Country Drive 7

I just love how the sky can be so many different colours in so short an amount of time. Spring weather does some beautiful things to the sky, especially here in the Walla Walla Valley.

Country Drive 6

Farms are often nestled down in dells (this is a shallow one) to protect the buildings and animals from the wind that frequently whips across this countryside. Some are out in the open, but are surrounded by trees to act as a buffer against the wind.

Country Drive 5

Power lines run parallel to Highway 11 nearly all the way between Pendleton and Milton-Freewater. It is really the only sign of advanced civilization when you're driving between wheat fields, silos and tractors.

Country Drive 4

Silos are a common sight when you're in farm country such as this. I believe it was here that during a massive wind storm in January 2008 a silo toppled, spilling grain all over the ground and scattering it in the wind. That was a lot of time, money and energy lost to whoever owns these silos.

Country Drive 3

These buildings are located near Helix, Ore., about 20 minutes outside of Milton-Freewater on Highway 11.

Country Drive 2

We're on a drive in the countryside this week; thanks for tagging along! This is Highway 11 outside of Milton-Freewater. This highway connects the Walla Walla Valley to Pendleton, Ore. (yes, home of the famous Pendleton Round-Up), as well as to Interstate 84, which one takes to get to Boise, Idaho (headed east), or Portland, Ore. (headed west).

Country Drive 1

This week we are going to go on a little drive in the country surrounding the town centers of Walla Walla, College Place and Milton-Freewater. It's an early spring this year, according to experts (i.e. the groundhog), and the weather recently seemed to agree. However, later this week we are expecting an "arctic front" which will bring sub-freezing temperatures and perhaps even some snow. So we'll see! But for now we'll enjoy a spring-like drive in the countryside. Thanks for tagging along!

Intricate and Flower-Like

Those are both words I would use to describe this lovely light fixture I espied while eating lunch at a new-to-me restaurant in Walla Walla the other day. It's called "Someone's in the Kitchen," and it's a cooking school and restaurant all rolled into one. It was my first time there, but it will definitely not be my last. The owners are recent graduates of a local university and are interested in tasteful vegetarian cooking. While not everything they make is meat-free, they do specialize in vegetarian and vegan fare, and they do very well at it. I've been told you can buy these light fixtures at Ikea, in case you're interested.

Phoumy's

These are avocado spring rolls fresh from the kitchen at Phoumy's, the newest Thai restaurant in the valley. The location of this restaurant has changed names about half a dozen times in the last few years, including a home-style American place called Homestead Buffet, the Italian Bistro (the only Italian restaurant in town, and now it's gone), and a few others I've forgotten, but I hope this one stays. Their food is delicious and the staff are wonderful. We went for a friend's birthday dinner a couple of weeks ago and we all ate family style (everyone orders something and then we pass the dishes around the table for everyone to sample whatever they like), so I was able to try vegetarian fried rice, pad thai with tofu, and, my personal absolute favourite, mango curry. Mmmmm...now I'm hungry! If you're ever in town and want something more than the patisserie, I'd be happy to met you at Phoumy's!

An Open Door

This photo is fresh off the...well, phone! I took it just 15 minutes ago. This is my front door, and yes, we have it propped open, and yes, that is sunshine you see outside. It is 62 degrees (F) out there and it is only mid-February. Punxsutawney Phil predicted an early spring this year, and I guess he wasn't kidding! It's a beautiful day!

And Time Stood Still

The piece that casts a shadow has long been broken from this sundial installed on the Walla Walla U. campus many decades ago, which means that anyone who can tell time with a sundial is out of luck with this one. I rather wish they would fix it, especially since we are having only a brief period of sunshine before heading back into grey, overcast days and rain here in the valley.

Sunshine at Last!

It's a beautiful (though chilly!) day in the Walla Walla Valley today; I snapped this photo this morning while on my morning break. I had to take a walk when the sun came out - it was just too beautiful to pass up. This is a shot of the Walla Walla U. Church in College Place. The campus is one of my favourite places in the valley to walk, with a nearby subdivision bordered by a creekside path a close second. This Seventh-day Adventist church associated with the university on whose campus it resides has a membership of around 2,000. It hosts two church services each weekend, one at 9:30 a.m. and the other at 11:45 a.m., with multiple Bible study groups meeting in-between. It's easy to get lost in a large church like this...but music ensembles sound amazing here! If you're ever in the valley and have the opportunity to attend a concert here, please do! Almost every Saturday evening the university's music department hosts a musical vespers program featuring the church's large pipe organ.