The Olive 5

As we were leaving the Olive Marketplace & Cafe I just had to get a picture of the window. I like the artwork, which you can't see very well in this poor photo, but it's an olive tree with its branches stretching from the corner of the window out and up. Through the window you can see the nice leather seats, perfect for meeting some friends for a glass of wine (if you do that sort of thing; I actually don't) or perhaps a cup of coffee. This time of year is perfect for outdoor seating, too, which most downtown restaurants offer. It's great for getting some fresh air as well as people watching (both of which I love to do).

The Olive 4

I was sad to have missed a shot of the girls tossing the crusts and running them through the flattener (not sure what it's actually called), so all you're going to get is a picture of them adding toppings to the already flattened and tossed crusts. I must say, the Margharita Pizza we had at the Olive Marketplace & Cafe (we were eating as I shot this) was absolutely delicious; and we got to watch them make it, which added to the fun.

The Olive 3

While eating upstairs at the Olive Marketplace & Cafe, I liked this part of our view the best. I could see people coming in and placing orders, and I could watch the employees mark the orders down and get the kitchen people going on them. The glasses on wire racks made me a little nervous, but none fell while I was there. That big silver thing hanging from the ceiling is the back side of the chalkboard menu hanging above the ordering counter.

The Olive 2

This is one of the display cases near the ordering counter in the Olive Marketplace and Cafe. I really liked the budding branches in a glass jar of water, and the bowl of lemons. This was part of our view while eating in the upstairs section.

The Olive Marketplace & Cafe

What used to be Merchants French Bakery and Cafe in downtown Walla Walla is now known as The Olive Marketplace and Cafe. Purchased by a local restaurateur, the resulting restaurant is actually an improvement over what was, for over 30 years, a Walla Walla icon. My husband and I celebrated his birthday there in March and this is what we got to watch while we ate. (That pizza there on the granite slab is our dinner.)

Die Brucke

The evening light casts a cozy glow on the corner of 2nd and Main in downtown Walla Walla. Through that arch and inside those doors is one of my favourite stores downtown: The Book & Game Co. It's hard to go in there and leave without spending anything, so I rarely go in these days in an effort to save some money! The trees outside are simply beautiful; I'm not really sure what they are, however.

Flopsy, Mopsy, and...

My husband and I were having lunch in the park the other day and this little bunny hopped out of the bushes and let me get within two feet of him. I'm pretty convinced he was a domestic rabbit. But he was still very cute and I had fun getting close enough to snap this picture.