When I first came to the Methow, I wandered into the most iconic building in Twisp, the Methow Valley Community Center, to get a feel for the history of the place I now called home. Vintage-looking black-and-white photos of past graduating classes from the high school that once occupied this building lined the walls.
On the stairway up to the third floor, a photo display called Faces of the Methow, comprised of over 50 photos of “the interesting people and colorful characters who live in the Methow Valley,” covered the stairwell. Much to my surprise, I recognized a face in one of the photos, a person I hadn’t seen in over 30 years. She looked as I remembered and still had the same last name.
I strolled over to the information desk where a nice person was happy to divulge all the personal information I needed to look this person up, maybe not a great idea if I was a serial killer, but a friendly, endearing and normal thing to do in the Methow Valley. And, as I learned after interviewing its creator, the display of photos called “Faces of the Methow,” was a tribute to the people who make the Methow Valley a special place, a trusting place where people are not afraid to divulge personal information about their fellow Valley dwellers.
The Faces of the Methow display is an introduction to the valley’s past.
In 2005 and 2006, Bill Hottell and Inga Lund White photographed all the people portrayed in Faces of the Methow. Bill still lives here and has lived here for the past 50 years. Bill’s contribution to valley life is grist for another column. On a telephone interview, he didn’t hold back from giving me considerable information about his photo display — or information about his own fascinating and adventuresome life.
Bill told me he was “pleased with himself for coming up with the idea to feature ordinary people of the Methow.” But as we discussed who he’d picked, most were far from ordinary. As Bill put it: “In the valley there are so many fascinating people; when you scratch the surface, they have so many outstanding qualities.” He waxed eloquent about a portrait of a person who he said had been a heavy equipment operator all his life. It was one of Bill’s favorite photos because “the photo of his face, covered in dirt and grease, tells his whole life, the life of a normal, average hard-working man.”
I did find and reconnect with the individual I recognized from her photo. And since I first viewed the exhibit, I’ve become acquainted with many more of the folks whose photos are “up on the wall.” I agree with Bill. There are many interesting, accomplished, and quirky people here. And, given the ease with which people in the valley talk about themselves and others, I won’t have any trouble filling my Valley Life columns in the future.
