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Articles written by Brianna Wray


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  • Esvelt Gallery Faculty Show Virtual Tour

    Brianna Wray, The Times|Feb 25, 2021

    WORLD WIDE WEB-The Esvelt Gallery has proudly presented the work of the Columbia Basin College Art Department faculty in a new 2021 exhibit. The work presented includes painting, drawing, photography, collage, digital media, ceramics, and sculpture. The visual arts faculty are artists who engage in their unique studio practices to showcase what is possible through continued creativity. Included are works from the painter and professor Tracy Walker; multidisciplinary artist, educator, and...

  • Tech Talk: Head in the clouds

    Brianna Wray, The Times|Feb 18, 2021

    INTERWEBS—From between seemingly ceaseless snowflakes and bouts of sledding, we can agree that now is an excellent time to be inside. And while we’ve got all this indoor time on our hands, let’s talk about fun stuff: digital file management. If you’re failing to see the fun, I understand. Digital storage tends to only be a fun subject if you’ve got your ship together, so to speak. If not, the subject comes up with sighs and groans and much chagrin. Who has the time? No one, but also everyone. It...

  • Take a (virtual) hike

    Brianna Wray, The Times|Jan 28, 2021

    WASHINGTON-Generally, when one is told to 'take a hike,' the tone is less than friendly. Still, Washington State Parks uses the phrase literally and has effectively changed its connotation from insult to invitation. If getting to a state park isn't possible due to restrictions to mitigate the spread of the novel coronavirus and its newest mutations, fear not. Rangers from all over Washington State are furthering their digital reach by taking viewers on hikes via their YouTube channel. As a...

  • New to Netflix, Hulu, Disney+, and Prime

    Brianna Wray, The Times|Jan 21, 2021

    Ouch, Netflix opted to start 2021 a little harshly by removing The Office, all nine seasons of which have gone on to stream exclusively via Peacock, NBC’s new streaming platform. In its stead, Netflix has added new episodes of original series such as Disenchantment and pick-ups like Magicians. History of Swear Words (2021) is a solid comedic docuseries starring Nicolas Cage. The show delves deeply into the etymology of all the dirtiest expletives and digs into what makes them so satisfying to s...

  • My Recipes I Brianna Wray

    Brianna Wray, The Times|Jan 21, 2021

    All sorts of stories aim to explain how this dessert got its name, but we have not come to any consensus (according to Wikipedia, anyway). I’ve heard the pastries were invented by a shoemaker’s wife who stared down the cobblestone lane waiting for her sweet to return. She put together a smattering of sweet and tart fruits for her husband, the cobbler, to gobble. Similar desserts have been and are still called by various names such as tart, pie, etc., with only subtle differences between the...

  • Tech Talk: Internet speed test

    Brianna Wray, The Times|Jan 14, 2021

    Happy New Year, Techies! Auld lang syne and all that jazz. Welcome to 2021. If getting the most out of what you already pay for is on your resolutions list, then let's have a look at our internet service providers (ISPs). Internet speed is measured in megabits per second (Mbps). One megabit is equal to 1,024 kilobits. This conversion means 1.0 Mbps is more than 1,000 times faster than 1.0 kilobits per second (Kbps). Internet speed is calculated with the formula: File Size in Megabytes /...

  • Gardener's Grove: Lucky bamboo

    Brianna Wray, The Times|Jan 14, 2021

    PLANTAE KINGDOM-Our garden beds have been tucked in with dry leaves to overwinter in a frosty slumber. Next season's plantings are but a dream. In the interim, let us look around the indoor landscape and learn about one of the most commonly found houseplants: the lucky bamboo or Dracaena sanderiana. Its stalks rise like an art deco skyscraper, bright green and vertically inclined. At the top, a lucky bamboo is leafy and can be coiled. Dracaena sanderiana is a species of flowering plant in the...

  • My Recipes I Thai Coconut Soup (Tom Ka Gai)

    Brianna Wray, The Times|Jan 7, 2021

    We already miss Teeny McMunn, our advertising manager and recipe writer who happily retired at the end of 2020. Her recipes were crowd favorites, not only for the food but for the good company. We've only begun to feel the void in the many ways she filled The Times office with joy. So, while there's a hole in our hearts, I can at least offer something to fill your bowl. New year, new you? Whether you're eating better as a New Year's resolution or just looking for a warm and filling yet light...

