Serving Waitsburg, Dayton and the Touchet Valley
Serving Waitsburg, Dayton and the Touchet Valley
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Last month's sub-zero weather was brutal, with little relief as temperatures reached a balmy 20 degrees. I was briefly ecstatic about our "not frozen" pipes. We enjoyed running water until we weren't. And, of course, that's not the least of it. The floors were a mess, with salt, ice, footprints, and pawprints. I spent endless hours sweeping, cleaning, and protecting the wood floors. I've used Murphy's Oil, Bona cleaner, and Rejuvenate formulas with towels and rags. Now, when its fridgid, I do...
Ten Years Ago January 30, 2014 A newcomer stepping into Waitsburg Hardware and Mercantile for the first time is apt to be a bit taken aback. They'll find themselves in an old-fashioned general store, filled to the brim with all manner of goods, replete with a group of locals gabbing amiably around a table filled with coffee and treats. They'll probably be greeted at the door by a dog or two and will surely notice the large cay lying in his bed on the counter. It's quite possible a few of the...
While some pasta dishes can be quite complicated, such as a slow simmering Bolognese or an intricately layered lasagna, some of my favorite recipes are those composed of just a few ingredients that come together quickly. Here, flavor-packed Italian sausage and bright broccoli are simmered into a buttery sauce with garlic and Parmesan cheese. Satisfying after a long day of work, this easy, weeknight recipe can make a broccoli lover out of even the pickiest of eaters. Ingredients: 1 pound tube...
Some 16 years ago, I sat down to taste Efesté's first-ever release of Feral Sauvignon Blanc. I noted that it was made by fermenting with wild/native yeast, which gave it pleasing details of dried herb, sweet grass, fresh mushroom, and overall a more herbaceous tone to the fruit without the tropical flavors of the regular bottling. At the time, this was cutting-edge winemaking, which has since become almost commonplace. The latest edition of Feral is from 2022. Sourced from the Evergreen...
The Waitsburg School Board met on January 18 for its regular meeting at the elementary school library. Vice Chairman Stephanie Cole, board members Abby Grende, Christy House, Sarah Boudrieau, and Chairman Carol Clarke enjoyed the students’ artisitc expressions of thanks for School Board Recognition Appreciation Month....
Josh Cellars wines have been around for the past two decades, but suddenly they have memed themselves into the sales stratosphere. Are they dramatically different than before? Better? Cheaper? Benefitting from a savvy marketing campaign? Nope. They are just the latest beneficiaries of the always unpredictable and meme-driven impact of Tik-Tok and X (formerly Twitter). Kicked off by a tweet that advised followers to “grow up and leave Barefoot and Stella [two other cheap but popular brands] a...
Ten years Ago January 23, 2014 Local dancer Morgan Breland and her mother, Cara Watts, celebrated New Years Day in London this year. Breland – a 15-year-old-sophomore at Walla Wall High School – auditioned at a Universal Dance Association camp last August to perform in the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade. Instead, she was invited to travel to London to perform in front of more that 200 million television viewers and a half million people lining the streets in London's New Year's Day Par...
Over the years I have curated an eclectic collection of cookbooks. Dispersed between my tried-and-true classics (Julia Childs, The Silver Palate, and Alice Waters) and contemporary tomes full of artfully staged food photographs, I have many quirky, vintage cookbooks that are as entertaining as they are informative. Some of my favorites are recipe collections themed around the "modern" kitchen conveniences of generations past, such as "Mary Meade's Magic Recipes for the Electric Blender" from 195...
This wintery scene photographed by Waitsburg resident Bill Rodgers in 2021, is at the junction of Lower Waitsburg Road and Ferris Road. It is a reminder of the Touchet Valley's beauty, even when dealing with single digit temperatures, snow, sleet, freezing rain, and icy roads....
DAYTON — CCHS staff proved their dedication and training on Saturday, January 13th, when sub-zero temperatures caused a single heating unit to fail, resulting in frozen pipes over a section of the hospital. Despite the challenging circumstances, the team rallied together and handled the emergency. This display of teamwork and preparedness is a testament to the dedication and training of CCHS staff. CCHS CEO Shane McGuire states, “Our team is unbelievable and dedicated. Their quick thinking and preparedness during this emergency testify to the...
In twenty days and counting, I will be officially retired. To celebrate this milestone, Daniel and I have traded places. He has unretired and is now a rural mail carrier. As usual, timing is everything, and this is not the best time to start on the rural route. Snow, icy roads, obstructed vision, and a new car with steering on the right (not correct) side have made this a challenge he probably didn’t anticipate his first week on the job. Be assured, he is strong, stubborn and a hard worker, s...
So-called Dry January is upon us, as it has been since it was introduced about a decade ago. The concept is to eliminate or dramatically reduce your alcohol consumption for the month. And the wine industry recognizes that trend by offering a growing number of alcohol-free options. Are they as good as non-alcoholic beer? I leave that decision up to you. But for wine, your best options are sparkling wines and the occasional tart, dry white wine by Fre. Their website, www.frewines.com has an...
