Blew the door off?

Feb. 27, 2019

I noticed that when I visited the Post Office yesterday the front door was rapidly being whipped open and closed by the extremely high winds. So it was no surprise there was no door to be found today. Man, that was one very cold mailbox area this morning.

Double Yolk

Feb. 24, 2019

They say the odds of finding a double yolk are around one in a thousand. This morning was my one in a thousand odds from a carton I bought at Gordon's. Hey, 13 eggs for the price of a dozen!

Trump = Dumber

Feb. 21, 2019

Someone registered their dislike of the 45th president on the community glass recycling bin:

"TRUMP = DUMBER

Supporting Trump only makes you look dumb in the eyes of you [sic] family & friends"

Liver & Onion Dinner

Feb. 15, 2019

Seen in the McCleary Post Office bulletin board. I will refrain from any editorial comment:

Liver & Onion Dinner (Ham alternative). FEB. 19, 2019 4-7 PM Satsop United Methodist Church, 445 Ash Rd, Satsop, WA $9.00 under 6 free -- Liver & Onions, Ham, Scalloped Potatoes, Green beans, Rolls, Jello Salad & Homemade Pie

Repaint! Repaint! And thin no more!

Feb. 9, 2019

Looks like the long defunct tavern and cafe storefronts have been recently repainted. Is new life coming these business locations?

Both of these places have had many different names over the years. At some point in the 1980s (I think) the wall between these businesses was opened up and it became a restaurant/tavern. My favorite incarnation was back in the 1970s when the McCleary Bakery occupied the cafe portion. My earliest memory of the restaurant was when it was known as Billie's Cafe, run by Billie Stilwell. It had a big horseshoe counter with booths along the east wall if my memory is working correctly.

Snow slide

Feb. 9, 2019

McCleary Polar Bear

Feb. 9, 2019

Our friend Tim Bear on top of City Hall is starting to look like a polar bear.

Soft bench

Feb. 9, 2019

Snow makes everything look softer.

No bus today?

Feb. 9, 2019

Don't see any bus tracks at the McCleary Transit Station. The McCleary Community Church, one of the oldest public use buildings in town (built ca. 1905) is in the background. Occasional vehicles were crawling down Third Street.

House fire on Oak. St. pt. 4

Feb. 6, 2019

House fire on Oak St. pt. 3

Feb. 6, 2019

House fire on Oak. St. pt. 2

Feb. 6, 2019

House fire on Oak. St. pt. 1

Feb. 6, 2019

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.

Timberland Regional Library's "Expanded Access" trial run

Jan. 25, 2019

This keypad in front of the library is part of an upcoming trial run project called "Expanded Access" by Timberland Regional Library with McCleary being their sole laboratory. The idea is that library patrons will have access to the library from 7 am to 8 pm all week beyond the normal operating hours. There will be no library staff members present during the off hours.

This should be an interesting experiment in human nature.

The foamer and the ladder

Jan. 24, 2019

Get it?

You do?

Then why aren't you laughing?

Oh, I see, because it isn't funny.

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.

There goes the roof!

Jan. 7, 2019

A recent windstorm decided to strip off giant sheets of metal from the roof of one of the buildings at Simpson.

New innovation in playground equipment

Jan. 7, 2019

Yes, a new innovation in playground equipment-- a giant pile of gravel! Fun for the whole family and not as dangerous as many other playground distractions.

Mangled Monkey Bars

Jan. 7, 2019

No, not a tavern for maimed monkeys.

The park playground is being upgraded, although now it looks like the City is installing a wading pond. That forlorn pile of tangled mangled metal once served as the monkey bars for several decades. Rainbow Park is in the background.

Merry Christmas McCleary!

Dec. 15, 2018

Santa visits the streets of McCleary courtesy of the McCleary Fire Department.

The Crow's Pantry

Dec. 6, 2018

The McCleary Community Pantry was a noble experiment that lasted for a year or two, but it has been gone for some time now. In the meantime, it looks like someone is attempting an open-air pantry near the same location. When I spotted it a very satisfied crow was helping itself to a box of pasta it had poked into.

Talking turkey from Subway

Dec. 4, 2018

These hammy food puns from Subway really cut the mustard. Not trying to butter them up, but as much as I love puns I am not sure I could ketchup to this signmaker.

Perfect headgear for smoking cigars out in the rain

Dec. 3, 2018

The winter sun catches one of my hats hanging on the wall. This conical straw hat was brought to me many years ago by a friend after she visited relatives in Vietnam. I have found that in the warmer months this is the perfect headgear for smoking cigars out in the rain.

Albert Camus, eat your heart out!

Nov. 30, 2018

Un cône de signalisation est assis sur une chaise sous la pluie à Rainbow Park. Vive l'indifférence bienveillante de l'univers!

First peek at the peak

Nov. 19, 2018

For the first time in the 61-year history of the old Timbear Cafe building, it will no longer have a flat roof.

It never fails to mystify me why anyone would ever have a flat roof in this part of the world in the first place.

Personally I will miss seeing all those plastic tarps flying around in the wind atop the derelict structure, it had a certain kind of beauty. But I suppose this sort of retrofitting is good for the town so I won't complain.

Creature comforts

Nov. 18, 2018

A carpet of fallen black walnuts in McCleary equal free eats for a wide variety of wild critters in the cold months ahead.

Flour Power!

Nov. 5, 2018

The bagels and muffins at Gordon's were calling the other bread products to move their buns and join their bid for Peace! Bread! Freedom!

But no matter how you slice it, the bread section just wanted to loaf around. One of the loaves made a rye comment about how escape went against their grain, and why give up being the toast of the town?