Discover Walla Walla

After a brief hiatus, the Bürgermeister is happy to be back on the circuit, with a special report from Umapine, OR. Yes, it was time to revisit the Water Hole Tavern and sample the Big Beefy Burger once again.

For Walla Wallans who have been spoiled by the close proximity of everything, the Water Hole can seem like a trek. We'll get the directions out of the way: Take Highway 11 as if you're headed to Milton-Freewater, and make a right at Stateline. Continue on for five miles (you may suspect erroneous directions at this point in your journey, as even the farmhouses start to disappear and you are cruising through vistas of rolling farmland that do not bode well for the hungry), and look for a road on the lefthand side marked only with a green street sign that says "UMAPINE RD." (Now, Google Maps shows this as Umapine Stateline Highway, but we found no on-the-ground corroboration for this.)

Take this road south for two miles and you will find yourself at an intersection with a stop sign. On your far right is a beautiful old school building that, last we heard, was being converted into a foundry. On your left on the opposite side of the road you should be able to see Tate's Mercantile, and the Water Hole is directly on your left on the near side.

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So the groundhog saw his shadow this year, huh?  Six more weeks of winter.  Everyone cringes to hear it.  Even here in Walla Walla, where we’ve had one of the most mild winters since I’ve been here (which has now been nearly a decade; I can’t believe it!).  Lots of fog, yes.  A little rain, sure.  And even a bit of snow, albeit a tad less than usual.  But nothing hardcore; not even the temperatures gave us much to complain about this year. 

Me?  I don’t buy it.  First of all, we had several 60-degree days in mid-January.  I strode down the sidewalks without a jacket on and was comfortably warm, soaking up the sun. 

Secondly, I hear birds.  In the morning when I get up, there’s chirping.  The kingfisher is back, hunting for meals around the branch of the Little Walla Walla River that runs in front of my house.  Granted, I haven’t yet seen my first robin of the year, but I’m prepared to welcome her any day now. 

Thirdly, my bulbs are coming up.  The daffodils are frighteningly close to blooming, and I’m already greeted by deep purple crocuses every morning as I climb the steps to my office.

Really, what does a groundhog know, anyway?

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Mrs. Benson, my third grade teacher, had a rule: On Valentine's Day each student will give every other student in the class a card and it'll be the same card. No candies or other gifts. You could write different notes on your cards if you wanted, but that was the only permitted difference.

Several of the popular girls booed.

Mrs. Benson raised her ruler and said she'd had too many problems in the past with selfish kids who counted their cards, and showed off how many they'd gotten, and sprayed the news to anybody who'd listen.

"Interesting," I thought. "Isn't that what everybody does on Valentine's Day? That's the point, isn't it? How else will I gauge my popularity?"

Third grade could be confusing sometimes.

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When I think of February, I always reflect back to when I was a little girl in Walla Walla. We had classroom Valentine parties with lots of red construction paper and paper doily hearts on the bulletin boards. There was the exchange of cards and our room mothers would bring us decorated cupcakes and heart shaped cookies. Now that I am older, many years older (ahem), I now think of wine as being romantic. Why not? Romance is about an emotional attachment, a fascination or involvement with someone. Wine not only places a role in romance, but seduction, which leads to - - s-e-x. Wine can bring lovers together, but also good times with family and friends.

Walla Walla is about romance no matter the time of the year with our beautiful parks, the view of the Blue Mountains, romantic B&B's, vineyards and our historical downtown. Downtown Walla Walla is especially romantic and full of surprises. It is a mid-way of tasting rooms, boutiques, bistros and art galleries and if one times it right, there is live music in the air.

The Walla Walla Valley has some very seductive wines to get one in the Valentine spirit, too. Sleight of Hands Cellar's labels are very seductive with the mysterious magician and his beautiful assistant. The Magician is a classic dry Gewurztraminer with aromas and flavors of crisp green apples, rose petals, and lychee-nut. These characteristics make for a perfect pairing with aromatic seafood dishes and spicy Asian foods. Mmm...spicy!

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Every time I drive through downtown Walla Walla I'm scared I'll get into an accident.  That may not sound like a pleasant introduction to this wonderful little city, but let me explain.

Walla Walla is one of the most beautiful little towns I've ever experienced and every time I drive through its charming downtown (especially Main Street) I'm struck by its simple elegance and preserved history.

Then there are the people.

While stopped at one of many stoplights, I note two gentlemen on the corner, waiting for the crosswalk light to allow them to proceed.  They're as different as can be.  One is older, perhaps 60, experienced in life and ready to relax and enjoy a slower pace.  His walking shoes are worn and his simple garb includes a black windbreaker and a plain black baseball cap.  He didn't bother to shave this morning.

The other is closer to my age, probably not yet 30, clean-shaven, gelled hair, brand new tie flapping in the breeze.  His hands are stuffed into his suit coat pockets (probably to ward off the chill of the winter wind), and his shiny businessman shoes are stylish and classy.

The light turns green.  I press on the gas pedal, the two men start across the road, one significantly more hurried than the other.

