Secret Garden
July 9, 2010 by Melissa Labberton
By Melissa S. Labberton
Photos by Sara Gettys
The Barany Home
Yakima abounds with wonderful secret cottage gardens, hiding behind privacy fences and tall arborvitae hedges throughout our many neighborhoods. If you’re lucky enough to be invited in, a magical world of plants, trees, fountains and art awaits.
We’ve asked three local master gardeners to open their special garden retreats to our readers, with the hope that their stories won’t intimidate, but rather encourage others to create their own versions of an outdoor sanctuary.
Days of Wine and Roses
July 9, 2010 by Heather Caro
The landscaping of the Hyatt home includes small ponds and waterfalls, river rock features and wildlife statues.
By Heather Caro
Photography by Sara Gettys
Driving through the picturesque Lower Valley – perhaps on a wine tour – visitors might catch a glimpse of the towering river-stone arches and weeping sequoia trees that mark the entrance to Leland and Lynda Hyatt’s rural Zillah estate on Bonair Road.
Mixed Greens – 10 to Tee in the Yakima Valley
July 9, 2010 by Heather Caro
Bernice and Harold Snyder of Yakima head off to the second green at Westwood.
With nearly 300 days of sunshine in the Yakima Valley there is more than ample opportunity to get in a few days of golf. Lucky for us, we also have plenty of fabulous golf courses right here. Whether you are a casual weekend golfer or a tournament pro, there is a course to suit any skill level. So dust off your plus fours and book your tee-times, Yakima – the greens are calling.
The Art of Resilience
May 7, 2010 by Heather Caro
Yakama artist HollyAnna Pinkham sits on her Yamaha V Star motorcycle while wearing traditional dress that she made, including a short-fringed buckskin dress decorated with bead work and elk teeth, beaded leggings and moccasins and beaded gloves.
By Heather Caro
Photography by Andy Sawyer
With the ease of an old friend, HollyAnna “Cougar Tracks” DeCoteau Pinkham, 42, sidles up to a table laden with colorful beadwork at her Wapato home. And soon, stories as colorful as the beads she weaves with begin to flow. The artist and Yakama tribal member’s tales are punctuated with laughter and told in Pinkham’s characteristic style, a fusion of stubborn confidence and glee. She tells of camping trips, of lessons learned, legends and fables — some recent, others historical.
Leo Adams: Ever-changing homescape
May 7, 2010 by Melissa Labberton
By Melissa Labberton
Photos by Sara Gettys
Leo Adams, Yakima’s foremost visual artist, spends almost as much time redecorating his unique home on the Ahtanum Ridge as he does capturing the beauty of the Yakima Valley in his paintings. In fact, it’s difficult separating the talented artist from his house, an amazing amalgam of recycled materials, found objects and a vast array of original art.
Adams grew up on the Yakama Indian Reservation. His late father, cattle rancher Harvey Adams, served as a tribal councilman for 30 years. Adams’ Native American roots have definitely influenced his paintings, especially his stunning landscapes that reflect the colors of Eastern Washington’s desert terrain. That same heritage resonates in the way he accessorizes with indigenous plants, flowers, dried weeds and Native American stone implements. He uses a natural color palette — soothing gray, brown and taupe — for his home’s décor too.
An Unconventional Space: Mighty Tieton Lofts
May 7, 2010 by Heather Caro
Photo by Brendan Beardsley
Photos by Chad Bremerman
Eclectic yet elegant, the airy Mighty Tieton lofts are a triumph in the art of “reconsidering space.”
Through the work of Seattle architect Philip Christofides, Mighty Tieton’s circa 1941 fruit warehouse was recently repurposed into functional living space. By 2008, the oversized cement box had been transformed into 14 urban-chic loft condominiums with energy-efficient updates — all planned around interior common spaces. The $200,000-$250,000 lofts sold quickly and only one is currently back on the market.
Each Mighty Tieton unit shares a nearly identical floor plan, with a lofted bedroom over the kitchen and living areas. The airy ceilings (14 feet upstairs, 11 feet downstairs) and exposed original wood beams create a far more spacious feel than the actual 1,440 square feet. Wood floors burnished from decades of labor were kept as is.
But what really sets the lofts apart are the finishing touches placed by the artists and professionals who call Mighty Tieton home.