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No, I did not cut off my hand building houses. I have, however, taken my share of knocks doing any number of things. While pursuing a career in engineering at Cal Poly, in San Luis Obispo, I got interested in architecture and home construction. I also decided to change my major so I eventually gravitated back to Washington. I continued my academic pursuits in the liberal arts in hopes of preparing for the study of law.
I arrived in Bellingham on New Year's Eve, 1975. The following years proved to be most enlightening and rewarding. While going to WWU and volunteering as a paralegal with Evergreen Legal Services, I lived at first in an ashram and then above a funeral parlor. I acquired an up-right bass and made many good friends playing music. I learned about passive solar design and opened a design and building firm called Solar Concepts. I earned a vocational education certificate and taught solar greenhouse design and construction at Bellingham Vo-Tech.
I produced musical events with my old friend, Pete Nicklason. We called ourselves Kirk and Dirk Domino of Domino Productions. We, and the people who helped us, had a blast entertaining each other and the many people who attended our events. During that time is when I became interested in filmmaking. By chance, Filmmaker magazine was delivered to my door for an entire year. I read every copy, front to back, and often more than once. I was captivated by the idea of creating something as complex and magical as a motion picture.
One summer in Bellingham was spent commercial fishing; another one of the many adventures I have embarked upon in my 50+ years. Though I don't remember making more than just enough to pay the rent, I wouldn't have traded it for anything. In 1982, after summering in the San Juan Islands, I left Bellingham for Seattle in pursuit of a mentor. I wanted to be a filmmaker.
I ended up working with someone by the name of Karl Krogstad, a lovable, zany, energetic artist, who has become a good friend. We made animation shorts and rock videos. It was great fun and the right time for me to launch into a new, exciting adventure. I eventually made my own films and helped friends make theirs. I decided to return to academia and pursue a degree in film and video production.
The Evergreen State College was my choice. I also started a non-profit organization, called Parasol Group, for the sole purpose of producing educational audio-visual projects. I made a documentary entitled, "The Hanford-White Bluffs Story," which was funded in part by the Washington Commission for the Humanities. I also made an animation called "Tomatoes Only," as well as numerous industrial videos and commercials. It was a creatively rich time for me.
The culmination of my Evergreen experience was the production of a short dramatic feature entitled, "The Day Boy & Night Girl." Based on a story by George MacDonald, it was the most challenging and rewarding project of my life. The movie was filmed in Port Townsend, WA, and many people in the community were involved. It was a great success, primarily due to the collaborative efforts of dedicated crew and the help and support of well over one hundred people. I decided that when my degree program was completed, I would come back to Port Townsend to live.
I did just that. What then began was the most incredible journey of my life when, in 1990, I became the father of a son by the name of Conor. Together, we have shared many wonderful adventures; traveling, playing in the out of doors, playing music, creating things and simply making new discoveries.
It has been, and continues to be, an incredible journey. This past Christmas, we recorded a CD with some friends at a studio here in Bellingham. Like most of the side roads we have taken on our collective journey, it was all about friendship, hard work and re-creating. It was also just another extension of my continual pursuit of re-creating the spirit.
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