By Jane Valencia Larkspur Conservation Cemetery, Taylor Hollow, TN. Gravestone – photo by Jane Valencia Last year our family researched the possibility of home burial – you know, where, if you have land, you can bury your family the old-fashioned way. Dig a deep hole in the ground and lay your loved one in. Home…
Gravity Is No Longer Our Friend
By Seán Malone and John Sweetman “Can you bring down my groceries from the Toyota?” Seán asked as I stopped by to visit. The path to Seán’s cabin is all uphill or downhill, depending upon one’s direction. I dragged a few bags out of the back of his pickup and brought them down the path…
Kick the “Cancel Culture” Habit With Me, in 2026
By March Twisdale Recently, I attended the first inaugural meeting of Freedom Sisters, hosted by Harborview Fellowship Church in Gig Harbor. Women living in Western Washington gathered on a cold, rainy night in early December to discuss how best to recover and move on from our region’s epidemic of cancel culture, virtue signaling, and skyrocketing…
So Now I’ve Used AI
By Andy Valencia I was writing an article about some undeveloped parcels of Vashon land that are on the market. In case you don’t know, building on Vashon has a history of being expensive and fraught with regulatory delays and other surprises. People might be thinking about building, and an article on the subject could…
… miles and miles of Texas
By Michael Shook Against all rational judgment, my wife and I again traveled. One would think our journey to France last spring would be enough to put us off of it for a few years, but it was time to visit friends and family in the GREAT STATE OF TEXAS! Which is kind of how…
It’s Better To Give Than To Receive
By Seán Malone and John Sweetman Seán and I have been exchanging gifts for years. Usually, these are things we make or special odd things we acquire that would not make sense to others. I suppose this may have started in our early childhood when we began thinking about Christmas in July or August by…
Board or Not?
By Dave B. Marketing is an endless stream of figuring out a way to sell your clothing line, used car or boat, a campaign for a position in government, and pizza. It is expensive and can be a large part of a small businesses’ bottom line. Here on Vashon you have various options, including The…
Surgery Is A’Comin’. What Do I Do?
By Pam “Gates” Johnson Lucky me. I’ve been having trouble with my stupid feet for a few years. Foot doctor, neurologist, and Joe Blow on the street all told me there is nothing they could do, so just get used to it. Pain and tingling and numbness worsened, and finally my primary care doc said,…
Art and Music – A Meditation That Affects Our Hearts and Collective Minds
By Daniel Hooker We in society have been molded and shaped into a form by words on paper, visual art, and music that resonates in our souls. When I was a young man, I returned from Europe, with my mind, body and soul changed by all that I had experienced. I came home to a…
A Community Requires People We Don’t Agree With
By March Twisdale Recently, I wrote an article for The Vashon Loop. A local business owner read the article, or a portion of it, and told a customer of his that he was (1) offended by the article and (2) would no longer offer The Vashon Loop on his countertop to customers. That customer also…




