Eyes for each other

Had breakfast this morning with CelloNerd, on the right here, and her friend Rich, who were passing through Portland en route to the Oregon Shakespeare Festival, where they're going to see what is (in my opinion) the greatest-ever production of Lear and an outdoor Cymbeline as well.

Her journal is one of the best-kept secrets on Blip: full of sensitive story-telling portraits, street photography, and music. She's a cellist, a singer, an artist, and a wise, good-humored, gentle being. Do have a look.

She lives in Bellingham, WA; Rich lives in Everett, WA; they met two years ago and are getting along quite well, as you can see. They have much in common, including music, being divorced parents to grown children, and progressive values. We had a marvelous wide-ranging conversation about our lives, our families, the world, and of course, photography and Blip. I'm afraid Rich and I dominated the conversation, so there is much I didn't learn yet about her, but that just means we need another meet-up so I can ask all the questions I didn't get to ask today. A member of Rich's family is currently making a gender transition, and we talked for a long time about the courage and beauty of transgendered people, who are certainly the most maligned, misunderstood, and endangered people in the world.

That brings me to a comment made by Waipushrink on my blip of the Trayvon Martin rally last Sunday: "Too many of our children are murdered by those who should be protecting them. Even more are damaged by neglect and abuse.... Until all those who need protection are protected, and all those who need support are supported, and all those who can develop are able to, we must continue to work to achieve justice." Beautifully said. Amen.

I've put comments back on because I don't mean to be unfriendly, but I will be spending the next few days with my visiting friend Leif and will not be commenting much.