I’d like to start off with a story of my grandfather’s visitors, Charles and Anne Lindbergh. My grandfather owned the bank of Nome, Alaska. When the Lindberghs stayed to visit, they did not stay at a hotel. They stayed at my grandparent’s home. I, like my grandfather, have a practical-joke sense of humor, and my…
Island Voices
Are You an Artist?
“Are you an ARTIST, or just a hobbyist?” That question always makes me feel like dirt. What do I have to do to be a “real artist?” Spend 40 hours a week in my studio? Produce 50 new paintings a year? Make my living with my creations? I assume the asker means, do I make…
Recipes
Eva’s Lebanese Hummus Recipe
Ingredients 1 ½ cups roasted butternut squash (half of a 2.5 lb. butternut squash) 2 tbsp olive oil 1 ½ cups cooked chickpeas (one 15-oz can of chickpeas, rinsed and drained) 2 tbsp tahini 1 garlic clove, peeled 1 lemon, juiced 2 tbsp water ½ tsp sea salt with black nigella seeds ¼ tsp smoked paprika …
Gardening, Island Resilience
A Field of Plastic
Photos accompanying this article are by Julian Dahl. Used with permission. It’s the beginning of February, and winter storms have passed, blowing a tarp into one of our pastures. I jump the fence to retrieve it. As I walk across the field, with small green sprouts of fresh grass coming up, I notice a color…
Recipes
The Best 3-Ingredient Chocolate Chip Cookie Ever!
About a decade ago, I was blessed with the friendship of a wonderful Island family. Among the many amazing ways we enriched one another’s lives, we enjoyed cooking together. Today, I share one of the best chocolate cookie recipes I’ve ever encountered, and yes, it has only three ingredients. Imagine a gooey yet crunchy, sweet…
Arrival Stories
What Brought You to the Island?
My wife Karen and I wanted to start a hobby farm. We both grew up in West Seattle and were high school sweethearts. Both of our parent’s homes had views of Vashon Island. Our friends Mark and Joyce Vornbrock had recently purchased 10 acres on Vashon Island. Mark suggested we look at land on the…
Island Voices
Songs of Kindness, Music of Love
The songs are soft and gentle, sung in what is called a “lullaby voice,” all voices blending in music that is not intended for performance, but for the comfort of those who are suffering near or at the end of life. Two to four singers gather at the bedside, offering restful songs to soothe and…
Announcements
The February Issue is Here
Pick up the latest issue in businesses and stores throughout the Island. Do you live elsewhere than Vashon? Go to the “Current Issue” tab (in the menu above) and find a pdf of The Loop there. Enjoy!