Iconic Convos: Afterglow Vista

A day trip out of Seattle up to San Juan Island, near the Canadian border, will take you to one of my favorite Washington icons. At Roche Harbor, a short walk through a wooded cemetery more than a century old will lead to a clearing, in the center of which rests a large stone rotunda.

Afterglow Vista (previously known as McMillin Memorial Mausoleum) seems otherworldly—a classical, open-air rotunda containing Masonic symbols, including a round stone table and chairs (in which the ashes of the McMillin family, along with those of John S. McMillin’s secretary Adah Beeny are interred) in the center of a Pacific Northwest island forest.

Nicole Bearden (NB): What a beautiful spot for a conversation, Afterglow Vista.  

Afterglow Vista (AV): Yes, it is quite peaceful here for most humans. For me, it is less so, but I am glad you are enjoying yourself.

NB: Do you mean the sound of the trees, birds, and the sound of water in the harbor over there?

AV: I can hear all of that as well, and during the summer it can get quite noisy with all of those boats zooming around. However, I was talking about all the ghosts.

NB: What ghosts?

AV: The McMillin ghosts. The ones whose ashes are inside my chairs. And the ones from the cemetery on the trail. They are really enjoying their post-life a bit too much in my opinion.

NB: What do the ghosts do?

AV: What don’t they do?! For one thing, someone is always talking. Yap, yap, yap all day and night. If one ghost decides to be quiet, another three or four start up. And it isn’t as if the conversations are scintillating. They argue about events that happened a hundred years ago or more. [mocking mimic voice] “Rebecca, you took my favorite shawl and lost it.” “William, you tried to take Maria to the cotillion, when you knew I was going to ask her!” Just let it go! Not to mention how they keep making bets about forest creatures.

NB: Bets? What kind? What do they even bet with, they can’t have money.

AV: Exactly! They bet time away from this place, on things like how many baby birds will hatch, where a bird might land, if a squirrel will return by a certain date, or how many humans will visit on a particular day. It’s silly and exhausting to listen to.

NB: It does sound annoying. How do they get time away from here? Are they normally trapped?

AV: They can go where they like for short periods of time, say 20 minutes or so, but for longer periods, they need a corporeal body.

NB: ...And where do they get that? From the graves?! Yikes, like no one would notice a zombie shuffling around.

AV: No, they need something…fresher…than the bones from the graves. So they possess visitors. Not in a way that dictates the host’s actions, of course; it’s more like hitchhiking from what I gather. So they are able to stay away and have new experiences. Only one can go at a time though, so it’s a highly valued bet.

NB: That sounds complicated, and a little scary. Will one of them try to hitch a ride with me? I don’t know how I feel about that. I’m a pretty private person…

AV: No, I made it clear that no one is to ride along with you. They were not happy about it, but I put my column down. Not the broken one, hahaha.

Afterglow Vista stone table

Ken Lane via flickr

NB: Ha, very amusing. [looks around wondering where the ghosts are] I did notice that a column is broken. Is someone going to fix that?

AV: [sighs] Alas, no. It is “symbolic”. Apparently.

NB: What is the symbolism?

AV: Man being cut down before achieving his goals, unfinished business, that sort of thing.

NB: I guess that makes sense then, since there are all these ghosts around.

AV: The real secret is that most of them don’t even have unfinished business; they just saw that the rest of their relatives were here and decided to stick around. A few got bored and eventually moved on—but not enough!

NB: What would your ideal be, as far as the ghosts are concerned?

AV: Listen, I don’t mind them, aside from the noise. They can be good company when they want. I simply wish that they would stick to a schedule and only have gatherings once or twice per week.

NB: Can’t you put your column down again and make them?

AV: If only. No, that is a column too far for these rowdy spirits. I shall simply have to endure. [sighs in persecution]

NB: Well, I am sorry to hear that. Any last words for our readers?

AV: Move on when it is your time! And come visit. Just be aware that you might take home more than you came with—for a little while at least.

NB: Certainly an enticing invitation! You can visit Afterglow Vista until 8 p.m. all week long, in Roche Harbor on San Juan Island.