Deer Crossing

Bikers slow down to let a deer amble across a path near 25th Street in Sehome Hill Arboretum on Wednesday, March 16.

PhotoJ: Photo Story

The Bellingham Circus Guild facility at 2107 Iron St. is refracted through an acrylic contact-juggling ball as Strangely, 23, shows students the “jellyfish” on Thursday, March 3. Strangely, born Samuel Doesburg, teaches a kid’s circus workshop every Thursday at the Bellingham Circus Guild.  “If you leave it out in the sun in the summer this can start fires,” he says about the transparent ball.

Strangely hangs from 9-year-old Caleb Kors’ arms while swinging on a trapeze during a kid’s circus workshop on Thursday, March 3. Strangely teaches a weekly circus workshop on Thursdays at the Bellingham Circus Guild.

Colonel Longfellow reads a passage from Twilight, complete with sound effects for punctuation during Strangely’s one-man-show, In All My Years, on Saturday, March 5. Colonel Longfellow is a “Masque” that Strangely plays. Masque is a theater technique in which the actor wears a mask, or mustache in this case, that has it’s own personality that “exists within that face” once the wearer dons it. “The experience of acting with a mask is very emotional and deep,” Strangely explains. “As soon as I put [the moustache] on I became him out of nowhere. It’s interesting because he’s very much not me.”

Strangely takes a bow after an accordion performance paired with bells played by participating audience members in his show, In All My Years, on Saturday, March 5. By encouraging audience involvement, Strangely makes his shows more exciting for all ages. Besides being a performance space for Strangely and his fellow guild members, the Bellingham Circus Guild facility is a classroom and a practice space.

John Doesburg, 55, Strangely’s father, watches as Strangely pulls himself out of the frigid water by his boat on Monday, March 7. He was checking to make sure the hull holes were sealed on his boat, “Quiddity,” which is moored at Squalicum Harbor. He says the name of his boat refers to “an ocean of dream or thought.”

At the end of his show, In All My Years, on Saturday, March 5, Strangely thanks the audience and asks for donations to help pay his rent for the month of February. Strangely is self employed and makes money by doing performance art, although he says, “I occasionally do beautiful artistic lawn mowing.”

Pouring out her Heart

Kitty Bond splashes “blood from [her] body” onto her chest during her speech at the Vagina Memoirs on Friday, Feb. 25 in the MPR. The “blood” is actually cranberry juice, but it conveyed a powerful message to the audience, whom were captivated with her story about pain and justice.

PhotoJ: Cutline

We had ten days to do what most photojournalists are required to do in a few hours: make a stand-alone photo that would not necessarily accompany a story. Like always, I took my camera with me wherever I went, ready to snap a photo if something interesting occured. The photo I chose was taken mid-bite while I was eating lunch. The cherry picker obstructing the view from Fairhaven Commons was finally being used!

The lead gardener for Facilities Management, Randy Godfrey, 56, controls a cherry picker machine to reach the overgrown branches above Fairhaven Commons. “Operating this machine is like driving an Etch A Sketch,” says Godfrey on Tuesday, March 1. Irrigation specialist Enrique Castro, 44, watches and helps direct Godfrey so he can trim the trees in order to clear the rooftop and let more light into the building.



Parkour Visions

Epic movie soundtracks provide the audible ambiance in the crowded parkour gym. Over thirty people from age 15 to 32 sequentially pass over, under, around and through obstacles aimed to build precision, agility and strength when traveling from one point to another. It's as if each individual is on a mission. Applause is given gratuitously when someone manages to complete a move with a certain amount of finesse.

Sasuke participants warm up before the competition begins.

Starting around 3:30 p.m. the participants of Parkour Visions' Sasuke competition exert themselves in order to gain the ability to overcome mental and physical barriers. The competition is named "Sasuke" after the Japanese show "Ninja Warrior" that inspired the event.

The traceurs, parkour practitioners, compete to complete three obstacle courses in the shortest amount of time possible. They each get a chance to run through each course twice. The basic rules are that the ground is "lava" and certain obstacles are "lasers" that they have to avoid; if they touch them, they scratch. Any score beats a score with a scratch. 

The first course started by pulling an 80 pound sled down the street and back before jumping, swinging and climbing over obstacles. Targeting accurate agility, the second course was not so much a series of obstacles to jump over, but obstacles to slide through. Finally, the third course aimed to help the participants break mental barriers of fatigue and continue to be precise and strong. The overall winner of the Sasuke, Justin "Earth Bender" Walcker, had a cumulative time of 166.86 seconds. But it is not all about competition; it is about building community and pushing past physical and mental limits.

"The purpose is for them to do things they haven't done before," says Rafe Kelley, an instructor at Parkour Visions.

"Parkour isn't about dangerous stunts, parkour is about comradery, adaptibility, confidence, focus," says Ian Schwartz, one of the participants. "We want everyone to meet their limits, but only what's acceptable for them." 

Community is key in parkour because having a strong community facilitates safety and support. There is always a constant dialogue between traceurs to figure out more innovative ways to get over obstructions.

Parkour Visions instructor Rafe Kelley explains the rules of the Sasuke to the participants. One of his key points is "safety first, second and third."

Justin "Earth Bender" Walcker swings through the third course. He had the highest scores in the competition with an overall time of about 166 seconds.

Rafe Kelley lands on a "bosu ball," an obstacle that forces the traceurs to land with precision.

Richie Wight slammed his shin into an obstacle during the first course and was banned from running the rest of the courses because he was bleeding. "I was trying to jump from one box to another and basically landed on one box with my shin," explains Wight. "My legs locked up in the middle of the air...it was pretty fun." Although there are risks when doing parkour, the Parkour Visions community makes sure everyone is safe and had an EMT on hand in case of an emergency.

Instructor Rafe Kelley demonstrates the climbing portion of the third course. Kelley says the final course is like "the fourth stage on Ninja Warrior, you're not necessarily supposed to make it." The course was a true testament to everyone's fitness.

"I put dirt on my hands to use it like chalk for the rock wall," says Rami Mackay, 18. "But I waited too long so it didn't really do anything but get my hands dirty."

Kelly Butcher works on the precision aspect of the third course. She was the first participant to complete the course with no scratches and was also the only female participant in the Sasuke. Butcher says, "I tend to go for the safer, slower route," which is why she was able to finish every course without scratching. 

Rafe Kelley does a pull up with his wrists.

Dane Vennewitz runs through the first course.

Tyson Cecka pulls a weighted sled, the exhausting first part to the first course.

Rami Mackay swings from a rope on the first course as other participants watch from the lounge above.

Sasuke participants pose for a group picture.

PhotoJ: Cutline

An hour to make a photo, get in in on deadline, and compete for the best picture. We had the class period to make a stand-alone photo and this is some of what I came up with:

On Tuesday, March 1, Bobby Iverson, 35, relaxes while making sure the shotcrete being pumped into Miller Hall's new foundation is running smoothly. "This is the last day for us," Iverson says; the foundation will be finalized today.

Tiger Construction workers lay foundation in Miller Hall on Tuesday March 1.

Alli Sayles, 18, walks out of Fraser Hall after class during the Rally to Restore Higher Education on Tuesday March 1. "It's ridiculous we should have to pay more for education," she says, "especially since as a freshman you can take cheaper classes at a community college."