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James Abbott's absolutely awful and almost unrecognizable portrait of Ada Johnson McCleary (1861-1923).  She was a remarkable person who knew how to use her power as the First Lady of McCleary to improve the lives of the people in the town.

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Four portraits by James Abbott at the entrance of the old Rhodes Grocery, long ago converted to a cram-yer-crap storage business. So far as I know, this little alcove is unique in the Abbott art experience in that he has an area where human faces are the main focus. This was not his strong point and the combined effect is actually sort of like eating stale bread.

I bet if we took a poll here in McCleary, Washington (pop. about 1600) on who these four portraits are supposed to represent the results would be enormously embarrassing to the town. So, at the risk of sounding like a know-it-all, stick with this blog and in the words of Sherlock Holmes, "observe and learn." I even personally met one of the subjects portrayed here.

Also, this is a spot where certain inebriated people like to hover for awhile. How one can do that while all those eyes at your back, I don't know, but they do.

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The stained glass window Henry McCleary had installed in the local Methodist Church was meant to honor the memory of his wife, Ada, shortly after she died. To partially pay for the thing, he supposedly garnished the wages of the workers in his one-man principality. The church was a Wohleb designed structure, the same architect responsible for many of Olympia's public and private landmarks. The window has recently been temporarily removed for restoration, giving the structure an incomplete look these days.

During Prohibition the local preacher allowed moonshiners to store their goods in the basement, reasoning that if people were going to drink the stuff they might as well consume quality, safe booze under his watch as protector of the flock. My Dad was responsible for hauling the long retired bell out of the basement and putting it back in the belfry more than a decade ago. I hear it every Sunday morning and although I am not a church going man it makes me feel good to know his contribution to the town is still being heralded even though he is gone.