A zebra that has been hoofing through the foothills of western Washington for days was recaptured Friday evening, nearly a week after she escaped with three other zebras from a trailer near Seattle.

Local residents and animal control officers corralled the zebra named “Shug” in the community of Riverbend, about 30 miles (48 kilometres) east of Seattle, the Regional Animal Services of King County wrote on its website.

“The zebra seemed to be in good condition despite her nearly week-long adventure in the woods,” the agency wrote.

Shug was one of four zebras that escaped as they were being transported from Washington to Montana last Sunday. The driver had taken the Interstate 90 exit for North Bend, in the Cascade mountain foothills about 30 miles (48 kilometres) east of Seattle, to secure the trailer, when the animals got loose — surprising residents and drivers as they galloped into a rural neighbourhood.

Three were quickly captured after being corralled in a pasture. But the fourth — a mare who was initially dubbed “Z” — hopped a fence and disappeared. Shug’s adventure quickly captured public attention, spawning social media memes that placed the animal everywhere from riding a ferry across Puget Sound to rounding the bases at T-Mobile Park, home of the Seattle Mariners.

But there were more credible sightings elsewhere: Some area residents spotted Shug on their trail cameras, and that sparked some concerns since the cameras also recently captured cougars in the area.

Earlier Friday, King County officials closed off trail access points along the Snoqualmie Valley Trail in the Boxley Creek Natural Area, where the zebra seemed to be frequenting. People trying to see the zebra there may have been spooking it, making it harder to recapture, they said. Feeding zones were set up to help coax the animal out for a rescue.

Owner Kristine Keltgen previously told The Seattle Times she bought the zebras in Lewis County, Washington, and was bringing them to a petting zoo she runs near Anaconda, in southwestern Montana. She had been on the road for about two hours when she noticed one of the trailer’s floor mats was flapping and dragging behind her. When she opened the door to adjust the mat, the zebras ran out. Several people stopped to help corral the animals, including a rodeo clown and horse trainers, but Shug had managed to elude those attempts.

Shug will now be transported to Montana to join the rest of the dazzle, or group, of zebras, Regional Animal Services of King County said.

LANGFORD, B.C. –

When Damon Langlois visited the beach as a boy, he never would have imagined how significant sand would become in his life.

“I never really looked at the sand as an artistic medium,” Damon says.

Back then, Damon preferred drawing people, before growing-up to design products.

“That’s very permanent though,” Damon says. “Whereas sand sculpture is ephemeral.”

But then Damon met a co-worker who sculpted with sand and was invited to try it, he connected with a creative process he calls “intense relaxation.”

“Its just you and the sand and everything washes away,” Damon says.

Even when hundreds of people are watching you.

“I basically dove into the deep-end of competitive sculpting,” Damon smiles.

Damon went on to win five world championships, and earn a Guinness World Record for Tallest Sand Castle, before being hired to travel to Kuwait and design the biggest sand castle park ever made.

“It immersed people in the best stories from the Arabian Nights,” Damon says. “It’s like a graphic novel that you went through.”

Over seven months, Damon researched the stories, and designed dynamic scenes to tell them, before working with more than 70 of the globe’s top talents to build the equivalent of six football fields worth of awe-inspiring wonder.

“You’re looking up at the sculptures that are towering above you and tears were coming from my eyes,” Damon recalls. “I can’t believe this is happening. This is my life’s work.”

And then the storm hit. Damon was told it was the worst in 50 years. It rained relentlessly for three days.

“We watched the park literally get destroyed in front of us,” Damon recalls.

The team was defeated and Damon wondered how they could possibly recover.

“I gave an underdog football coach speech to the team,” Damon laughs. “The Europeans all rolled their eyes and the North Americana where like, ‘Yeah!’”

But like the characters in the epic stories they were sculpting, Damon inspired all the artists to be part of a real-life tale about overcoming adversity.

“It was an opportunity to be heroes,” Damon recalls saying. “To come back from this devastation and still make some things beautiful – which we did.”

Now a decade later, Damon is publishing a book about the project titled “Stories in Sand,” featuring his versions of the Arabian Nights tales, illustrated with pictures from the sculpture park.

“I would say it’s masterpiece of sand sculpture,” Damon says of the team’s work.

And the story behind it is proving to be a master class in resilience, plus — after all the beauty that the artists re-built eventually blew away — a lesson in letting go.

“Nothing is forever,” Damon says. “Everything has its cycle and returns to the earth.” 

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Even when you are lucky enough to start with an empty room, it can be overwhelming to design an interior that you can enjoy for years to come. Following some basic interior design principles, you can transform your space into a relaxing room you will be comfortable and happy with. Decide what your focal point will be and build out from there.  For best results, keep proportion and scale in mind as you decorate as well as these tips!

 Deciding on Your Focal Point
Do you have a magnificent bay window with an incredible view?  Is there an ornate mantle that is the reason you fell in love with your home? Or is there something you absolutely MUST HAVE in the room? Situate your furniture around your chosen focal point to create balance and equilibrium. If your room does not already have an existing focal point, create one with oversized art or add an accent point like a free-standing fireplace, they come in a variety of sizes and styles. Symmetrically balance the room evenly so that both sides mirror one another.  This will help your chosen focal point stand out all the more! Use matching accent tables to flank your sofa or use different pieces of furniture to create a copacetic visual impact, like two similar armchairs to balance a sofa.
Repetition for Rhythm
Rhythm creates a flow and helps direct the eye to the differing visual elements in your room. Just as the notes of a favorite song repeat to create the rhythm, repetition in decor will create a rhythm throughout a home. Establish visual interests with a rhythm throughout your space by placing similar colours or patterns at intervals and repeat in artwork, cushions or area rugs.

Perfect Proportion and Suitable Scaling
Who doesn’t love a large, overstuffed chair? But if your room is on the smaller size it may look out of place and make your room seem even smaller than it is. Keep proportion in perspective. Proportion is the ratio between a piece of furniture and the size of a room. Scale is the size of a piece of furniture in relation to the other pieces of furniture in the room. A super large chair will overpower an apartment of loft size sofa or loveseat and create a sense of unbalance in the room.

Have your room humming harmoniously
Creating harmony will enhance how much you will continue to love your finished. Pull the room with a subdued colour palette for a pleasing, harmonious vibe.   together for a pleasing, harmonious look with a subdued color palette. You can also use a single colour for elements that vary in size and shape. Check out our blog on Doing White on White Right! for more tips!

What is the focal point in your room?  What is your best tip to find harmony and balance through your home?