By Michael Shook The question came to mind because we bought an electric car. Well, a partially electric car, a plug-in hybrid. It feels like a tank compared to our 16 year-old Subaru, but nonetheless drives very nicely, and is quiet as can be, even when the gas/hybrid motor kicks in. The Subaru was doing…
By Seán C. Malone and John Sweetman “How many of these joints have you done?” “Well, only one today, but it’s not even lunchtime yet.” That refers to the “Mortise and Tenon” joints we were making to assemble a “picnic cover” for our friend Bill who had a property on Indian Point. It has been…
By O.S. Van Olinda Some 13 years after the first settlement was made on Vashon, the summer of 1891 to be exact, J.E. Mace bought a 10-acre tract of wild land in what was then known as the “Vermontville settlement,” now the Glen Acres district. Thirteen years wasn’t really much time in those days, when…
By Ed Swan Ed Swan, a master ornithologist with an incredible depth of knowledge and a generous enthusiasm to share it, inspired many Islanders to learn about birds. His column, “Don’t Forget the Birds” appeared for years in The Vashon Loop. Ed passed away on Oct. 28, 2022. With birds returning from their migrations, and…
By March Twisdale After a year of talking with Island businesses about the significant negative impacts of point-of-service (POS) transaction fees (Bank Taxes), I came up with an idea. How about passing these fees back to customers paying with plastic, just like the grocery stores charge customers who show up without a bag? The only…
By Andy Valencia Last issue, I talked about the strength of ham radio in providing communications during catastrophic disruptions of our traditional networks. But what does a ham radio operator do when the world hasn’t gone full Mad Max? If you have a handie-talkie (a hand-held radio, about the size of a cell phone), the…
By Jane Valencia Spring is here, and behold! Many of our beloved herbs are in vibrant form, with new leaves unfurling and some actually in flower. This is a fine time for you and your children to forage for herbs, as the new growth that beckons us mirrors the vitality the plants impart to us….
By Amber Matusky In the first weeks and months after a baby is born, sleep is elusive and fragmented at best. Newborns need to feed frequently and parents are on high alert, tending to their infant’s needs. Sleep is a basic human need, and long-term sleep deficiency can have a negative impact on parents’ mental…
By Andy Valencia This article is a early “heads up” on some very interesting research coming out of Germany. Dr. Michael Nehls is a physician, as well as a molecular geneticist, and has been chasing population-level brain health issues for many years. He is a published author with works in the area of Alzheimer’s disease, for…