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Tonight, we are headed to the movies. But don't bring your popcorn and soda, for this movie holds no entertainment, although it is a star studded evening in Walla Walla. We are viewing "Cargo: Lost Innocence" - a gritty documentary on human trafficking, directed and produced by actor Michael Cory Davis. The movie presentation and the subsequent panel discussion on human bondage is backed by "Artists for Human Rights" an organization created by Hollywood film artist, Anne Archer.

Archer, Davis along with human rights activist Donna Isham and Executive Director of "Artists for Human Rights," Michael Wisner are all in attendance. When asked why they would bring such a film to Walla Walla, a relatively isolated rural community, Davis, Archer and Wisner all respond with the same answer: the fight for human rights starts in your local communities.

"Cargo" chronicles the story of two young women who were abducted from their homes, one from Bulgaria the other South America, and brought to the U.S. to be sex slaves in Texas. Davis does a nice job of interspersing sound bites from government officials, who are trying to fight the problem, with gut wrenching interviews with the victims and re-enacted scenes of some of the horrific stories they describe.

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Lately I have been thinking about wine in a box. And I'm not talking about the mass produced vino that come with a spigot (although, hey, in a pinch, not so bad!) I'm talking about wine that comes in a box and is delivered right to your door by the friendly folks at Fedex or UPS! That's the GOOD kind of wine in a box - and guess what? We make that in Walla Walla too!

Ok, hopefully you get my drift here! I'd like to draw some comparisons and make an argument for joining any of the great wine clubs offered by Walla Walla area wineries.

First, if you had an amazing experience in a winery or tasting room and really loved the wines you tried, chances are extremely high (really, way up there) that you will love their future releases, too. We could even back this up with science and refer to Newton's Law of Wine Tasting that states: When You Like What You Taste, You Will Continue To Like What You Taste.

And so, it reasons, if you enjoyed the wine you tasted in Walla Walla you will want more of it, sent directly to your home twice a year or so. When a box of wine arrives on your doorstep you can open it up (like Christmas!) and re-live your memory of Walla Walla all over again! You can drink in the tastes that a favorite winemaker selected and managed to coax into a bottle for your very enjoyment! Of course there are many frills and benefits related to a wine club membership, too varied and exciting to list here, but the main thing to know is that you get something quite thrilling for your trouble. And Walla Walla does not disappoint!

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Perhaps it's because I'm an Anglophile, or maybe it's the other way around, but I am certainly a true Pacific Northwesterner. I love fog.

While a lot of Walla Walla residents revel in the summer sun (albeit most often from their air conditioned homes, cars and offices), they often grumble about the winter weather. What, you don't like soggy pant cuffs and spotted glasses? You don't enjoy digging your car out of several inches of ice-encrusted snow at 7:30 a.m.?

Yeah, me neither. But the fog...I must admit it generally makes me smile.

I think it's the mystery of it all: How it turns the once-familiar world around me into a dreamy, fairy cloud-land; how it transforms the stark, leafless trees into regal statues, stretching high above me and disappearing into the mist; how the edges of the fields are softened and the hills surrounding them rise into the unknown.

Or maybe it's just the warm fuzzy feeling I get from looking out my window and daydreaming about a cozy fire, a good book and a hot mug of tea - or better yet, the days when that can be reality! After, all, that's what winter is all about.

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New Year's Resolutions do not have to be boring or demanding. Wine is a great topic to put on your New Year's list. Drink wine and learn something new at the same time! In fact, you can walk downtown Walla Walla and visit shops and tasting rooms to assist you in not breaking these five easy resolutions.

1. Open Your Mind to Wine: You may give the impression to your friends and co-workers you are a wine connoisseur, but are you really if all you are drinking is red wine? So, you didn't care for the $3 bottle of California chardonnay or rosé you tasted back in the 80's, but have you recently tasted chardonnays or rosés, or any of the white wines, produced in Walla Walla? Rethink them. Retaste them.

2. Step Away from the Flintstones Jelly Jars: Wine glasses do not have to be expensive. Look for glassware that is thin. The rim of the glass should be a clean cut and not a rolled lip. It may be pretty, but save Great-Grandma Esther's chunky hand-cut crystal for water glasses. Also, look for wine glasses with a large bowl and fill the bowl no more than a third allowing plenty of air space for the wine to breathe. If you want to invest in the best, check with Providence Fine Living on Walla Walla's Main Street for Riedel fine crystal wine glasses.

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Ham is a tradition in our family-starting this year.

I grew up in Nashville, Tennessee. My family ate Tennessee country ham and biscuits for breakfast on Christmas morning. The salt-cured ham was a special treat reserved for the holidays-generally a gift form one of my father's patients who couldn't pay his doctor's bill.

My mother scraped the green-blue mold off the ham, soaked it in water in a five-pound lard tin for a couple of days to remove some of the saltiness, then simmered the ham in the same tin on the stovetop starting late on Christmas Eve, letting it slow-cook all night long so we'd have a ham ready to slice on Christmas morning.

When I married Annie, we visited her family in Richmond, Virginia on Christmas every now and again. Virginia ham and rolls were part of their Christmas Eve dinner. The Virginia ham was incredibly salty and therefore sliced very thin. A little bit went a long way on a homemade yeasty roll.

And then we moved west and lost touch with the Christmas ham tradition, until this year when I happened to see a ham recipe in a magazine. The memories came streaming back. I decided to give it a try.

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