After watching Anderson Cooper and Andy Cohen throw back a couple shots in a near-empty Times Square with constant references to Planet Fitness, then some guy named Pitbull rap around with four girls in red spandex tonight, I got to thinking, ‘Wow, this is the weirdest end to the weirdest …
What does your living room communicate about how you live? Now that home isn’t just the place we all come back to – it’s the place a lot of us spend our days during these COVID times – the supposed living room in our house is completely functionless for my …
On the windiest, stormiest days, I seem to look out of our kitchen window at just the right moment to catch sight of a tiny human form out in the Sound, barreling toward shore on a stand-up paddleboard at a pace that’s normally unheard of. Adrenaline shoots through me – …
Not ready for Christmas to end? It doesn’t have to! We just found out about a series called The Chosen, and it’s one of the best portrayals we’ve seen of Jesus’ life. It’s not stiff and rigid. It’s not corny and cheesy. It’s not heavy and dour. It’s totally human. …
Needing that warm, loving feeling of Christmas Eve Service during these house-bound pandemic times? Here is Orcas Island Community Church’s service, which will bring songs, joy, and warmth into your home…
Metaphorically, we’re getting a taste of that verse here on the island! And at just the perfect time for Christmas! The sun has been beaming and glinting and adorning and gilding, all yesterday and all day today. What a treat in a season when darkness normally reigns supreme. I made …
There may be no gathering with relatives this year; no warm, lively Christmas concerts to attend; no holiday teas or parties. But that won’t stop us from the fun! So what is there to do with the same few family members you’ve been with in the same house since March? …
All-day rain was Monday’s forecast. It was a very dark morning, almost like permanent dusk. A perfect family movie day, if there ever was one. But something began to happen outside our window. We watched as the rain slowly morphed into heavier-looking lumps, then ice, then full-on thick snow. We …
I already respected people who had to move their jobs from the classroom, the business, or the church to the makeshift video production room – the hallway, the bathroom, the basement. We looked on as our kids’ teachers scrambled – seemingly seamlessly on our end – to create online math …
This is one of the quietest, most enchanting hikes when the elements all line up. I sometimes see a few other people, sometimes no one. It’s unrelentingly uphill, which is great for wintertime conditioning, but the other draw is its beauty – the thick moss, the dense fog that settles …
COVID times have meant watching a lot more shows and movies than we ever did in the past. Our two latest series have inspired our younger son to create miniature replicas. We were excited each Friday to watch The Mandalorian, and we grew quite attached to The Child (baby Yoda). …
If you haven’t seen them yet, you’ll have to look at the winning gingerbread houses displayed at Island Market. They are downright incredible. The Funhouse had a competition for all ages on Orcas Island, and the results are stunning – you’d think the winners are from a national competition. It …
Hunger no longer. Yesterday I experienced the gift of watching the Orcas Christian School music class practicing their Christmas songs, led by their wonderful teacher Mr. Rivera. There are no performances this year, of course, but I’m thankful for the boon of video recording so that I can pass these …
This one is really weird for me. I’m actually having thoughts of living in a city. Never in my life has this happened before. Well, actually, in college I used to get in “Malibu Moods,” as I called them, and beg one of my eight suitemates to drive us all …
During normal times, depending on the person I’m hanging out with, I’m anywhere from a fair listener to a very good listener. (The more you talk, the more I listen; the more you listen, the more I talk.) But dang, do I get on a roll talking when I haven’t …
This is about as real as it gets. Here’s how it goes on Orcas Island, thanks to the Lum Farm, formerly Coffelt Farm. (Go soon! No more trees are available after these are gone due to fires and other stops in the supply chain.)
