I love visiting the Walla Walla Valley in the summer. The long, hot days combined with being outside amongst acres of farmland rekindles memories of my childhood in Oklahoma. It's hard not to feel a bit at home in this part of Washington state, especially at this time of year. Walla Walla is a much prettier place as evidenced by the panorama above, which I shot at my brother-in-law's place a few miles southeast of downtown.

With each visit to this valley comes new places to see, new people to meet, and new discoveries to be made along the way. Last weekend's trip was no exception, with a couple of standout winery experiences at places like Seven Hills and Trust, where I met some really passionate people who introduced me to some terrific wines (more on these experiences in the days ahead).

Best of all, Kari and I were able to go out to dinner together and enjoy a delicious, slow meal along with some tasty wines at Whitehouse-Crawford in downtown Walla Walla. We were fortunate to have as our server, Kerry, who along with her husband and child, had recently moved from Seattle to Walla Walla. It was a lot of fun hearing how they came to the decision to uproot themselves and make the move east.

Suffice it to say, we listened to Kerry's story with a bit of envy, as the idea of moving to this region has been one Kari and I have tossed around for several years now. I don't see us uprooting ourselves anytime soon, therefore we will just continue living vicariously through friends and family who have made the move to Walla Walla and are now enjoying the good life here.

It's a good thing we're only a five hour drive away from our next visit.