Skywatch Friday

The sky was AMAZING last Friday as I pulled into the store parking lot to grab a few items for supper. I had to take a few pictures, and of course I will share them with you for Skywatch Friday.

A Glimpse of Glory

A quick shot of the fading sunlight on the Blue Mountains as I flew down Highway 11 at 60 miles per hour.

An Odd Umbrella

While waiting for someone I was picking up, I was watching people out in the rain from the shelter of my car. This one, of course, caught my eye. I'm really not sure why he's carrying a mattress on his head, but it seems perhaps an umbrella would be a bit easier to manage...

Down on Colville Street

This is a high-class place for relaxing with a hot cup of deliciousness...as well as a bowl or plate full of perfection. This is the Colville Street Patisserie, located between Main Street and Alder downtown, and if you need evidence of the amazing deliciousness you can get here, check out my first post from this place. One of these days I'll get a picture of the amazing pastries and other yummy things they have in that glass case you see there up near the front of the place. I absolutely love meeting friends here...or taking a journal and enjoying my own company for a while. If any of you come to visit Walla Walla, please let me know; I'd love to meet you here.

A Blue Clear Sky

When the skies are clear like this in winter...you know it's going to be cold that night. But at least the daytime looks beautiful to make up for it! These are the Blue Mountains which in this case should probably be called the White Mountains. They've gotten a fair dumping of snow over the last couple of months, and I hope it helps keep our water levels acceptable this coming summer. This is a view from Highway 11, looking east.

Sky on Fire

Sorry it's a little blurry...I snapped this with my cell phone at a stop light on Highway 11 on my way home from grocery shopping a couple of weeks ago. I just LOVE it when the sky lights up like this. And it rarely happens in the winter; this is more of a summer thing.

A Thoughtful Gesture

It was nice of some thoughtful college student to wrap this warm scarf around Billy Budd's neck, but it seems maybe a coat would be more helpful. This picture was taken when the temperature was around 20 degrees (F), outside the Peterson Memorial Library on the Walla Walla U. campus. You've seen Billy Budd before: In the summer and in the winter.

Thoughts of the Past

Taken up in the hills surrounding the Walla Walla Valley, on a surprisingly blue-skied day in December.

Content

A common scene around the Walla Walla Valley. These fine animals were photographed on the Oregon side of the border.

Super Pizza

I'm not really sure what to think of the new restaurants that just went in along the main drag in Milton-Freewater. One is "SuperMex," the other is "Super Pizza." I think there might be a third but I forget what it is. There used to be a movie rental place and a Domino's Pizza located here, but both closed within the last year and a half. Within the last 3 months the buildings were fixed up, painted, and filled with these "Super" restaurants. I haven't tried them yet...I haven't had the guts to, to be honest...but at least the buildings look nicer than they did!

Wildhorse 3

This is the existing casino at Wildhorse; the hotel is behind what you see here. You can see the construction from yesterday's post off to the left. I believe that rounded corner with the spiraling windows you see on the right encloses a staircase.

Wildhorse 2

I'm not exactly sure, but I think they're expanding the resort portion of the casino. This is Wildhorse Resort and Casino, as I mentioned in yesterday's post. Of course, they might be expanding both the resort and the casino in order to be able to handle more visitors at a time. This is a popular hangout spot for travelers and locals alike, although it seems to be out in the middle of nowhere it is about 20-30 minutes from Walla Walla and about the same from Pendleton, Oregon. Tomorrow, a picture of the existing building.

Wildhorse 1

About a 20-30-minute drive from Walla Walla is Wildhorse Resort and Casino. In America, casinos are (as far as I know) only allowed in the state of Nevada, and any outside of that are on Native American reservations. This happens to be a reservation and the Cayuse, Umatilla and Walla Walla tribes have partnered to make this place available to everyone. There are many things you can do there besides gamble: golf, eat, shop, sit in a hot tub in the hotel...you pick! All with - you guessed it: Scenic Views. Tomorrow, a shot of the expansion in progress there.

Stormclouds 2

Another shot taken not too far from yesterday's. The tree looks lonely, don't you think? This is a rather atypical scene in winter here - the sun doesn't come out very much between December and March. But when it does, it is extra glorious.

Stormclouds 1

View from the highway just outside the WW Valley. I love the way the sky looks behind this hill.

Cabbage Hill 3

This part of the descent on Cabbage Hill enters a crevice of the hillside and takes one of several sharp curves. You can see why this hill might be treacherous in bad weather.

Cabbage Hill 2

Another view as you descend Cabbage Hill towards the Walla Walla Valley.

Cabbage Hill

I mentioned in yesterday's post that Cabbage Hill can be quite dangerous in winter weather conditions. The post you see in the center of this photo is a reflective post most American roads have alongside them, so you can keep track of the edge of the road in adverse conditions. You will note that an extension (the orange part) has been added to this one; up in the mountains all of the posts have these extensions because they often get so much snow the regular posts can't be seen. Also in this photo you can see the lanes of traffic going UP the hill (we were going down). This road has the distinction of holding the American record for the opposite lanes of traffic being the farthest distance from each other at any given point. I believe the distance (not here, but nearby) is over a mile.

No Restrooms

This is Cabbage Hill. While in the summer it is a mere overheating threat if you run the air conditioning in your car while climbing the steep hill, in the winter it is always questionable. Whenever we travel for Christmas or Thanksgiving we pray that the weather will hold and keep the roads clear because if there is snow or ice on this road, the drive becomes quite treacherous. I will show more photos in the next couple of days. This is just as you begin to come down the hill toward the Walla Walla Valley; you can see the farms and small-town homesteads dotting the fields below. The viewpoint offers a fantastic view, especially in the evening on a clear day.

Typical Drive

Just before New Year's, my friend Ciel popped online to say hello and asked how the weather was. She is familiar with my part of the world, surprisingly, and although she is quite a ways away in Versailles, France, she holds a special place in her heart for the WW Valley, where she has some local friends. I took this picture that day to show her what the weather was like...but forgot to post it! We had some sun over the past weekend, but before that, most days looked like this. The sign says "Walla Walla River," as in this photo I am about to go over it. This is Highway 11, the main road that connects Walla Walla and College Place to their next-door neighbour, Milton-Freewater, just across the border in Oregon.

Disappearing Act

This is supposed to be Wal-Mart. I was sitting at a red light at the intersection right next to the large store and glanced over...only to find the store had disappeared! Winter is quite regularly foggy in the WW Valley; I don't usually mind, though, because it hides the fact that otherwise, things are pretty dreary and boring.

Morning Glory

This is the view from my front porch. And on this particular morning it was exceptionally fantastic. I believe this was taken about two weeks ago.