Visiting the bunker

Fort Worden State Park, Port Townsend

Today was the first time I have been up to the bunkers at Fort Worden since before the pandemic. I forgot my water bottle in the car, so I couldn’t sing for long after walking up the hill, but I sang Pieta Signore and Down in the Valley.

The color of everything is so rich this time of year. The madrona trees are always very exciting.

My bunker.

It is “U” shaped. There are four of these bunkers in a row - this is the third in the series. But this one, for whatever mysterious reasons of physics, has phenomenal acoustical properties. When you walk into the left side and go about halfway down the straightaway, there is a perfect spot to sing. The sound is mesmerizing. Everything you sing is deep and rich and echoey. It rings. You may hear sound for several seconds after you end the last note. But it varies. Every single time is different. The weather, the humidity, the wind, they all play a role.

On the way down the hill.

There is a wonderful old apple tree in front of the woodworking school at the foot of the hill. These apples made me so hungry today. Not a single one on the ground or within reach.