<----------Walla Walla is just east of Kennewick in a basin against the Blue Mountains-- yellow today/red a couple days ago
http://wasmoke.blogspot.com/
Just about like our arrival in Oregon last summer, all of Washington state has been suffering from wildefire smoke the last 2 weeks . Also, like last summer, locals tell us, "this is the worst we've ever seen it." My work issued respirator masks to anyone who had to walk outside between buildings (mostly everyone .) The beautiful Blue Mountains, in fact the trees one block away, became invisible. The sun became a burning orange basketball. Everyone had a headache, scratchy eyes and throat and grumpy disposition. So on the weekend, rather than a hike, we found a winery and other local festivities.
We had been given a bottle of Canoe Ridge wine from a friend in Oregon -- it was her favorite and she was jealous we were moving to Walla Walla. The winery is down town and they make the wine in the old trolley car barn. We sat outside the tasting room under a brelli and watched kids and dogs come in and out. Apparently dogs are welcome at tasting rooms (and some live there) and we've seen several coffee table books of "vineyard dogs." We don't own a coffee table presently, so we don't have a book. The Canoe Ridge logo is from a Lewis and Clark reference--in their travels, they came across a land mass that looked like an overturned canoe. We find that a bottle of wine fits perfectly into the metal wine carafe that fits in our picnic backpack, given to me by my office mates in Oregon upon my departure. We leave the pack in the car, ready to fill and fête at a moment's notice. Our notice that day was seeing posters for the roller derby (Jammin' for J.U.G.S. ) vs. a sign that said Shakespeare would be in the park. We chose a picnic. We stopped at the nearby Safeway and got some cheese, crackers, pistachios (already shelled) and chocolate and headed for Whitman College outdoor amphitheater.
Whitman College is the small, liberal arts college in Walla Walla. The Walla Walla Community College has the enology program (and where we belong to the wine club) and College Place (12 minutes away has Walla Walla University. WW is quite the educational place. The Tempest performance was free (or by donation.)The cast included "the Rude Mechanicals, a premier Shakespeare theater company" although we couldn't tell the mechanicals from the local performers. This Pe-Wa-oo-Yit monument dots the lawn where the performance was held. WW is also a very historic place. ...a couple more photos below...
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