When driving up the Quinault River Valley last summer I came across a homemade “go-slow” sign that was unusually clever. Not only that, but a pond on one side of the road was decorated with a variety of humorous items.
For example, there was another sign where you could only read “The Pond” when you looked at its reflection in the water. Meanwhile, the mailbox had the name “Kermit” and in the middle of the pond there was a clay frog.
This installation was not mere entertainment — the artist also decided to get political. So there was a makeshift statue of a guy with a fishing pole and a sign that read “Let’s go fishing Brandon” and another sign that read “JO(K)E.” At the end of the pond there was another statue that presumably represented a rousing defense of Donald Trump.
I haven’t yet been back up the Quinault River Valley this summer to see what the pond’s decorations currently look like. This area is typically deep red politically, but it is also economically tenuous — and heavily dependent on international tourism.
Trump’s tariff battle with Canada may already be hurting the local economy. As of April, the number of Canadians making a trip to Washington state had fallen by almost 50 percent from the same month last year (Schrager, 2025). The Quinault Valley had been a popular destination for Canadians.
I wonder how our artist is processing all of that.
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RE:SOURCES
- Schrager, Daniel; 2025. “Are WA-BC border crossings still falling amid trade war? What latest data show.” Tri-City Herald. Posted July 23.
Processing? Probably not at all yet.
Sadly, when they do, their perception and understanding will likely be shaped by which flavor of news they consume.
“…alternative facts…” -Kellyanne Conway, January 22, 2017
That strikes me as being the most likely scenario, but my journalism training taught me to hold my assumptions lightly . . . because one can be surprised more often that you’d think.
I may not get back up there until after Labor Day, which would be a good time to see how the locals reacted to the summer tourism season (and whether ICE arrests impacted the motels that rely on undocumented workers). Even in normal times this is a tough place to survive economically, so tariffs and ICE raids could have an inordinate impact on the ability of some people to scratch out a living.
First, I’d like to say that I am amused by the artwork that was posted but think the artist should keep his political views to themself. It’s best that one’s opinions on sex, religion or politics not be thrust upon strangers.
I am in favor of reciprocal tariffs and many countries impose high ones against the USA already. The US has imposed various tariffs on some products from some countries since the 1700s. Joe Biden increased at least one tariff on Canadian lumber and no one raised an eyebrow. I am sorry to see both sides resort to sniping and lies against one another and am hoping that both sides can come together and find a way to reinstate large-scale manufacturing in the USA. We could not have succeeded in WWII without our production base and we’ll need it again.
“The first casualty in a war is: the truth” and the tariff “wars” are no different.
Now, after months of threats, snipes and boycotts, goodwill has been replaced by distrust, likely for a long time. l’m sorry to see it too. It could have been a “coming together”. It could have been much better handled, but……