Funny things subtly shift inside you during a pandemic. Putting all heaviness aside, I thought I’d share with you some of my little quirky changes. I never buy wrapping paper. I can’t stand waste, especially one-time-use waste if I can avoid it. My kids have grown up unwrapping birthday and …
My son and his good friend know they can’t come in to play, so they make the most of their playdates outside, even when the weather is cold or drizzly. The other day a little buddy joined them for lunch, just long enough for a brief conversation and a quick …
These are the months when we islanders assume a blanket of gray may cover the land for quite some time. But the last two days have been dazzlers. You folks out there who see the sun every day don’t realize the giddiness that comes with sunshine when you don’t get …
Someone reached out to us a few weeks ago, wondering what kinds of science kits we’ve done with our kids and which we would highly recommend. Our older son was always hungry for more and more science – building, electrifying, wiring, soldering – whatever he could find out there, he …
Had I not put everything aside to enjoy the kids’ week-long break from school, this is what I would have shared with you several days ago. Better late than never… I caught the last moments of a DJ on the radio saying something like, “…and remember that a lot of …
If you’re not a Hebrew scholar, this says “Shabbat shalom,” or Sabbath peace. All of my young life, Sundays weren’t synonymous with peace, per se. More like pure tedium. A test of patience. Endurance was required to go to church and get through the dullness until I had my own …
I love to know all of the quiet little wonders people are working on when the weather turns dark and the elements force us inside. Especially during these pandemic times when we can’t do much with other people. This is Gordon Koenig. He’s our ukulele instructor. If you live here, …
We’ve never watched so much TV in our family life until now. I’m always big on habits – developing good ones and steering clear of bad ones. Well, we may be in deep now, as it seems we watch a movie almost every day. It’s one of the only ways …
Island life is now chilly, rainy, and windy. Digging in the garden all day and paddle boarding in the warm sunshine no longer happen. I read that orca whales were recently spotted in the area right outside our living room window where I used to paddle. Were it still summer, …
A Belated Story for Veteran’s Day… My dad grew up in a poor Norwegian family in the 1930s in Janesville, Wisconsin. The only Christmas present he ever remembered getting was a pair of shoes. His father worked as an electrician, often taking his lunch break standing atop a telephone pole. …
Saturday, November 7, 2020: Joe Biden elected 46th President of the United States. I took deep, nourishing breaths of relief all day long. We just witnessed a most unusual, stunning sunset – brilliant oranges reflected off of clouds and colored everything on the ground and sea in a way I’ve …
One thing I love about Orcas Island is that we are a mish-mash of all kinds of people. It is one of our strengths. Living here, you hang out with people of all walks of life, all opinions, all faiths, and all kinds of experiences. There is definitely not any …
Our first community event since March was such a nice thing! My 10-year-old had to remind me to really be with him, as my excitement was almost pure adrenaline, talking to people and walking around near groups of other humans! As always, Orcas Islanders didn’t disappoint. Here’s a little visual …
I’m thankful for Halloween taking my mind off not homeschooling anymore. I went for a walk this morning and cased the town collecting elements for a costume – Sandy from Grease. I barely dress in anything other than jeans and my black Patagonia jacket during the winter, so Halloween is …
I sit here at a quiet table. A jar of pencils not being used. A homeschooling schedule no longer being followed. An empty house way too quiet and cold. I came in an hour ago from a walk alone. The house is vacant. Sure, there’s always laundry to fold and …
Some activities are possible right now, and Running Camp is one of them. Kids are out in the open, getting some great physical activity and a little camaraderie. It’s one of the few semi-social things out there, and it’s so nice to see humans again when I go and watch …
Next weekend, Halloween is going to happen here! One of the first things our kids lamented when the pandemic hit was the thought that Halloween would not happen. Not so! This Saturday from 3:00-5:30 PM will be the first community gathering we islanders have experienced since March, as trick-or-treating families …
I didn’t originally envision writing a blog that would have less to do with people and community and more to do with scenics and home life, but I suppose that’s what transpires during a pandemic. I’ve asked local people to write about various experiences so I can post their stories …
Sometimes it’s just the simple things – a dark room lit by a tiny glinting swath of sunlight at a specific hour, casting shadows of fall leaves blowing fiercely in the wind, juxtaposed with oscillating colors beaming out of a lamp as modern and synthetic as it gets. The partially …
My Mom is 86 years old. She moved from Orcas Island back to Texas last year and she’s stayed in her senior apartment, nice and distanced, for all these months. My siblings visit her, but for her to go out is an extremely rare thing. The other day, my mom …
Here’s a little beauty for the mycologists out there… It’s amazing how these soft, delicate things burst out of the hardest, rockiest, most packed ground around… I love how a few of the little rocks they pushed through are still resting on the tops of their heads.
