By Hugh Lord Kurt Cobain was born in Aberdeen, WA, to an abusive father and mother, by modern standards, and was a very sweet child until his parents decided to get divorced. This made Kurt rebellious and confused, then he dropped out of high school knowing he didn’t have the grades to graduate. In 1987,…
August 2025, Island Voices
Bicycles Rule! Really?
By Dave B This is a subject near and dear to all Islanders’ hearts. So where is your heart? I love the fact that cyclists come to the Island to enjoy our hospitality and beautiful yet hilly topography. However, our Island is nothing but two-lane roads with little bike lanes, except on Vashon Highway. Does…
August 2025, Island Voices
The Importance of Having Friends
By Pam “Gates” Johnson You have to be a friend to make a friend. As I get older, I’m realizing how true that old saw is. It was a lesson that took a long time to learn. So here we go into the way-back machine. When I first came to Vashon, the only person I knew…
August 2025, Island Voices
Invest In Yourself
By Stephen Buller What does it mean to invest in yourself? Some might say it’s finding time for a hobby, or family, vegging out with a favorite movie, or relaxing with a friend and a beer. Money isn’t everything, after all. It is, however, half of almost every transaction we engage in. It is a…
August 2025, Island Voices
Of Seals and Sea Maidens
By Cynthia Sadurni Early on a luminous June morning, while I was waiting for the ferry to make my weekly crossing to Vashon, I spotted some seals sunbathing on a small floating platform in Fauntleroy Cove. They were rocking with the motion of waves, content and without a care in the world. I was reminded…
Island Voices, July 2025
The Epic Battle of MPH, Vashon Style …
By Dave B. MPH. What does this acronym mean and what does it mean on Vashon? Theatrically, in the Washington State Driver Guide, crafted carefully by our genius government officials, it means miles per hour. Posted on signs all over our great country and Island are suggested speed criteria for our gas-guzzling and hybrid, semi-hybrid, all-electric cars, trucks,…
Island Voices, July 2025
Some Reflections upon Re-entry
By Michael Shook Civilized. While wandering the streets of Paris back in May, that was the word that I thought of. Why civilized? Goodness knows, France has as many misguided actions as any other nation, but that only places them with humans in all countries and cultures. If we were to disqualify a nation on…
Island Voices, July 2025
The Glorious Headline Challenge – A New Way To Search
By Cynthia Delgado While one may imagine that the Vashon of yesteryear was an innocent and bucolic existence marked by wholesome and simple endeavors, the truth is our little green Island has always been eccentric and touched by controversy. Why, just a glance at these headlines from 1905, 1922, and 1908, respectively hints at just…
Island Voices, July 2025
Condo Time?
By Pam (Gates) Johnson Sometimes, living in an apartment doesn’t seem like a bad idea. Let me give you a little backstory. I’ve been living on my little farm since 1975. It has a house (duh), a barn, an orchard, a garden, a big lawn, and fenced pastures. My life-long dream was to live on…
Island Voices, July 2025
Cranked Ice Cream
Seán Malone & John Sweetman Seán and I grew up on different islands, but shared so much of the same experiences. We always knew the “warning signs” of summer, which arrived in July, not June, which was typically a gloomy month. The signs of summer were not merely longer daylight hours, warm days, and the…