The courthouse is not bad, an old remnant of the small town that the new hipster giant, Portland, has surrounded.  It was neither especially laudable nor detestable.  That’s enough, especially out here.  Normally, I care a bit more about the courthouse, but the cache was far more important in this case.  As mentioned, anyone who … Continue reading 748. Oregon City, Clackamas County (OR03) →

The courthouse is a relatively non-impressive skyscraper-type thing. That is to be expected. Cities of size and import have so much going on both legally and administratively that something more classic and romantic (from a courthouse perspective) isn’t really to be expected. And yet, we have seen examples that put the lie to that thinking. … Continue reading 747. Portland, Multnomah County (OR02) →

This is a little different, but nice, no?  Art Deco but shaped in (faux) clay?  I’m not a fan of courthouses looking like office buildings, but this makes for quite a look. Everyone keeps mentioning Lewis and Clark around here!  I didn’t even know Shari Lewis and Dick Clark ever worked together!   When I originally conceived this … Continue reading 746. Vancouver, Clark County (WA18) →

So, the morning I left Port Townsend, before I got to Tacoma, I had an appointment to visit the Mothership itself, Geocaching HQ. I had conversed textually with a number of folks from HQ about various things related to my written pieces and interviews. They knew I would be in the area (I was going … Continue reading Geocaching Headquarters →

Oh, Oregon! It was easy to see the courthouse on the way into town. It’s really hard to miss with that tower. It has an extension built onto it that’s not especially photo-worthy. It doesn’t even attempt to blend in or conform to the original aesthetic in any way, shape, or form. This, therefore, will … Continue reading 745. St. Helens, Columbia County (OR01) →

Good show! Another respectably hefty small-town courthouse. It feels like it occupies an odd niche because it reminds me of so many other places, but it’s not exactly a cookie-cutter “Sears” courthouse. I guess nice courthouses are all the same and crappy ones are crappy in their own way (if you don’t mind me butchering … Continue reading 744. Kelso, Cowlitz County (WA17) →

The courthouse was acceptable, though not as nice as the last several had been. Though I don’t consider myself a brand evangelist concerning anything electronic, I have to say that the camera on my iDevice is amazing! I couldn’t see the name on the front of the courthouse with my naked eye, yet it shows … Continue reading 743. Cathlamet, Wahkiakum County (WA16) →

I would never be considered an authoritarian, but I love it when a courthouse sits in dominance over the town, radiating its authority. I have no doubt that photographers better than I could somehow express that on film. When I drove into town, this gorgeous, whitewashed beast awaited me. As in Montesano, I wish I … Continue reading 742. South Bend, Pacific County (WA15) →

I seemed to be beginning a good run of luck with courthouses now! Once I had gotten beyond the tragedy of Olympia, I got some great edifices in the middle of these smaller towns. I know that’s hardly new, but it is much enjoyed. Here, I wish I could have gotten a higher vantage point … Continue reading 741. Montesano, Grays Harbor County (WA14) →

Now that’s quite a chonker! I almost missed it. I let Mr. Google’s maps lead me to the “courthouse,” and they brought me to an obviously modern county court building. For a moment, I panicked at having arrived at the wrong place. Then I looked over my shoulder, and there it was! If it had … Continue reading 740. Chehalis, Lewis County (WA13) →