Greenlandic Elder, Qassiarsuk
Photographed in Qassiarsuk, Greenland, in 2000.

 

I photographed the 1,000-year anniversary of Leif Ericsson’s exploration to the New World in Greenland in 2000. The attendees included the Queen of Denmark and the President of Iceland, along with all of the prominent Greenlandic leaders, artists, and respected elders. I shot this picture of a Greenlandic elder at the celebration ceremonies that took place in the old Greenland VIking settlement of Brattahlid, today known as Qassiarsuk. That was a very memorable experience. I loved it. You can see more of my Greenland portraits on my Greenlanders gallery. (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.
Taken in July 2014.
Taken in July 2014.
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 not-so Evergreen State east of the Cascades
Central Washington is wide open and vastly different than the moist, wet western half of the state.

Washington’s nickname is the Evergreen State. Well, that is for everyone who lives in the Cascades or west of them. For those in the rain shadow to the east, the climate is distinctly dry, parched, and a genuine desert ecosystem in areas. Massive irrigation, thanks to the dams built during and after the Depression era, turned a lot of the Columbia River Basin into productive agricultural areas, which grow everything from cherries to wine grapes to apples. I love the terrain. Right now, a lot of the dry hills north of where this photo was taken, near Vantage, are either on fire or at risk of fire, with the greatest fires the state has seen. This photo and others of the state’s many faces can be found on my Washington state photo gallery. (Click on the photograph to see a larger picture on a separate picture page.)

Harper’s Weekly’s take on how nationalities resolve disputes

Harper’s Weekly was one of the most influential publications in the United States from the Civil War through the early 1900s, influencing elections and tackling the stories of the nation with drawings that were both witty and at times over the top. This most definitely was the Internet, Twitter, and social media of its day.

This drawing is one such cartoon of thousands. This piece is racist, undoubtedly, given the examples. But then again, the United States comes out looking vicious and, well, remarkably consistent with the long view of history in mind. You can judge yourself.

A friend of mine who collected antiques had purchased and framed this, and I photographed it, mainly because of how the artist captured the way Americans, English, and French resolve their differences. Do take a look the amazingly rich archive of this publication to see how many of the toughest issues of the time were addressed, including slavery, the conquest of the West, and immigration. For example, here’s a drawing of the famous anti-Chinese riots in my home city, Seattle.

Click on the image 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.)

The Raven and Eagle clans

 

Taken in Sitka, Alaska.
Taken in Sitka, Alaska.

Two traditionally carved canoes on display in Sitka, Alaska, show two major clans of Southeast Alaska and British Columbia, the Tlingit and Haida bands. According to the Central Council of Tlingit and Haida Indian Tribes of Alaska, tribal members people are born into either the raven or eagle clan line, established matrilineally through their mother’s family. The council’s web site notes that in Tlingit, Yeil is Raven and Ch’aak is Eagle (Wolf is sometimes used interchangeably with Eagle).

If you have ever been to Southeast Alaska, one can see why these two powerful animals are chosen. The raven is the crafty trickster, the one who helped bring man into the world according to legend. The sneaky and beautiful raven makes haunting, complex noises that echo mysteriously in the damp forests of the region and can create a feast with any food that comes its way (my favorite Alaskan animal). Greenlanders on the far side of the Arctic I met also spoke highly of the raven for being a food thief from other predators. The eagle is the great and proud hunter, with the most watchful gaze one can imagine. Seeing it catch a salmon is an unforgettable sight. But they can also be dumpster divers, going after fish scraps from fish processing plants in Alaska, sometimes with sad consequences.

Personally, I think the raven run circles around the eagle, as bird intellects go.

These photos were taken in 1999. Click on each photo to see a larger picture in 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 hills of Kansas

 

I took this shot in May 2013.

I drove through Kansas in 2013 and took some back roads and found lovely scenery. Here are the hills near the Tallgrass National Prairie Reserve in central Kansas. If you are doing a cross-country trip, consider a detour. Then be sure to head back to the interstate and visit the Dwight D. Eisenhower’s museum in his home town of Abilene. (Click on the photograph to see a larger picture on a separate picture page.)