Swallow(ing) Pride
At Spencer Island, an estuary in Everett, Wash., about 20 miles north of Seattle, I walked in, looking as usual for raptors. I eventually did spy an Osprey, but after being distracted for 2 1/2 hours by Tree Swallows. I usually take these birds for granted because they're using flitting around at warp speed, chasing down insects. However, in a patch of the reserve, they were landing on snags. I let this pair become acclimated to my presence, then I moved in a little, to get a spot-on view. I had some morning sun, which was a blessing since I always seem to draw dreary, cloudy and usually rainy days when I'm out photographing birds. I may be anthropomorphizing, but the following played out several times and it sure seemed to me a scene right out of human parenting, probably circa teenage … [Read More...]
When Keeping It Real Goes Wrong
There’s a certain I-think-I-can-ism that television seems to facilitate with regard to sports. Maybe it’s the angles or the way long shots compress scenes or simply how the sideline reporters just walk up to coaches during a game to discuss strategy. Professional sports now appear so doable on TV that fans are making the leap to participation. After a TV viewer was allowed to drop a dime on Tiger Woods at the Masters last week, you have to wonder what’s next. I mean, can I directly text Lebron James at halftime the next time I notice that his elbow is splayed a little more than usual on his jump-shot release? Or can I Tweet manager Eric Wedge the next time the super-slo-mo on FOX reveals the grip on Felix Hernandez’s cutter is slightly off? Actually, I do know what’s next. … [Read More...]
Susan Cronin’s Unforgettable Life
Several months ago, my late, great friend Dr. M Susan Cronin asked me if I’d write about her after she was gone. “I don’t want to be forgotten,” she said. Susan was so wise about so many things, it’s hard to imagine that she didn’t have a better sense of how unforgettable she truly was. Who else, for example, has ever witnessed a llama fend off an eagle, which tried to fly off with a prized rooster? The eagle initially grabbed up a hen, but dropped it when the rooster attacked, then was snatched instead. As the eagle started to flap away, Coco the llama hacked up a massive spitball, hit it and forced it to abandon the rooster and fly away. Born Jan. 29, 1942, in New York, Susan lived 70 relentless years filled with such wonders. During her lifetime, she fought off … [Read More...]
A Tear-Stained NCAA Women’s Championship
I lost it the moment I spied Moriah Jefferson in the post-game aftermath of the Nike Nationals championship. It was the end of a long summer in 2011 and, sobbing, I told her, “Mo, you are going to have to hold me up.” And she did, so we embraced for a long time, crying together. What moved me so was that Jefferson and her teammates on the DFW T-Jack team out of the Dallas area had delivered on their vow to capture club basketball’s biggest prize in memory of their fallen coach, Marques Jackson, who’d died of a heart attack in April, 2010. Jackson had been the first big supporter of a fledgling business I started, HoopGurlz, the first media outlet to cover high school girl’s basketball on a daily and national basis. He’d stood up to the sport’s old guard to do so. … [Read More...]
The Rite of Spring
This is the centennial of Igor Stravinsky's iconic The Rite of Spring, and our friend Jürg Koch, an assistant professor at the University of Washington Dance Program, choreographed a piece to commemorate. In addition to creating a chilling and often dark piece, Koch used an interesting combination of professional dancers, students and community performers, all of whom were great in the Jan. 18-19 performances at Meany Hall. This video was done by myself and my wife, Florangela Davila, to help market the performance. The Rite of Spring from Glenn Nelson on Vimeo. … [Read More...]
Photography Buzz
Long and Short(-Eared Owl) of It
NOTE: CLICKING ON PHOTOS WILL LAUNCH A LARGER VERSION IN ANOTHER WINDOW. Until the past few months, my only entanglement with any owl was through the classic candy commercial (see below). And since I already know how many licks to the center of a Tootsie Pop, I’ve … [Read More...]
More Buzz
Snowy and Spooked
BOUNDARY BAY, B.C., Canada -- The first time I ever saw an owl in the wild was just last November, when I looked at a Snowy Owl through another person's spotting scope at the end of the boardwalk at the Nisqually National Wildlife Refuge. I knew we had an irruption of Snowies in the Pacific Northwest last year, and were enjoying an echo this year. … [Read More...]
The Seattle Times’ Digital Tin Cup
One of the few places I still spot print copies of The Seattle Times is lounging, in news boxes, on street corners like lonely, aging prostitutes, whom I imagine are contemplating how they might reinvent themselves or turn back the clock for another pay day. The latest attempt at such is to begin charging for digital access, a move announced … [Read More...]
Raptor-ous Photography
As a writer, I've carried the tenet, "write what you know," into my photography. As I've learned that medium, my subject has been sports -- mainly, basketball and, more specifically, girl's basketball. Having left that space, I've turned to more personal subject matter. One of those is birds and the outdoors. The backstory to the backstory … [Read More...]
The Rite of Spring
This is the centennial of Igor Stravinsky's iconic The Rite of Spring, and our friend Jürg Koch, an assistant professor at the University of Washington Dance Program, choreographed a piece to commemorate. In addition to creating a chilling and often dark piece, Koch used an interesting combination of professional dancers, students and community … [Read More...]
Seattle Should Fret About the Lakers
This column originally appeared at SeattleWeekly.com As blasphemous as this may sound in these formerly NBA parts, I must admit that I’m worried about the Los Angeles Lakers. I know, I know. Beat El-Lay, and all that. But, conceivably the NBA will be back in Seattle, and we all want to be part of a thriving venture, the better the odds that we … [Read More...]
M’s are SkyWalking in Flirtation with Hamilton
This column originally appeared at SeattleWeekly.com David Thompson was 29, had started in the NBA All-Star Game the season before, and should have been at the height of his SkyWalking powers when he took a literal fall from grace in 1984. During a melee with a nightclub employee, he rolled down the stairs at New York City’s famed Studio 54 … [Read More...]
Less Than Swashbuckling at Wazzu
This column originally appeared at SeattleWeekly.com This is what the end of an affair looks like. Irritation turns to anger, public outbursts and separation. Mike Leach has hit for the emotional cycle as he maintains a tenuous grip on the perpetually beleaguered football program at Washington State University. Leach will not be fired as head … [Read More...]