Streets here aren’t given arbitrary names. They are very aptly named for their characteristics. Prune Alley is dotted with plum trees. Rose Hip Road greets visitors with bright orange hips in the fall. And Enchanted Forest Road is just that – beautifully enchanting. We locals are surrounded by stunning scenery …
Regarding the previous post’s explanation of biologist/naturalist E.O. Wilson and his documentary, my younger son and I wrote letters yesterday, asking Wilson to thoughtfully consider my son’s requests for animals, since they can’t speak for themselves. For the sake of our son’s privacy, I have not included his letter. It …
When you have kids that love to learn, homeschooling is not only enjoyable, it’s almost therapeutic. I read thousands of books to our kids as they were growing up. I went on daily adventures with them out in the natural world. I met their ever-inquisitiveness with thorough explanations that were …
Just in case you’ve begun to wonder if community life actually happened as you remember it, it did! Wonderfully cozily and maskless, too! Here’s a glimpse of festivities we were accustomed to enjoying together – community cob-oven pizza nights, Camp Orkila’s Fall Festivals, pumpkin carvings and cider pressings, team sports, …
The smoke has been in and out, as has the fog brought on by the smoke, and seasonal change has been creeping in slowly in the midst (mist) of it all. It’s not quite jacket weather. I’m still in shorts, but I don a sweatshirt and Uggs in the evening …
Last Saturday, we spent the day out working on our property. I let the dog out to wander around and get some fresh air, and I took my eyes and mind off of her for a good half-hour. Remembering, I quickly asked the kids if they’d seen her. The worst …
Our last lake day was September 6th, twenty days ago. Then came the smoke. Then the fog. Then the wind. Then the rain. The gifts of introversion and introspection have begun, abruptly and a little early this year. Today was a morning of fall cleaning. Of putting some sparkle into …
Vision without action is a daydream. Action without vision is a nightmare. Japanese proverb Boy, have I been humbled by gardening. Really humbled. No amount of hard work will make a garden grow if you don’t know what you’re doing. You might be lucky for a time or have all …
Bob and Lark have been together for 23 years, since she was born. You’ve probably passed Lark a hundred times when you’ve been heading to the ferry and she’s been out grazing. Lark was a descendent of champion horses… But more importantly, she was a kind, gentle horse. A beautiful …
If there’s anything in full swing, it’s the local slug life! There’s some full-on mollusk traffic abounding on the wet sidewalks, and you know you love nature when you’re contorting yourself to get just the right angle for a slug mug. Tread gently out there; these tiny little guys – …
The smoke’s particulates have somehow encouraged fog to lock in on the land. We can see hints of blue sky straight above us, and light is being cast on our living room floor at home, but the scene outside remains gray-white. I tend to go ever-inward with life’s difficulties. Not …
We islanders can be grateful that fires aren’t plaguing us. Though four days of white skies from smoke makes for a pretty empty feeling inside, we certainly can’t complain, considering that people in California, Oregon, and Washington are losing their homes right and left and it looks like midnight during …
I’m going through old photos to catch up on annual family photo books and came across some pictures of Nest. When COVID hit, Cindy Morgan, the owner, had to make the tough decision to close her doors. She never rested, was a master at arranging everything from flowers to open …
This morning may have been gloomy, but this past week was stunning. The air has been beautiful, if you can call air beautiful. I don’t know that there’s a word in the English language that encapsulates all of the wonder in such perfect, pre-fall air. Thursday was particularly exceptional. In …
Here’s a look back at a sight we hadn’t ever seen until COVID happened. I put off an MRI in March, but decided it was pretty essential after a few months (everything turned out okay). So in May, I found myself on a near-empty ferry to the mainland. At the …
I’m a gleaner by nature. I love finding food in trees and on bushes. When blackberry season is in full swing, I’m there. I even wear a certain jacket rife with tears and holes thanks to annual thorny August picking. Blackberries go in cereal, in salads, in cobbler, in pie, …
