A river ran through him

The official explanation for this series of pictures -- Timm had begun to formalize them into a pamphlet of some sort -- reads as follows:

“From the Native Americans who traded and lived along its shores, to the 1823 settlement of Dr. John McLoughlin, and on to the present, the Willamette River has always been the hub of community life, recreation and commerce. For two days in the summer of 2007, Congresswoman Darlene Hooley boated 167 miles of the historic Willamette River from Eugene to Portland, unveiling her Willamette River United Act, legislation that would enlist the federal government's help in improving the river and surrounding communities.”

Timm wasn't hired as a congressional aide to Congresswoman Hooley for his photography – his passion for service to others was his most valued skill -- yet they were a bonus for the office, with Timm serving as official photographer at many of Hooley's appearances.

At Timm's memorial service –- for which Hooley canceled her calendar for the day to attend -– she talked with great affection for Timm’s ability to reach out to her most desperate constituents. Timm was often their last and only way back to safety.

She also talked at length about Timm's role in this trip as official photographer, capturing so many of the moments as the entourage worked its way along the Willamette River. (Putting up, she said with a grin, his endless requests to move a bit to the left or back the boat up a ways.)

What is striking to me in this series is how Timm's love of the outdoors pours in from the background of every official moment; there is a liquid radiance to the river which sings into the staged foreground. Certainly this was a job Timm could get behind, bridging the two loves of his life in each picture.

It may not have been difficult to capture the affection and dedication Congresswoman Hooley had for trip, as well as the other occasions Timm photographed her. Her smile in these pictures is genuine, ready and warm; we can't help but feel that Hooley brought great heart to her politics. The land was also one of her constituents, and she served it well.

(That Hooley had great affection for Timm was quite evident to me because she was sitting in the pew behind me at the memorial and cried all the way through.)

Mixed in with the official moment as well are the peripheral shots of staff working a two long days for the boss (albeit floating down a lovely river on what looks like fine, sunny autumn days). “Behind every great woman …” is the title of one picture in which staffer Jeannie Berg crouches behind Hooley to adjust an easel. Those aside shots capture both dedication and pleasure in the task, rare in any workplace.

Typically, the Photographer never shows himself in his photos, but Timm does manage to get into the final frame of this series, cajoled, I venture, by co-workers to appear in at least once. I didn't catch him at first to the right in the shot, sunglasses on, smiling somewhat sheepishly, unaccustomed to being on the other side of the lens. Portland, the final destination of that 2-day river jaunt, is in the background; however, for Timm I'd venture that his river ran beyond all cities and on to the sea, a westwarding motion that was rich in his life's loving, the images he lovingly poured out for us.

If anyone from Congresswoman Hooley's office reads this post, I would love to hear any stories you have to share about Timm on that river for those two days, or an update on the fate of Hooley’s Willamette River United Act.