Category Archives: Pacific Northwest

Sneaky New Friends

During this Infernal Isolation I have been unable to get close to friends, so I’ve been forced to make new ones. Although there’s not too much communication, I’ve found that Squirrels and Scrub Jays make fairly good, but somewhat limited, company. The squirrels seem to have only two expressions. The first is relaxed and adorable, a lot like puppies.

The second and more common look is “Caught in the Act”. These sneaky little devils are friendly but always seem to up to no good.

We are really drawn to the little Red ones. We have formed a bond with a pair of these skittish little rascals.

We’ve named the female Roxy and the male Rocky. Roxy won’t get too close, but is still hugely demanding. She will sit in a tree and squawk at us insistently until we put some goodies in her favorite spot. Although Rocky’s very nervous, once you’ve established a little trust he’ll take a peanut from you. Over time Rocky has become equally demanding. The little guy will sit on the rail and chirp at us in the kitchen until we bring him a treat. The two squirrels get along most of the time, but if Roxy gets a little too close to Rocky’s nuts all Hell breaks loose and they chase each other frantically all over the yard, all the time switching roles as the pursued and the pursuer. I think they must be married.

The Scrub Jays have only one expression and it’s way more nefarious. Every encounter with them feels like a stand-off as they give you that Evil Eye Stare. I’ve taken to wearing an amulet and reciting “no evil eye” three times to ward off any dark spirits.

Vacant Places

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With everything either closed or out of business, it feels so much more sedentary and unchanging now. The whole world is on pause and slowly turning into one big vacant place.

In town, all I see are solitary masked figures scurrying away in order to maintain proper spacing. Social distancing seems to becoming, if not easier, then at least more normal.

People seem very reluctant to engage at all. When you suddenly come upon someone they seems startled and taken aback, not exactly sure how to react in this new paradigm.

Of course that’s just for people. The world around us hasn’t even paused.

Quiet Roads & Empty Trails

Fair warning, if we live through this I’m going to hug more.

Strange Days

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“Strange days have found us
Strange days have tracked us down
They’re going to destroy
Our casual joys” The Doors

Road Sign – I’m thinking this is a passive aggressive reprimand.

Well, strange days have definitely found us, as to whether or not it will destroy all our casual joys, the jury is still out. I like to think there’s still a lot left to do just around the neighborhood.

“When you’re strange
No one remembers your name
When you’re strange” The Doors

We can all dress up in funny clothes. Sure she’s strange, but she’s festive.

Our Version of Isolation

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Isolation is a relative term. We live way out west in rural Washington and it can feel pretty remote sometimes, but during this period of self-imposed seclusion, it has been a blessing. We have friends living in city apartments and their idea of isolation and ours are two very different things. Even though we can’t hug and kiss friends and love ones, as long as we take precautions and avoid people, our mobility is in no way hindered. We have taken to long solitary walks on the beach. A beach that, now free of tourists and tire tracks, feels somehow more vast and expansive, and still has small untouched details.

Road Trips

Yes, like all good Americans, we just couldn’t wait to get out on the open road, at least for the day. So we packed a lunch, filled the gas tank, loaded up the face masks, latex gloves and hand sanitizer and set out on a little excursion to some very small towns where there just aren’t many people around in the best of times.

Fort Stevens, Oregon

Fort Stevens was an American military installation built near the end of the Civil War to help protect the mouth of the Columbia River. Now it’s a small settlement built around a military history museum.

Fort Stevens is named for former Washington Territory governor and slain Civil War general Isaac Ingalls Stevens. A little guy with a lot of courage. Isaac stood just 5′ 3″ . He is said to have died holding the Regimental Colors high and shouting “Highlanders! Highlanders! Follow your general!” while leading his men in a charge against Confederate forces at the Battle of Chantilly on September 1, 1862.

Brownsmead, Oregon

With the exception of a hand full of very creative souls there is not much in this tiny unincorporated community. It was built out on the flats on the south side of the Columbia River along Saspal Slough. Located on a bend in the river, Brownsmead’s chief claim to fame is as the northernmost settlement in the state of Oregon

Warrenton, Oregon

The area began developing as a small fishing community in the late 1840s. Warrenton was platted in 1889 and incorporated as a city in 1899. The town was built on tidal flats and relied on a system of dikes constructed by Chinese laborers to keep the it from flooding.

U.S. Coast Guard Sector Columbia River Warrenton, Oregon

St Francis De Sales Mission Hammond, Oregon

Raymond, Washington

Founded in 1907, Raymond was named for it’s first postmaster, L. V. Raymond. The downtown was originally built on slits, six feet above the tidal flats below. Starting as a rough and tumble lumber town Raymond fell on hard times but has now reinvented itself as Pacific County’s marijuana manufacturing hub.

To be continued. Stay safe.

“The Hellhole of the Pacific”

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Lonesome Town *“where the streets are filled with regret”*

Anyone passing through Aberdeen, Washington might suspect that it’s seen better days. More prosperous, sure, but better, maybe not. Founded in 1884, Aberdeen lagged behind its neighbors Hoquiam and Cosmopolis until 1895 when a Northern Pacific spur line was added, but connectivity to commerce never seemed to shake Aberdeen’s boomtown mindset. By 1900 it had been nicknamed “the Hellhole of the Pacific” for its countless salons, whorehouses and gambling joints. But things may be picking up a little.

Artist’s Avenue

Sure it’s a little sketchy looking, maybe not a place you want hang around all day but, despite appearances, it’s clear that a few people around here are having some fun.

A Diamond In The Rough – Steam Donkey Brewing Company

2nd Anniversary, Great Beer, Laid Back. Give Them A Try

Some Nice People

Despite a sordid past, quite a few famous people have hailed from this lugubrious lumber town. Aberdeen’s most famous son seems to be Nirvana founder and frontman Kurt Cobain. The town also spawned world famous photographer Lee Friedlander, Patrick Simmons of the Doobie Brothers, Physics Nobel Prize winner Douglas Osheroff, “Gentle Ben” author Walt Morey, world class painter Robert Motherwell, professional wrestler Yukon Eric and serial killer Billy Gohl.

Billy “Ghoul” Gohl

By the early 1900’s Aberdeen was also dubbed “the Port of Missing Men” for it’s extremely high murder rate. Billy Gohl arrived from the Yukon already an accomplished criminal. He became a low level Union Official and bartender at the Sailor’s Union Hall where he began to prey on sailors passing through town. He would separate them from their valuables, murder them and drop the bodies down a chute below a trapdoor in the floor that led to the river where the corpses would drift out to sea. Although Billy “Ghoul” Gohl was only convicted of two murders, he was believed to be responsible for over 140 homicides.

Billy’s ghost is said to still haunt the bar.

BruceWPeterson Photography

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