Just a couple of heron...

Well I went down to the lake to try and photograph the swallows but on the way I saw 5 heron, multiple ducks, sparrows, chickadees and a juvenile bald eagle. As I started to try and photograph the swallows an older gentleman struck up a conversation with me.

He had a seat next to me and like two old boys would do, we just chatted the next 90 minutes… We talked about growing up in the Seattle area, how his grandparents were from the Scandinavian countries too, how we both were paperboys – he delivered the evening Seattle Times while I delivered the morning Seattle Post-Intelligencer – and we laughed about that rivalry..

We also talked about segregation but not like it is taught in schools. America calls itself a great melting pot of people from all walks of life – No, in most communities like Seattle you have Ballard – which is the Scandinavian district, Chinatown, “Jap” town as it was called,  you also had where the Italians lived, where the Germans lived, where the blacks lived, the… and as he told me growing up he wasn’t allowed to go to certain areas – like the Mount Baker District where the “snooty rich lived” or…. I remember my grandpa’s deed on a house – he wasn’t allowed to sell it to a “Jap”. (overturned in the courts eventually)..

We talked about the good changes, the bad changes, how nice the weather was and.. I never did take any swallow pictures – engagement in conversation was so much more important – especially as he told me he was near 90 years old, every day he takes nearly a 2 mile walk from home with his dogie and.. He said well it’s past mine and the dogs lunchtime and I told him I had to go to work anyways.. We both said hope to meet you at the park again someday...