Excursion to Milton-Freewater & Walla Walla

This weekend I had a chance to visit Mike at his rural rotation site. He lives in Walla Walla and works at a clinic in Milton-Freewater with the one doctor in town. This doctor went to the same residency as Dr. Irvine and Dr. Kelley in Spokane.

The drive was beautiful; I hadn't yet seen that stretch of I-84 since the drive in was so foggy and the visibility had been so poor. I love these wide open spaces and looking out into infinity. Gorgeous. It seems that there are a lot more farms vs. ranches near Walla Walla, which is located northwest of Baker City. M-F and WW are also known for their vineyards and wineries, especially since 1984 when Walla Walla Valley was approved as an American Viticulture Area.

WW has about 30,000 people, and like Baker City, it is also very charming, with a cute downtown. I met with Mike and his parents, Dianne and Kip, who had driven out from Portland the night before. We walked around downtown and then had lunch at CreekTown Cafe. The food was absolutely delish! I got gnocchi with butternut squash and banana caremel pie.

After lunch, the four of us went to two wineries: Reininger Winery and Three Rivers Winery. Both were lovely with beautiful tasting rooms. As I am Asian and lightweight, I had but a few sips at both places. :) My favorite was the 2007 Biscuit Ridge Vineyard Late Harvest Gewurztraminer from Three Rivers.

Reininger tasting room

Three Rivers tasting room

Later we went on a Historic Homes Tour around the residential areas of Walla Walla. Mike drove and Kip read descriptions of the various homes. The houses were beautiful and several of them reminded us of southern style homes with their verandas and grand entrances.

Back at Mike's place, the four of us played Catch Phrase in the living, which Dianne and I feng shui'd to promote community and relationship. :) Catch Phrase was hilarious! If you haven't played it before, I highly recommend you give it a try if you have a chance!

Mike's feng shui'd living room

For dinner we went to an Italian restaurant located in downtown Walla Walla. The food was delicious, and I was totally unoriginal and ordered gnocchi again. Also with butternut squash. Both gnocchis were good, though my favorite was from CreekTown. The gnocchi there were like little fluffly pillows of potato-y goodness. Yum. :)

Gnocchi No. 2

The following day, we went to Clarette's for brunch. Clarette's is an adorable restaurant that was voted the Best Breakfast and Best Family Restaurant in Walla Walla. I got Eggs Clarette, a delicious variation of the Benedict. Instead of hollandaise sauce, Clarette's uses a tangy cheddar sauce. Also, their version includes hashbrowns. I still think breakfast is my favorite meal of the day. :)

Following lunch, Mike showed me around M-F, which I learned is affectionately called Muddy-Frogwater. There are carved wooden frogs in front of several businesses and the town hosts an annual Muddy-Frogwater Festival. Mike also showed me his clinic, which is located in Old Town.

Mike's clinic

One of Milton-Freewater's many carved frogs

I then headed back to Baker City, my home for these four weeks. Dr. Kelley and his wife, Jennifer, kindly invited a few of the other doctors and me over for dinner. The Kelleys (Kal, Jennifer, and little Ava), Irvines (Bill, Melissa, and little Alex), Mitzels (Jerrod and Judit), and I enjoyed a wonderful dinner cooked by Jennifer with contributions from the other guests. It was fun hanging out with everyone and watching Ava and Alex play. They are so precious! As are the Kelleys' two dachshunds Lola and Hans.

Mel, Alex, Ava, Jen

I am still so overwhelmed by and grateful for everyone's hospitality in Baker. Everyone has been so welcoming, and I am most appreciative! :)