The Cowiche Canyon lies below the Naches Heights in central Washington State.
My mom grew up in the Naches Heights in the midst of apple and cherry orchards, a few miles from the Cowiche Canyon. My family began growing apples and cherries four generations ago in the early 1900s. My mom's parents Edith and Harvey, raised their kids in the orchards of the Heights. My mom's brothers, Tom and Paul, carried on the tradition of raising fruit in the Naches Heights--Paul predominantly apples, Tom, cherries and apples.
My Uncles Tom (left) and Paul (right) in my Uncle Paul’s apple orchard in the Heights. 2015.
When I was in junior high and high school in the late '70s, each July, I would work on my Uncle Tom's ranch in the cherry orchards in the Naches Heights for a few weeks earning money for school clothes for the fall. My job was to follow the tractor throughout the cherry orchards and pick up full boxes of freshly picked cherries, and pour the contents (gently so the fruit would not get bruised) into large wood bins. The bins of fruit would then be picked up by big trucks and brought to storage warehouses in downtown Yakima to eventually be shipped throughout the state and the USA.
This year, I submitted a painting that was accepted to Mighty Tieton’s annual exhibit 10x10x10” exhibit, titled "Cowiche Canyon." The painting view is from the foot of the canyon looking up at Garretson Grade in the Naches Heights.
I am still working on the Heights. This time, I paint them as a loving homage to my family.
The opening is Saturday, August 7, 12-4 pm. If you are in the area or interested in taking a day road trip, stop on by. I will be at there.
Location:
Mighty Tieton
608 Wisconsin Avenue
Tieton, WA 98947