Frank Lloyd Wrong!

Sarah sent me an email concerning this house for sale in McCleary, Washington and one of the most entertaining real estate pitches it has been my pleasure to read. This dwelling always fascinated me as I walked by it occasionally.

The realtor used the term "Frank Lloyd Wrong" to describe it. Brilliant! Why anyone in Western Washington would construct a building with a flat roof is beyond me. I spent 8 years of my upbringing in a flat roof mobile home out here, so I know of what I write firsthand. We had lots of buckets!

Morty Comix # 2671

Morty Comix # 2671 was drawn on my half-swept driveway using special Spongebob Squarepants chalk. It felt quite prehistoric to be doing this, and I realized the image was a bit on the basic/primal side. Hard to draw much detail with the implements and "canvas" on hand. By the next day our famous Washington State rain washed it completely away. When the rain returns after a dry summer we Mossbacks are happy.

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Entering Grays Harbor County

And that's when you pass into the Zone of Real Rain

How to Fix a Leaky Ceiling the Cartoonist Way

Not too long ago we experienced some severe wind and rain and one of the ceiling panels in my office out in Tumwater, Washington developed this stain from a leak. I am sure there are better ways to repair this, but none of them are as fun as the cartoonist method.

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Yah its Fxxking Dusty! Slow

Sign seen at truck scaling station
White Star, Grays Harbor County, Washington

We are experiencing unusually dry weather this month in this land of perpetual rain

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Guns and Hoses baseball game, where the police and firemen square off at the McCleary Bear Festival. During the game we had the worst lightning storm in recent memory, complete with torrential rain, hail, and thunderbolts directly above. And still they played. No real Grays Harbor County guy is going to be the first to admit they have enough sense to get out of the rain, much less potential lightning strikes.

And that is part of the reason I choose to live here in McCleary. This town, as the masthead of the old McCleary Stimulater newspaper used to declare, is as "Independent as a Hog on Ice." There is no logical reason why this village should be here, yet here we are. Bezango WA 985.

Washington, My Home, Wherever I May Roam

While the rest of the country bakes those of us in Grays Harbor County, Washington are still getting soaked with rain. It is almost 9 o'clock here, still light, and the rain is coming down steady. Just took this photo a few minutes ago of the wet sky framed by my elm and black walnut trees.

Morty Comix # 2393

Morty Comix # 2393 was drawn inside of an empty matchbook, closed up, and left in an outdoor smoking area next to a Tumwater, Washington gas station/quick market very early this drizzly morn.

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Cherry blossoms drooping from the weight of abundant Grays Harbor County rainwater direct from the Pacific Ocean

Grays Harbor County Rain

On a clear day I can see the foothills of the Olympics from my front yard. But we don't get a lot a clear days here in Grays Harbor County, Washington. Mostly we get rain. A lot. And this is why we are called "The Evergreen State." At least on the western side. Today my front yard visibility is about 4 blocks.

I am guessing this constant rain, which keeps many of us inside most of the year, is a major contributing factor to why so many cartoonists come from the Pacific Northwest.

The best description of our climate I have ever read came from Ken Kesey in Sometimes a Great Notion. I note that recent immigrants to our corner of the world don't mind the rain so much as the constant overcast and lack of sunlight.

But this is Washington, my home, wherever I may roam. This is my land, my native land, Washington, my home. I was born in Spokane, but raised on the wet side, so I consider myself a true trans-Cascade Washingtonian, loving both sides of this great state.