Discover Walla Walla

Just as recently as 3 years ago, the chance to experience entertainment in Walla Walla after 7 pm was slim and none with none more often than the slim. Now, one can walk the streets of downtown on Thursday through Saturday nights and have several places to patronize.

This is a prime reflection of the stark change in Walla Walla. Let me give you an example. On a Saturday night, just a couple of weeks after I had moved to Walla Walla in March of 2003, I went to a local pub and restaurant for some food, drink and a little action at 8:30 pm. When I asked for a menu, the bartender told me they had closed the kitchen at 8. I thought that was a bit early but cheerfully asked him where I could get some food at this hour?

He chuckled and said, "The only place serving food after 8 in Walla Walla is Shari's." You know Shari's, a distant cousin to Denny's that specializes in "down home" pies. Any entertainment? Yeah, a broken down barn called "Barnaby's" that was the home of 21-year-olds experimenting with hard liquor for the first time, and a DJ who was obsessed with rap. I became depressed.

In just 7 short years, that scenario is a distant memory. Not only do most restaurants stay open much later but there is a bevy of music and eats coming from a wide-range of establishments. Vintage Cellars used to be solely a wine and beer bar; now it serves food and live music with its beverages. With its patio and inviting upstairs, it makes for a nice evening destination.

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I've been out hawking my new book. It's tough work.
I spent the entire month of June in shameless self-promotion. I wore out my welcome in 12 cities across the South. Everywhere I went I met people who asked penetrating questions.
"Did you write this?" the gray-haired lady asked, holding up a copy of my book. She'd caught me just inside the front door of the bookshop where I was giving a talk. She peered at me from the other side of thick lenses while repositioning her dentures with her tongue.
"Yes'm, I did," I said.
"Is it any good?"
"Yes'm, it is. It's really good. It's my favorite book."
"What's it about?"
"It's about my childhood-growing up Southern, my family, the old neighborhood, kids' adventures, quirky characters, strange doings, conflict, reconciliation, love, hate, envy, greed, war, peace, poverty, wealth, deviled eggs, and the meaning of life..."
"Lotsa people written books like that," she interrupted.
"Yes'm, they have. This is just my take on things."

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Yesterday morning I had a cell phone. I could call people on it. That was yesterday morning.
"You've got to tweet," my editor said. "And Facebook. All day long. All night long. All the time."
"But I don't like to Tweet or Facebook," I said bluntly. "I hate it. It's shameless self-promotion."
"Do you like writing books, Sam?"
"Sure."
"Do you want us to publish them, Sam?"
"Of course."
"Then you've got to sell books, Sam. To sell books you must engage in shameless self-promotion. These days that means you've got to Tweet and Facebook. It's simple."
"But my phone doesn't Tweet or Facebook, so I can't. We'll have to find another way."
"Get a new phone, Sam."
"But..."
"No buts, Sam. Get a new phone."
New York people can be difficult.
So yesterday Annie and I took my phone to the Tri-Cities. (I can't tell you which one.)
We went to the cell phone store and told the phone people I needed a new phone-one that Tweets and Facebooks. Annie had to go with me because she's the account holder. They weren't about to deal with anybody but the account holder.
"You've come to the right place," April said. "We'll get you all fixed up, Mr. McLeod."
April was adorable. I'm guessing 21-maybe 22. Beautiful smile, blonde curls, big blue eyes, dimples-the whole deal. She was bubbly, too. She talked really fast.
April took one look at my cell phone, rolled her eyes, and threw it in the trash. She pulled a little black rectangular thing off the shelf. It didn't look like a phone.
"This is our new 14G Mega-47 WhizPixel with SimSync Sizzlers," April said.
"Is it a phone?" I asked.

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Sinclair Estate Vineyards recently held its grand opening for its downtown tasting room with not only a nice party and pouring of wine, but also, an art show featuring the work of Edmonds, WA artist Andy Eccleshall (Ek-ul-shail).

Eccleshall was born and raised in the U.K. before crossing the pond 16 years ago to ply his trade in the Puget Sound area. He has made a name for himself as a mural artist; you can see his work at the Sinclair's Bed & Breakfast, Vine and Roses, as he has painted beautiful tapestries in each suite.

