The Story of Flagneck

I like being genuinely surprised. Especially when it's the kind of surprise that comes out of nowhere and makes you grin from ear to ear. That's what happened late last week when I walked into my room to get a pair of shoes from my closet. I looked up and saw this:

That thing has a name. It's Flagneck. Here's a closer look.

When I first spotted him, I stood there stunned with my mouth agape. Then the smile slowly spread across my face. Flagneck had finally come to Boise. This was a good, good day.

Flagneck's story begins in the summer of 2003. People first noticed him as he sat on the shelves of the Many Glacier Hotel gift shop. It wasn't long before he was deemed the "ugliest piece of merchandise" in the entire store...by the employees of course. I couldn't have agreed more. I'm all for being patriotic. But this is the kind of thing an overweight, midwestern housewife with far-right leanings and a gun rack would choose to put in her home. Hideous. Ridiculous. Tacky. Ugly. But also loveable. Flagneck became so iconically repulsive...that everyone loved him. I didn't work in the gift shop so I'm not sure if anyone ever bought Flagneck. I believe there was one confirmed purchase. But I think we had two in stock, so we never lost sight of the little guy. I don't remember much about Flagneck in 2004. I think he was there. But I'm not really sure. His iconic status, however, returned in 2005...when a new breed of gift shop employees found a way to celebrate his tackiness. T-shirts of course. Take a look.

Linda, Bev, and Stephanie. Don't they look gorgeous in their Flagneck garb?

That was my last summer in Glacier. I lost track of Flagneck then. My understanding is that he lived on. I don't know exactly where he's been over the past 5 years. I just know that he's resided in different parts of the country with different mutual friends...passed around like a trophy....a piece of memorabilia to induce warm, fuzzy memories of our collective time in Glacier. He's been in Portland for at least the past year...living with Jason and Shelly (Shellson).

How did he end up in Boise? Ron and Jessie (Sipner) were in Portland last week to pick up a car and visit Shellson. On their way back to Colorado they stopped for a brief respite in Boise. They were only here one night. But in that night, they managed to slip me the remarkable gift of Flagneck.

So, for now, Flagneck has come to roost in the City of Trees. I don't know how long he'll be here. He might follow me to wherever I end up next. Or I may hand him off to another unsuspecting Glacier veteran when they least suspect it. I'm just happy to see him again.