Washington State

Boys and military toys

Taken in 1999.

Every August, Seattle celebrates Seafair. This includes visits by U.S. warships and, with the exception of last year, flyovers by the Blue Angels jets. Inevitably, this leads to endless local debates about the value of high-priced spectacles that glorify military prowess and hardware, even as we fail to meet the basic needs of millions of citizens. Supporters of the event adore the spectacle, and truly, it is a spectacle. In 1999, when the event was even bigger, visitors were allowed on the U.S. Carl Vinson aircraft carrier. That is when I snapped this photo of young boys literally groping the nose cone of a navy jet. There is something profoundly male and telling about this. We boys grow up loving and then using these tools of war. I believe were I that I age, I would be one of the guys reaching up to touch the icon. (Click on the photograph to see a larger picture on a separate picture page.)

Sunset over Seattle’s Salmon Bay

Taken in July 2014.

We have had an amazing string of clear, warm evenings. All of them produce scenes like the one here, as the sun sets over the distant Olympic Mountains and boat traffic quiets down near the Fishermen’s Terminal at Salmon Bay. (Click on the photograph to see a larger picture on a separate picture page.)

Cherry pickers, Washington state

I took this photo in 1999 of cherry pickers who were living in the woods near Wenatchee.

Given that the fate of migrant children from Central America arriving at the United States’ southern border is now an international news story, I decided to dig up and publish some of my picture series taken in 1999, on cherry pickers and migrant workers in Washington state. The agricultural industry in Washington is staffed almost entirely by foreign-born labor to pick, harvest, and sort the many crops from cherries to apples to hops that make your local beer tasty. Some are workers who travel seasonally. Some are brought here under temporary permits, the H-2A visas. Make no mistake, the state’s economy would grind to a halt without these workers, and their work contributes to the wealth of this huge economic sector, which at last count in 2012 generated nearly $10 billion in the state.

When I took this photo, there was a housing crisis, and workers were camping on public lands, and efforts were launched to find affordable housing. These problems remain. Meanwhile, the debate over immigration and the fate of millions of undocumented workers continues. Here in Washington state, some of the workers will be authorized (they are being brought in from Jamaica, even). Others will be here without authorization. And nearly all of us who eat fruits and vegetables will be continue buying the low-cost produce picked by people why do hard work many U.S. citizens do not wish to do.

For more portrait photographs, please visit my portrait gallery on my web site. (Click on the photograph to see a larger picture on a separate picture page.)

That which we call a Seattle rose

Taken in July 2014.

July means all of the roses are in full bloom at Seattle’s Woodland Park Zoo Rose Garden. This is a beautiful place, in the highly organized, English garden sort of way, with a diverse palate of roses arranged in the tidiest of beds. Lots of weddings are held here, which likely surprises no one. I came here right after an evening rain. I found the ambiance just right for appreciating these thorny plants that star-crossed lovers and clever florists deem to be essential elements in the critical matters of the heart. (Click on each photograph to see a larger picture on a separate picture page.)

The Ballard Locks, meeting place of tourists and salmon

A father and son watch migrating sockeye in the viewing area where salmon can swim up fish ladders on their way to breeding grounds upstream. (Taken in July 2014.)

It warms my heart to see people watching the glory of nature and not connected to machines and not caught in distractions that take away from the wonder of the present moment. (Taken in July 2014).

Tourists listen to an interpreter at the Ballard Locks, July 2014.

The Ballard Locks, run by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, is one of the most popular spots for visitors and locals alike. July is a particularly great time to visit, to see migrating sockeye, and even an occasional king, swim up the fish ladders, en route to their breeding grounds upstream from Lake Washington. Even if you live here, this is a great place to visit, often. No visitor I have hosted has walked away disappointed. For the record, the official name of this site, built originally for regional flood control, is the Hiram M. Chittenden Locks. (Click on each photo to see a larger picture on a separate picture page.)

Counting flowers at the stall, that don’t bother me at all …

Why do I think of the Statler Brothers’ classic, Counting Flowers on the Wall. I took this picture in July 2012.

I seemed to see an inordinate number of couples walking away from the uber-trendy Ballard market this past Sunday. In all cases I saw, it was the women, not the guys, carrying away the bouquets. (Guys, this is what you may wish to consider as your surprise gift on a Sunday morning.) The regional flower market, at farmers markets, is quite interesting. In the Puget Sound, where I live, mostly Laotian-American entrepreneurs grow and sell their flowers at these markets around the Sound. And they are really lovely in the brilliant displays of color and natural design. Thanks, Momma Nature. (Click on the picture to see a larger photo on a separate picture page.)

An evening with hundreds of onlookers at Seattle’s Kerry Park

On beautiful evenings, one should try to enjoy the moment and hopefully the outdoors, wherever you are. Here is the spot people love in Seattle, at Kerry Park, overlooking Elliott Bay and downtown.

The foreign-flagged city on the seas heads to Alaska

The Bahamas’-flagged Norwegian Jewel sets sail for the pristine waters of Alaska in July 2014.

Alaska cruise ships operate in U.S. and Canadian waters, yet are exempt from U.S. labor laws and most corporate taxes by virtue of being incorporated and flagged in third countries and because of the Jones Act. This obscure maritime law allows cruise line firms to use foreign-built ships and foreign labor, not U.S. ships and U.S. workers, in U.S. waterways because they make a port of call in another country (Canada). These enormous ships’ crews hail from many countries, like Italy and the United Kingdom, and have lower-paid workers below the deck who come from developing nations such as the Philippines, Pakistan, Bangladesh, and India. These employees are not paid equivalent U.S. wages.

However, it is unlikely most of the passengers on these massive ships know who is even running the ship that passes through some of the world’s most beautiful waterways, in British Columba, Washington state, and Alaska. Most of those passengers are having a great time, eating buffets and gambling, shopping, and stopping at small towns like Ketchikan, Skagway, and Sitka. If you want read about how odd these floating feeding frenzies can be, read the late David Foster Wallace’s short story called Shipping Out. Wallace notes, “All of the Megalines offer the same basic product–not a service or a set of services but more like a feeling: a bland relaxation and stimulation, stressless indulgence and frantic tourism, that special mix of servility and condescension that’s market under configurations of the verb ‘to pamper.'”

They also make money for the towns where the dock and the cities that host the ships, like Seattle, so they have many supporters. The corporations that own these ships also fund very sophisticated business advocacy teams that ensure regulations that control their discharges (see EPA fact sheet) do not impact the profitability of their operations in either Canada or the United States. Fights over their discharges, including waster water and air emissions, have been ongoing for years.

I photographed the Norwegian Jewel as it was pulling out of the Port of Seattle, en route to Southeast Alaska, on July 12. Run by Norwegian Cruise Lines of Florida, it was built in Germany, is flagged in the Bahamas, and can hold more than 3,500 passengers and crew members. Information on the country of origin of the crew members is not readily accessible. My guess is most of the people on the deck of this ship could care very little about any of the larger regulatory issues discussed in this summary, and they will have a fun trip while being pampered. (Click on the photography to see a larger picture on a separate picture page.)

Summer sunsets in Seattle

Taken July 12, 2014.

Taken July 12, 2014, from West Seattle.

We have had some amazingly beautiful evenings out here in one of the most expensive, and beautiful, cities in the United States. With scenes like these, no wonder speculators are paying $1 million and higher for homes that about five years ago sold for about $600,000. Oh well, might as well enjoy it while I can, and come up with that brilliant business plan soon. (Click on each photograph to see a larger picture on a separate picture page.)

Salsa and Seattle Sunsets at Alki