crisscrossing the region visiting family and friends for annual visits, babies and birthdays. From the Newberry National Volcano Monument to Lower Lewis River Falls, we covered many miles to share meals and make memories. Most activities were planned, but there was always a little time to discover and do something unexpected. Good thing, or we never would have found the best fries ever at the OMG Chicken Shack in Pendleton, or seen the rhinoceros at Woodland Park Zoo who really put on a show for us!
The only thing busier than the summer is the holiday season! Lucky for us, the holidays are followed by a quieter, often introspective winter. This is the perfect time to stay close to home – my family loves the cold, dry and sunny snow days! It’s a great time to visit the Basin’s many indoor recreational facilities including cinemas, live theater and music, museums, bowling alleys and roller skating rinks, VR (virtual reality) rooms and arcades, and more.
So, while I love getting away, the time recently spent revisiting Sun Lakes Park Resort for their Fall Festival and the Moses Lake Museum for their recent and stunning Don Nutt gallery show, not to mention the extensive list of shops visited to be featured in the 2025 Basin Gift Buying Guide, are some of my favorite trips of the year.
As always, Venue Magazine is a letter to you, my community, about all the wonderful and unexpected things in our own backyard. This edition is a reminder of all those people, places, organizations and businesses that make our home so special. I also want to remind you that the greatest gift of all is time – it is my biggest investment in these magazines – and the most important thing I do anytime, spending it with those I love and serve. Sometimes the greatest gift you can give is your time, too: there are a number of amazing organizations represented in this magazine, and others, that value your time as much as your financial contributions.
The last reminder is that while those lists can get overwhelming, and financially unrealistic, the number of gifts we give is not important, it’s the thought behind them. This winter, don’t feel the need to go too far to find an adventure, the perfect gift, or a great meal… they are all at your doorstep.
