The text and paintings on The Trowbridge Chronicles are taken from the illustrated journal of Violet Trowbridge, a shrew that once lived in a village deep in the Olympic Rain Forest. Each new post will represent a portion of Mrs. Trowbridge’s journal.

Wednesday, June 04, 2014

The Northern Realm of Trowbridge Chronicles



 Many of you know that about ten years ago I happened upon a tiny journal encased in a small gold box while hiking cross-country up Wild Rose Creek in the Olympic Wilderness of Washington State, USA. A glint of light caught my eye from the other side of the creek. I was puzzled that any solid object deep in the wilderness would reflect light. So I crossed the creek, climbed up a mossy ledge and found the little gold box resting on a bed of sphagnum moss. That's the short version of how I found Mrs. Violet Trowbridge's tiny journal that she called The Trowbridge Chronicles. Mr. Trowbridge was a Trowbridge Shrew, by the way. As a superb scribe and watercolorist, she journaled much of life as it was at that time (about 200 years ago) in the tiny forest village of Huckleberry Hollow on Wild Rose Creek. I've made several treks up Wild Rose Creek, which was Mr's T's home territory. It has always been a thrill to be "in her neighborhood".

I kept the journal for about three years, then decided to make it public, one page at a time. That's how The Trowbridge Chronicles was born to the world. I hope you've enjoyed Mrs. T's writing, scribing and watercolor work on this blog. I'm continually inspired by her work.

The above photo, taken by my good friend, noted photographer Ross Hamilton, looks south across Dungeness Valley and the town of Sequim on the North Olympic Peninsula of Washington State, USA. The snow-capped peaks of the Olympic Mountains loom in the background. Mrs. T documented her journeys through the Olympic Wilderness with her family and friends, and some of her family treks took her to the northern boundary of the Olympic Mountains, which you see here. This is The Northern Realm of The Trowbridge Chronicles. I was born and raised in this valley, in the town of Sequim.

Have you seen my other blog, Bron Smith's Flights of Fantasy?