I went to Wings Over Big Bear to celebrate Jackie the bald eagle, who has passed on, and I left with a full memory card and fuller heart. Cheesy? Yeah maybe. True? Absolutely.
Jackie meant everything to this community and those around the world and you could feel it. People showed up for her. I met a couple who came from Seattle and two best friends of 62 years who watched Jackie on the live cam for years. Everyone was there for the same reason, and that’s a rare thing these days.
Then there was the mural. I got to watch an artist Wes (@wes7svn), build an eagle out of spray paints that looked liked stained glass right there in the dirt with a stepladder and can in hand. Eagle, sunrise, mountains and a lake lit up like it knew it was being watched.
I shot a ton for my own portfolio, but the best part came after: I sent Wes some of the photos. LA Times, CBS News were there, plus plenty of people taking in his work. But I wanted to send him what I captured. That’s it. No contract, no invoice. Just one creative handing another a little proof that the work mattered.
That’s what the day was really about. That’s what Jackie did by just being a majestic eagle. Connection, unity and giving. I think she would have approved.
