Natural Arrangement

Florists and nurseries probably spend hours putting together what nature does so beautifully all by herself in a matter of what must be moments to her. Another shot of the beautiful wonderland we had in the WWV on Sunday.

Pioneer Cemetery

I realized after yesterday's post that I didn't follow through with my promise of a photo of the entrance to the Pioneer Cemetery I talked about on Sunday. So here it is a day late...with my apologies. To read more about this cemetery, see my previous post.

Beauty Before the Beast

Saturday night a fog rolled in. Temperatures dropped to somewhere around 10F, and the moisture in the air froze to anything it touched. This made Sunday morning amazingly beautiful. We woke up to a frosted winter wonderland that made me smile. And I went outside in my pjs to take photos as soon as I got downstairs. Above is a close-up of leaves on one of my rosebushes that I haven't trimmed back yet. (Don't judge me - I'm not a gardener!) I've got a couple more photos from this frosty world that I hope to post over the next couple of days. Enjoy them, because I probably won't be able to take more for a while. A warm wind came in last night and melted everything...making the WWV a giant puddle of slush. And yes, it's gross. So for now...enjoy the photos!

Stormy January

I suppose some would consider this a better picture for Halloween than early January, but oh well. This was taken in January 2008, and it shows what the winter weather is usually like in the Walla Walla Valley. This is an old graveyard my husband and I stumbled upon while geocaching in a wheat field on a hill not too far from our house. It's called Pioneer Cemetery, probably because the graves are all for some of the first people to settle in the WWV. Most of them are illegible by now, and weather (and probably some "helpful" teenagers with nothing else to do) has taken its toll on the stones. You can see the WWV in the background, down at the base of the hill. Tomorrow I'll post a photo of the entrance to this somewhat spooky old cemetery.

Whitman Mission

Marcus and Narcissa Whitman were missionaries to the Walla Walla Valley natives starting in 1836. The valley was then in what was known as the Oregon Territory, but is now part of southeastern Washington. The settlement became a stop along the famous Oregon Trail, and was known as Waiilatpu (why-ee-LAHT-poo), meaning "Place of the Rye Grass" in the Cayuse language. Marcus farmed and provided medical care, while his wife, Narcissa, set up a school for the native children. The sudden influx of white people brought with it disease and sickness. In a short amount of time, many natives were dying with measles. The medicine to cure measles known to the white people didn't have the same effect on the natives, leading to more white people being healed than natives. This, coupled with the intense nature of the conversion attempts of the Whitmans and their white friends, led the natives to believe that Marcus was killing the natives and only healing the white people. Over the course of several weeks, 53 women and children were held hostage by the natives until negotiations were finally settled for their release. Unfortunately, in the angry acts that followed the hostage-taking, the Whitmans were murdered in cold blood by the very people they were trying to help: the natives. Today, Waiilatpu is an historical marker along Highway 12 just north of Walla Walla and College Place. Whitman Mission is a few miles outside of town, located on several acres of beautiful tree-filled land. It's free to park and enjoy the picnic area, and a minimal fee (used for upkeep and staffing) allows you to explore the grounds and the museum, as well as the monument to the Whitmans located on a lone hill to the east of the museum. This photo was taken on the grounds of the Whitman Mission during the winter two years ago.

MF Frogs 2

The second in my Milton-Freewater Frogs series. If you're interested in the history of the frogs, read my first series post (Jan. 1, 2009). This frog is outside a gas station convenience store that used to be called Zip Trip. (I'm not sure of it's new name.) He's sipping on an ICEE, a slushy drink I used to love as a child. Back then they came in cherry and blue raspberry. Now you can get them in dozens of flavours, depending on the convenience store's options. This frog sits on the main drag in MF.

MF Frogs 1

Fishing frog (missing his fishing pole) next to the Walla Walla River in M-F.

Milton-Freewater has a city mascot. It may seem odd, and it probably is, but it's fun, too. The reason it has its own mascot is because during the summer, there is a community event (similar to a fair) called Muddy Frogwater Days. (It's supposed to be a clever twist on the town's name.) Hence, everything in Milton-Freewater is about frogs. Back in 2004, the city decided to do some branding in an attempt to "sell" the town as a great place to be. Or rather, a "Toadly awesome place." The New York Times even wrote a piece about the town's attempt to add itself to the map. (Which, by the way, didn't work, because after they made a big deal about the frogs, nothing else happened, and M-F was still the run-down, dirty, uninteresting town it always was.) Hence, the Milton-Freewater frogs. Many establishments in town have frog statues in front, with frogs doing something to do with the place of business. For instance, frogs sipping beer in front of a bar, frogs reading in front of the library, etc. I'm going to start a series today to show you those MF Frogs. All of them. So, get ready...you're about to enter Muddy Frogwater Country.