Hello from Marjorie, the wife often referred to in David’s writing. In honor of David’s birthday week, I offered to write a newsletter and give readers some insight into the man behind the Street Smart Naturalist. Back to normal next week.
Someone recently said to me, “Gosh, David must be fun to live with.” This was during a walk when he spotted a hawk perched on a rock cliff 75 feet above us. The rest of us barely saw the rock, much less the bird.
Yes, living with a super-naturalist is fun. He expands my world beyond my literal myopic range. The bird-spotting knack is most notable. Whether at highway speeds, on a walk, or on a beach you can count on David to notice a bird. In the car, he will often just say a number, to indicate he is adding this one to the count of how many red tail hawks he has seen that day. On a walk, I am usually busy watching where I put my feet, fiddling with a contact lens, or catching my breath while David merrily saunters with his eyes to the sky. His visual acuity also works well in wilder spots, such as the time we were hiking on Mt. Baker and he saw a marmot several hundred feet away in the middle of a field of boulders.
When I am out with him, it is remarkable when I spot something first, and often merits a hearty “Nice work” from him. Actually, it’s remarkable if I even spot something that David is pointing to.
One aspect of David is that he retains only certain information. The facts that stick in his brain include rock names and ages; desert plant names; vital statistics about the Denny Regrade; sports trivia from the 1970s; highlights of bike races; our anniversary date; and many embarrassing stories about friends. He’s also not embarassed about poking fun at himself. Facts that do not stick include names and uses of medicines; where to place commas; names of musicians and artists; and distinguishing features of different types of shoes and clothing.
To me, this illustrates the beauty and diversity of paying attention. We notice what we care about, what we have learned to name. My friend Catherine put it eloquently – until you learn to see something, it is invisible or exists in a mass of sameness. Once you can give a name or make another connection, you can notice and pick your item out of the crowd.
If you have been reading David’s newsletter, you know he is curious about many things and loves to find out more about those things. Writing the newsletter has sharpened his noticing – gotta have some content every week so gotta look for ideas.
The everyday and the unusual are equally viable topics. You may recall The Joys of Repeat Travel, or the March 20 CSI: Crime Scene Investigation. The everyday and the unusual, both probed for connections and answers. As I am often present at the events that lead to newsletters, I can tell you of David’s genuine excitement at seeing dead animals, and sympathy for their plight, as he moved them off the road to rest in peace. Again, I was minding my own business, trying not to trip, and then got swept into the curiosity about the events. Luckily, I would rather talk about spiders than many other topics.
An insight into his process - there is no notebook of prewritten newsletters, automated to drop at 5:59 a.m. every Thursday. That is really him writing something new every week and being ready to push send at dawn every Thursday. (Just guessing it is dawn, I am asleep at that hour.)
One last example on the art of paying attention. We were walking on a trail in the desert a few weeks ago. David looked down, and spotted a sewing needle among the cactus debris on the side of a trail – literally finding a needle in a needlestack, as my brother remarked. Like I said, super naturalist, super fun.
By the way, I still have copies of Wild in Seattle for sale. Here’s a link. Cost is $28.00, which includes shipping, taxes, and my signature. The link takes you to a Square page. Shipments only in the U.S.
April 16, 2025 – Burke Museum – 6:00 P.M. – Wow! Join artist Elizabeth Person and me for a conversation and book launch for Wild in Seattle: Stories at the Crossroads of People and Nature. Registration link.
April 18, 2025 – Brick and Mortar Books – 6:00 P.M. – Redmond – Join artist Elizabeth Person and me for a conversation about Wild in Seattle: Stories at the Crossroads of People and Nature.
For more info on my upcoming events, go to my Walks and Talks page on my website.
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