Serving Waitsburg, Dayton and the Touchet Valley
Serving Waitsburg, Dayton and the Touchet Valley
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Ten Years Ago August 15, 2011 It was never Wyatt Withers' sole inspiration for going in the Navy, but once he had decided to join it certainly helped having a grandfather who had served in the same branch many decades ago. Choosing to be "seasick over digging a fox hole," longtime local farmer Jack McCaw went to amphibian training school in preparation of the Allied invasion of Japan when the atomic bombs were dropped on Hiroshima and Nagasaki. He became part of Gen. Douglas MacArthur's...
Kohlrabi, with its funny name and alien appearance, is the type of overlooked vegetable that can seem intimidating to most home cooks. Originating from northern Europe, kohlrabi is in the brassica family, related to kale, broccoli, and cabbage. Both the bulbous stem and the sprouting leaves are edible, with a sweet crisp flavor that can be enjoyed raw or cooked. This past week, the first kohlrabi of the season was ready to pick in our garden, a welcomed change from the recent endless bounty of z...
A beautiful but smokey Saturday morning sunrise over the Touchet River, seen from the Main Street bridge in Waitsburg. The region has experienced unhealthy air quality for most of the summer. Waitsburg had blue skies on Monday with air quality levels below 100 on the Air Quality Index, after many days in the unhealthy range....
This month, one of the most talented people I know has moved to town. David Gignac has been a close friend, fellow artist, co-exhibitor, and collaborator since I met him decades ago on Whidbey Island. It always amazes me but never surprises me, the ingenious way his mind works. It is always a joy to work on big and small projects, art and building, theater, and real-life problem-solving. I love living in Waitsburg and always hoped I could entice him to make this his home. When Jeff and Gayle Bro...
Although I don't have a "charmed" life, I certainly have it easier than many people. I recognize that in the scheme of things, I have no right to complain. But, I admit, there are some days or weeks when frustrations accumulate, and I begin to feel sorry for myself, like today. The frustrations began when a few patrons at the restaurant graciously complimented me and told me they enjoyed reading my columns in The Times. I was flattered, then had a mini-anxiety attack thinking about what I will...
Colville Street in Walla Walla is one of my favorite places to go for date night. From TMACS to the Colville Street Patisserie, you can find sweet, savory, fancy, and simple all within a few steps. Recently opened Pine Cone Creamery is a welcomed addition to the block's date-night appeal. It offers a wide selection of small-batch ice cream, sorbet, coffee, and other sweet treats. Whether you prefer fresh waffle cones or ice cream in a cup, Pine Cone has it. Like to add sprinkles, chocolate, or...
DAYTON-Dayton's Liberty Theater was one of just a few Washington State stops on the 2021 Missoula Children's Theatre tour. Over the weekend, local actors and actresses told the timeless tale of Johnny Appleseed. Johnny and his good pals, the Apple Seeds, travelled across the land on foot, leaving a trail of young apple trees behind. They managed to make friends with all kinds of people and animals throughout their travels, sleeping under the stars at night and enjoying the untamed outdoors...
Sometime during the next few weeks, a transformation will take place on my property at the intersection of lower West Seventh Avenue and Coppei Creek. Our house faces southwest, and the driveway runs parallel to the creek. The Coppei channel is deeper here than it is most anywhere else within the city. As far as I can see, the Seventh Avenue bridge is over fifty years old but still in solid shape (I'm not a bridge expert). According to the city, the "tee-beam" concrete structure has been...
Ten Years Ago August 18, 2011 Seattle-area residents who tuned into their local National Public Radio affiliate this week were introduced to none other than Waitsburg’s Bret Moser, Jim German, Claire Johnston and Jack Miller. Seattle-based KUOW focused on Waitsburg in a second segment about the so-called “Cascade Curtain,” a physical, and some would say cultural and political, divide between the west and east sides of the Cascade Mountains. In his show “Waitsburg: When East Meets West,” reporter...
Often, my kitchen inspiration is based on what is ripe and ready for picking in the garden. Our backyard has provided an abundance of tomatillos and chili peppers this week, which instantly had me thinking about Salsa Verde. A versatile sauce that blends the piquant brightness of the tomatillos with cilantro and fresh green chilis, Salsa Verde is wonderful served cold or hot. Here, I have used it as a braising liquid for chicken, which is then finished in the oven with cheese. A satisfying dish...
Ukuleles, sewing machines, and binoculars are just a few items at the Library of Things waiting to tag along on your next adventure around Dayton. The Dayton Memorial Library started the Library of Things in 2017, and it has since become popular with local patrons. It includes a little bit of everything for just about anyone; Discovery Kits for kids six years and under that make counting fun, inspire a love of entomology, and dive into the world of dinos. Science, Technology, Engineering, Art...
Hot August nights in Waitsburg are the perfect excuse to play with water! Members of the Columbia-Walla Walla Fire District 2 had water supply training on Monday, August 16 for volunteers old and new. Trainings happen every other week, and the fire station on Main Street in Waitsburg is the perfect place to stop, watch, and see just how much work goes into keeping Waitsburg safe....
A red-tailed hawk takes flight against smokey skies on August 10. Air quality in Waitsburg is expected to reach unhealthy levels on Thursday and Friday, before clearing up a bit for the weekend....
