Posted by: Becky St. Clair in Scenery, Downtown on
Oct 26, 2009
I'm an amateur photographer. Or maybe I should make that a wannabe photographer. I love taking pictures, but I really know nothing about photography. So when I get a nice shot, it's probably more luck than anything, especially with my little point-and-shoot digital camera.
One of my favorite places to take pictures is on Main Street. The street is lined with beautiful old renovated buildings with lots of character. Our Macy's is actually an old theatre, with sloped floors and tall ceilings. Some of the buildings still have traces of the original shop name painted on the bricks. Others house shops that have been in business for decades, such as Bright's Candies, a fabulous little candy shop that sells chocolates, ice cream, Jelly Belly candy, and more.
There are two prime times for walking and taking pictures downtown. Christmas is an obvious one, with all the warm lights and festive window displays. The other is right about now: Autumn. The trees are turning color and losing their leaves, the sky is ever-changing, and the atmosphere is cozy and homey.
The best way to enjoy a stroll along Main Street in the fall is to start at the west end and make your way east to Starbucks. Stop inside for your favorite hot beverage and then take it with you as you continue your tour of one of the busiest streets in the Walla Walla valley.
But most of all, take your time. And don't forget to look up.
Posted by: Denise Slattery in Wine, Food on
Oct 22, 2009
In some parts of the country, chefs and food enthusiasts are joining the Slow Food movement.
www.slowfoodusa.org It's a simple idea; eat food that's grown locally, reject processed foods, endorse sustainably produced foods. It's a way of life, and once you adopt even a piece of it, you really won't see food production in the same light again.
I've always maintained that wine is the ultimate slow food. If you drink wines made right here in the region, you are contributing to a beautiful cycle. Winemakers are working with growers and vineyard managers to produce the highest quality fruit and that generally means employing sustainable viticulture practices. Vinea www.vineatrust.com is one organization that growers tap into for these guidelines. Salmon Safe is another. www.salmonsafe.org.
Walla Walla produces so many amazing wines from vineyards in the Valley and nearby Eastern Washington AVA's, it's a locavore's delight! Drinking local wines is easy and a real pleasure. The terroir travels with you in every bottle you take home to share with friends and family.
Posted by: Steve Rapp in Scenery, Cycling on
Oct 19, 2009
Like eating a good meal, riding a bicycle can be a savory experience. Autumn in the Walla Walla Valley offers its special entrees.
The local trees and foliage provide wonderful fall colors like those of a carefully crafted meal. No need to travel to New England for postcard perfect pictures. Touring neighborhoods in and around Walla Walla from a bike can provide you with a seat at the ‘Chef's Table.'
Easy rides from town with varying mileage will take the cyclist on roads through harvested fields. Local crops include wheat, Walla Walla sweet onions and grapes. Most of the fields are freshly harvested, leaving behind pleasant aromas for the touring cyclist.
The wildlife is resplendent in the fall. White tail and mule deer are common. Practiced eyes can spot owls and other raptors. Coyotes, fox and even black bear are occasional sitings.
Posted by: Catie McIntyre Walker in Wine on
Oct 12, 2009
Autumn is my favorite time of the year in Walla Walla. There is something in the Walla Walla air that cannot be duplicated. It's the combination of crisp mornings, leaves changing color, the stubble left behind in the surrounding wheat fields and the sweet smell of fruit fermenting at the wineries. It is also the time of the year I think about returning to my kitchen and bringing out the heavy pots for some serious cooking. And of course, serious cooking means serious wines.
I thought it only fitting to celebrate the Autumnal Equinox and my return to the kitchen burners by treating myself to the matinee, "Julie & Julia." The movie was an entertaining memoir about Julie Powell, a foodie who blogs about Julia Child and Powell's experiences of cooking through Child's classic book, "Mastering the Art of French Cooking." I returned home from the movie inspired. I immediately wanted to prepare my favorite recipe of Boeuf Bourguignon, try my skills at coq au vin, bake a tarte tatin made with apples from the local orchards, and most of all flip a buttery omelet into the air. But of course, with good French-style food, one must have good French wines. And not only a diverse wine that compliments food, but a confident wine that can stand alone, such as a merlot-based wine from Pomerol or St-Émilion or better yet, from the shared latitude of Bordeaux - - a Merlot from the Walla Walla Valley.
Posted by: Sam McLeod in Scenery on
Oct 05, 2009
A little while ago, Annie came out on the porch to sit with me. We're drinking a glass of good Walla Walla wine, eating a bowl of spaghetti and meatballs-Annie's favorite meal-and watching the light change as the sun goes down.
Annie just noticed some new lights on the ridge south of us and got the binoculars.
"Another dern house," she said. "Lordy, Lordy, Lordy. We moved out here on the prairie to get away from the crowds and here folks come, moving in around us. We might have to move further out if this keeps up."
"Hmm," I thought. "That's interesting."
As the crow flies that new house is at least three miles from here. We can't see it without the binoculars.