  • The Waitsburg Times year in review

    Brianna Wray, The Times|Dec 31, 2020

    4 isn't necessarily a year we want to look back at too closely just yet. There was no shortage of bleak headlines, it's true, but this year also proved how well the Touchet Valley bands together in adversity. Most viewed stories on Waitsburgtimes.com by month ❏ January 1884 Local racer signs deal with racing company ❏ February 4266 Waitsburg homes and farms underwater ❏ March 3486 Inslee announces statewide social gathering restrictions ❏ April 1477 Walla Walla County COVID-19 cases doubled i...

  • Resolutions done right

    Brianna Wray, The Times|Dec 31, 2020

    As January 1st looms ahead on our calendars, some are finalizing plans for New Year’s Resolutions. I saw a TikTok video where they went back to last year’s resolutions and just adjusted them for the current times. Last year: Put myself out there more This year: Go outside Others are finding that after 2020, just surviving 2021 will be a tall enough order. They’re both right. Though The Times is a weekly paper, we resolve to bring more news as it unfolds. We’ll achieve this goal by leaning...

  • Holiday streamers

    Brianna Wray, The Times|Dec 24, 2020

    Christmas Chronicles 2 2020 Netflix Kurt Russell and Goldie Hawn are back in another North Pole adventure. This time, true believer Kate (Darby Camp), rebelling against her mother's new boyfriend, runs away to the North Pole but is followed by exiled elf, Belsnickel (Julian Dennison). This film is fun and also brings up some good points about the naming of Santa's village. Will the name change permanently in favor of Mrs. Claus or the elves who built it? That may be a tale for another...

  • Washington State Parks Annual Yule Log Celebration

    Brianna Wray, The Times|Dec 24, 2020

    A lasting tradition endures WASHINGTON—Yule is the name of the old Winter Solstice festivals celebrated in Scandinavia and other parts of northern Europe. What became the Yule Log was originally an entire tree that was carefully chosen and brought into the house with great ceremony. Yule festivities like this have been celebrated since the Iron Age when Celtic Brits and Gaelic Europeans would gather to welcome winter and the lengthening of days. The log was thought to represent the following yea...

  • Kathryn Witherington: Walla Walla's 12th Man

    Brianna Wray, The Times|Dec 10, 2020

    WALLA WALLA—It’s just after 10 a.m. Monday morning, and Kathryn Witherington, Executive Director of the Downtown Walla Walla Foundation (DWWF), is already brimming with ideas. When we met back in August 2019, Witherington worked for the Port of Columbia and kindly escorted me through all the businesses that seemed to be thriving at the Rock Hill Industrial Park. Since then, her talent for ideation has led her to Walla Walla County, where she is still finding personal ways to connect local bus...

  • Ringing in Christmas with a bang

    Brianna Wray, The Times|Dec 10, 2020

    My most memorable holiday happens to be a Christmas when I was just old enough to sleep on the top bunk. Being the youngest, I wasn’t alive during the fabled Christmas when my older brothers peeked, found presents hidden, and my parents returned everything to the North Pole to prove a point! I don’t mean to imply that I was a good kid by any means, but the idea to go snooping for hidden presents would never even have occurred to me. Nonetheless, I was a party to the wisdom gained from that yea...

  • Virtual learning with Washington State parks

    Brianna Wray, The Times|Dec 3, 2020

    Washington State Parks (WSP) are ratcheting up their virtual amenities for those who, due to adverse weather or COVID-19, cannot visit the parks in person. WSP recently launched new learning opportunities to connect students and families to parks via their new Virtual Learning Parks webpage. There and on the WSP YouTube channel, students and park patrons will find videos produced to be used at home, in a virtual classroom, or as part of any online learning. Essentially, a field trip with no perm...

  • Tech Talk: Digital gift-giving

    Brianna Wray, The Times|Dec 3, 2020

    Remember when holiday greeting cards were simple? Down the stationery aisle, one could find a box that had the card, matching envelopes, and, with a book of stamps in hand, you're all set. Yeah, well, that ship sailed, and these days my mailbox is filled to the brim with beaming smiles from custom printed photo postcards. And since we haven't been allowed within six feet of extended family and friends for much of the year, this may be the perfect time to join the photo postcard trend. Get the...

