By Andy Valencia As our summer begins its slow descent into fall, take a moment to relax and enjoy the flowers which nature has provided. Just kidding! This is Vashon, where Himalayan blackberry will cross your back patio and force its way into your house. You’ll have plenty of time to rest when it’s winter,…
By Andy Valencia Yes, everything is up-up-up, as in prices: your cafe drink, groceries, ferry fares. Let’s not even talk about gas. Will we actually reach $8 per gallon? And in technology … RAM prices up 3x, maybe 4x, or even moreDisks, more than 2xSSD, more like 3x And now the word is coming out…
By Andy Valencia This article was going to be about saving money when you need to buy a PC. I’ll write about that next month, because it’s hard to save money when your operating system is waging war on your pocket book. We need to talk about Microsoft Windows. Most people do need a connection…
By Andy Valencia Westphalia has an important place in the history of Western Civilization. Currently a part of Germany, it was the site of the accords which ended the Thirty Years’ War in 1648. Setting aside politics, it is also the home of Westphalian pumpernickel. Germany is well-known for its dark breads, but this one…
By Andy Valencia EV’s are in most ways simpler than their internal combustion engine cousins. There really just need to be batteries, a controller to send power to the wheels, and a charger. But these parts work hard, since we want fast recharges and even faster acceleration. Stressing electronics means failures will show up eventually….
By Andy Valencia The Loop received a question about all those double power poles you’ve been seeing for years along Vashon Highway and other roads on the Island. It’s twice the visual impact, and how hard can it be to switch to the new pole and remove the old one? Why are the old ones…
By Andy Valencia Have you or a loved one had to give up on bread? Many people find that modern grains are too hard to digest, but when sourdough meets historical grains, a new option might help. Amri Valencia shares her experiences making sourdough bread using a grain which has enjoyed recent popularity. Einkorn is…
Tom is a weed who has grown up on the bumper of a car, rooted onto a bit of dirt he found caked in a crevice. His car was in a big crash, and now he sits with his car, forgotten among many other broken cars in a concrete parking lot. You can read all…
Tom is a weed who has grown up on the bumper of a car, rooted onto a bit of dirt he found caked in a crevice. He has traveled widely as a stowaway, but recent months have been peaceful. Tomtomtidimiddleton – Illustration by Jane Valencia Tom was familiar with his car’s trips to a terribly…
By Andy Valencia Previous parts of the story are available at vashonloop.com/tom/ Tom, the weed who accidentally rooted onto the bumper of a car, is on a long journey. Parked at a campground, he went to seed without dying, and is getting to know his new children. Tom spent the rest of the day teaching…