By Jane Valencia, inspired by the song “Binwag’s Lullaby,” lyrics by Debra Knodel Once upon a time, a Bear King lived in a great forest hall in the north. During summer and the time of abundance, he had many visitors to his hall – Deer, Chickadee, Raccoon, and Red Fox to name a few who…
By Jane Valencia This article continues the story of Islander Alice Watkins, who plays on two teams with Rat City Roller Derby, Seattle’s flat track roller derby league. Read part 1 here. Alice isn’t alone in engaging in hefty travel to attend practices and bouts. Players come from all over the greater Seattle area, from…
Enjoy Holiday Cheer at the Vashon Island Coffee Roasterie! Illustration by Jane Valencia
By Jane Valencia Roller derby practice is tonight. After a full day as a mom, Alice Watson drops off her three-year-old son Sorrel with her co-parent Caelan at the tail end of his work day. Then she rushes off to the ferry with a drive to north Seattle on the other side, a 1½ hour…
By Jane Valencia The holiday season approaches, and with it, choosing gifts. If you’re like me, you often send gift cards to your teen and young adult loved ones, so they can purchase just what they want. But if you’ve been reading the “Cash On Vashon” articles these past months (see vashonloop.com), and striving to…
By Jane Valencia On Thursdays, I head across the water to an Eastern Catholic church where I am learning how to write (paint) icons – sacred images in the Orthodox tradition considered to be “windows into heaven.” I also happen to love juvenile and young adult fiction. Imagine my delight when I found “Icon: A…
By Jane Valencia Note: Links within the article are to articles and recipes previously published in the Vashon Loop. As we enter Autumn and the flu season, a responsible thing we can do for ourselves, our loved ones, and our community is to ensure that we ourselves are in excellent health. Here are three avenues…
By Jane Valencia If you stop in at the Food Bank on most Wednesdays, you’ll come upon tables arrayed with clothing, sleeping bags, blankets, and other gear, available for free. Your host is Daniel Hooker, who is not only a humorist, offering jokes as he does here in The Loop pages, but, when asked, sharing…
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 Jane Valencia Are you curious about learning how to use herbs in your yard or around the Island for medicine? A great way to start is to learn with your kids. And here on Vashon, chances are they know some herbal remedies already. Start there! Do they have a favorite remedy for a nettle…