These are definitely interesting times. Some kids and teachers are doing school from home all year. Some kids and teachers are at school – masked, sanitized, and distanced. Some people are self-quarantining. Some are having parties. Some people are dutifully masked. Some are covering their faces yet asserting their opinion …
Vegetable gardening on our property has made me feel like a failure over the years. The soil is terrible, the warmest spot gets only two hours of full sun, and despite all of my hopes and efforts, oregano and sage are some of the only plants that grow robustly. So …
One of our primary motivations for moving to Orcas Island was the peace, the tranquility, watching the sun set and the moon rise in the quiet of the evening. As tourists before moving here, we spent every night sitting in chairs, watching the colors of the sky change over the …
With five days left of summer before school begins, we’re enjoying every last ray of sunshine, every last chance to swim in the lake, some tent “camping” with our pets in the front yard and the living room (the black tent is for our shedding cat), some all-morning book reading, …
The Enchanted Food Forest at Orcas Christian School is producing some beautiful edibles that are available for free to the community on Sundays. To register for a time slot this Sunday, click here. We went this past Sunday and enjoyed clipping purple peas, massive collard green leaves, deep purple kale, …
Summer was on and off until about July 6th. Some days at the lake, I was wrapped in blankets under gentle rain until the swimming kids got so cold that their tremors sent us home. Thankfully over the past several weeks, the sun has been strong and the fun has …
One of the prettiest views on the island is the view from the top of Turtleback Mountain trail, starting from the south end. If you want a place for your ashes to be scattered, it’s quite the contender. Here’s a look at the views up there on a sunny day…
The following is a lament, not meant to bring you down, only meant to express what I am feeling right now. I miss you, family. I miss you, friends. I miss you, church. I miss you, teachers. I miss you, store owners. I miss you, Orcas folks. I miss you, …
Here are some views of Orcas Island from the sky. Thanks to an app that accompanied his drone, our son is learning regulations and flight paths, requesting FAA permissions, and taking advantage of summer’s long daylight hours to capture the island’s beauty from above. (He has no desire to invade …
It feels really weird to pull out my iPod and take photos during church, but I did it for just a few moments this past Sunday during our first service outside of our homes since the start of COVID. It was so nice to be out and around each other, …
Every now and then, we’ll get a proliferation of orange-colored something or other in the ocean. It can start on just the edges of shore and by the next day you’ll see massive areas of it around Fishing Bay right off Eastsound, as though an accidental spillage of sludge from …
This summer has been a more gloomy one than I can remember. Usually by a certain point, the sun is beaming strong all summer long. I’ve spent about four lake days huddled under a blanket or towel with a book, rather than swimming across to the other side and jumping …
One of the best ways to make the most of an ultra-low daytime tide is walking out to Indian Island, right off Eastsound. Normally surrounded by water, it becomes accessible via a “tombolo” – a raised trail that is uncovered by ebbing water. The scientists who run Kwiaht, a conservation …
On a walk today, I didn’t make it past town. The sun was shining after a lot of gray-white days, and all of the little peaceful spaces and benches and cozies just gleamed and stood out. I simply had to capture them. Steve Templin, this one’s for you – a …
I realized tonight that 4th of July is one of my favorite days of the whole year. I was already pretty sure of it all of the other years, but tonight sealed the deal. Not getting to celebrate it with gobs of people, cheery festivity, happy crowds off work and …
You and I may not agree about masks. You may believe it’s ridiculous to wear them. I believe it’s about the easiest way to stop airborne germ transmission from me to you, or you to me. Nevertheless, we need to agree to disagree by respecting each other’s space. When you …
There are myriad opportunities to encounter wildlife here on Orcas Island. Yesterday while my husband was out in the forest pulling out ivy, he came upon a baby Western Tanager on the ground. Its parents up in the trees were responding to its calls, so he put it in a …
