Balancing Act

I'm not really sure what the name of this sculpture is, but it certainly is eye-catching. It's one of the many pieces of art on the Whitman College campus. My husband and I ate a picnic lunch on their campus one day last week and walked past this as we were leaving. Anyone care to venture a guess as to what it means?

Whitman College is a prestigious private college in Walla Walla. Its student body is probably somewhere around 1200 and it is well-known for being a place of excellent education...and high tuition. Last I checked a year's tuition was around $32,000, though it may have gone up since then, since I think that was at least a year ago. The high cost of attending WC is well-made-up-for, however...the campus is well-maintained, and those of us outsiders in town joke about how the school's administrators and board members sit around contemplating the challenge of what to build next. "We have so much money...what should we spend it on?"

I'm told that Whitman's endowment is so high that they could have absolutely ZERO students on campus for three whole years and still pay every single one of their staff and faculty members and operate as per the norm. Amazing, isn't it?

I hope to have more WC campus shots soon.

Caution!

These flowers are quite prolific around the Walla Walla Valley. They are purple thistles, and although they are quite beautiful, you wouldn't want to pick one! The leaves and stems are covered with sturdy, quite sharp thorns you don't want in your skin. So looking and leaving well enough alone is probably the best course of action with these blooms. These plants are typically considered weeds, but when they bloom they almost make up for it wth the gorgeous colour and unique shape.

Pony Rides

I'm not sure what these kids were celebrating, but it looked a little bit like a birthday party gathering complete with pony rides. I spotted this cheerful little crowd while running errands for work last week. Even the pony seemed to be enjoying himself. I'm not sure who the guest of honour was, or if there even was one, but everyone seemed to be smiling and having a good time whatever the occasion. (Who doesn't love a pony ride?!?)

Independence Day

My husband made this delicious cherry pie for 4th of July last year in celebration of our independence. We took it on a camping trip and stuck sparklers in it for fun! Happy Independence Day, America. And many thanks to those who have fought in the past to keep our freedom just that.

Skywatch Friday

One of the small towns not too far from the WWV is La Grande, a town of about 12,000 people nestled in the beautiful Grande Ronde Valley of Oregon. This past weekend I traveled there for a wedding which was held at one of the few wineries that have sprung up in this valley. Though the Walla Walla Valley is known for its wine, the grape-growing hasn't spread into the Grande Ronde Valley quite yet, but it's starting to. La Grande is a mere 90-minute drive from the WWV, and is a lovely place to visit all times of the year. Though it does get hot on summer days, the mountains the town is snuggled up against make sunset a lot earlier than most of the state, and the altitude (around 2,700 feet) allows the valley to cool a lot faster than the lower-elevated WWV (we're at between 700 and 1,000 feet, depending on where you are). This is a shot of the sunset on Sunday over the vineyard where the wedding was held. It was a beautiful evening for a wedding.

NOTE: Once again, I find that Blogger has not been publishing my prescheduled posts. It's been happening for 2-3 weeks now. Does anyone have ANY idea how to fix this issue? Am I the only one having trouble with this?

Lunchtime View

I don't really enjoy summer, but one thing I do like is watching the world turn green. After the flowers are gone (and they pretty much are except for a few lilies and some roses), the varying shades of green emerge and spice up an otherwise drab summer valley. Another thing I like is early summer, when the weather is still comfortable and the breezes are enjoyable while you eat lunch at a picnic bench, like I did earlier this week. This was my view as I sat in the shade of this very full-leafed tree and enjoyed my lunch. I walked to one of the most open parts of the Walla Walla U. campus called Kretschmar Lawn (pronounced KRETCH-mahr) for the large glass building which borders one side. It was a lovely quiet summer day on the university campus, which although makes the campus a little lonely, is nice for a peaceful lunch.

Palouse Falls 2

This is Palouse Falls. I talked a bit about it yesterday, so you can read that posting for more information on the area. This is the major waterfall in the area (the rest are about 3-4 feet high), and is 198 feet high. These waterfalls are part of the Palouse River, and lead straight into the Snake River. This shot was taken from the parking area; when you take the hike I mentioned yesterday you end up right at the top of the falls, looking down as it plummets nearly 200 feet to the river below. It's quite spectacular, really.

The heat isn't the only thing that makes the hike somewhat unenjoyable. It is also not really a trail - just a slightly flattened area on a hillside covered in shale rocks. It's easy to slip and tumble. When you fall, the rocks are not only sharp and hard, but also hot from the sun. One must be careful on this hike! Oh, and did I mention that this is prime rattlesnake territory? Just one more reason to watch your step on this hike!