We do our best, but every once in a while we have something slip through the net, and we’re sorry to say this happened for our December issue. You’ll be hearing from Vashon Bikes in our next issue, but in the meantime please be sure to drop by and thank them for being an island…
By Andy Valencia The cafes of Vashon certainly provide coffee drinks, but their true value is in the surprises that often accompany your order. At Luna one morning, I was just getting my laptop ready when I heard a young woman in line mentioning that she had returned from playing semi-pro soccer in Europe. I…
By David Earle Vashon, along with many other established communities in western Washington, has a serious housing problem. Land hoarding is a thing. For instance, the Reed family of Tacoma owns 770,000 acres of land in Washington State. There are many landowners in the United States who own more than 1,000,000 acres. Our property tax code encourages…
By Shannon Smith My grandmother always lived on Vashon, that’s how it felt as a kid visiting, and it still feels like that. But I really didn’t start to hear all the old stories of Vashon until my parents broke up around 1996 and I moved to Grandma’s. Not that she shared many stories, but…
By Pam (aka Gates) Johnson I’d always dreamed of living on a farm, but resigned myself to a life in Portland, just like everyone else in my family. That all changed when I got married. I was 21 years and two weeks old, and had been married for one weekend when we packed up everything…
By Jane Valencia Autumn is in the air, apples are ripening. Kids are back in school, and we resume activity with renewed focus and will. As we anticipate the approach of cold and flu season, nurturing one’s immune health is, as always, a practical path. As one may expect, talk has resurged about COVID. Is…
By Andy Valencia We’ve heard our president announce new funding for new COVID vaccines. Our local media includes a triumphant study of how Vashon did during the pandemic of recent memory. The general tone was that the world can learn from our success. We’re told the COVID storm clouds are gathering. We look at the…
By March Twisdale While researching my first article about choosing cash over debit and credit cards, the Vashon Island business community showed considerable interest. I followed this up with online research, but the bulk of the data influencing my articles comes from local business owners. We, as consumers, have a brilliant opportunity to listen to…
By Kathy Abascal As I write, goldenrod is blooming in various spots along Vashon roads. There are hundreds of goldenrod species across the world; the one most frequently found in the northwest is Solidago canadensis, but there are a few other varieties. John Trelawny, author of “Wildflowers of the Pacific Northwest,” notes that it is…