“Looking north from a railroad grade on Washington Street to Simmer's named subject, the corner of Third Ave. and Washington in Vancouver Washington on July 20, 1942. This apparently is Vancouver's auto row during the busy war years when that city was crowded with home front manufacturing, mostly of ships. Through his career Simmer did a lot of shooting for the Washington State Department of Highways. This is one of the subjects that Jean and I chose for our book "Washington Then and Now." We did not, however, use it. - Click TWICE to EnlargeOn a hot day in the summer of 2005 Jean lifted his camera with his 10-foot pole to a grade that approximated that of Simmer's shot from the elevated railroad grade. Jean, however, has moved directly into the once busy corner of 3rd and Washington to show its moribund condition in '05. The 1955 completion of the I-5 freeway thru Vancouver used these blocks for interchanges. They are hidden behind the screen of trees on the right.While visiting Portland to perform in a music and stage production there, Jean stopped by 3rd and Washington in Vancouver on March 16 to study the changes - whatever - that had come down in the nearly seven years since his first visit. The trees have been busy.