But his true love is painting what he calls atmospherics. His definition: unusual contrasts in light created by the atmosphere. Eccleshall is particularly drawn to dramatic scenes as many of his paintings include big thunderhead clouds, but he also enjoys softer light content such as a misty morning. In both cases, he says his goal is to capture the power or softness of the natural light.

Eccleshall developed his love for portraying atmospheric light in his early teens as he soaked up the October days in England. He says that light from the England sky possesses a crispness unrivaled and that he became endeared to the light occurring just after the sun had fallen below the horizon, for it lit up the clouds with its powerful blast.

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Robert Parker, leading US wine critic of the Wine Advocate publication called them "Blobbers." Anthony Dias Blue, Editor-in-Chief of The Tasting Panel Magazine referred to them as "bitter, carping gadflies." Who are these people? Well, hold onto your wine corks as they are coming to a town near you - - that's right. They are coming to Walla Walla!

The 2010 North American Wine Bloggers Conference will take place this month, June 25-27 at the Marcus Whitman Hotel. It is the premier conference for new media and the wine industry. A total of 300 independent wine bloggers, industry bloggers, and other wine and social media professionals will gather from all over North America and beyond to meet, learn about the wines from Washington State and share their wine blogging knowledge.

This is the third year for the North American Wine Bloggers Conference. The last two years it has been held at Santa Rosa, California and sponsored by the Napa Valley and Sonoma Vintners Associations, so 2010 is a big year for the conference to be moved out of California and into second largest wine producer in the US, Washington State. It is especially exciting that the first impression of the Washington State wine industry will be Walla Walla.

For decades wine journalism had been dominated by a few visible critics, such as Parker and Dias Blue and their publications. Today, citizen wine bloggers are having an impact on how wine lovers, from the novice to the aficionado, as well as the wine industry are getting their news and reviews. If you are a wine lover in any degree, wine bloggers want you to know what they know by taking the intimidation and stodginess out of wine. Welcome Wine Bloggers!

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Fly fishing, fly tying and good wine . . . a few of my favorite things in life! It's not often that I can combine all three at once. Now, toss in good friends, some great food out of a Dutch oven and "Wow!" - we've got an event that you can only find in Walla Walla. The Walla² Fly Fishers just held their 2nd Annual Fly Fishing Fair at Waterbrook Winery, and now that it's over I can't wait for next year's. Really, in a community named for its many waters and now known for its wine, doesn't it make sense that we are finally putting these two things together?

If you weren't one of the almost two hundred people lucky enough to enjoy the event in person, let me tell you about it so that you can put it on the calendar for next year. We started-off with expert fly tyers demonstrating their skills, added a few incredible fly casting instructors sharing their knowledge, and staged it all in a beautiful setting, including a pond stocked with fish (at least purportedly). Did I mention that this was also a family event? The fly tyers gave away their flies and there were casting games with prizes for kids and Waterbrook wine for the adults.

So, that's how we put it all together this year and had a great day for all involved. As it turns out, I'm not the only person who enjoys my favorite things. . .

Find more details about Walla² Fly Fishers and our events at - http://wallawallaflyfishers.blogspot.com/2010/05/fly-fishing-fair-2010-at-waterbrook.html

Photo courtesy Waterbrook Winery

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Every so often I will read a national news article about Walla Walla wine country and sure enough, the author will eventually bring up the same old platitude they think is so original, “Walla Walla is the next Napa.”

No!  With every “Walla Walla is the next Napa” comment I read, it makes me wonder if the author of the article has even been to Walla Walla, let alone taken the time to ask the Walla Walla wine community if they believe it or even want to be “the next Napa Valley.”

Last summer I revisited the Napa wine country.  Frankly, the only things Napa and Walla Walla have in common are that both areas produce and sell wine. The climate, soil, flora, and of course, the wines are very different.  One area isn’t necessarily better than the other, just very different.  I found the people of Napa to be very generous with their hospitality, but of course so is Walla Walla.  In Napa, tourists visit several beautiful and ostentatious old world chateau-like buildings.  Sure, in Walla Walla we have some beautiful new winery structures, but we also have many World War II airport barracks and old farm machinery sheds that have been converted into personable and functional working wineries.  It isn’t rare to find a winemaker in Walla Walla actually pouring his or her wines and giving tours.

