Be prepared to stop

Jan. 3, 2020

After all these years my little flip cellphone is starting to fail and Verizon seems to be already pulling support bit by bit as the ancient gizmo I use has been deemed obsolete. So this is my final post on this blog. Adios.

[Update: Apr. 7, 2021:  Shortly after this final post the COVID-19 pandemic broke out changing the world forever. In many ways the dramatic transition to a new reality has made me glad I stopped this blog when I did. The changes since Jan. 3, 2020 have been so enormous that the images on the posts have become nostalgic in a very short time period, faster than one would expect]

The Square Corner

Oct. 26, 2019

The corner of Simpson and Main used to be a sharp 90 degree corner back in the day when Main Street really was Main Street and the business center of town.

As time went by and the town's commercial activity shifted to the west, this corner was deemed a traffic hazard. If I am not mistaken, off the top of my head I think Chris Curtis of Shelton, who had once been implicated in the great McCleary alcohol distribution scandal of the 1920s which had taken down a few county and local law enforcement figures, owned that corner and very kindly gave it to the City around 1960 so it could be rounded off.

Your Speed

July 16, 2019

A new gizmo planted at Simpson and 7th. It only has enough room for numbers with two digits.

Smile

Jan. 28, 2019

That smiling log will be turned into lumber and in turn will create a happy home.

WSDOT Traffic Counters

Jan. 28, 2019

The Washington State Dept. of Transportation has been installing traffic counters today in order to determine whether or not a traffic light is warranted on Anarchy Intersection, i.e., Simpson and Summit. The counting devices will be in operation for a week.

The Christmas Light that Got Away

Jan. 7, 2019

On the corner of Simpson and Summit.

Run wild, little light, run free.

Legal pot

Jan. 7, 2019

Pot has been legal in Washington for awhile now, but even so this shy kitchen utensil took it's time in allowing itself to be seen out in the open. And today it stands proudly at the corner of Summit and Simpson for all to see. No more hiding! A legal pot!

But there might be a law about panhandling on the corner.

How foggy was it?

Oct. 19, 2018

It was so foggy that Simpson's smokestack is barely visible at 10:33 AM as seen from the front of the clinic!

Skidmarks at Anarchy Intersection

Aug. 7, 2018

Skidmarks at a pedestrian cross walk on the Anarchy Intersection where Summit, Simpson, Main, and Third come together. I believe this is under the jurisdiction of WSDOT who likely won't place a much needed traffic light here until someone is killed or seriously injured.

Where the sidewalk unbends

Aug. 5, 2018

This sidewalk is only a couple years old at best, but the elements are already catching up to it fast. On 4th near Simpson.

The Three Bears

Aug. 3, 2018

Bear icons in front of the Bear's Den.

Maybe they could somehow include a Goldilocks figure with a word balloon saying, "The food in this restaurant is just riiiight."

8 Aberdeen

July 29, 2018

I have lost track how long this detour thing has been going on. Long enough for me to get used to seeing these orange signs be part of the normal landscape.

The detour has resulted in more people from out of town using the eccentric intersection of Simpson/Summit/Third/Main streets, which has now become a case study in anarchy.

The black "up" arrow next to a white silhouette of our first president which has a big "8" numeral in it on an orange background is something Marcel Duchamp would have loved.

Entrancing Entrance

July 26, 2018

The new sign inviting customers to Rain Country is terrific! It has a funky Old West welcome feeling to it that seems to reflect the positives of McCleary. Well done (which how I like my burgers).

Some locals prefer using the side door as a form of feeling part of an inside secret.

This is the first time I have noticed the restaurant no longer has outdoor tables in the front.

2018 McCleary parade float

July 7, 2018

The McCleary Bear Festival had a safari theme this year.  I see a "wild bear" is also on the float.

Pastel set against drizzle grey

July 7, 2018

Royalty on their way to board their parade vehicle. McCleary Bear Festival.

Someone is wigged out

May 24, 2018

Seen on the McCleary Post Office bulletin board:

"Missing: Brown toupée, around the intersection of Simpson and Summit, due to high winds. A white dog grabbed it and ran away with the thing toward the Park.

If found, please give it to the McCleary City Hall lost and found department."

1927 Chevrolet 1 ton pickup in downtown McCleary

Mar. 31, 2018.

A symbol from one of the liveliest eras in McCleary history.

Sidewalk with a built-in drain

Mar. 12, 2018

This hole in the sidewalk, near the corner of Simpson and Summit next to Beerbower Park, opens up to what appears to be a good sized cavity under the surface.

Vote! Yes

Feb. 12, 2018

Home-made election campaign signs are the best.

Happy New Year

Jan. 1, 2018.

The bustling live-wire central business district of downtown McCleary on New Year's morning, 2018.

Hmmm, no one seems to be up and around. Gosh, I wonder why?