The Rocktopus is a large stone mosaic depiction of an octopus on top of a large boulder, with some tentacles wrapped around nearby wooden posts and smaller boulders. The design was conceived by Oliver Strong while the mosaic was completed by Maureen Wall. Both sculptors were based in the Port Angeles and Sequim area but have interesting stories. Oliver Strong and his wife Penny are originally from South Africa, but sailed over to the United States during the early 1990’s while her native country was struggling with violence from apartheid and the AIDS epidemic. They have been here since, starting businesses and even raising a family of five children, four of whom were born in the states. However, they were not US citizens, and Immigration and Homeland Security officials have detained them multiple times due to a lapse in their visas. The community and local government officials have rallied around them to oppose their deportation. The best outcome was that they were allowed voluntary deportation to leave the country on their own terms within 45 days. Maureen Wall is an artist who has created sculptures in both the United States and throughout Europe. During a visit to Port Angeles, The Wild Images Team captured a photo of this sign with the sculpture to honor the artists who came together to create this work of art. The Wild Images Team has captured many other photos in Washington and neighboring Oregon such as the deep blue hues of swirled clouds and rim peaks reflected in Crater Lake, the Hoh Rainforest green moss covers every possible branch, and the right place at the right time rainbow over the Mt. St. Helens remnants, each of which are available for sale in our store. Blog posts from Washington and Oregon include the sharp looking view through the Lava Cast Forest, the optical illusion of blue waters and white streaks in Crater Lake, the starkly colorful rainbow rises over the devastation of Mt. St. Helens, the moment The Wild Images Team Coordinator Christina is imprisoned by rainforest tree roots, the interesting story of the Port Angeles waterfront Rocktopus Sculpture, and its accompanying bronze plaque of charitable organizations. The Wild Images Team has also captured many other photos in nearby California such as the scene of a blooming thunderstorm over Joshua Tree National Park, the lava flow created streaked ridge in Lassen Volcanic National Park, and the high altitudes where a giant sequoia is larger and redder than others, the steep Hyde Street view of Alcatraz Island and San Francisco Bay, the drastic slope of the abrupt drop off of Taylor Street, the Pine Street colorful terraced houses with background buildings, the historic looking beautiful terraced houses and a Classic VW Beetle, and the Asian inspired intricately ornate Chinatown scene, each of which are available for sale in our store. Blog posts from California have documented the long and winding road climb to the giants of Sequoia National Park, the size comparison of The Wild Images Team Coordinator Christina and the giant tree, the massive view where giant sequoias maintain their diameters over hundreds of feet, an overlook into the Merced River Valley with Liberty Cap, the road heading towards the sheer monolith of El Capitan, the road heading towards desolate ridges of Joshua Tree National Park, the location where the road rises out of Bumpass Hell, a beach dune covered view of the secret underground World War II bunker, the reflective tower of the Marriott Marquis over the Yerba Buena Gardens, the distinctively ornate Asian architecture and decor of Chinatown, the musically inspired melting records with album covers mural, the long strange trip of the Grateful Dead Jerry Garcia mural, the places where steep sidewalks have stairs cut into them, the street where a tree gives a sense of the steepness, the expansive view of Nob Hill from Telegraph Hill and the oppositely directed view from Telegraph Hill to the northeast, the descent in the upper portion of the Filbert Steps, followed by the middle portion of the Filbert Steps with a pose by The Wild Images Team Coordinator on the steps, followed by the lower portion of the Filbert Steps, and at the bottom a view up the Filbert Street steps again with a pose by The Wild Images Team Coordinator below the steps.
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