  • Zoom Meeting Extension

    Brianna Wray, The Times|Nov 26, 2020

    WORLD WIDE WEB—Zoom announced it will lift its timed meeting limit on Thanksgiving so “your family gatherings don’t get cut short.” The video communications company announced in a tweet that the 40-minute time limit it usually has on its free meetings will be lifted globally on November 26 (Thanksgiving Day)....

  • Stream these

    Brianna Wray, The Times|Nov 26, 2020

    For longtime fans of Simon Pegg and Nick Frost, the Amazon original Truth Seekers (2020) is a welcome reunion with a whole new story. There’s more than meets the eye with cable installer Gus Roberts (Frost); he’s also a part-time paranormal investigator with a YouTube channel. Odd encounters grow more frequent until Roberts and his apprehensive partner, Elton John, begin to uncover a conspiracy that could bring about Armageddon for the entire human race. In the meantime, network signal str...

  • It's a colorful life

    Brianna Wray, The Times|Nov 19, 2020

    At this point in history, color theory has established a well-documented dialogue. Various studies of human psychology note that the color yellow may elicit feelings of comfort, while red tends to make people hungry or impulsive. Marketing experts refer to the pairing of red and yellow as the Ketchup and Mustard Theory. Green and earthy tones are sometimes used to convey a message of healthiness and environmental responsibility. One might feel moody looking at the ocean's deep blues or soothed...

  • Combine Art Collective and the gift of art

    Brianna Wray, The Times|Nov 19, 2020

    WALLA WALLA-In addition to its roster of 18 membership artists, Combine Art Collective (CAC) has assembled a septet of guest artists for their annual holiday showcase. The Guest Artists Times Seven exhibit features seven artists who present ethereal works in various textures, shapes, and sizes. Jeweler Anne Lindsay returns with a new collection. Along the lines of jewelry, Sandra Simonson creates geological masterpieces from plain stones made to shine with their unique presentation. Needle...

  • Humanities Washington speaker events in full swing

    Brianna Wray, The Times|Nov 5, 2020

    Free public presentations on history, politics, music, philosophy, and more WALLA WALLA-Through the Walla Walla Public Library, the Humanities Washington Speakers Bureau talks are free and available to the public. The program compiles a roster of presenters who are professors, artists, activists, historians, performers, journalists, and others-all chosen not only for their expertise but their ability to inspire discussion with people of all ages and backgrounds. Most recently, Washington State...

  • Tech Talk: Freesources

    Brianna Wray, The Times|Nov 5, 2020

    Free resources WORLD WIDE WEB-For Halloween, we thought it would be fun to watch the scary-not-scary movie Pulse. In it, Maddie (Kristen Bell) is startled to find that her recently deceased boyfriend is still sending her messages via email and text message. This film might be a new classic for its depiction of technology novel at the time. All the characters carry flip phones, mobile devices around after pagers but before sophisticated camera lenses were added to the mix. Voice and text messages...

  • Gardeners Grove

    Brianna Wray, The Times|Oct 29, 2020

    Well, that escalated quickly. Our weather has gone from a pleasant and mild fall to a midwinter's frozen tundra practically overnight. It took the better part of a day to get above freezing. And so it goes, another turning of the wheel-toes in socks, socks in boots. The parkas are out, and before you know it, we'll be back inside, once again relegated to the confines of the indoors, daydreaming about spring. All-season gardeners know better. Winter gardening using container pots keeps the...

  • This is Halloween

    Brianna Wray, The Times|Oct 29, 2020

    Horror is an exciting genre that has gained popularity in recent years. There's no shortage of disturbing thematic choices available, including hauntings and the supernatural, psychological thrillers, eerie reality tv shows, slashers, science fiction, humorous horror, and Halloween melodrama, each clamoring for the spotlight. Now more than ever, new expressions of filming fear are redefining the genre. These days when I want a fright, it's faster to turn on the news. When it comes time for...

  • Field-burns are a seasonal sight

    Brianna Wray, The Times|Oct 22, 2020

    As photographed from Middle Waitsburg Road, the controlled burn makes for a post-apocolyptic-like drive to Walla Walla....

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