A Town Called Odd

Fearing that the forgone conclusion of their town's fate would be unqualified obscurity, the citizens of a tiny town in rural West Virginia decided to give their town an unusual name; they settled on something that was just weird enough to garner the attention of passing motorists - Odd.  There is nothing particularly strange about the sweet, albeit backwater, little hamlet of Odd, WV.  The houses are well-maintained.  The brooks are in a constant babble.  The sunlight, dappled by the fluttering leaves, turns the landscape into an ever-changing, impressionist masterpiece.  The quaint, brick post office, the most significant building in the city limits, is the centerpiece to what would otherwise be a completely-unremarkable town.  The only thing that really sets Odd apart from the surrounding communities is, well, it's odd name.  How could we continue to call ourselves denizens of wacky tacky if we failed to make the trek to a town that, outside of its name, would be surely be missed by travelers who had the audacity to blink.  Cheers to Odd for putting itself on the map!

Perhaps I should have let the sign speak for itself.
But when in Odd, do as the Odd folks do, right?

As we wound our way through the hairpin turns of the narrow-laned road to Odd, we saw one of our favorite signs, "Estate Sale."  We pulled over and, of course, found a few necessities for my sister's home.  The best part was meeting the charming family who had recently lost its 92-year-old mother but had reconvened at the family home to disperse the remainder of the estate.  While most of the children (now into their sixties and seventies) have left Odd to create lives in other towns and other states, it was wonderful to talk to them about the truly idyllic experience of growing up in Odd.  They sat on the porch reminiscing and celebrating their mother's life as well as their own.  As we left, one of the daughters handed my nephew an ornament from her mother's Christmas tree.  It was one of those delightfully-unexpected experiences that made an oddball excursion to Odd a poignant and meaningful moment. 

It became more of a challenge with every church that we
passed to distinguish an odd church from the Odd Church.

Some of the cities in my neck of the woods have names that can be difficult to pronounce but I can't think of a single one that has an "odd" name.  Do you have any odd towns near you?  Do you think I should be flattered or offended that they asked me to be the "New face of Odd?"

Cheers!

Mr. Tiny

A Little Church for Big Sinners!

Some of my very favorite wacky tacky entries are the drive-bys - the ones where a quick five minutes does the trick before you have to hit the trail again.  The truth is that roadside attractions are in necessity in breaking up the monotony of a lengthy road trip or even just a morning commute.  Sometimes, when you're on the road, you just need a small dose of wacky tacky to recharge your own wacky tacky battery; when that little bit of wacky tacky is teamed with a little bit of the spiritual, then all we can say is "Hallelujah!"

Like an celestial island in the middle of a bottomless sea of iniquity, stands The Little Tree Church in Tustin, CA.  Sitting serenely, if diminutively, in the parking lot of the Jamestown Village Shopping Center, The Little Tree Church has only been in existence since the 1960's, but its roots are planted far more deeply in the rich soil that is Orange County history (the full history of TLTC can be found here).  The tiny church was built as a tribute to the landowner's grandmother's childhood church and was originally built around an existing oak tree.  The tree has subsequently died and been removed, but fortunately, the church remains.

Having just been a guest at two very wonderful, yet extremely different, weddings, I must coin a new phrase, "To each his own."  I, however, having been blessed with an extraordinary imagination, can just imagine what a sweet and simple ceremony could be held within the walls of The Little Tree Church.  With a few friends who are presently engaged, we wanted to go inside and scout the location, but the door was locked.

"Sanctuary, sanctuary!!!"
  Seriously, the only time I have ever
been told that I look like someone famous is when a little
 kid told me that I looked like the Hunchback of Notre Dame!

Side note: I picked this sweater up at some random men's
 fashion store at an outlet mall; I was on the fence about it, so
 I'll let you be the judge.  Does it give the impression of
(a) a vintage knit or (b) something Cliff Huxtable would
 wear on his day off?

