Toll Rises To 14 In Mudslide Tragedy

A deadly mudslide has hit Oso Washington, a rural town in Snohomish County.  Public safety officials have confirmed 14 deaths.  Also, 176 are reported missing.  This has been a tragic week for residents of the Puget Sound area as a helicopter leased to KOMO 4 TV crashed near the station in downtown Seattle, killing both people aboard.
The phone number 425-388-5088 has been set up to report people that are missing or unaccounted for, or for people, in effected areas to report that they are safe.  Anyone wanting to make donations can call 1 (800)Red-Cross.  President Obama has declared a state of emergency in the area.
Oso is 81.5 miles from Maple Valley, about a 90 minute drive.  It is located on the North Fork of the Stillaguamish River.

Observations On Walla Walla Wineries And Tasting Rooms

The Wine craze is still sweeping Walla Walla.  The town seems to be thriving, yet signs of a not so favorable economy have shown in pocket areas of the town, vacant houses with paint peeling are visable way too often.  Overall though, the city has a new vibrancy.  
Downtown has many tasting rooms. There are additional ones on the outskirts of town, usaully on the farms where the grapes are grown.  Here are a few words on some of the places that we visited.

Bergevin-Lane  Hey, Bergevin has been a well known name in Walla Walla for  generations.     One of the first wine places that I have visited in town, now a "must stop" on any Walla Walla trip.  This winery is owned by two women and stick to their theme.  The people are friendly and  pleasant.  The tasting room is closed on Sunday, so we went by on a Sunday and it was open.  Bonus points for that.  Wines are moderately priced and delicious.

Dunham Cellars   Has a tasting room near the airport.  Also, one of Walla Walla's older wineries.  This family also has a history in town.  Dog Maysy is very friendly and interactive with visitors.  Has tasting room with gift shop and a huge banquet room.

Zerba Cellars  Located just South of the Stateline in Oregon.  Nice setting (pictured above) with log cabin, adjacent deck, nice lady, whom I believe is one of the family poured some tasty wine.

Amavi Cellars  On Pepper Bridge Road, the deck of it's new tasting room deck has sweeping view of the Blue Mountains. 

Sleight Of Hand The most creative concept in wines, it got it's name from a Pearl Jam album.  The Wine maker was pouring, we found him very engaging and friendly.  The mound of dirt next to the tasting room made a great playground for my nephews.  As my nephew, Ethan says," who needs a frisbee when you have a pile of dirt."  The tasting room has an extensive record collection and let us pick an album to play while we were visiting.

1. Cayuse  On Main Street in the center of town, it announces it's presence, yet it's never open.

Long Beach IV: Kite Festival

Kites of every color, shape and size litter the sky at Saturday's Kite Festival.

A Fun Weekend In Woodinville

For the second year in a row, we went to the"Passport To Woodinville" , an event featuring about 50 wineries spread around the city of Woodinville, Washington. The Wineries who participate offer tasting of their product, and sometimes also food and entertainment.
This year we stayed at the Willows Lodge, across the street from Chateau St.Michelle. From the above picture, you can see the Hollywood Schoolhouse from our room.