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?

SHREWS, MICE AND MOLES: THE PAINTING

Recently, I posted Mrs. Trowbridge's sketch of Shrews, Mice and Moles. Above is the exquisitely soft watercolor that she painted from her sketch. Sometimes I liken Mrs.T to a busy little robot. Though she was constantly occupied with her family and community responsibilities, she always returned to her journal, where she scribed and painted her lovely pictures. She was faithful to her painting throughout her life. Mrs. T lived with her family on Wild Rose Creek, in the rain forest village of Huckleberry Hollow.

WOODROW THE ROCK CLIMBER

For those of you who are new to this blog, Violet Trowbridge was a Trowbridge shrew who lived about two centuries ago in the Quinault Rain Forest in Washington State, USA. As a young shrew, her mother taught her the art of calligraphy and watercolor. Using her pen and brush, she recorded life as she saw it through most of her life in the village of Huckleberry Hollow. 

A number of years ago, while hiking up Wild Rose Creek in the Quinault Rain Forest, I found a tiny gold box on a mossy ledge that contained a toad-skin leather cover book, which was titled The Trowbridge Chronicles. I had found a myth-shrouded treasure, which today provides us with a glimpse of life long ago among the small creatures in the rain forest. These journal pages are her story, in her own hand-scribed words. 

Today's story: Woodrow, Violet's husband has taken up rock climbing and has brought his new rock climbing equipment along on their family summer outing in the high meadows. Mrs. Trowbridge has deftly sketched her handsome husband as he enjoys the view from atop a towering five-foot boulder.

Mrs. Trowbridge captures Woodrow in charcoal as he rappels down a boulder. I have spent many days and nights in the high meadows of the Olympic wilderness. I have, in fact, made a number of treks into Wild Rose Creek, where Mrs. T lived with her family. My times in the Olympic Mountains have been among the most special and memorable times of my life. 

Have you seen my other art blog? It's called Bron Smith's Flights of Fantasy.