Serving Waitsburg, Dayton and the Touchet Valley
Serving Waitsburg, Dayton and the Touchet Valley
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"Frost in the Hollow" by local photographer and longtime supporter of "The Times." This photograph was published in November 2022 when cold temperatures and a foggy inversion created a fairyland of frosty trees and weeds in the greater Walla Walla Valley. Rodgers is one of many generous contributors who have donated their work to the paper. HIs published work can be seen by searching the paper's website at www.waitsburgtimes.com....
While the fires in Los Angeles were raging, I texted my friends who had visited me last fall to let them know Walla Walla was sending some firefighters to the inferno that Los Angeles had become. Thanking me, they asked if I would throw some bottles of wine in the firetruck for them. Unfortunately, that was not an option. Knowing that they enjoyed our wine-tasting adventures when they visited, I sent each of them a bottle of wine to help them cope with their smokey, evacuation yoyo life. Of...
Ten Years Ago January 29, 2015 Waitsburg native Wyatt Withers, son of Laurie Withers and the late Ian Withers, and grandson of Jack McCaw and the late Laurette McCaw, has done his family proud by receiving recognition as the 2014 Sailor of the Year for submarine Squadron 5 out of Bremerton. Withers graduated from Waitsburg High School in 2010 and followed in "Grandpa Jack's" footsteps by joining the Navy, where he pursued a career in nuclear engineering. He excelled early on, finishing 13th...
For me, cooking has always been about more than just sustenance alone. The foods we eat tell a story, and I am always listening. Every ingredient and technique used in modern kitchens are a daily retelling of the movement of cultures across time. Individual family histories come to life with the recipes that have been passed down from one generation to the next. Perhaps, this could be another way of interpreting the old saying, "you are what you eat." I can still remember the first time I had...
Recently, friends invited me to join them at a snowshoe event hosted by the Blue Mountain Land Trust at the Horseshoe Prairie Nordic Ski Area near Tollgate, Oregon. I've never snowshoed before. The event organizers said they would provide snowshoes and snacks. They had me at snacks. My friends are two of the most active and well-traveled people I know. This year marked their record of visiting all seven continents. I'm impressed and a little jealous. They always find adventure on their trips;...
Ten Years Ago January 22, 2015 [Photo caption] Seahawks fever struck the Waitsburg Grocery Store early Monday, after the Hawks won the NFC Championship Sunday with a stunning comeback against the Green Bay Packers. This artwork was painted by Waitsburg Grocery employee Kasmira Grende. Twenty-Five Years Ago January 20, 2000 Waitsburg Elementary is boosting reading in grades K-6 with a very simple philosophy: The best way for students to improve their reading is to read. To encourage more...
Five seventh graders and four sixth graders started basketball practice on January 6. The middle school girls' first game will be on Wednesday, January 22 at Rogers in College Place. Back row l-r are Shylo Hedges, Laila Long, Madyson Potter, Audrey Kiefel, and Jaylynn Gleason Front row l-r are Tanna Ray, Kaitlyn Paul, Ava McCaw, and Peyton Childers...
I am heartbroken watching the fires burn in Los Angeles. I don’t have one friend or family member who has not been affected, from those who have lost their homes to those who have been on edge from evacuation orders in place, which were rescinded and then ordered again. Some have evacuated, others have their cars packed and ready. The house we owned is in a hole at the center of the fires, like the eye of a hurricane. The Palisades and Malibu fires are to the west, the Kenneth fire to the north,...
Ten Years Ago January 15, 2015 [Photo caption] WP wrestler Tyler Brooks performs a take-down on Wa-Hi's Isaac Melton during a home match against Wa-Hi and Columbia-Burbank on Monday night. Brooks won his only match of the night in a 7-4 decision in the 170-pound division. A highlight of the evening included a first-ever win by WP grappler Dejay Lalka who's win had the coaches and crowd in tears. Lalka won by a 11-7 decision in his second match against Walla Walla High junior varsity wrestler...
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 them....
Six years and counting. I think I’m a bit of an outlier; I am not a big Wicked fan. But a lyric keeps playing in my head, “Who can say if I’ve been changed for the better? But because I knew you, I have been changed for good.” And that is how I feel about my move here. I happily say, “I have no regrets.” That being said, I recently drove to Tri-cities to have heels put on two pairs of shoes. When I lived in Los Angeles, this was a five-minute walk to my neighborhood shoemaker. I never paid...
Ten Years Ago January 9, 2015 [Photo Caption] New Whiskey Creek Sports Bar & Grill general manager Gary Bales (l) stopped for a quick photo with restaurant investor Ken Cole, Jr. before heading to the work site to check on construction progress. The Whiskey Creek Sports Bar & Grill is right on track to open early this spring. Twenty-Five Years Ago January 6, 2000 The Washington wheat industry is keeping a close eye on Zak, a promising newcomer among soft white spring wheat varieties. Zak's crede...
