge that made me think about who I am and where I am!