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Wednesday, March 10, 2010

Walla Walla, Washington - It's not just a funny name

JR and I owned a 5th wheel travel trailer several years back and would go RVing.
We didn't like to call it camping because, really, we had a full sized fridge, a 3 piece bathroom, a tv and a recliner.
That ain't campin' folks.
That's taking your home with you.
We loved it.
We would take that thing out every other weekend to somewhere in the states of Washington, Oregon or Idaho.
We also went up to Canada. Not often but a couple of times.
Mostly, we went places that we could get to within 4 hours. We had such a great system down that we could get home from work, hitch up, and get somewhere by 8pm. If it was dark we would leave the set up for the morning. Ah, the joys of a travel trailer.

That leads right into this postcard from the 1910s.
One of our favorite places was the Yakima Valley, Columbia River Valley, and Eastern Washington.

Why?
I like to tell people that it was because our oldest was attending college at Central Washington University and we just needed to visit. I missed him. He needed his mommy.
What?
Why, Yes, I am that big of a liar.


See those gardens?
That's the real reason.
That volcanic soil grows some of the best wine grapes outside of France.
In fact, according to all those vintners, the Columbia River Valley is on about the same latitude as France. Which, once again from the vintner's mouths to your ears (or eyes as the case may be), is ideal for wine grapes. Being able to control the water that the vines get is essential also.
How do I know these lovely wine facts?
The oldest boy took a class at university all about the geography of wine.
What kind of a mother would I be if I DIDN'T go on the field trips?


Love,
M

9 comments:

  1. Wow, what a cool class for your son to take!
    My son has waited at a real fancy place out here the past 5 summers. When he was old enough to serve alcohol, he had to take a wine tasting class and get educated on wine. I have found his having this knowledge very helpful...

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  2. Ha. We have a traveling house and I still call it camping.

    What about the Walla Walla onions? yum.

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  3. Ben and I plan on doing a lot of camping this summer. This gives me an idea of where we should go. One day I hope to get a small camper.

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  4. So would the name Walla Walla happen to be a drunk coincidence?

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  5. Now THOSE are the kinds of field trips I can get behind.

    I can't wait for the kids to be a little older so we can get a camper and just GO. So much fun.

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  6. Love that postcard.

    So what happened to the travel trailer? You don't have it anymore?

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  7. That looks like a beautiful spot - and I like your way of 'camping'.

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  8. Oh I do like your idea of 'camping'. Sounds much better than a leaky tent.

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  9. I know that place!

    Having lived in Washington for quite some time, I can say this: I didn't have a good tomato that wasn't brought up from California the whole time -- but the root vegetables and wine were out of this world!

    Blessings,
    Lacy

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