I think this might also have been in a mosaic posted earlier (September-ish).  This is several miles from where I live, but I have a similar view south of my little town.  This is a rough and rugged, arid, area, but the shrub steppe does have a beauty all it’s own.  Of course a lot of the area has been developed for farming, thanks to the Grand Coulee Dam and the Columbia Basin Water Project.  There are also a lot of deep wells that have been drilled for irrigation purposes, where the Water Project doesn’t reach.  There are also lot of dryland farms, mostly of wheat, in the area east of where I live, in the Palouse.  My town actually used to be called Palouse Junction, but somewhere along the line the name was changed.  I’ve read the story before, but don’t remember it and I’m too lazy to Google.

Today (Sunday) is my day for posting at Vision and Verb – check it out, and the others as well!