Walla

My brother Ian and his partner Karen moved to Walla Walla, Washington about the same time that Pedro and I moved. We have been able to share moving experiences, which is kind of validating. We found it funny when they got tired of saying “Walla Walla,” and shortened it to “Walla.” Now that’s what Pedro and I call the city, too.

To get there from Portland, you drive all the way to eastern Oregon along the Columbia River, then cross the river north into Southeast Washington state, and viola. We went for the first time in January for my birthday. We could tell by the many gorgeous but closed shops and restaurants that it must really be hopping in the summer season, but in January, Walla was pretty dead in the wind and snow. We enjoyed our last visit but were eager to go back and try again.

In July, we were invited back. Unfortunately, the weather over-compensated, and it was in the 100s (37-40 C) that weekend, which means people tend to stay indoors. Again, we saw the city with hardly any people about.

The occasion for the gathering was that my brother, Eli, and his family were able to come. For that busy family, it was an exciting opportunity! Eli brought up the Fifth Wheel from Boise, and Pedro and I found a nearby Airbnb. We all converged on Ian and Karen’s hospitality.

They moved to Walla for Karen’s work. She has a new practice as a Naturopathic Doctor, and has found a community of greater need here than the fierce competition for patients in their former home of Seattle. Walla apparently does not yet have enough doctors to suit the demand of the small but rapidly growing town. For someone beginning a practice, this is helpful to get a good start.

After touring her offices, we walked through downtown Walla and checked out the stores and restaurants now that they are open for summertime tourists. Walla is famous for its wines. There are around 150 wineries locally, so that is what most tourists come for. We did not have time to do wine tours, but us ladies did stop at Karen’s favourite winery to do a tasting. We made the dubious choice to sit outside in the oppressive heat, and were the only visitors who were out there.

A sign of the same shape as the one above alerted us to a “Museum of Un-Natural History,” an invited us to climb the stairs to a second-floor free museum. I took my nephews up but soon the youngest one had seen enough and left. His big brother left also, to keep an eye on him – what a good kid.

I could not leave. The place was blowing my mind. It’s apparently a style of art called Dada, which I know nothing about and am pretty sure I am not a fan of. But this place was like a scene you can’t turn away from. I walked from display to display, room to room, mouth agape. I realized it was a perfect entry for one of my favourite websites, Atlas Obscura, which highlights things to see around the world that are out of the ordinary. Stuff that most tourists would not even know about. I found later that someone already made an entry for this museum. Since I am a website contributor, I will add a few tidbits and photos to the entry when I find the time.

I definitely recommend a visit to the museum, which is free and reveals the creations of a unique American artist. I chatted with a volunteer who sat in a corner and answered questions for visitors. She told me that the artist and his wife are still living, and in their 90s, and they keep the place open with their own money. However, due to their age and their desire to keep it open beyond their lifetime, they are planning to set up a crowdfunding website soon.

Matthews said it took him 30 years to collect and create all these pieces from found objects, after he and his wife retired and moved to Walla.

We spent most of our time at Ian and Karen’s house, cooking and eating and playing games and telling stories, as a family should do when they get together. Ian showed off his incredible garden, which for some reason I never thought to take a photo of. Their yard is small, so Ian employed a technique that he also used in Seattle: he grows up instead of out. Tomatoes, zucchini, cucumbers, beans, etc – everything he planted is trimmed and trained to grow upward. The garden footprint is very small, but it’s very tall. They have planted chard and lettuce and that kind of leafy stuff in between rows, so it stays shaded and protected. Their big squash they planted in a different place and are allowing it to spread across their extra back yard parking space. I am intrigued with this growing “up” strategy and I will probably try to duplicate it with some stuff at our house next year.

All too soon we had to pack up and take off and return to our homes and return Ian and Karen’s home to them, ha ha.

I guess Pedro and I will have to try Walla again, to see if we can ever catch it in between weather extremes.