Serving Waitsburg, Dayton and the Touchet Valley
Serving Waitsburg, Dayton and the Touchet Valley
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Hello, fellow Porschephiles. Would you believe me if I told you I just spent four days in the cockpit of a 1974 Porsche 914, covering 3200 miles of American and Canadian highways and byways? Well, I just completed that trip, and it was amazing. I can now cross that one off my bucket list. My 19-year-old daughter was my copilot. With a crash course on how to drive a manual transmission, especially that odd shifting 901 gearbox, she would co-drive when my eyes just couldn't take the jarring any...
Daniel woke from his Amsterdam sick day feeling human, barely. Off to the train station, on to Paris, our next and last stop! Traveling on the train has become my new favorite way to go; with spacious seats, a light lunch, drinks, and snacks, we were ready to enjoy Paris! We stayed at an inexpensive hotel in the Bastille area of Paris, sticking with the theme that my birthday is on Bastille Day, and that was the entire reason for the Paris trip. Do they charge for the room by the square foot?...
Insanity always rules at the California DMV, and this time was no different. I wisely scheduled an appointment, only to find it didn't show on the DMV system. After a tortuous three-and-a-half hours, I finally passed my test and got my license. All names are spelled correctly and typically the worst picture. While Daniel has been in Europe, I have been diligently weeding, gardening, and just beginning to reap what should be a fantastic bounty. Timing not being on my side, I expect the full...
I recently returned to L.A. for the sole purpose of renewing my California driver’s license. I hope this will be my final foray into the famous (or infamous) California Department of Motor Vehicles (DMV). Under California law, drivers of a certain age no longer qualify for an automatic renewal. It is now required to take both the written and vision tests, which I last took five years ago. I am still having nightmares over that day. First, I was traveling and had to wait until two days before m...
WAITSBURG—The Waitsburg School’s Spring recital once again had the bounce and verve of Mrs. J’s direction. The K-5 students used the whole gym to move around with sweeping gestures, full voices, and lively dancing. They pulled all the stops out on lively pieces like “Boogy Woogy Boy of Company B” and “Ragtime Cowboy Joe” and sensitive pieces like Paul McCartney’s “Blackbird.” The audience couldn’t help but laugh and clap at the joy of it all. Principal Pickel acknowledged the students’ improved confidence and musical prowess (thanks to Mrs....
It’s a rare day when I admit I am so tired I feel fried. I hit the wall on Monday, made evident as I was too tired to drive to Walla Walla for my morning tennis game. My mind and body just went on strike. It became evident how tired I was when I did laundry without detergent. Next, I forgot to close the top of the machine on the rewash. The drain cycle was interrupted, and I was left with extra heavy, wet clothes to do the third time. Even Mugsy seems exhausted as he’s been sleeping later tha...
For those parents who have the thought of their children going to college, I would like to share 10 of my immediate recollections over the last four years of my son attending Boise State. While this is our family's experience, students, parents, and schools are all different. Scholarships - Our son earned a Western Undergraduate Exchange (WUE) scholarship due to his GPA in high school. This scholarship, about $16k/year for four years ($64k), basically made his out-of-state tuition less than the...
We're off; the time is now. Daniel is heading to Portugal. Our first stop is Seattle. As always, traveling with Daniel presents the stress and challenges I've come to accept as just something that I know is imminent. He did ask me what time I wanted to leave for Seattle. I told him about 11 am, deciding not to play tennis in the morning so we could leave on time. That's when he told me he had been asked to consult in the morning. With that news, I went to play tennis. I need to start using my...
Time has flown by, and Daniel’s trip to Portugal is rapidly approaching. As we did last time, we will drive to Seattle the night before his flight for a nice dinner and an easy trip to the airport. About two days after he leaves, I have a friend visiting, so the first week of my single life will be hectic. This time he will stop in Dublin, Ireland, and stay for two days to enjoy some food and music before heading to work in Portugal. I, instead, will be driving home, cleaning the house, and g...
DAYTON-Spring break allows many children to travel with their families, visit distant relatives, or relax without worrying about school. At The Club of Dayton, a nonprofit organization providing youth programs, offered four full days of fun and activities for area elementary school students during spring break. Thirty students from Dayton and Waitsburg participated in The Club's spring break program. There was a nominal fee to attend, but financial support, thanks to generous donations by...
I recently saw a New York Times headline: "The Finnish Secret to Happiness? Knowing When You Have Enough." For the past six years, Finland has had the distinction of achieving the top ranking by the United Nations Sustainable Development Solutions Network on its World Happiness Report. The article then includes interviews they conducted with Finns from various walks of life and locations within Finland. Many of the people interviewed expressed relief that Finland has a robust safety network...
My garden awaits Spring, and I am back from my trip to Los Angeles. Daniel worked diligently to assemble the new patio furniture and did a great job. So, what should I write about now? Daniel suggested (jokingly) I ask ChatGpt to write this week's column. The Microsoft program is one of the hot topics in the news lately, so maybe it's time to learn more about artificial intelligence. I am fairly "tech savvy." I am as good as most, better than many, and not nearly as good as the very young. What...
