Ellensburg is "Gateway to the Channeled Scablands," the arid region of Washington state ruined during the Ice Age when a massive natural mud dam gave way to glacial melt. Even though all the good soil and trees ended up in California, Scablanders have picked this spot to prosper, on the trail to the Pacific.
We're here to examine a folk art environment and other examples of Ellensburg whimsy.
Across the street from the police station and fire dept., you can't miss Dick and Jane's Spot. The red wood frame house with the blue tin roof is owned by Dick Elliot and Jane Orleman. The surrounding fence and small yard are a colorful riot of bottle statues, bicycle wheel sculptures and bottle cap tesserae.
Big Red and friend.
"Big Red," a pink woman with road reflector breasts, beckons near a man with a flash bulb camera face. There are heads -- hacked from old telephone poles-- with hair made from hammered nails, and odd amalgamations of metal and painted wood.
Dick and Jane started exterior decorating in 1980; they cohabited with a dog named "Spot," so the name came naturally. Dick and Jane are responsible for much of the work, but area artists are exhibited as well.
Today their creative musings continue to draw visitors and tourists from beyond the scabs.
