Brused Books

Brused Books is one of those stores that has been around that it not only has a dear place in my heart now but walking the crowded aisles reminds me of my teen years. It's quickly become my son's favorite place as well.

I believe everyone needs a good used book store. There are things you can find there that you can't find anywhere else. I have to say that most of the time when I go there looking for something specific, I find it. Usually for a fair price.

We often bring in books to exchange for store credit (or the ocassional dollar). It's fun seeing our old books on the shelves and finding new ones to take home. Last night my son brought in a bag of books with the idea he was going to get cash but before we left he had found several books he wanted to buy. He's going to think it over since his books will be priced this morning. He's a big cartoon fan (Gary Larsen, Calvin and Hobbes) but also a huge Beatles fan and at the counter was a beautiful copy of Beatles Diary.
I think he'll be filling his newly emptied shelf on the bookcase.

The other thing about Brused Books that's fun is the Fair Trade or Just Trade area. These shelves are filled with chocolates and crafts from around the world. They are so fun and the chocolate is the best you will ever eat (I'll say that about other chocolates and it will always be true).


Brused Books is on Main Street between Grand and Kamiaken. They have a small parking lot of Paradise with a back entrance. They are open Monday through Friday 11-6, Saturdays 10-6 and Sundays 12-5.

Belltower - Pullman WA

The Belltower is a church that has been converted to a event center and offers space for shops.
The downstairs houses the Red Cross office for Whitman County and a variety of other businesses (I will share more later because I want to focus on them individually).
It's worth the time to check those out. However, the Belltower is working on a reputation for being a great place to enjoy music. They have concerts on a nearly weekly basis. They average $13 if you buy at the door and $10 if you buy ahead of time (I did notice that one concert coming up was less than this). You can get tickets at Atom Heart.
Check out their information at their website or find them on facebook.
The Belltower has a full bar for the concerts but they are open for any ages. I stopped in for their free outdoor concert during the Artwalk and was just impressed.

Parks on Spring Street - Pullman WA

The northern section (north of main street) of Spring Street becomes Riverside Street as it curves around Spring St. Park and the City Playfields. Along this stretch are the two parks I mentioned and an RV Park. As parks go this area is often overlooked by those who don't have kids who are sports oriented. I, honestly, forget these parks are here. Revisiting them, I remember my teen years and how much I loved the area.
Spring St Skate Park is a newer park (sort of). The grass area has been a public space for as long as I can remember but in the last fifteen(ish) years a skate park has crept up. I can't tell you what year the skate park was built but it has given the youth of Pullman a safe place to skateboard and bicycle. It's not overly fancy but it's a nice facility surrounded by green spaces.


The river/creek flows through the area and under the Main St Bridge and then connects to the City Playfields.

The playfields have three (count them - 3) softball fields. The fields are surrounded by a walking/jogging track with exercise stations. The park site lists the following additional amenities - volleyball standards, batting cages, picnic tables, drinking fountains and restrooms. I keep thinking that this should be our new walking area so we can get to know the park better.


The last park on this stretch is the RV Park.


You may think that because you don't have an RV that this park isn't something you'd be interested in. It's overlooked most weekends (except football and graduation weekends). Not only can you park your RV here, you can pitch a tent. For $10 you have a perfect place to stay the night in Pullman. It's rather quiet and a nice little place. When we lived in the country, we camped here for the Lentil Festival. It's not a far walk from downtown here (only 2 blocks from Reaney Park and about 6 from the corner of Main and Grand). Despite being so close to downtown, it offered a quiet sleep that night. It has potties, running water and fire pits.
For special weekends, you do need to make reservations and the park is close from December through February (which makes sense cause no one wants to camp when it's that cold). For more information about the RV Park, check out their site.

SYG Nursery - Pullman WA

One of the things I love to do is wander through nurseries. They are like little parks and perfect yards. I no longer have a yard but I can't help but drool over the various plants and cute lawn ornaments. SYG has been one of those places I have planned on checking out for the past 3 years but never made it. It is out of the way but so worth the little trip.
There's not much to say about what they have to offer since the pictures really do tell the tale.




SYG Nursery is at 3253 Brayton Rd (take Park from State and follow it until you find SYG - at some point Park becomes Brayton). They are open Monday through Saturday 8-5:30 with some summer Sunday hours.

Artwalk - Pullman WA

Starting today, Pullman is hosting an artwalk. What this means is that local businesses are featuring local artists in their shops. This is a great opportunity to view some amazing art work, get to know local shops and find some deals. Many of the businesses are also participating in Crazy Days this week which is lots of sales and grab bags.
Grab bags are my favorite because it's like getting a present and they are often really inexpensive. One year we got Harry Potter gift bags that had Harry Potter lego pens and other toys.
During this, Lily Bees is hosting a silent auction for Alternatives to Violence of the Palouse (or ATVP).

Come Friday, the artists will be around for the reception. You'll get free snacks and a chance to meet local artists.
Pullman is a full art community. I am always amazed at the number of artists, writers, etc in the area. There's something about the Palouse that just calls to the creative to come and stay. I'm certain there will be art available for sale and a chance to really have some fun.
There are maps at the chamber office or at participating stores. I know that Chipman and Taylor will have sculptures and downtown businesses will have artwork. Daily News had a special insert you can view here.
I'm excited. Tonight we'll be scoping out the concerts in the park at Reaney and Friday we'll be snapping pictures of the Artwalk. Hope to see you there.

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!