Phone photo 1791

McCleary, Washington

Skagit Hoo-Hoos

I found this article in the Sept. 14, 1899 issue of The Skagit County Times and thought it was sort of a  Dada joke, complete with a naughty Hoo-Hoo name and plenty of other double entendre wordplay.

But guess what? It is for real. To this day there exists a group called The International Concatenated Order of Hoo-Hoo and they continue to be a service organization with a sense of humor influenced by Lewis Carroll.

What I don't understand is that this group is a service club devoted to the wood products industry. I'm a Washington State native, have grown up surrounded by timber people, and this is the first I have ever heard of this Hoo-Hoo Order.

Learn somethin' new every day.

Phone photo 1790

Buster

Buttons - Presidential Campaign - 1972

McGovern

Reverse side has label: Insta-Button from the Richmark Co., 1110 E. Pine St., Seattle, Wash., 98122

Phone photo 1789

Olympia, Washington

The old HQ for The Daily Olympian, designed by Joseph Wohleb

Buttons - Presidential Campaign - 1972

McGovern

Reverse side has label: Insta-Button from the Richmark Co., 1110 E. Pine St., Seattle, Wash., 98122

Phone photo 1788

Elma, Washington

Favorite Movie Quotes: Grumpier Old Men

"Let me tell you something now, Johnny. Last Thursday I turned 95 years old. And I never exercised a day in my life. Every morning I wake up and I smoke a cigarette and then I eat five strips of bacon. And for lunch I eat a bacon sandwich. And for a mid-day snack-- bacon! A whole damn plate! And I usually drink my dinner. Now according to all of them flat belly experts I should've took a dirt nap like thirty years ago. But each year comes and goes and I'm still here, ha, and they keep dyin'. Y'know, sometimes I wonder if God forgot about me. Just goes to show you, huh?"

Phone photo 1787

Elma, Washington

Morty Comix # 2424

In looking for a place to leave Morty Comix # 2424, I found a perfect spot in a picnic area of a Lacey, Washington park. But as I got closer, someone had beaten me there! The well weathered slip of paper had this handwritten mini-essay:

"There are a thousand and one gates allowing entry into the orchard of the truth. Every human being has his own gate. He must not err and wish to enter the orchard thru a gate other than his own. That would present a danger not only for the one entering but also for those who are already inside."

Hey, that is actually sort of profound. I was really impressed there was someone leaving snippets of great writing around the same way I leave cheapo drawings to be discovered.

 So I decided to widen the audience for this nice writer and then selfishly take my turn at that spot.

 

But as it turns out, the passage is a misquote from Elie Wiesel's book, Night. Wiesel calls it the "mystical orchard of the truth."

Phone photo 1786

Buttons - Presidential Campaign - 1972

McGovern

Phone photo 1785

Morty Comix # 2423

Mark Twain reads Morty Comix # 2423

Tumwater, Washington

Phone photo 1784

The Fab Four really have it tough around here

Buttons - Presidential Campaign - 1972

McGovern ' 72

Reverse side has label: Insta-Button from the Richmark Co., 1110 E. Pine St., Seattle, Wash., 98122

Phone photo 1783

2nd St. Bus

Elma, Washington

Buttons - Presidential Campaign - 1972

McGovern Shriver

Reverse side has label: Insta-Button from the Richmark Co., 1110 E. Pine St., Seattle, Wash., 98122

Phone photo 1782

Vidette Building 1911

Montesano, Washington

Buttons - Presidential Campaign - 1972

McGovern Eagleton

The shortest-lived button in the history of Presidential campaigns. 18 days to be exact.

In 1972 I was a volunteer in the McGovern campaign in Olympia, Washington, so you'll be seeing quite a few buttons endorsing the Senator from South Dakota.

George McGovern was an authentic WWII hero and a good and decent man. And he was right on many issues. But he was a horrible politician. In spite of that, I still admire McGovern to this day and am so happy I worked on his campaign. When he came to Seattle I went to see him speak, and realized he was far from charismatic, but the guy had a geeky sincerity I admired. We didn't win, in fact we were slaughtered, but in the history of Presidential elections there was never a clearer choice between Good and Evil. 

And 1972 America voted in fear and overwhelmingly chose Evil.

I also voted for George in the Whitman County, Washington caucus when he ran in 1984. He didn't get it, but the eventual nominee, Walter Mondale (another good and decent man), lost by even greater margin to old Ron the Con who brought us a huge economic deficit, Iran-Contra, and a long parade of convicted public officials who betrayed the public trust that outnumbered the Watergate number of convicted crooks. 

This in spite of the fact that during the 1984 debates Ron the Con was clearly suffering from Alzheimer's Disease. Sometimes, you have to wonder about the wisdom of the electorate.

If you look back in the history of Presidential elections, George McGovern is now the senior living major party candidate, having outlived his opponents and all running mates. When George crosses to the Other Side, which will be soon, those of us left behind will carry the flame in our own fashion.

God bless you, George McGovern. Thank you.

Phone photo 1781

Giant Shopping Go Cart

Montesano, Washington

Morty Comix # 2422

Morty Comix # 2422 was left tucked into a flap of some kind of adhesive that appears to have contributed to holding up a promotional sign in the past. This is on the side of gas station store in Tumwater, Washington not far from where George Romney spoke just before dropping out of the 1968 race for the Republican Presidential nomination.

Phone photo 1780

1957 Cadillac

Montesano, Washington

Buttons - Presidential Campaign - 1972

Elect John Schmitz President

John Schmitz was the American Independent Party's colorful nominee in 1972. I picked up this button at his Lacey, Washington campaign office in that year. Schmitz was quite mad, in both senses of the word, but did surprisingly well for a fringe candidate.

Phone photo 1779

Tumwater, Washington

Buttons - Presidential Campaign - 1972

President Nixon

Curl says: COADCO - COMM FOR THE RE-ELECT OF THE PRESIDENT

The Committee for the Re-Election of the President in 1972 was known by the acronym CREEP in some circles

Phone photo 1778

Tumwater, Washington

Buttons - Presidential Campaign - 1968 or 1972

The curl has: Official Nixon Button, Feeley & Wheeler Co., 370 Lexington N.Y.C. 10007

Phone photo 1777

Tumwater, Washington

Favorite Movie Quotes: Bowfinger

"I think it was a beautiful lie."