By Andy Valencia We moved onto Vashon more than 20 years ago, and although there were occupants in Vashon Village, most times when I walked through, the feeling I got was “ghost town.” Eleven years ago, Cliff Goodman established himself as a local brewer whose products eventually made their way onto the ferries and to…
by Jonathan Laine The holiday season has arrived. Now is the time to gather gifts for our loved ones. This is a warning about a new product that many may know about, but few understand. It’s been in the works for a long time, but it’s here now and relatively affordable. I’m talking about virtual…
Money. Hold-in-your-hand coins. Pull-out-of-your-wallet cash. Circles of metal that last decades, centuries and millennia … matter. Not only are coins “literally” matter, but they offer an experience, a record of human society, an imprint on our lives and tactile memories that no electricity-dependent, Virtual Reality method of accounting or digital currency can offer. A child,…
By Marj Watkins Many people, like me, are allergic to hard wheat. It’s the gluten in it that makes us sick. For a high price, you can buy gluten-free bread and pastries at the stores. But why buy, when for a much lower cost you can make your own? Try this recipe. Barley Cranberry Scones…
By Rich Osborne Suzanna and I go walking every day we can. Our favorite beach walks are Tramp Harbor and KVI beaches. A couple of years ago, we noticed that the amount of beer cans, cigarette butts, vape containers, and general trash had increased exponentially. At Suzanna’s suggestion, we started to take a plastic bag…
By Mary Litchfield Tuel I have spent years in therapy trying to get the critical inner voice of my mother to pipe down, without success. Having realized that, I thought if I can’t get her to move out, I might as well mine her for material. My mother was fond of telling me that I…
By Seán Malone and John Sweetman John Sweetman and I were sipping beer in front of a roaring fire in the cozy confines of my log cabin overlooking outer Quartermaster Harbor. “Why don’t you write about that thieving raven you had in Republic,” John suggested. I laughed like hell when the raven tore out of…
By Mary Litchfield Tuel The cat jumped up on me, and he was wet. I thought maybe he had slobbered all over himself, but as I toweled him off, I looked out the window and saw the leaves on the apple tree bouncing with raindrops. Earlier, before it rained, I swept off the front porch. That…
By Orca Annie Stateler In the grip of the pandemic, Tlingit artist Odin Lonning painted four square panels for the Open Space Arts and Community’s public outdoor mural project. From openspacevashon.com: “Attention! Artists at Work” is a jobs program led by Open Space in partnership with local nonprofit organizations. The goal of the program is…
By Deborah H. Anderson Finding the perfect cinnamon roll at the Edmonds Bakery was a moment of bliss. Huge, spirally, gently baked, lightly glazed, with hidden chunks of nut pieces in the inner fold’s perfection brought unparalleled mouth happiness. Saturday afternoon delight, for sure. Smithsonian Free Museum Day drew me to Edmonds. The drive to…