Dave and the Bean Straw

Published 6:00 am Saturday, October 13, 2007

For years, friends and family have let Oak Harbor resident David Hammons know that he has a unusual sense of humor.

Now he has proved that they were right on the money.

Hammons, a civil servant at Whidbey Island Naval Air Station, self-published a book of weird and funny cartoons entitled “The Bean Straw: Non-Flying Objects.” The single-pane, quirky cartoons feature such images as a cat with a cell phone, an elephant mind reader and a speculation of what may occur if Dracula met a grizzly.

Hammons says his work is in the same vein as Gary Larson, creator of the wildly popular “The Far Side” cartoons.

Like Larson, Hammons admits that his forté isn’t artwork, but his brand of wacky hilarity.

“I’m just hoping the humor will carry the so-so art,” he said.

The name “Bean Straw,” he explained, comes from a German idiom that means “to be dumber than a bundle of bean straw.”

Noting that laughter has proven to be good for people’s health, Hammons decided to try to help people with his cartoons. He has left copies of his family-friendly book at a local doctor’s office and a dentist’s office and plans to leave more at other medical center reception areas.

“I find medical-related reading material to be informative but boring, and at times, downright depressing,” he said. “Why not provide more lighthearted reading for people who likely feel down already? This will build public awareness of my book, while putting a smile on someone’s face.”

The book is also available at the Wind and Tide bookstore in Oak Harbor and online at www.lulu.com.

Just enter “bean straw” into the search engine. Hammons also has his own Web site at www.the

beanstraw.com.

Hammons said it took him about a year to write the cartoons, redraw them and go through the computerized formatting process at the online site. He had been creating cartoons for at least a year before that, often posting them on a board at work. He was encouraged by the reaction of his co-workers.

Although his cartoons create a surreal world, Hammons said he is often inspired by seemingly-ordinary things his daughter, 10-year-old Rachel, or his wife Melanie may say or do.

“I guess it’s just random neurons firing in my head,” he said.

Creating the cartoons is great fun for Hammons, who very well may have more books of cartoons in him. In fact, he dreams of becoming a professional cartoonist.

“If I could do this full-time, it’s what I would do,” he said. “I really enjoy it.”

You can reach News-Times reporter Jessie Stensland at jstensland@cmg-northwest2.go-vip.net/whidbeynewstimes or call 675-6611.