Trooper Travis Lipton of the Washington State Patrol

On assignment: at the Sehome Hill Arboretum watchtower

Ken Carl Ludvicek

Capturing Motion

Marc Woodyard, 21, takes his last jump for the day off of a rock face in Whatcom Falls Park. Woodyard hardly hesitates as he leaps out into four stories of nothingness, splashing into the water below. Woodyard and his younger brothers have visited the park multiple times in the past, though today is his older brother's first time—he is visiting from Oklahoma.

A student of Human Services at Western Washington University, Woodyard is interested in working in orphanages after college. This year, Woodyard is “taking the summer off from school,” working at a camp for foster children.

Despite a posted ban on swimming, Woodyard, his brothers, and dozens of others enjoy Bellingham's sunny days by wading and jumping into the waters.

Honest Emotion

Leah Lockwood, age three, leaps over a hurdle during the weekly All-Comers Track and Field event at Civic Field in Bellingham. This is Lockwood's sixth track meet. Her father, Chris Lockwood, stands on the sidelines to cheer her on. The yellow dress was her choice said her father, “She also wanted to wear her pink cowboy boots, but I convinced her to wear tennis shoes instead.” Chris Lockwood says that events like the All-Comers Track and Field meets are all about striking the balance of competition and participation. In addition to the Hurdles, Lockwood plans to run in the 100 meter dash, happening on the opposite side of the track. Chris Lockwood enjoys these races, “she has a blast every time.”

Environmental Portrait

Bellingham native George Eastwood, is patching the hull of his fishing boat, The Treetopper, in the Colony Wharf in Bellingham. Eastwood wears kneepads, a black sweater with “Arizona” written on it, and suspenders colored like an American flag. He is missing a tooth, and he is all smiles. Lamenting the fact that Colony Wharf charges by the day, Eastwood cheerily says, “A boat is just a hole in the water that you pour money into.” Using a roller to squeeze the air bubbles out of the patches, Eastwood tells the occasional story from his thirty years as a forester, topping trees in Whatcom and Skagit counties.

Eastwood's long term friend and self-proclaimed jack-of-all-trades, Ron Delcamp, does most of the talking. He works and talks quickly, ahead of Eastwood, applying the patches and using a paintbrush with a special resin to adhere them. Fiberglass resin sets in about twenty minutes, leaving no time for mistakes. The two work efficiently, amiably and sometimes quietly. They take a break only when the resin becomes too thick to use. Eastwood pulls off his gloves and admires their progress, noting that The Treetopper will be seaworthy again in a couple more days.