Ten Years Ago January 16, 2014 "There's no place like home." Those words hold true for Waitsburg natives, R. Wes Leid, Katie (Mantz) Leid and Jeff Broom – who have experienced life all across the U.S. and overseas – before choosing to retire "back home". Recognizing the distinct advantages their small-town roots provided them, the trio decided to give back by establishing a WHS Alumni Scholarship Fund. The fund will provide two 2014 WHS graduates with $1,000 scholarships and is now open to Found...
With this long stretch of below-freezing temperatures my soup pot has been getting a lot of use this past week. While I love slowly tending to a gently simmering pot of soup, sometimes I need a quicker turnaround. Lentils are my go-to quick cooking legume to bring a lot of big flavor to a recipe in under an hour. This nutrient-rich and comforting lentil soup is perfect on a dreary winter night after a long day at work. Ingredients: 6 tablespoons olive oil, plus more as needed 1 large onion,...
Coco Chanel advised women to “Always remove one accessory before you leave the house.” Less is more, and you achieve a more pronounced statement. My mother also had some stringent rules about what we wore, how we wore it, and where we wore it. I’m sure that because she lived in New York and had a career in the fashion industry, she was keenly aware of the importance of making an impression. She believed in the adage, “You don’t get a second chance to make a first impression.” As a result, she...
Ten Years Ago January 9, 2014 The WP Cardinal boys lost a high-scoring game Saturday to Tri-Cities Prep, falling 54-51. Devin Acevedo led his team with 12 points. Owen Lanning had 10 and Chance Leroue followed with eight. The Cardinals struggled in the second quarter and were down at the half by eight. WP cut the lead to five after three, but were done in the final frame by the Jaguars' outstanding free throw shooting. TCP's 15 points in the final frame came from the charity stripe. The...
After an abnormally mild start to winter, frigid and snowy weather is finally on its way. In preparation I have been stocking up the pantry and pulling out my coziest recipes. This lovely one-pot dish has flavorful chicken thighs braised with nutrient-rich kale and cannellini white beans. Seasoned brightly with rosemary and lemon, the braising liquid fills the house with lovely aromas as the pot gently simmers. A wonderful way to warm up during the coming chill. Ingredients: 1 tablespoon olive...
Bluewood Ski resort celebrated New Year's Eve with Magic on the Mountain. This was Bluewoods first firework show and it was stunning. The night also included live music, a deck party before ending the evening with fireworks....
This rich and tasty California Cab was a thoughtful gift from our neighbors. This 2018 is the current vintage. Produced by JaM Cellars, it's very popular among Vivino users. Softly fruity with blackberry flavors morphing into more mature notes of raisins and prunes. The tannins are ripe and bring some darker hints of graphite, olive, and mushroom. It's a big wine - almost 15% alcohol - but smooth and balanced. At least some of the grapes appear to have come from Lodi, which is always a good...
Chief Joseph Dam came online in 1961, producing power through the first 16 of its 27 hydro turbines. Behind the dam is Lake Rufus Woods. Over 8,000 surface acres of the upper Columbia River stretch 51 miles behind Chief Joeseph's massive monoliths until pushing into the tailwater of Grand Coulee Dam. Each year, the Colville Tribal fish hatchery releases thousands of "triploid" rainbow trout into Rufus Woods. "Triploid" fish are genetically engineered with three chromosomes rather than the usual...
My questions are not nearly as profound as those Shakespeare wrote for Hamlet, nor do they require the deep probing for answers that Hamlet must have been seeking. Mine are on the lines of: To retire or wait? I retired! Now, I have a terrible case of “senioritis.” Not the senior citizen type, but the high school type; instead of counting down the days to graduation, I’m counting the days until I am no longer tethered to my company email and phone. How many days until February 2? Do I count...
Ten Years Ago January 2, 2014 From "kind of" teaching herself guitar as a child to organizing and directing the Touchet Valley Acoustic Music Project, Kate Hockersmith is one of those people who sets out to meet a need when she sees it. Hockersmith had set her childhood guitar aside until about five years ago, when she picked it up again to support her son's musical interests by providing him guitar backup at area Bluegrass Jams. But Hockersmith hasn't limited her support to her own children;...
After having baked and consumed countless cookie varieties over the years, I still consider a simple, buttery shortbread cookie to be my favorite. With the delicate balance between a tender crumb and a crisp bite, a perfect shortbread is unassumingly complex. Here chunks of bittersweet chocolate, crunchy pistachios and candied orange peel give an exciting twist to these delightful cookies. Lovely with a cup of tea after a big meal, or as part of large dessert buffet, these shortbread cookies...
I’m a believer in old vine Chenins, so much so that I gave up several lucrative wine writing gigs in order to make a few hundred cases under my short-lived Waitsburg Cellars label. Some of those grapes came from the same Upland Vineyard vines that L’Ecole has sourced for decades, and to my knowledge, there are no better Chenins in the Northwest than these. Rather than the simple fruit bombs that most Chenins resemble, this old vine bottling is delicate, dusty, and detailed, a subtle wine tha...
As I've mentioned, I'm not a reflective person; I have a "man the torpedoes, full steam ahead" mentality. But it's become a tradition that I take a little stock and look back at my decision to leave sunny Southern California in December 2018 to move to snowy, cold, foggy, damp Waitsburg. So here goes, as I bravely reflect now, rather than in spring when the weather is warm, the garden is green, and the sun is shining. Since I will soon be retired, I have no excuse, "I'm too busy to do that...
