Tomorrow, I make the five hour journey east from Seattle to Walla Walla for our annual Fourth of July gathering with family and friends. Kari and the girls flew out on Tuesday, therefore I am looking forward to seeing them again as well as spending time with my extended family.

To celebrate our nation's birthday, we gather at my brother-in-law's place southeast of downtown Walla Walla, in the heart of wheat country. After an afternoon of the kids swimming and adults playing bocce ball, we come together around a long table outside to celebrate local food and wine.

I can't think of a better place to be than in Walla Walla at this time of year. The long summer days give way to the slow descent of the sun, which casts its warm glow across fields of grain. If you can put up with the rising heat, it is absolutely beautiful being in this part of the state at this time of year.

It is rather fortuitous on the eve of my journey that Catie of Through the Walla Walla Grapevine laid out a virtual welcome mat for me and everyone else heading her way. Reading Catie's post about what this holiday means in the context of Walla Walla wine was truly inspiring. And it confirmed once again why she is the benchmark when it comes to blogging about Washington wine.

Although my stay will be brief, I do hope to get out on Sunday afternoon to taste some new releases from some of the area producers. I am woefully behind on winery visits, therefore am eager to see as many as I can in order to share these experiences with you on BeyondtheBottle.com.

Even before I get there, I am already thinking of my next trip to spend more time in this wonderful part of Washington state.

Happy Fourth of July!