Cool, cloudy Labor Day and our family is on a “nature hike” in Woodland Park (yes, we like to take it easy).

Underneath a very large, wide tree just uphill from the main parking lot we stumbled upon a secret sculpture garden built from broken branches and twigs simply arranged by balancing and leaning against each other and the tree.

The beauty and ingenuity of this is breathtaking.

It is as if a tribe of wood elves has crept in during the night.  Except I know it’s not magic, but ordinary people like us making art out of what we find.

Could the Olympic Sculpture Park display anything better?  We made our own – surprisingly easy – contributions and moved on, awed, but reassured.