The Vashon Loop

Summer in Syria is a time of plenty. The farm the Mustafas left behind is harvesting tomatoes and small squash, much of which will be dried for winter cooking. People are sleeping outside in...

If you are a regular reader of this column, you might have noticed that I like to spend time on my kitchen porch. It is my form of meditation. I sit there watching the trees...

Republicans try to scare voters away from Democrats by telling us that Democrats are for “open borders”—something the Democrats then strenuously deny.  It seems to me that a “knee-jerk” reaction to something usually means...

The winter low tides come at night and in summer, they come at daybreak.  The stronger the pull of the moon, the lower the tide.  They say the tide is running when it’s coming...

At this time of year, we scan the water for newborn Harbor seals snuggling with their mothers. Occasionally, we hear the cries of baby seals, who sound much like human infants, bleating for their...

I don’t know where he came from and I don’t know where he went when he went home. I do know that he had a German accent and was good with woodworking tools. Whenever...

In June’s untraditionally hot weather, fruits grow riper fast in the fruit bowl, and anything left on the counter spoils promptly. But how can you tell whether to keep something or throw it away?...

It started out as Rondi Lightmark’s New Year’s resolution. Rondi is the person on Vashon who does the greeting cards of dogs in cars (since 2006, she says).  She broadcast an email saying that...

In September 2018 the Public Broadcasting System debuted a one-hour special which documented the rise of fascism in Western Europe in the 20th Century. It traced how fascism in Italy and Germany rose out...

King County Water Taxi will suspend service July 22-28 as construction crews complete work that will allow vessels to operate out of the new downtown Seattle passenger dock at Pier 50. King County Water Taxi...

In December, Axiom Equine utilized a grant to team up with the Vashon Youth and Family Services Latino Outreach Program to provide an unforgettable experience for five children ranging from 11 to 13 years...

Johnny Adams was not one of those 10-year-olds that was full of the gimme-gimme’s.  He was a typical Vashon boy who generally worked for what he got, picking strawberries for the Matsumotos, or mowing...