Phone photo 756

Phone photo 755

The old Olympia Beer brewhouse
on one of the southernmost tips of Puget Sound
Tumwater, Washington

Phone photo 754

McCleary, Washington

Phone photo 753

Olympia, Washington

Phone photo 752

Kalama, Washington

Phone photo 751

Parkdale, Oregon

Phone photo 750

Parkdale, Oregon

Phone photo 749

Parkdale, Oregon

Phone photo 748

Mt. Hood and a sort of wire horse and girl
Parkdale, Oregon

Phone photo 747

Mt. Hood as seen from Parkdale, Oregon

Phone photo 746

Restaurant mural in Mt. Hood, Oregon

Phone photo 745

Portable dental floss thingie
in a crosswalk getting run over and stepped on
Hood River, Oregon

Phone photo 744

Bingen area, Klickitat County, Washington
as seen from across the Columbia River
in Hood River, Oregon

Phone photo 743

Phone photo 742

City Hall Building
Hood River, Oregon

Phone photo 741

Old Laurelhurst Church
Portland, Oregon

Phone photo 740

Laurelhurst neighborhood
Portland, Oregon

Same Old Stuff!

A comic so obscure I don't even own a copy, although I do have an image of the cover. This was published August 1981, when I lived in Seattle, and only 10 copies exist. I think the leaves were in legal size and they were loose in a portfolio. And I think it consisted of reprints, anticipating my later Retreads series.

Phone photo 739

Yet another one in my phone photo subseries of disposable floss thingies. This one was found on the west side of Olympia in front of a pizza place.

Phone photo 738

Phone photo 737

Phone photo 736

Behind the BroHo
Olympia, Washington

James Abbott, McCleary Muralist

There used to be a very interesting artist around this area named James Abbott who delighted in creating historical murals throughout eastern Grays Harbor County in the 1990s. Much of his work remains to this day, although the ravages of time are already starting to show on his handiwork. Such is the condition of outdoor painting.

Two of his most public works in our town can be seen alongside our main grocery store staffed by great people, Gordon's, and on the old Rhode's Grocery building, now a personal storage business.

Art is subjective, and some have called his work "downright spooky" or "creepy," while others have described his art as "fascinating" and "splendid."

Personally, I enjoyed watching him in the act of creating his work more than viewing the result of his labors. He wore a wide-brimmed hat and sunglasses and sported a stereotypical artist's goatee, while making his act of painting a public performance. It brought to mind Bob Clampett's Beany and Cecil character, Go Man Van Gogh. He seemed to totally enjoy the attention as he painted the side of Gordon's.

I think I read Mr. Abbott's obituary within the last few years. More sooner than later these building owners across eastern Grays Harbor County (McCleary, Elma, Montesano) will have to decide whether to paint over his work or try to restore it.

Exactly what the TBTG acronym meant after his signature, I can't say for sure, except that I recall it was Christian in nature. Probably "Thanks Be To God."

Several of his images have already appeared in my phone photo series and I'll collect them here. Also some new images. In addition, I'm including three news articles about him from 1991-1998.

James Abbott, McCleary Muralist

Phone photo 735

Halloween Drawings, 1960s

Being a black cat, Charlie is of course interested in these drawings I unearthed from my closet. They were drawn on large sheets of construction paper and date from the mid-1960s.

Phone photo 734

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.