Moscow Farmer's Market - Moscow Idaho

The Moscow Farmer's Market is a tradition in the Palouse. It is one of the best farmer's markets I have ever been to. I think it could compete with some of the bigger city markets. It's not a huge farmer's market but for the area it's impressive.
The market is in the Friendship Square and the connecting parking lot. You can park on Main street and walk or park in the open spaces of the parking lot. I will warn you that the parking can be tough. Friendship Square is on Main street just south of Third (at least I believe it's south). The parking lot can be accessed from Jackson.

The market has three rows of the parking lot. While there are a variety of vendors all over the market, there are some distinct differences between the rows. The north row has produce and farm items and the south row has food such as tacos and greek kabobs. You will find crafters and other booths throughout the entire area.

In years past, the market has been a mecca for finding those little crafters and farmers who are just sharing their wares. This year I noticed fewer of the small vendors and more larger vendors. They are still your more home-grown sort of businesses but I was a little disappointed that there weren't your card table vendors with their inexpensive wares. I did notice that the prices have gone up as well as the competition to become a vendor. It's a sad sign of the times - every one is struggling and competing for that opportunity to make some money. I think it's time someone started a crafter's fair that ran on a regular basis. I love getting plants and produce but what I want to see are the crafts.


If you don't want to shop, come by for the music. They have two performances each market - one at about 9:45 and one about 11:45. It's all local performers but it's always fun. As you can see, lots of people crowd around to watch.


The Market is a great time to bring your kids. Lots of children gather at the playground while parents watch the performers.

There are so many things offered at the market that you'd be hard pressed not to find something you like. We often go just to wander up and down the aisles and look at everything. Some places offer free samples and some offer things at such a great price you can't pass them up.
The market runs every Saturday, May to October, from 8am to 1pm.

Aquatic Center and Military Hill Park - Pullman WA

The Pullman Aquatic and Fitness Center is located at the intersection of Larry and Hall streets, next to the high school in Pullman. It's a small center with two pools and a workout room. The facilities are the best I have seen and tough to compete with the Student Rec Center at WSU except the cost is far less. A year membership for a family is $480 and if you keep an eye out they have specials throughout the year which reduces that cost. We got ours during last September's anniversary sale for 50% off.
There are a lot of things I like about this center. Overall, it's a decent facility but it's crowded and the workout room is small (more than 10 people and you can barely get to any equipment). They have added to the workout room this past year but they haven't done anything about the over-crowding of the pools. The pools are filled with swim team practices and swim lessons while open to the public making it very crowded. The swim lessons are a fine money maker for the facility and many members take advantage of the reduced rates. This makes it less fun for those who have purchased their passes for fitness reasons. There are adult classes during the day but don't do anything for those who work "normal" hours.
The fitness center does have a fair amount of special events that are quite fun - like movie nights and Splash and Dash (a sort of swimming babysitting so parent's can have time to themselves).

Military Hill Park is a nice place to spend some time. There is a covered area with picnic tables and BBQ grills. The only problem is it's now located next to the machinery for the Aquatic center so you can't hear anything.

It doesn't take much space away from those machines to find peace of mind. There's a nice playground with newer equipment.

Up over a little hill, you'll find a basketball hoop and tennis courts. The tennis courts are nice and they seem to lack use so it's a great place to play and not worry about looking silly. We're going to go up there to practice our really bad backswing but who cares - no one is watching.

Up above the tennis courts is a soccer field. The park is huge with lots of little things tucked here and there and plenty of open spaces. From the water tower and back around the area is a walking trail. It's rundown because there are new trails in town but it's still a lovely view (if you don't mind the new construction where the wheat fields used to be). All in all this is still one of my favorite parks and one that I forget about (like most people). It still has so much potential for family fun and it's underused so it's getting neglected.

Reaney Park - Pullman WA

Even though Reaney Park is off the beaten path a little, it serves as a community event center. All summer long, free activities can be found at this little park. In August, the Saturday festivities of the Lentil festival will be held here. It's a good park to get to know.
Located at 690 NE Reaney Way, Reaney park has lots to offer. To get there, take Main Street and turn north at the west end of the bridge onto Spring Street. Lentil Lane will be to the left. Turn there and the park is right in front of you. There's a small parking lot to the left and a larger university lot to the right (access is from Spring St). The university lot is available to the public for free on the weekends and evenings (check the signs at the lot for exact times).

The park houses a gazebo where concerts and other events occur, two areas of playground play,

BBQ grills and picnic tables

Horseshoe pits

and most importantly, a swimming pool.

