Serving Waitsburg, Dayton and the Touchet Valley
Serving Waitsburg, Dayton and the Touchet Valley
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I’m almost scared to write about my perfect Sunday (yesterday) for fear I will jinx any future Sundays, but I’m not superstitious, so here goes. Our plans for this weekend were to take off a few days and drive to Portland, sort of a Daniel apology and belated birthday trip for me. However, with the uptick in COVID-19 cases and increased mask mandates, we decided to reschedule for a safer time. But all was not lost! As a result of a catering job we did in Dayton, I recently met a lovely lady who...
Well, I hate to say it, but I've almost set aside the garden for the year. My unwillingness to weed the sunflower starts from the raised beds, and my naivety of thinking they wouldn't get that big has ended in an eight-foot-tall jungle. Luckily for me, the birds love it, I'll consider it not to be a total waste. I've been able to get some small tomato harvests which is better than last year by a long shot. I don't know if it's the cold nights out here or that I get herbicide drift multiple...
Ten Years Ago September 1, 2011 The Waitsburg-Prescott cheer squad will soar to new heights this football season because of a larger squad and lots of returning veterans. “We have a lot of athletic girls and a lot of experience,” Coach Vickie Hamann said. “The girls were vey enthusiastic.” The football cheer squad totals 13 girls this year, nine on varsity and four on junior varsity. Hamann is taking on her fifth year as coach and says she is thrilled by the larger turnout. [Photo Caption...
Last week, we were gifted a bountiful bowl of fresh local peaches. Few summer treats are as special as the first juicy bite of a perfectly ripe peach at peak season. With a family birthday coming up, I wanted to create a special dessert to highlight the beautiful plump stone fruit. This tart combines French sugar crust (pâte sablée) and a pastry cream (crème pâtissière) with a hint of cardamom to create a delicate backdrop for the vibrant fresh fruit. Ingredients: For the crust: 1 ⅓ cups all-pur...
From mathematics to athletics, there wasn't much that Karen Huwe couldn't teach to students at the Waitsburg School District. Friends, coworkers and family gathered over the weekend as Huwe celebrated a well-earned retirement. Huwe began working for the district in 1983, teaching physical education and math, and has since held many different titles; high and middle school volleyball, track and softball coach for more than 100 teams over the years. Math teacher, special education teacher,...
Pollinators are busy taking care of the remaining along Lower Hogeye Road wildflowers as the heat winds down and gives way to cool, fall weather....
I made a rookie plant collector mistake the other day, and failed to properly quarantine alocasia plants I found at The Home Depot. They were just too pretty to hide away! As a result, a handful of my plants started showing signs of spider mites and I had to act quickly before they got out of hand. Truth be told, I can't tell for certain if the mites came home on the alocasia, as there are a million and one ways that the pests can make it inside, but my recent infestation did not start until I...
Warm Springs Ranch is a family-owned u-pick 100-year-old fruit orchard in Whitman County right on the Snake River and now with delicious ripe peaches and the nicest people in the most beautiful place. Traveling from Columbia or Walla Walla counties, head north on SR 12, continue north on SR 127 to SR 26 at the town of Dusty. Then head east for a few miles on SR 26 and make a right turn onto well-marked Penawawa Road. Stay on that nicely maintained mixed paved/gravel road for 12 miles, losing...
I tend to lean into things when I shouldn't. When I feel sad, I overdo the mopey ballads and let the blues wash over me. When I'm home alone and already feeling tense, I find it the perfect time for a horror movie and start jumping at every creak of the floorboards. It would be smarter to avoid exacerbating these negative feelings, but I can't help myself. Appropriately, as COVID numbers have been taking off again, I've decided to lean into my anxious hypochondria by listening to a delightfully...
Shakespeare wrote in his play The Twelfth Night, "If music be the food of love, play on!" Obviously, Shakespeare didn't have to listen to Daniel's playlist. I grew up in a houseful of music and musicians. My maternal grandfather and all his ten siblings were musicians, mostly violinists. Although the musical talent gene skipped my mother, she did appreciate and love music. My father also came from a musical family. Although he never took lessons, he could sit at a piano and plunk out tunes by...
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...
