Enid on Anchor Beach
Last night we met a couple around our age when we arrived at Anchor Point and walked on the beach. Enid talked to the woman and found that they were from Cincinnati, but originally from South Dakota, so they actually knew where Saskatchewan was. Like us they have been on the road since July 15, and like us they are tenting (most of the time), which is pretty unusual for people our age. Most of those in tents are young families or Europeans. We’ve been in the tent almost every day since the beginning of July, only three days at home while packing, one night in a cabin in Dawson City, and one night at Colleen Polson’s in Eagle River were in buildings.
In the conversation the woman mentioned that there was an art gallery along the road to Homer that we should visit. It was called the Norman Lowell gallery. When we left this morning we didn’t take the main highway, but followed an older road. It was paved but narrow and crooked. Because it was not the main road we didn’t see the gallery, but when we pulled into the viewpoint at the entrance to Homer we did see the couple again. They had camped in one of the other campgrounds here just to the east. They mentioned the gallery again, so we made a point to go back by the other main road.
We found the spot on the way back to our campsite from Homer and pulled into the gallery, which is about five miles south of the town of Anchor Point. It is a short drive up a gravel road to the top of a bluff. We expected to see a small commercialized site selling souvenirs. We were very surprised instead to find a large building, several thousand square feet in area, with somewhere around 100 paintings on display by the artist, Norman Lowell. An elderly gentleman, he greeted us at the door and shook our hand, and then we spent a relaxing hour walking around the gallery and looking at the paintings.
All of the paintings there are his original works, many done in the 1990’s when he lost his sight in one eye to glaucoma, but some from both earlier and later periods. Much of the work is largely scenic, but beautifully done. He had some pictures in other styles, notably one that was quite abstract done in the 60’s that I really liked. It was a representation of “Fire” though I don’t recall its actual title. He does a remarkably good job of capturing light on snow. Perhaps that is not surprising for one who has lived there since 1958 when he homesteaded on the spot where the gallery now stands. It was a very peaceful relaxing experience, with soft music playing, beautiful scenery in the art work, and no charge at all.
We came back to our campsite at Halibut Campground and again went for a walk on the beach. The tide was going out, and so there were bigger waves from the current. A couple of kayaks were out in the inlet. After that we came back and cooked our halibut supper, which was delicious.
A young couple from Anchorage is camped as our neighbours. Enid spoke to the woman who had a two year old son and a four month old baby while she was down watching the ocean this evening. Later the woman and her son came by and invited us to join them at their fire. We went and Enid roasted a marshmallow. We took a quick tour of their twenty two foot long boat, which is outfitted so that you can sleep on board. They were planning to put it in the water tomorrow to go fishing. We left them at about 10:30, just as it started to rain.