You can purchase a year pass for the Aquatic Center on Military Hill which will allow you access to the pool at Reaney or buy a Reaney pool only pass. Passes start at $35 (daily is $2-3 per person depending on age). The pool does close for weather but Reaney passes can be used at the indoor pool at the Aquatic center in those cases.
There are two outdoor pools at Reaney. One goes from shallower to deeper and has diving boards where the other pool is more consistent for lap swimming. I wish I had paid more attention to the depth since the information is not on their website.
The park's website doesn't have information about the park except the history which is rather interesting. The park was "started" in 1914 and the first pool was built in 1917.
It's a great park and one that holds a lot of memories for Pullmanites. I am going to try to go to the Concert in the Park tonight so I can share that with you on Friday. If you are interested in attending, the concert starts at 6 with The Mullan Road Band playing tonight (hopefully it won't rain).

Duh moment

I was really disappointed when I realized that my dream of sharing Washington on this blog might not happen. I was talking with my mother when I realized that everyone's finances are tight and there are a ton of things to do in the area that cost little to no money. Big Lightbulb! I can share that with you. I understand that not everyone will be interested in things to do in the Palouse but there are so many neat and fun things to do here that I am sure I will find an audience. I spent the last weekend taking a few pictures (nearly 150) and that was just a fraction of the things I want to share. I'm going to strive for 3x a week (MWF) and keep up with events as they happen around the area.
I will share free activities along with shopping and restaurants. Not everything will be inexpensive but sometimes you just need that outing that feels special. I'll keep an eye out for special coupons and even more special events.
Hope you have as much fun as I do!

No Traveling for me

Things have been really hectic here. I have learned that whenever I make plans the universe conspires against me. I had hoped to travel lots around the area and share with you but my husband lost his job in December and has had difficulty finding steady work since and the gas prices keep going up so everything has gotten so expensive. I'm not quite giving up hope that I can do something with this blog in the future but at the moment it just sits there.
Thank you for reading.
Sara

Kids Bowl Free

I have mentioned this program before when I talked about Zeppoz. I highly recommend this. Kids Bowl Free gives each child registered 2 free games at their chosen bowling alley every day through the summer. When we first registered years ago, the shoes were an additional charge. I bought everyone bowling shoes at the beginning from Zeppoz. For three people the shoes were less than $100. To rent shoes is $1.25 per person per day. The math was in favor of owning shoes. Having our own shoes meant that there was no reason not to go bowl our two games every day (I said our - meaning adults too but I am getting to that). I didn't want there to be any reason not to go. Some days we drank water and was thankful to be out of the heat (that summer was hot and we moved into a new apartment on the 3rd floor so we spent a lot of time moving heavy things in the heat and then retreating to the bowling alley's air conditioning). Other times we indulged in fries and nachos. The food is a little pricey at Zeppoz but the "snacks" are rather filling. We'd all split one soda to make the cost go down.
For $24.95 you can add 4 adults to the "free" bowling. Twenty-five dollars for 3 1/2 months of bowling is a bargain that is too good to pass up. If you sign up and pay the fee before May 1st (I know it's a really short notice but I found out today) you get a $25 gift certificate to restaurants.com. For the Pullman area, that means a $25 gift certificate to your choice of Rico's, Fireside Grille or The Broiler. Rico's and The Broiler require you to spend $35 when using the certificate and Fireside requires a $45 purchase (still a bargain).
I got my certificate to Rico's because I didn't know they served food and it will be a fun outing for me and my husband (and no kids allowed).
I have my certificates all emailed to me so printing is required (I don't know if there are other options at all or if it's just the emailing part vs logging in). The great thing is that if I forget to print them out I can stop somewhere and print them out (like my Dad's house if he is going). We add my dad and my brother so we can treat them to some family fun too.
You won't regret this - bowling is a great activity and does get a body moving. Watch for high calorie snacks and this could be a really healthy experience.

Robinson Park - Moscow ID

I feel in love with this park the first time I went out there and each time I go I find something else to love about it. To get to the park is a little tricky since there have been some minor changes to the road over the years and it's windy and forks often. The park is on Robinson Park Road on the far eastern side of Moscow (head towards Troy and turn behind Eastside Marketplace). There is a little brown sign that says Robinson Park with an arrow going to the right. After turning on that road you end up in a round about a block later. Go around the round about and find the sign indicating Robinson Park road. This is where it gets really tricky and I can't remember exactly but I think you don't make any turns until you get to the park which should be on your right.
As you pull into the park area you have a choice to go right or left. To the right is a picnic area with a small playground between the river (it's a small river but this time of year it's pretty high) and the "mountains". I'm not sure the hilly areas are really mountains but they are lower parts of the mountain range. The hilly area is covered in trees and trails and makes for some beautiful views when the rain doesn't make the trails dangerous.
The left side of the park is broken up by the winding river and wasn't an area I really investigated until this last weekend (it may have been cold and wet but I needed an outdoor outing). There is a small playground we didn't quite make it to but the area is doted with fire rings and grills which made us excited for future camping out there. They do have 5 spots for RV's and areas for tents (we never did really figure out where the tents go but that's part of the fun).
I highly recommend this area. I have never been out there when there were tons of people so I am not sure how used this park is. It seems like a great place for an overnight trip and is surrounded by wooded areas that just beg to be explored.
For more information go to the Latah County Park and Rec