Beth Lynden

Beth Lynden 

Beth Lynden a spry old lady that had posted a little card on the Opportunities Board offering a walk in the park to artists that were unfamiliar with the local flora and fauna. In the Spring and Summer she put on a Walk every weekend if the weather was bearable. It was reputed to be an amusing walk. I didn’t and don’t know the names of any plants, nor can I recognize any birds, and very few animals.

She was a published local author of stories about the early pioneer days in Seattle, interspersed with little mysteries, intrigues, duels, murders, and naughty behavior. Later it came to light that she was not much of a researcher and that some of the stories were fanciful and semi-factual interpretations. I don’t think anyone brought this to her attention publicly in her lifetime, because she was such a charming little character.

We met at the entrance of the Arboreatum near Lake Washington at 9:30, and went for a long walk during which she twittered along pointing out about a thousand plants and discussed whatever varieties of birds, slugs, snails, snakes, insects that crossed our path. This walk was in about 1960 and the park is now much more developed. At that time it was dirt paths with muddy spots and most of it unavailable to cars. She was in her black rubber knee-high boots, and we fools tagging along were in miscellaneous footwear that soon soaked through. By the end she was vibrant and we tagalongs were exhausted and hungry.