A Bag Full of Dick's

Today is the 59th birthday of Dick's Drive In.  It makes me hungry just thinking about it. Say what you will about the food and fast food in general, but Dick's is something of an anomaly, a company that has resisted growth.  It has in part to ensure it can provide the benefits that it's employees enjoy and have made them something to be admired in the service industry.  I show a pictures of a Dick's Drive In, but somehow I have never taken one...

A Picture Of Ellensburg

Why a picture of Ellensburg?  Because today marks twin anniversaries, first the Port of Kahlotus which serves the people of Kahlotus all 250 of them and the farmers surrounding the town.  I drove through Kahlotus once, it was like so many towns in Eastern Washington with a few streets, trees and a grain elevator nestled to hills of sage and scrub.  The second anniversary is that of the death of Ted Bundy, Ted was a killer.  I remember most of my later years of grade school watching highlights of Bundy's trial in Florida on the news.  
So why then a picture of Ellensburg, well one of Bundy's victims disappeared on the campus of Central Washington University and I once knew a girl in Ellensburg that was from Kahlotus.  So that's why this photo of Wippel's gas station, back in the D&M days. 

A Strange Sort Of Saddness

I found myself actually disappointed that the days were getting longer.  Normally, I would be happy about this, but this year, it is different.  Why is this year different, I do not know.  But it is, maybe it is because we had so many days of sunshine, I actually noticed that there was more light.  When it is raining all the time it seems to be always twilight.  Anyway here is a recent sunset.

The Road Less Traveled

As a kid when I would go places with my parents or fishing with my Dad, it was always about getting there quickly.  We didn't bother with the old roads, the lonely highways or the scenic route very often.  That is one thing I tried to change once I had a car and started driving great distances.  I have always felt that the journey should be treated as equal to the destination.  Tonight's photo is from Olallie State Park, a park that isn't on many maps, its located on old US 10 just east of North Bend.

Beer The Enemy

Back on this date in 1931, the King County Sheriff raided a building in Pioneer Square and found 40 quarts of beer.  So, yes it is a slow day in history, or at least not an interesting day in history.  However you could use the 18th Amendment to the Constitution as a cautionary tale for our modern world.  Beer and liquor consumption it could be argued, were a symptom of  a larger problem; the hopelessness and poor living conditions of the working classes in early twentieth century America.  Well and further back all the way to colonial times in fact.  Addressing drinking not the plight of the working class, led to other unforeseen problems, like the mob and NASCAR.   
Something to consider...

Rejoice!!! More Stories of Gridlock & Partisanship Await Us

Now that we have been "rescued" from the fiscal cliff, we face the dreaded debt ceiling again.  If you think that there is going to be a sudden attack of bi-partisanship before this happens, think of this person, a second prior to face planting into the snow, they were blissfully considering an America in which real issues are dealt with in a thoughtful, diligent  and bi-partisan manner.  Or they were thinking about the yummy cookie in the backseat of the car. 
On a related note, for those who believe that our President is Marxist, Muslin and is foreign born, why is Joe Biden an acceptable alternative, other than the oblivious, his name sounds white.
It's probably a great time to be a political cartoonist.

So It's Not Night of the Lepus

On this date 91 years ago, George Shutz died of a shotgun wound to the leg.  George was a wheat farmer from Paha in Adams County.  How did George come to get shot you might ask, well he was participating in a rabbit drive and boy named Kelly shotgun accidentally went off and hit George in the leg.  What made this day fatal for more than Lepus was that George was stand rather close to Kelly.  George bled to death prior to the arrival of the next train to Spokane.  What is uncertain, is whether or not the clubbing of rabbits stopped when George was shot. 
Rabbit drives were once commonplace throughout the West.  In Washington State they were common prior to the arrival of Grand Coulee irrigation water.  Too many rabbits meant the wheat crop was in danger, so rabbits were driven into small pens and clubbed to death by men and boys.  I've heard it told that rabbit drives would start as picnics and end as brawls. 
When I was a kid  as my dad and I went down the bumpy gravel roads of Eastern Washington with long rooster tails of dust kicked up behind us, he would say something about never seeing rabbits anymore and how there use to be a rabbit running across the road every hundred yards.  I think he mentioned it so often, because it bothered him.  Maybe he just couldn't come to grips with the idea that something that was so common to his youth was completely gone as an adult.  Maybe it made him feel older than he liked.  I don't know, I never asked, I usually rolled my eyes when the story came up.  I once saw a jack rabbit driving to Vantage from Wanapum Dam, it darted across the road.  It was so very exciting, I had finally seen a jack rabbit.  I remember telling my Dad about it, he too was excited and then told me about how you couldn't go hundred yards within seeing one in the old days.
So George's death and the lack of bunnies has me thinking about a couple things.  First, I wonder what sort of events, or stories my kids will roll their eyes at when I tell them.  Also, I wonder if they will ever realize they missed an opportunity to really find something out about their old dad, when they remember rolling their eyes at the story.
Anyway, since I have seen only one jack rabbit and since I am not really sure as to the location of Paha and since I can't find a better picture of a rabbit you get the Easter Bunny. 
America's Finest Blog at it's best.
Enjoy
Dan

Mystery Wind

On this date in 1880, Southwestern Washington, the Lower Columbia and the Oregon Coast seem to have experienced a great windstorm, one that might have rivaled the Columbus Day Storm of 1962.  Little is know of the storm as the areas hit were remote and not heavily populated.  Reports in the area papers suggest blizzard conditions with a large amount of trees toppled due to the wind and snow. 

Monroe

Today is Monroe's 110th birthday, it is also Wenatchee's 120th birthday and the 120th anniversary of the first Great Northern train to arrive in Seattle via the newly completed transcontinental tracks.  I've previously waxed on about Wenatchee's birth and of course the railroads, so tonight is about Monroe.  The town's orginal settler was Henry McClurg, who claimed the land at the confluence of the Snoqualmie and Skykomish rivers in 1860.  Within a few years he moved closer to present day Monroe and then in 1893 when the Great Northern decided to run its tracks a bit further to the east, McClurg moved to the present location and renamed the place for President Monroe. 
In September 1901, fire destroyed the business district of the town, highlighting the need for a reliable water supply and a fire department and thus gave rise to need for incorporation.  The incorporation vote took place in December of 1902 with the yea votes carrying the day.  By August of 1903 the first fair was held, leading to many years later a race track and even more years after that, me going to a demolition derby one summer Saturday night.  I don't have photos of that, in fact I really don't have many photos of Monroe, so here is one I do have.
Enjoy
Dan

Six Years

Happy Birthday to my son, Quin born 6 January 2007.  Incidentally, the Seahawks had a playoff game on that day too and like today they won.  This is about Quin though, a wonderful and bright kid.  Happy Birthday Quin.

The Carefree Floating Lifestyle

On this date back in 1902, the Seattle PI published an article on the idyllic lifestyle of those living on houseboats in Elliot Bay.  Noting that it was a rent and tax free environment and bonus, no lawns to mow.  The reality was that many of the house boaters were very poor and couldn't afford to live on land.  The dreamy life of a house boater prevailed, and has the 20th century matched on those who lived on water were increasingly middle class or even affluent.  By the middle of last century there were 2,500 house boats in Seattle.  Today that number is less than 500 and with new legislation being considered by the city council that number may even drop further.

It's A New Year

Well it's January 2nd, a day which not a lot has happened, so there isn't much to talk about, other than the euphoric feelings we all have, knowing that the President and Congress have put off the fiscal cliff stuff for about 60 days.  With that in mind a picture of a cold winter's day. 
Happy New Year.