In little more than four decades, the Walla Walla wine industry has evolved from a semi-hobby shared by a pioneering trio of producers into a global brand. 

I hear the name Skyrocket Hills and am immediately transfixed. I have to go there, and, of course, I expect fireworks. The hills north of Prescott don’t disappoint.

Now living in Walla Walla, Clara Dickinson-McQuary is a well-traveled Dayton native. Six years ago, she became the regional parks’ first program specialist, headquartered with five other parks staff at the Lewis and Clark Trail State Park near Dayton.

Some community events are starting again as COVID-19 numbers improve in the Walla Walla Valley; other organizations and businesses are still offering virtual things to do.

Don and Tera Davis love their newly built home, close to town and yet off the beaten track, at 837 Wallowa Drive.

The home kitchen of Damien and Rachna Sinnott is filled with aromas, from the spices used in the South Asian Indian fare Rachna grew up with to house-smoked salmon that's a reminder of Damien’s youth growing up in Ketchikan, Alaska.

In 20 years of standup work, comedian Nathan Brannon has explored brushes with the animal kingdom, particularly as his life took a rural twist in 2016. That’s when Brannon left Los Angeles for a permanent home in his wife’s native Walla Walla Valley.

After climbing several more miles, artfully dodging potholes, I burst through the fog ceiling. In this transition zone, a weak sun shows promise but fails to deliver. A Canadian thistle sunbathes in the frozen air. Ice-coated bushes glisten.

If winter weather and pandemic isolation have you down, spring bird watching in the Walla Walla Valley could be your cure.

Phillip Thompson and Patricia Orosa Liotta Thompson had a big remodeling job on their hands at 1048 Francis Ave., but the result and its classic 1938 charm is the ideal home for this couple.

Spring is a time of renewal and change, and here at Lifestyles magazine it’s no different. This month marks a shift for us as managing editor Jedidiah Maynes moves into a full-time reporting position with the Walla Walla Union-Bulletin and Annette Potter takes the magazine reins.

Walla Walla's Ferrel Seed Farm, a sixth-generation affair, produces seed wheat for growers, commercial wheat and Kabuli garbanzos.

Flower arrangements can be formal or exuberant, bright colors or pastels; the only rule is to do what pleases you.

Wedding planner Kasey Davenport sees people wanting their ideal wedding, in their ideal location — Walla Walla.

Column by Paul Gregutt, photos by Greg Lehman

Many Walla Walla brides have postponed getting large wedding cakes for celebrations.

Main Street Walla Walla in the 1940s was no different than any other town in America when it came to acknowledging Valentine’s Day.

Story and photos by Jeff Petersen

Story by Karlene Ponti, photos by Greg Lehman