Dance

My daughter's class performed a jazz number at the mall this afternoon. Of course, I'm a biased father, but I thought she was the most talented of all.

Afterwards, I learned she had her first exposure to stage fright. She was very confident before the performance, but started to cling to her mom as it got closer. She said, "How come it's scary when there's a bunch of people?"

Champion Gene

As a tribute to a friend, I'm posting this picture of Gene.

During the last year, he and I spent almost every Friday together in ceremony with a small circle of men.

Standing around the fire, we often joke about a non-existent book of Indian Protocol, simply called "The Handbook." I forget the exact circumstances surrounding the inception of our Book of Rules, but I'm sure Gene had a hand in its creation. I believe he presented a question about a matter of ceremonial procedure, and before anyone could answer, I blurted out, "According to the Indian Manual, chapter 7 verse 23, these matters are usually not considered acceptable." Of course, I was poking fun at his insistence on following strict procedure, when all we ever really do is follow our hearts. Everyone laughed and a new running joke was born.

Some time later, he returned from a stickgame tournament on a neighboring reservation and reported a major victory. His team took first place and won a large cash prize, an embroidered jacket, and a color photograph of the winning team in the Rawhide Press. He must have talked about that experience for at least a month. And every time a new person came along, his face would light up with the chance to tell the story one more time.

Of course, I said we would have to amend the handbook to change his official title in our little ceremony. "From now on," I said with mock solemnity, "You shall be styled Champion Gene." Once again, we all got a good laugh.

I'm glad to know Gene. He adds a new dimension to my spirituality, and brings a feeling of brotherhood and laughter.

Flowers

As always, I love to photograph flowers in spring. The top flowers are a form of sunflower, and the bottom flowers are brown camas.

Roots

Once again, I visited my digging fields near downtown Spokane, and this time I found oodles of bitterroot, brown camas, and wild onions. It was beautiful! In less than an hour, I managed to fill my basket.

Green

There's a place we love to go to clear our minds of all distractions. Clear water springs from the hillside and creates a thick evergreen forest, filled with fir and flowering trees. We walk on the ruins of an aqueduct or water channel from some time last century. The color green inspires my imagination and reminds me that life is good.

In this photograph, my son balances on an old concrete water channel.

Father and Son

My son and I walked down by the river after I came home from work. During our walk, we took in the wonderful smell of rain and the sight of new green leaves. We took this photograph near the bottom of the hill, by the Little Spokane River.

Waters

Waters moving under prolonged exposure resemble a mist, or fleeting images from another world, or spirits set away from ordinary view. The river seems constant, but the same particles of water never pass this way again. The universe exists in one Eternal Now, and every event from even one millisecond ago remains only as a memory and a shadow on the human mind.

Camas and Bitterroot

My family dug white camas and bitterroot in the arid plains west of Spokane, following a tradition passed down for hundreds, or maybe even thousands of years. Many more attended than usual and created an atmosphere of warmth and laughter. And unlike other years, we had a traditional salmon feast during the event. It was a beautiful memory I won't soon forget.

Service Berries

Up until recently, I thought service berries were relatively rare. I'm not sure why, except to say I've attended many traditional feasts, and I rarely ever saw them. Then this year I dreamed about finding them, and I thought it would be difficult. Then last Friday, my aunt Thyra told me how to identify service berries, and now I see them everywhere. I drive down the highway, and I can see them from my car. I even found one growing in my neighborhood, less than a half mile from my house.

Tracks

Nothing interesting to post today, just these old train tracks running through Hillyard, Washington, behind my job site. My current work schedule makes it difficult to get out and take pictures the way I normally enjoy. Perhaps this summer will offer better opportunities.

Fräulein Whitney

I can never pass up an opportunity to photograph Whitney's cute little face, even if she's being silly by wearing her father's shirt and pinning her hair like Fräulein Whitney from the Sound of Music. Some day she'll look back and laugh.

Guest Teacher

This post comes a little late, but I received the photography only yesterday. About a week ago, I was a guest presenter at my nephew's school, where I spoke about Spokane Tribal culture. I addressed only a few topics related to traditional foods and some spiritual concepts, and then answered student questions.

I have to say, they were a great bunch of kids. I truly enjoyed my time in their classroom, and would gladly present again if they asked me.

Sherman Alexie

My friend Edward called me up yesterday evening to offer me tickets to hear Sherman Alexie speak. I heard him speak at least once before and really enjoyed it, so I decided to take him up on his offer. Edward, Tony, Carl, and I all went together.

I felt a little strange when I arrived at the Bing Crosby Theater (formerly the Met), and saw the lines of mostly non-Native people waiting for the chance to hear Sherman. It struck me as somewhat ironic that white culture tried so hard to silence Native voices for hundreds of years, and now people pay money to hear an Indian speak. Of course, this fact doesn't escape him either. He made several references to it during the presentation.

Sherman delivers quite a performance, and had us all in hysterics with his hilarious stories. I won't retell any of them here.

I had hoped to get a good picture of Sherman some time after the reading, and I actually had several opportunities, but as I raised my camera to shoot, I remembered a line from the movie Smoke Signals. The character Thomas says, "You know the only thing more pathetic than Indians on TV is Indians watching Indians on TV." And then I thought how pathetic it must seem to have an Indian acting like paparazzi to take pictures of another Indian. Needless to say, I passed up the chance to take a close-up shot. You'll have to settle for this grainy picture taken from the back of the room. :)

Actually, my favorite picture of the day has nothing to do with Sherman. I got this shot of the stage right before the show, and I just liked the lighting and the way everything seemed to blur together softly.

Birthday

We had a birthday party at our house this afternoon, complete with cake, ice cream, party games, and screaming children. It was a lot of fun. Happy birthday Whitney!

Fire Training

Driving by Whitworth College this morning, I was alarmed to see a nearby house completely engulfed in flames. My daughter and I stopped to see, and found the fire department conducting training exercises. We were able to get close enough to feel the warmth of the fire on our skin and take some pretty amazing pictures. It's not every day you get such a clear view of a burning house.

Of course, McKenna was excited to run home and tell everyone what she saw. She and I had a fun day together.

Earth Day

McKenna and I drove downtown this morning to observe Earth Day celebrations in the park. At first I thought no one showed up, but we finally found a small gathering of people near the gondola. We visited some of the booths and talked with a few friends.

This is a picture of McKenna on the suspension bridge overlooking Spokane Falls.

Long Lake

Yesterday afternoon, I stopped on my way to Wellpinit, and hiked behind Devil's Gap. I've driven by there hundreds of times since I was a child, but I never actually stopped. I walked about a mile and came to a high cliff overlooking the Spokane River near Long Lake Dam. These pictures show some of what I saw.

Fence

So my photographs mysteriously returned. In the meanwhile, I took a few pictures I kind of liked. This picture came from the other day as I was leaving work. It's just a fence, but I liked the way the sun was casting a warm glow over everything.

Missing Photographs

I logged in this evening and found my photographs missing. Hopefully they will return before long. I'll wait until the old pictures reappear before posting any new ones.

Expressions Hair Design

Laura Francis has become my regular hair stylist from her studio at Expressions Hair Design. This photograph represents my latest style, and I have to say, I'm quite happy with her work. I don't usually run advertisements on my blog, but she's a good friend, and she's offering a discount to any new client who mentions my name. Give her a call today:

Laura Francis
Expression Hair Design
6607 North Ash, Suite 100
Spokane, WA 99208

(509) 327-1934