Will the weather cooperate? That is the million-dollar question. If my trip to Los Angeles today is any indication, it’s not great. I will leave Walla Walla in the rain, only to arrive in Los Angeles in more rain. Typically, I leave Walla Walla in bad weather to enjoy the California sun; this time, it’s the opposite. It will be raining when I leave Los Angeles on Wednesday morning to return home. If my weather app is uncharacteristically correct, Walla Walla should be dry if a bit cloudy. Meanwh...
Do you think there’s any chance that Bob Dylan was singing about Daylight Savings Time? I doubt it, but it’s always a welcome change to have longer days and know that sunnier ones are on their way. Mugsy had been preparing early in anticipation of the time change by waking up a little earlier each morning for the last week and a half. A few days ago, he was up an hour earlier, nudging me awake to let him out and feed him. I admit he has me trained. Time and season changes turn very quickly as I...
Last year, we barely had any birds eat from the feeders we strategically placed around our backyard. A local birder told us that it wasn't our choice of seed, the locations of the feeders, or even the loud dog (Mugsy) chasing them away. Most likely, the bird population had suffered from the avian flu (the fowl version of COVID-19?) That has changed because this year, the birds are back. The other morning, I glanced out the back and saw flocks of birds energetically attacking our feeders. My firs...
Although I know it’s short-lived, I’ve been enjoying the glimmer of Spring to come. These past few weeks have even provided some sun and warmer temperatures. Warm enough to defrost the frozen dirt in our planters so Daniel can begin his project reorganizing the backyard garden. What does the current project entail, you ask? First, Daniel emptied all the dirt from the whiskey barrels and moved them from the side yard to the back area. Then he refilled them with soil and our first official bat...
We just returned from a weekend jaunt to Seattle for the sole purpose, to quote Daniel, “to eat properly.” To start our culinary weekend, we raced into our hotel and hungrily snatched up a bottle of wine and four snack boxes from Starbucks. Not gourmet, but when you’re hungry, culinary perfection is overrated. There was enough time before our dinner reservation for me to do a little shopping. My usual haunt is the Nike store where I cross my fingers, hope for sales, and if nothing else, kill...
To quote my late aunt, “The Golden Years aren’t really golden; in fact, they suck!” She had become a little forgetful when playing her weekly bridge game and had hearing loss, but she refused to wear her hearing aids. She had a single mastectomy, and the prosthetic breast was heavy and uncomfortable. She had a removable bridge, which she frequently forgot to put in her mouth. The bottom line, she was uncomfortable at family dinners and couldn’t hear or chew. So, yeah, it did suck for her. I...
Just when Mugsy and I were adapting to the pitfalls of winter, it’s spring (only temporary, I’m sure). Finally, after four years here, I am much improved and more confident at walking and driving on ice-slicked roads. Even Mugsy has learned, albeit begrudgingly, to negotiate the icy deck when he goes out first thing in the morning. He even braves the cold and wet to chase the neighbor’s cat. I know there is a good chance this “blast of spring” might not last, but while it does, I appreciat...
To quote the late Yogi Berra: It's like déjà vu all over again. We were diligent this winter, determined not to repeat last winter's frozen kitchen and bathroom pipes. We were aggressive with keeping water moving, heating the house, and keeping cabinet doors open. We did it all. We didn't wait for the temperature to drop into the teens but started preventative measures at above-freezing. Still, our hot water pipes in the bathroom froze by day three of our recent cold blast. Cold shower a...
I am not one of those who loves to travel but appreciates being back home to sleep in my own bed and use my own bathroom. I can sleep or have insomnia anywhere and in any bed. When I must use a bathroom, I don’t care whose, or where it is unless it’s too disgusting to fathom, then I manage to have amazing self-control. What is more appealing to me when I am home, is that I’m not living out of a suitcase. And this trip, more than most, was surely an “on the go” never unpack trip. For example, we...
Amazingly, we arrived in Bilbao, Spain, with all our luggage. Considering the insanity of the Lisbon airport, the short layover, and the flight change in Frankfort, we were shocked it all worked out. We had plenty of time for a shower and a leisurely walk to the restaurant we had reserved. According to the map and the concierge, we expected about a ten-minute walk. I don't know if it's Google's walking map or our pace that was deficient, but both in Lisbon and Bilbao, the ten-minute walks...
As a rule, I don’t believe in signs, and yet there’s a little superstition niggling in me. The day I left to start my European adventure, I noticed the bracelet I was wearing was missing. Though not expensive, it had emotional value to me. And, of course, losing it created an unwelcomed “is this an omen?” I soldiered on and headed to Seattle. Everything went smoothly at the airport. The plane wasn’t full, and I had both seats to myself. I could move without bothering anyone and even scored an ex...
Daniel is still working in Portugal, and although I miss him, there is a calm in the house that Mugsy and I appreciate. The kitchen is available whenever I want, and I can have dinner guests when I’m in the mood. That mood is usually indicative of my boredom and frustration trying to have an intelligent conversation with Mugsy. While living alone for the ten years before Daniel and I got back together, I was proud of my ability to manage most situations independently, assuming power tools w...
This extended summer has been great for selected veggies in my garden. I continue to find ripe tomatoes, cucumbers, and a copious bounty of green peppers for some unknown reason. But I just received a "pool update" notice from the country club that repairs are ongoing, and there will be no pool until next year. Between no tennis (hand still in a cast) and no swimming, it's been disappointing, and more tomatoes do not compensate! I grew up on Long Island (New York) and was fortunate to spend my...
