A tribute to all of those race day volunteers
This friendly volunteer was among hundreds who supported the Mayor’s Marathon in Anchorage in 2009. Thanks volunteers for making all races a success.

I love running. I have run numerous marathons, half marathons, mountain races, and even an ultra. So I support running and races. Always.

However, I am a bit dubious about massive marathons these days and who they benefit, like the Rock ‘n’ Roll Marathon in Seattle today, June 21. They clog city streets by closing major arterials for hours, outside companies who do not report their earnings pocket profits using public property and disrupt local businesses, and no proceeds from the event go to support local community sports events that cater to lower-income people who can’t afford race fees that are now $75 and even more.

I think cities need to support healthy events, like races. However, they can and should establish memoranda of understanding with companies, like the organizers of the Rock n Roll Marathon Series, and require that these companies share some of the earnings made from public resources to support sports activities for the general public. Perhaps there can be a fund to support trail development and safer streets in areas that do not have nice parks for people of all ages. That way those inconvenienced by for-profit events can get future health benefits and the city can show its residents that the public inconvenience contributes to a public good.

Always these for-profit events have volunteers. These are the unsung heroes of any race. Anyone who has hit the last water stands loves those smiley faces, oranges, and water. The Mayor’s Marathon in Anchorage, which is almost entirely off-road and on trails and dirt roads at Joint Base Elmendorf-Fort Richardson, is my model of a great marathon. It is locally run (albeit supported by large corporate benefactors), supported by fund-raising groups like Team in Training, and well supported by local volunteers. Go Mayor’s. Here is a photo I snapped while running at about mile 9 as I ran the half marathon at Mayor’s in 2009, when I had a nasty pulled muscle and had to pull the plug on the full distance. I loved those cheery volunteers who lined the Tony Knowles Coastal Trail to make my race day a memorable experience. Thanks volunteers!

(Click on the photo to see a larger picture on a separate picture page.)

 

Rural King County, Auburn to Enumclaw

 

Taken June 2014.
Taken June 2014.
Taken June 2014.
Taken June 2014

I live in King County, the most populous in Washington state, home to Microsoft, Amazon, Boeing, and other major global corporations. Billionaires by the bushel live here, and private wealth abounds. But there is also another King County, just outside those urban areas and in semi-rural communities that are unincorporated. The bustle of Seattle is not found here. In fact in some places, it is quite the opposite. Here are a few scenes on Highway 164, on a drive from the city of Auburn to the city of Enumclaw.

The beauty of a World Cup meme, starring goalkeeper Guillermo Ochoa

I am a soccer fanatic. Yes I am. I played all my life, back on defense, until I tore my ACL for the second time in 2005. But I still love “el jogo bonito,” as the Brazilian hosts call it. And I love great sportsmanship, great team efforts, and great displays of soccer excellence (yes, I will use the Americanism, not the universal term futbol, as I am writing mostly for an American audience).

On June 17, the Mexican keeper Guillermo “Memo” Ochoa put on a  show that dazzled the world soccer community at the 2014 World Cup in Brazil. Mexico tied Cup host Brazil to a heart-thumping 0-0 draw. Miraculously, every time the yellow jerseys looked certain to score against the Tri, the defiant Ochoa said with a block and deflection, not today, you shall not score. I would say nearly every Brazilian old enough to watch television regrets that this amazing, young Mexican sports star had ever worn the Mexican jersey, and every Mexican knows who he is and why he suddenly became a national hero.

Ochoa showed that a great defense can beat even the best offense. You do not play like this every day. You have to be in the zone, when everything happens slowly, deliberately, as if in pre-ordained fashion. And so it was written, 0-0, with both teams grabbing a single point and left to wonder at what happened on the pitch at Fortaleza, Brazil. It was magic, and thanks for the show Memo.

A day later, of course, or likely in real time, the social media world was ablaze with Ochoa memes. Here were a few I found online, and to me they represent a brilliant form of creativity and enthusiasm for a game that, well, is more than a game. Also, this is one of the rare times I am going to republish material that I did not create. These images are by their instant distribution and fusion of different forms collective art, and now part of the global media landscape. (Last I checked, they also are not copyright protected. I’ll take them down if someone points out these are.)