Since moving to Waitsburg, we have been slowly remodeling our older home one room at a time. Finally, the end is in sight with the biggest project, a planned complete overhaul of our kitchen, scheduled for later this year. In anticipation of this, we have getting by with the aging components of our current kitchen, making piecemeal repairs to buy us time until we eventually replace everything. Lately, it seems that as soon as we fix one problem the next one pops up. First, it was the dishwasher...
Some of the best moments of my life have occurred while following the flashing tail of a bird dog through the whipping grouse covers and amber plains. I've found the upland hunting community welcoming, and the tales I've shared have connected me with friends I would never have known otherwise. Pheasants Forever holds a subset of this community - like-minded conservationists passionate about nature, bird dogs, and the beautifully plumed game birds that fascinate us. I've had the good fortune of...
Ten Years Ago February 5, 2015 [Photo caption] Volunteers (l-r) Robbie Skiles and Marianne Newell serve ready smiles along with the senior round table meals they dish up each week in the basement of the Waitsburg Presbyterian Church. Skiles says there is plenty of food left each week and encourages anyone age 60 or older to come and join them. Twenty-Five Years Ago February 3, 2000 If you thought it was a thrill to read about a cougar coming into town... how about a Bigfoot in your backyard?!...
Everyone has their own unique way of expressing matters of the heart. For me, my love language has always been centered around the kitchen. Sharing recipes, cooking together, and serving special meals, are some of the ways that I communicate my feelings to loved ones. With that, there are certain homey recipes that are so comforting they feel like a hug. This dish of tender braised beef, spiced with a generous amount of sweet paprika, and served over small tender dumplings, is like a love...
A stiff breeze shoved through the sagebrush, wafting the soft branch tips like a feather duster and scattering the pungent scent with the puffs of dust rising from underfoot. A valley quail breast feather clung to the sage as it whipped in the wind. The soft, downy barbs flailed around the feather shaft while the vane gently fanned. The feather was that of a female, white with a thin black outlining band and dark shaft splitting the vane perfectly centered. The feather was deposited following a...
Ten Years Ago January 1, 2015 Losing a public works director with 40 years on-the-job experience is bound to be a big blow to a city, but that hit is softened significantly when the incoming director has 20 years experience of his own. At the Dec. 17 city council meeting, the council approved a recommendation from the personnel committee, consisting of Walt Gobel, Randy Hinchliffe and Marty Dunn, to promote city crew staffer Jim Lynch to public works director. Lynch, who replaces longtime...
My mother's family has roots in Texas, which often influences our holiday gatherings. In Texas, as with much of the South, eating black-eyed peas on New Year's Day is thought to bring good luck and fortune in the coming year. We often serve them simmered with bacon, along with a big hunk of my aunt's famous corn bread. This year, I wanted to try a twist on this family tradition, one that included a nod to my Latino heritage. The result was flavorful spiced black-eyed peas stuffed into flakey...
Times subscribers (R) Kathy Oman and (l) Mary Denault and Margaret Umphrey shared the wide range of winter holiday climates in their Times Travelers photos this week. Oman was on a cruise in Mexico where, in one port, she enjoyed the beach and sun in Loreto, Mexico. Mary Denault and Margaret Umphrey hosted family for the holidays, sharing the snowy wonderland that is Grand Forks, North Dakota in December....
Pfeffernusse or Peppernuts are traditional German Christmas cookies. This recipe was submitted by Waitsburg resident Joan Helm in memory of her mother-in-law Aleda Helm. "It is a family favorite," said Helm. Ingredients: ½ lb butter 1 cup sugar 2 eggs, beaten 1 cup molasses ½ cup dark Karo syrup 1 tsp ginger 1 tsp cinnamon 1 tsp salt ½ tsp cloves 1/8 tsp cayenne pepper ½ tsp edible oil of anise 1 tsp baking soda 5 cups flour 1 ½ cups finely chopped walnuts...
Ten Years Ago December 25, 2014 [Photo Caption] Eight-year-old Kailee is blind but loves to snuggle in the beard of the only Santa she's ever known. Waitsburg Santa, Skip Winchester, made a pre-Santa-season trip to New York to visit some of his special friends. Twenty-Five Years Ago December 23, 1999 Outdoor Christmas light displays are very prevalent around town this year, with more than seventy light displays to be seen. Outstanding and sweepstakes winner is the home of Steve Huxoll, 141 West...
Among the things I love about living in Waitsburg are the packages of homemade Christmas cookies that we receive from several of our neighbors this time of year. Brightly frosted sugar cookies, chocolate crinkles, and spiced oatmeal raisin are just a few of the sweet delights already lovingly gifted to us this holiday season. A simple but thoughtful gesture, the sharing of treats from home kitchens is the kind of thing that gives small towns such big hearts. With platters of assorted baked...
First, after making twenty typos typing the title and first sentence, I am thankful for spell check. My fingers are stiff from the cold weather, and although I can spell, my fingers are less than agile. I am thankful for our wonderful neighbors who invited Daniel and me to spend Thanksgiving with them. We had planned on dining alone on Cornish game hens, with Mugsy waiting under my chair for a spill or leftovers. Instead, eight friends gathered, ate great food and had a lot of laughs and great...