I often overhear comments regarding how the locals do not want to see Walla Walla grow like Napa and become a “wine Disneyland for adults.” I don’t think we will.  Our area has a new vigor because of the wine community, but not only have we learned from Napa on how to promote great wine tourism, but most important I believe we have also learned on what not to do.  And besides, the biggest thing that will keep Walla Walla from becoming like the Napa area is that the nearest large metropolitan center is 4.5 hours away from us, unlike St. Helena  in the Napa Valley has a close driving distance to the ever expanding San Francisco area.

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His name’s YODA,” Annie said, all puffed up with satisfaction. “Just look at those ears.”

His ears were extra-long and pointy. His nose was extra-long and wet. His back was extra-long and slightly bowed from holding his belly off the ground. His legs were extra-short.

“Looks like somebody put the wrong legs on him,” I said. “What kind of dog is he?”

“A Corgi,” Annie said. “Isn’t he the cutest?”

“Looks sort of funny. Where’d he come from?”

“He’s yours,” Annie said. “I got him for you.”

“Like you got that new bedspread for me, and the curtains in the guest bedroom for me, and the dining room rug for me, and those chickens for me, and…”

“Yep, just like that,” Annie said.

YODA came into our lives completely laid-back. He never barked. He seemed perfectly happy to wait at the door until somebody let him in. He was okay with my scratching his ears—or not. He was delighted to eat if filling his food bowl wasn’t too much of a bother for us. He carried his empty water bowl around, flipping it into the air every now and again, hoping somebody’d notice. He liked to ride in the car, preferring the front seat, but okay with the back.

He wandered the farm, checking things out in a detached, unhurried YODA-like way. BC the Barn Cat took a swipe at him. No big deal. He waddled on to the next thing. Nothing seemed to surprise him.

“He’s the perfect dog,” I told Annie. “I’m starting to like him.”

“He’s sweet,” Annie said. “Doesn’t do much. Reminds me a lot of you.”

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When I was in college, I made a list of things I want to do before I die.  There are simple things, such as stop by the large antiques and fruit stand on the freeway between Walla Walla and Yakima, or driving a tractor.  Then there are things I’ve already done, such as visit London, or become a mother.  And finally, there are the complicated things; things that may or may not present an opportunity between now and when I’m laid to rest.  Things like riding in a hot air balloon.

The Walla Walla Balloon Stampede is one of those traditions that’s been around longer than I have.  It’s an automatic mood-lifter to head to work and discover two dozen hot air balloons watching your commute from the clouds.  As you get closer to them, the colours stand out: Bright blues, brilliant reds, stunning greens, cheerful yellows, royal purples and shimmering golds.

I always wonder about the people in the baskets beneath those bewitching orbs drifting high above my head.  How old are they?  How many are in each one?  Where are they from?  What made them buy a balloon?  Where did they learn to fly one?  How do they know each other?  When will they take me up?

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"Into The Woods", which just finished its opening weekend at The Little Theater, is a fast paced, although not short, Steven Sondheim and James Lapine musical that uses just about every fairy tale in the satchel to touch on just about every facet of life. The large cast and production crew of the Little Theater give a commendable performance, especially considering the complexity of the lyrics, staging, and props.

The singing is demanding as much of the narrative is injected into the lyrics and actors are constantly alternating from speaking to singing their lines in addition to the numerous conventional musical numbers imbedded in the play.

"Into the Woods" centers on the journey of a baker and his wife who conduct a scavenger hunt in hopes of ridding a witch's spell that forbids them from having a natural born child. I use the word "centers" loosely as we are witness to the journeys of many other characters, Cinderella, Little Red Riding Hood, Jack and the Bean Stock, Rapunzel; you name it, and they're in the woods. The barren couple must find four items for the witch's potion: a cape as red as blood; a slipper as pure as gold - I think you're getting the idea --, a lock of hair as gold as an ear of corn and a cow as white as milk (that's owned by Jack); the play taking some liberty with the characters.

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