Sherman was born in Chewelah, Washington, to Robert R. Thomas and Anna C. Thomas. He lost his fight against brain cancer on July 26, 2021, at the Booker Rest Home in Dayton, Washington. He peacefully went to sleep in his bed. Sherman attended school in Colville, Washington, until 1963 when the family relocated to Dayton, Washington. He graduated from Dayton High School in 1967. Sherman spent two years at the Yakima Valley Community College. In 1970 he enlisted into the Army Reserve. He received...
Jay Edward Thomas, 67, of Waitsburg, Wash., died at his home on August 1, 2021, due to natural causes. He was born in Walla Walla on February 23, 1954, to Donald M. and Wilma Waggoner Thomas, of Waitsburg. As a youngster, he showed beef cattle as a 4-H member and later, Future Farmers of America (FFA). He attended Waitsburg Schools, graduating in 1972. After graduation, he joined his father in the family farming operation. He met Donna Anderson of Ellensburg, Wash., at a plowing bee and they...
Bob Darrel McGhee passed peacefully at his home in Waitsburg on July 18, 2021. He was 80 years old. Bob was born in Walla Walla, to parents Fawn and Robert Mcghee on December 3, 1940, at the family home. He attended grade, middle and high school in Walla Walla. After high school, he joined the Army. Upon leaving the Army, he returned to Walla Walla where he met and married the mother of his children, Gail McGhee (Clayson). He then moved his young family to Pasco, Washington to attend Columbia Basin College. He graduated CBC with a degree in...
Amazon Original The Pursuit of Love, based on the 1945 novel by Nancy Mitford, is set in the short period of time between World War I and II. Tensions and prejudices were still ripe amongst older adults, but young women were eager and ready to start their own lives. Cousins Fanny (Emily Beecham) and Linda (Lily James) are as inseparable as they are opposite. Fanny is well-educated, reserved, and content with a stable, steady life, going on to marry the scholarly Alfred and starting her own...
Times traveler and musician, Homero Oryarce, posing with the Times in Seattle as he and his family make their way home to San Jose. Come back soon!...
I recently heard an interview on one of my favorite National Public Radio shows, Wait, Wait Don’t Tell Me, with Dr. Ellen Stofan. She is currently the Under Secretary for Science and Research at The Smithsonian Institute and was previously the Mars Director of the National Air and Space Museum. The “panelists,” who are comedians, were quizzing her with their space related questions. They asked, “did Matt Damon return from Mars?” and “did we really land on the moon?” along with other profoun...
Ten Years Ago August 11, 2011 The Green Giant has a hole, a giant hole. It’s squarely in the center of his tunic, which the jolly big guy dons with wreath and leafy boots on the steep hill overlooking the edge of Dayton like the town’s own “Hollywood” sign. Gary Lowe wants to fill the hole and if you’re a strapping high schooler, he’ll want your help late next month to complete the green tunic on the football field-sized figure, marking the last phase of a project that started almost two decades ago. “We’ll finally be done,” said Lowe, an opt...
America has a love affair with cheeseburgers. From fast-food to fine dining, there are different versions of this national favorite in every region. Inspired by the bounty of green chilis ready for picking in my back yard, I found myself craving a burger with flavors of the desert Southwest. Opting for flavorful ground bison spiced with garlic and coriander, I created a green chili "special sauce" to compliment with just the right amount of heat. Creamy pepper jack cheese and smokey bacon were...
Included on my cookbook shelf is a small well-worn paperback copy of Elena's Secrets of Mexican Cooking by Elena Zelayeta. Originally published in 1958, this 1973 edition of the cookbook was a gift to my recently married parents from my father's sister, Vicki. The recipes inside are brief, easy to follow, and clearly designed for a mid-century American audience using mild, often canned, ingredients that were readily available in the grocery stores of the time. As an adult, my interest in the...
Ava Jean Gagnon, 96 years, one month, a longtime resident of the Waitsburg area, passed peacefully, surrounded by her Whitman Place family on July 26, 2021. Ava Jean was born to Frank and Genevieve McMillen on June 26, 1925, at home in Hagie, Wyoming. Ave, as she was often called, was the oldest of three children. She attended school in Hawk Springs, Wyoming, graduating from high school in 1943. After graduation, she moved to Portland, Oregon, to work for Western Union during World War II....
WAITSBURG—In 2019, the Waitsburg Historical Society honored the Don Thomas Family as 2019 Pioneers of the Year. Thomas’ sons, Gary and Jay, sat down with The Times’ editor Dena Martin to share a bit of family history and recount favorite memories. The men recalled that harvest meals were eaten in the basement kitchen, with the crew seated around a large table. Jay recalls being the first at the table for a harvest lunch, with no one else in the room, when he heard a loud crash. Wilma was remov...
The old cliché "The only thing constant in life is change" was coined by Greek philosopher Heraclitus. This epiphany struck him around 500 B.C. I assume taxes were not a thing at the time, otherwise, that little tidbit would likely have been included, as folks like to claim today. While Heraclitus was correct, that time is like a flowing river, and you will never step into the same waters twice, there is an ebb and flow to events among the seasons and years – the past approximately 15 months pr...
