No Place Like Home

After a week away from the desk communing with nature on Oregon's Metolius River and later, communing with my distant family in the hospital at Eugene, Oregon, I can report that truly, there is no place like home. My sister underwent semi-emergency surgery for an intestinal disorder and is recovering nicely, thank you very much. Also while my lovely wife and I were away, a friend may have delivered her first-born ... if so, congratulations Becky! On a more somber note, a member of our extended Museum family passed away ... adieu, Linda, whose celebration of life occurs today.

It is finally high summer in the Walla Walla Valley and the wheat harvest is in full swing. A small field across the road from the Museum was harvested in my absence, but given the prospects for development of that area, I thought last year might have been the last for urban wheat fields in my neighborhood. Nice to know that progress waited a little while for me to catch my breath.

Clear and sunny skies with cool nights makes the grapes perfect when it comes time to harvest them. I shall have to check on the progress of the Museum's own vineyard when I get caught up here. We grow a varietal known variously as 'Black Prince' or 'Cinseault.' I'm told that the name depends on whether you are a Francophile or an Anglophile, but the name may date to the days when the two European rivals disliked almost everything about each other. Whichever way, they are a delicious black, seeded grape suitable for either wine or the table. A local winery, Morrison Lane, sells a bottle of Cinseault (not our grapes) at its downtown tasting room at 4th and Main Streets. I may not write for Wine Spectator, but I highly recommend it.

In the meantime, progress continued on our construction project. Insulation has been put in place and interior plywood is now covering much of the framework. The drywall process began yesterday, too, as well as the first aspect of the 'log look' for the entryway blockhouse. I'll remind you that this is a community project and your help is greatly appreciated. We are still actively fund-raising on this project and seek support for such things as the orientation theater, children's hands-on stations, and other "naming opportunities." Call us at (509) 525-7703 if you'd like to participate as we carry the past into the future!

Today's photos, from the bottom up, include last year's wheat harvest across the road as one overlooks our vineyard, a sample of our grapes, a couple of shots showing the building of the log-look corner of the blockhouse, and a bit of the drywall.