Vashon-Maury Community Council’s President’s Address By JC Graham Since its inception in 1933, our community council has had its ups and downs. Periods of coherence have been followed by dysfunction, or even disintegration, before – some time later – a new form of Council has taken shape. That’s what happened in 2022, when V-MCC was…
December 2025, Island Voices
… 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…
December 2025, Island Voices
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…
December 2025, Island Voices
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…
December 2025, Island Voices
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,…
December 2025, Island Voices
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…
Children, December 2025
Time Together – Fir Wreaths
By Ali Elsberry I just love the nostalgia that comes from inhaling the wonderful scent of fir this time of the year. When I was young, we always went to the local tree farm in the tiny town where I grew up to find our Christmas tree. We’d load up in our heavy jackets and…
December 2025, Island Voices
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…
December 2025, Island Voices
Conversation With a Squirrel
By Suzanna Leigh I had a conversation with a squirrel the other day. She was a native “Douglas” squirrel, brownish with a brownish-red underbelly. She seemed to defy gravity as she perched on the side of the shed, hind feet up, her head down closer to my eye level. She looked directly into my eyes…
December 2025, Recipes
Butternut Squash and Ginger Soup
By Craig Bailey, “Fiddlehead Bistro,” Saranac Lake, NY This vegan soup is great for a cold winter day with some crusty bread and a fire. It’s bright and hearty and warms from the inside. It can also be served chilled, but for me it’s all about warmth. To get the meaty undertone, browning the onions…