By Mickey Fontaine College is a big decision, and it can have big consequences. Although it can create new opportunities, it can also close off doors later in life. It is very expensive, and debt can have a huge impact on your long-term financial stability, making it very hard to change the course of your…
Island Voices, November 2023
Chautauqua
Above photo by Dawn Stief By Seán Malone and John Sweetman We all have distinct memories of our early school days, and some memories stand out long after the “bell.” Seán had an unusual opportunity to “go back” to the third grade. Thankfully, he did not have to pass his mathematics exam again, but was…
Island Voices, November 2023
… Displace …
By Michael Shook In 1972, when I graduated high school, there were about 3.4 million residents in the entire state of Washington. In 2022, there were 4.5 million residents of King, Pierce, and Snohomish counties alone. The state is now home to roughly 7.8 million people, with another million estimated to arrive during the next…
Island Voices, November 2023
Fish n’ Chips at Island Queen
By the Footloose Foodie The “Friendly Foodie” sends greetings! Vashon friends, family, and visitors, I said I would set my feet loose this month and visit a local eatery. Please, reader, remember that I write only of my personal experience. Agree, disagree, or agree to disagree. I have no ill will or nefarious agenda with…
Island Voices, November 2023
Legends of Vashon – The Lantern Man of Burton
By Tripper Harrison “Oh, man, I am NOT going out there alone again,” said Kemal. A university kid from Morocco who speaks several languages, his English was heavily accented, but correct as usual. “Please would someone walk with me to the Lodge?” Maybe because it takes so long in the summer, darkness fell without anyone…
Island Voices, November 2023
Sailing out of My Comfort Zone
By Suzanna Leigh Only staying active will make you want to live a hundred years. Japanese proverb Why am I so terrified to take the helm today? We are coming into Fairhaven to tie the boat to a mooring line between two big yellow bouys. In all my decades of sailing, I’ve never tied up…
Island Voices, October 2023
Legends of Vashon – Whispering Firs Bog
By Tioga Webb I’m going to keep this vague, because I don’t want any trouble after all these years. If you were around back then, you can fill in the blanks. Some people say Vashon is all boggy spots, at least in the winter. The bog I lived near was called Whispering Firs Bog. It…
Commentary, Island Voices, October 2023
Please Don’t Search?
By Andy Valencia Over the years of my life, the US has been shedding ability at a pretty decent pace. We sent manufacturing overseas, and now we have almost nobody who knows how to design for manufacturing, how to set up injection molding, how to use a mill and lathe to fabricate custom parts. We’ve…
Island Voices, October 2023
Crabbing
By Seán Malone and John Sweetman “Hey Mike, he’s hiding under that patch of seaweed.” We were hunting crab with a pitchfork down at Manzanita on the south end of Maury Island. Crabs can move as fast as a person walks on dry land. Mike poked the pitchfork into the seaweed and scared the ten-inch…
Island Voices, October 2023
Island Hopping – A Way of Being
There is a reason we are drawn to looking at the ocean. It is said that the ocean provides a closer reflection of who we are than any other mirror – Rick Ruben, The Creative Act: A Way of Being By Suzanna Leigh Behind us, our little 9.9 hp Suzuki outboard left a trail of…