Open water swimming, sweeping the world
I took this at the Friday Night Swim race at Kent, Wash.’s Meridian Lake in August 2012.

 

If you have not noticed people swimming in lakes, rivers, and oceans, there is a significant global movement embracing this really old sport. Open water swimming as a competitive sport is taking place everywhere, it seems, and you can find a race and plan a trip just about anywhere to time your travels with a race. I took this race shot in Kent, Wash., at a half, mile, and two-mile contest in August 2012 (the Friday Night Swims at Meridian Lake). Where I live, in Seattle, certain areas of lakes are even protected as swimming areas from boat traffic (smart idea). My only regrets about this great sport are the cost to get wetsuits if the water is too cold, meaning mostly higher-income athletes pursue this sport, and the culture of swimming has yet to penetrate a more diverse group of Americans. The key is to get all kids in the pool as early as possible and show them how great this activity is. I love it. (Click on the photo to see a larger picture on a separate picture page.)

 

 

The St. Louis Arch, inside looking out
I stood under the Arch in May 2013 and snapped this shot during a fast-arriving spring storm (2014).

The Gateway Arch, in St. Louis, Mo., is one of the world’s greatest monuments. I grew up in its shadow, always in awe. The 630-foot steel structure, designed by genius architect Eero Saarinen, stands on the banks of the Mississippi River, as a monument to the country’s historic expansion into the West. Beneath the museum one can explore that story, including the impacts on Native Americans, at the National Park Service-run Museum of Westward Expansion. If you do not take a long elevator trip to the top, you can stand underneath it and gaze at is beautiful form. Surprisingly, I have yet to see this great structure destroyed in a Hollywood blockbuster by marauding aliens, large monsters, or natural disasters. One day the Arch will get a starring role, I know.

I published a black and white version of this photo on my black and white photo gallery.

Port of Seattle icon
A former cement kiln stands guard near the Port of Seattle (2014).

The Port of Seattle is surrounded by light and heavy industrial facilities, including a former cement kiln seen here. There are endless forms, shapes, and typologies to photograph and document in this area. I could spend days in these spaces and still never tell their story.

Cemetery, Vik, Iceland
You can see how Icelanders’ naming traditions are expressed on these headstones (son of and daughter of). I snapped this in June 1998 during my first trip to Iceland.

I stayed in Vik for a night way back in 1998, and I enjoyed the location on the windswept North Atlantic, facing the sea. Lots of great opportunities for photographic moments in such a small place. (Click on the photograph to see a larger picture on a separate picture page.)

You never forget the first time you step foot in Greenland

 

I took this shot in June 1998, on a beautiful Greenland morning.

Yesterday I discovered some nice photos taken of east Greenland, in fjords near the air hub of Kulusuk. This is the sparsely inhabited region of Greenland, a home rule territory still within the Kingdom of Denmark. I landed in Kulusuk in June 1998. I will never forget this flight, from Reykjavik, Iceland. I flew on the very tough Bombardier Dash-8 prop plane, and my captain was a wonderful Greenlander who I then hired to charter a boat trip up a fjord near Nuuk, the capital, to find Viking archaeological ruins. The air when I stepped off for the refueling stop was crisp. Those arctic low hanging fog clouds shrouded the mountains. My fellow passengers were all delighted to be back home. I was in heaven. This trip changed my life.

You can see more of my photos shot in 1998, 1999, and 2000 on my Greenland picture gallery. (Click on photograph to open a larger picture on a separate picture page.)

Rain falling on blue heron
Taken in Portland, April 2014.

Blue herons can be seen in areas in urban areas like Portland and Seattle because of protected habitat where they nest. I snapped this one in Portland on the last weekend of April, wandering through Portland’s amazingly beautiful Crystal Springs Rhododendron Garden, very near where I once attended college. Many poems can be written about these elegant avians.

Marine life revealed with Puget Sound’s low tide
Taken June 12, 2014.
Taken June 12, 2014.
Taken June 12, 2014.

This week, low tides are giving area resident excellent views of the diverse marine life in tidal areas just off West Seattle at Constellation Park. Volunteer guides offer tours and information to residents and young school kids. If you live in Seattle, you definitely should add this to your to do list and be prepared for getting your feet wet. It is well worth it.