We had driven past the bar a few times on our way elsewhere, and I couldn’t take it anymore. So the next time we drove past, I made everyone stop and wait while I jumped out to make a photograph. I worked the scene as best I could, mindful of the three cars in our caravan idling just up the road, eager to get to the next shooting destination.
I’ve written about my attraction to anachromisms before. So it should come as no surprise that when I saw the corner bar with an iconic 7-up sign poking out I had to photograph it. The dated angular building with its wood panel siding, faux-rock foundation, and rusty air conditioner poking out of the side would have been enough to turn my head on any day. The old 7-up sign would have made me slow down and stop if I was on my own. But the name of the bar – oh the name – was just too good to pass up, even if it meant annoying some of the other photographers in our group.
Grumpy’s Tavern. I mean, how perfect is that?
It was 9:30 in the morning, and the bar was open. I glimpsed a single patron through the window, sitting at the bar sipping a beer. The streets were empty; the sky overcast. A sad and lonely place. I was in the small town of Garfield, Washington, in the middle of the Palouse, not far from the Idaho border. Grumpy’s occupies one corner of the town’s main intersection. While I was able to learn that Garfield was founded in the 1880s and named in honor of the recently-assassinated 20th president of the United States, I haven’t yet uncovered how Grumpy’s got its name. I wanted to go inside to hear its story, but didn’t have the time.
Resigned to staying outside, I moved quickly around the building, searching for compositions. I shot the building from every angle I could find in my quick circumnavigation before running back to the cars, apologizing for the short delay. I made a few mistakes in my haste (letting unwanted elements creep in at the edges and neglecting to observe some background distractions), but I was generally pleased with the images, given the constraints.
But while my photographs captured the emptiness I had felt out on the street, it still felt like something was missing. Whether that was in the photograph or the experience I could not say. Probably both. Because, had I been on my own, I would have slowed down. Had a beer. Spent more time wandering the streets, waiting for something to develop. A change in the light. Someone walking by. A dog sniffing at the door. I wanted to go back to explore some more, but never made the time.
That feeling of a missed opportunity persisted when I returned home and began editing the images. But what could I do about it, months later? Then I remembered a trip to Disneyland back in 2013. The parade down Main Street. Snow White twirling to a quick stop, looking straight into my camera and striking a pose before quickly twirling away. I remember the moment. Followed by the disappointment when I saw the resulting photograph, which was marred by distracting background and foreground elements. Not much use for anything but a memory. Filed away, mostly forgotten. Until now.
Grumpy’s. Snow White. Duh.
“Doc tried to warn Grumpy, but he was too late.”
I don’t often play with composites, but Photoshop made it easy to pluck Snow White off Disneyland’s Main Street and plunk her down on Garfield’s. Creating images like this wasn’t what drew me to photograph Grumpy’s in the first place, but it was an interesting exercise nonetheless. The composites are neither better nor worse than what I started out with. Just different.
I only wish I had some pictures of Grumpy and the other dwarves to plop down there too. Can’t you see Sleepy passed out on the sidewalk while Doc bends over with a concerned look on his face? I suppose I could have generated that with AI, but I prefer to work only with images that I created, which left Snow White all alone on the street. Walking up to the bar to meet Grumpy and the other dwarves.
The Snow White – Grumpy connection was obvious. What might I do with some of my other photographs of old, anachronistic buildings? What kind of connections might I find between other images I’ve made? Where would that take me? It’s an intriguing path to think about going down.
Snow White's big adventure
June 15, 2024, Garfield, WA (Fujifilm XT-5, Fujifilm XF 16-80 f/8 @ 1/300) & October 25, 2013, Disneyland (Pentax K-30, Sigma 18-50, f/4 @ 1/640). When I made the image of Grumpy’s I was on a photo tour with Jack Lien, who I highly recommend if you are thinking of visiting the Palouse.