Belltown Bent

Tipping point

Just for now, days and nights are about the same length. Twelve hours of day, more or (increasingly) less, and twelve hours of night, more or (increasingly) more.

As the days grow shorter, the sun moves back towards the south - more and more in line with the Bent's windows to the W/NW. It's dark by half-time of  Sunday night football. No more glare on the game.

This is the point in the seasonal shift where we wonder how summer could have been so wonderful, and steal away so quickly. And this is the point in seasonal time when we welcome winter and the cozy qualities of low light, cool air, and a fire.

Mending the food chain

Balancing is required when he works his salmon net in the Elliott Bay fishery. Balancing the time spent at and away from the net. And, balancing as he leans out over his launch to mend the net.  The net torn by the sea lion from California.

While mending the net, he opportunistically harvests newly arrived fish. The sea lion waits for him to leave, hungry from having spent much of the summer mating (with up to 16 females) - not to mention fasting - down in the warm waters of Baja, California.

Of course, this is the fisherman's livelihood, and the sea lion is "biting" into his take. But he's cool with that. "After all," he said when asked about the feasting visitor, "they're his salmon, too."

Hitting the tribal buffet

While they don't actually drink (they get their water from their food), California sea lions are certainly opportunistic eaters. This guy ranges up each fall, probably from southern California, to dine on Puget Sound's finest. Today's special is Chinook salmon, passing through Elliott Bay in their attempt to spawn.

This week's opportunity is a gill net strung from the sea wall just north of Pier 70. The Muckleshoot tribe member who tends the net is exercising his right to fish his ancestral grounds, granted in 1854 by Washington's first governor, Isaac Stevens, and reaffirmed by U.S. District Judge George Boldt's decision in 1974.

By the end of each day, the fisherman and the sea lion split the catch, their shares based on the luck of the salmon and the timing of their visits.

 

Bon voyage to summer

We've been noticing a few trees, here and there, quietly changing colors. The air is getting pleasantly crisp in the mornings and evenings, but the afternoons are still deceptively warm.

But seeing this cruise ship slip out of Elliott Bay, after the sun had set, made us very aware of how quickly the days are becoming shorter. Three minutes per day, two in the evening and one in the morning, daylight is slipping away as quickly and quietly as the Alaska bound cruisers.

One week ago the sun set at 6:30. In a week it will set at 6:00. This week, on the 22nd, the sun will cross the celestial equator from south to north. The autumnal equinox will mark the arrival of fall in Belltown.

Doug Williams - MVP, Coach, Executive

Doug Williams made a visit to Memorial Stadium, in Belltown's backyard, as part of a fund-raising event featuring the Grambling State University Tiger Marching Band.

Currently a Personnel Executive with the NFL Tampa Bay Buccaneers, Doug was only the second head football coach in Grambling's history, succeeding legendary Eddie Robinson who won more games, 408, than any coach in college football history.

As Grambling's head coach, Doug was 52-18 in six seasons and coached the Tigers to three Southwestern Athletic Conference championships. As Grambling's quarterback from 1974-77 he passed for over 8,000 yards, 93 TDs and two SWAC titles.

A first-round draft pick by Tampa Bay in 1978, Doug led the Buc's to the first three play-off appearances in their history. In 1986 he joined the Washington Redskins and a year later was selected MVP of Superbowl XXII after throwing 4 TDs and leading Washington to a 42-10 victory over Denver.

Seattle's Sara

While Belltown can't claim her, Sara Gazarek is Seattle's own up-and-coming jazz chanteuse. A grad of Roosevelt High, and their outstanding jazz program, Sara recently completed her studies at USC's prestigious Thornton School of Music.

While there, Sara grew under the tutelage of Tierney Sutton and John Clayton. Clayton is the producer of Sara's recently released debut, "Yours" which features her working, songwriting band - Erik Kertes on bass, Josh Nelson on piano, and Matt Slocum on drums.

With Clayton's guidance, Sara had the rare opportunity to record songs of her choice with her own group and their own arrangements. Based on Sunday night's performance at Jazz Alley, in front of an adoring hometown audience, and on listening to "Yours" here at the Bent, it was an opportunity well deserved. You'll be hearing from Sara.

Remembering Gatemouth

Clarence "Gatemouth" Brown evacuated his home in Slidell, Louisiana, shortly before Katrina made landfall. He made it safely, with his family, to his hometown of Orange, Texas.

Despite suffering from lung cancer, emphysema, and heart disease, Gatemouth had been stretching his 50 year career traveling, performing, and cruising around Slidell in his 1964 Lincoln Continental.

Yesterday, September 10th, having lost his home and all of his belongings, Gatemouth Brown died at the age of 81. "I'm sure he was heartbroken, both literally and figuratively," said Rick Cady, his booking agent.

Song for a brother

Mid way through tonight's first set at Jazz Alley, Pat Metheny, seen here playing with David Sanchez, shared with the audience the challenge faced by his friend and musical brother, saxophone player Michael Brecker.

Michael has been diagnosed with MDS (myelodysplastic syndrome) and it is critical he receive a bone marrow or blood stem cell transplant. A match for Michael would most likely come from someone of Eastern European Jewish descent. Michael's siblings and children have been tested and are not suitable matches.

Visit here to learn more about Michael and the National Marrow Donor Program (NMDP), and visit Gift of Life to learn how you and others can be tested and possibly save Michael's, or another person's, life.

Please share this with anyone you know who may know anyone who might match. See more pictures here.

Raising his voice for relief

Carencro, Louisiana native Marc Broussard didn't let the rain dampen his Bumbershoot performance Sunday night. But before he sang his first note he let the audience know he was heading south to do what he can to help the people devastated and displaced by Katrina.

On September 10th Marc will be in Nashville to perform in the "ReAct Now: Music & Relief" broadcast on MTV and VH1 to benefit the ARC, Salvation Army, America's Second Harvest, and other organizations involved in the relief effort, and he encouraged the folks in attendance to join him by doing what they could to help.

Northwesterners who attended this, and other Bumbershoot performances donated over $30,000 in cash during the festival.

Song for the South

Born in Mississippi and raised in south-western Louisiana, Sonny Landreth's music embodies the bayous. His performance this weekend was one of many at Bumbershoot influenced by the tragedy of Katrina.

Nothing prepared any of us for the regional devastation we have witnessed, but the mentoring of Clifton Chenier, the years on the road with John Hiatt, and his deep Louisiana roots seemed to have prepared Sonny, through his music, to both celebrate and mourn for the devastated region and its people.

See more pictures from Sonny's performance here.