From what we understand, The Little Tree Church has a maximum capacity of eight people - six congregants, preacher, and organist.  The inside of the chapel is available for viewing, but we arrived on a whim (after business hours) so we just had to envision the inside.  It's traditional New England styling led my thoughts directly to the chapel in Pollyanna.  Indeed, Hayley Mills is never far from my mind, but can't you just see self-righteous Aunt Polly telling Pollyanna not to stare at the orphans while Reverend Ford "sermonizes something fierce?" 

Reverend Ford's (Karl Malden) sermon from Pollyanna

If you're driving on the 5 freeway through Tustin and you need a wacky tacky fix, or just a moment of reflection, stop by and see The Little Tree Church.

The Little Tree Church

C St

Tustin, CA

Cheers!

Mr. Tiny

Chow Time: Burgermaster

I just got home from a whirlwind tour of the Pacific Northwest.  Upon the sage advice of a friend, my first stop was a Seattle-area institution of fine dining known as BURGERMASTER!  Burgermaster, (est. 1952) has been serving classic, American, haute cuisine (burgers, fries, and shakes) car side to generation after generation of hungry Washingtonians.  While there are multiple locations of this drive-in chain, we visited the original gangster in Bellevue, WA.

I very quickly became obsessed with the Burgermaster logo emblazoned on
every side of the building.

What is not to love?  It is like an atomic, 50's, western, Lincoln, cartoon cattle brand.

And again

The brain trust.
I told these hobos I would buy them lunch if they would stop offering
to sell strangers pictures of their "Space Needle" outside of the
Seattle-Tacoma Airport.

We arrived before lunch hour, and the place was already
packed with hungry customers yearning for a taste of
Burgermaster's cool mid-century architecture, lack of pretense, and BURGERS! 

The whole staff was extremely friendly.
This charming carhop didn't bat an eye when I asked
her to jump in a photo with these ugly mugs.

Even though Burgermaster is a drive-in, we bucked
the system and opted for the "Take-Out Bar."

Love the graphics on the cups!

Unfortunately, Mr. Tiny' current dietary restrictions do not allow for anything as delicious as the food stuffs pictured above.  Therefore, in good conscience, I am unable to stamp Burgermaster with the full and official "wacky tacky seal of approval for the endorsement of delicious refreshments served in a savory manner within an environment untouched by the evil hands of cookie-cutter sterility."  I will say this though, the hobos loved it and one day, I vow to once again become The Burgermaster!

Even if the food wasn't as delicious as it is, how could you say no to this?
(Source)

Burgermaster (Multiple Locations)

10606 Northrup Way

Bellevue, WA

(425)827-9566

www.burgermaster.biz

Cheers!

Mr. Tiny

p.s. WARNING: Burgermaster can inspire bizarrely beatific behavior in even the most sinister looking miscreant.  If you need proof and if you dare, watch this:

We Dig Old Stuff

So my brother is a talented artist, graphic designer, screen printer, musician and world-class wise a**!  His screen print shop Tugboat Studios is the place for all of your shirt, poster and design needs.  We have been brainstorming/collaborating on some design ideas and this is what he came up with (I hate ending sentences with a preposition but sometimes it sounds pretentious to write properly).  A blog post about his shop will be forthcoming but until then here is what may be wacky tacky's first t-shirt!

For a full explanation on the techniques used to draw/paint the dinosaur, you would have to talk to him.  It is probably not a good idea to contact him, however, because he'll probably be mad that I posted this "rough draft" - he has acute perfectionist tendencies.  I LOVE the way it has the vibe of an old, roadside souvenir shirt.  Needless to say, one of our biggest influences growing up and continuing into adulthood is Pee-Wee's Big Adventure.  We were lucky to have grandparents who lived in Banning, CA which is just a short ride from Cabazon (where the dinosaurs live) so we were able to see them quite often.

Pee-Wee at the Cabazon Dinosaurs

I couldn't find the clip I wanted, so here is the trailer!

Cheers!

Mr. Tiny