Outside the Library

I spent this rainy morning at the downtown Bellingham Public Library, where a genealogy book from Seattle Public Library was on hold -- library use only -- for me.

The main library downtown has a wide range of patrons, including folks who have no home in which to spend a rainy day. Public libraries, and the librarians who work in them, offer a haven and help for those who have little of either, and are true blessings in their communities!

Outside the downtown library, at easy reading height, are 10 poems on steel plates (see here), displayed for a year in an area named the Sue Boynton Poetry Walk. Written by Whatcom County residents of all ages, these poems are among the latest Walk Award winners of the annual Sue C. Boynton Poetry Contest, which takes place each spring, judged by two respected Washington state poets. An additional 15 poems receive Merit Awards each year. All 25 poems are also displayed for a year inside Whatcom County Transportation Authority buses.

The lower portion of each of the poetry plates tells a bit about Sue Crocker Boynton, who came to Bellingham as a bride, taught classes at the YWCA, and helped organize Bellingham's PTAs and St. Luke's Hospital Assistance League: Sue C. Boynton (1883-1981) came to Whatcom County in 1906. In her later years, with no prior experience or formal training, she began writing poetry. Her poetry reflects her love of family, her community, and her faith.

Read the other 2014 Walk Award poems here -- I particularly liked Moving On and Physics.  

P.S. Phil took an amazing hummingbird photo today!