I’ve walked past this building and its twin for the past eight years and fantasized about their potential. They’re sitting on one of the most enviable locations on the island – at the beginning of town, overlooking the Sound through a line of trees facing Indian Island. In all of …
Our family volunteered to do the “kids’ minute” for this week’s online church service… And here are the bloopers!… Here’s the whole service…
Orcas Island was militantly careful with sanitizing, not touching, not traveling, and not communing for three months, and that was when it was just us islanders here. Now that phases dictate our activities and restrictions have mellowed drastically, tourists from all over the place are coming in thicker by the …
Last night I went for a long walk and happened upon Colleen Stewart, the gardener in charge of all of the wonder in the public school garden. Except for people I passed at Buck Park, she was one of the only other humans I came across. She didn’t know she …
Be careful what you wish for. Years ago, I wished to be stranded on an island someday. I was thinking tropical, but this is pretty darn good. I’m well-fed, clothed, warm, dry, and loved. That’s a pretty big step up from what I imagined. God has a sense of humor …
Life is heavy right now – the virus, the protests, the lack of personal contact and community, cancelled family reunions, empty streets, empty calendars, even the constant rain in June – one of our coveted summer months to hope for sun. We’re all experiencing lack in some way. We lack …
I miss humans so much. I miss community activities. I miss crowds. There is a definite hole that can’t be filled with exercise, cookie dough, Zooming with others, or conversing with the same three people in my house (no offense, family). We humans just plain need a lot of other …
The video production for Orcas Island High School’s graduating seniors is outstanding. Take that, COVID! Watch it… What sweet graduates! It was a joy to celebrate them on the streets today – celebrating is something we haven’t gotten to do for months, and they deserved it…
I hadn’t planned on writing about race. I was simply listening and learning from the voices coming out of the George Floyd tragedy. Then it occurred to me that my life experience may actually help the dialogue in some way… My grandmother never told my mom what her heritage was. …
It strikes me pretty hard every time I’m out on a walk that I don’t see many – or sometimes any – kids out playing. Streets are empty, traffic is absent, tourism is almost nonexistent, and spring is in full swing. It’s a kid’s dream out there, or at least …
Thanks to COVID’s stay-at-home mandate, I’m now a paddleboarder seeing striking beauty reflected back at me or quivering beneath me unexpectedly. I spend hours out on the water, listening to fantastic audiobooks that my husband uploads for me on my iPod and sweet-talking seals, geese, and otters. I hope that …
Life continues, as still as it may feel. And yet it’s so not still in new ways. Normalcy came to a physical and social halt, but humanity didn’t. There are some new uncomfortable normals, at least for now. As we choose to smile, choose to laugh, and choose to see …
Here are just a few messages that speak to you as you walk around Eastsound – reminders of community, humanity, strength, touch, love, and connecting with each other. Oh, how we could all use a community potluck, a soulful hoedown, a gigantic song circle, a country barn dance, or just …
Every anniversary, we go to Mijitas for dinner. It’s our favorite place on the island and eating out is a rarity for us, so we thoroughly enjoy it when we go. We even get the same dishes every time (I get the quinoa cakes and he gets the fish tacos). …
My favorite color has always been this radiant spring green we are treated to in May, and I just can’t take enough photos of it. If you live here, you will know every curve of this as Crescent Beach Trail, plus a few on my way home…
When we were tourists, we used to rent a surprisingly affordable vacation house right on the water, just a few doors down from Lieber Haven. Two weeks there each summer and we were ready to drop everything and move to Orcas. After seven years of touristing, we did. We thought …
After six months of down jackets, I yearn for the day that sunny weather is here to stay. This was our first full week of straight sun, uninhibited by blocks of cold cloudiness. Last week, on an eerie, rainy, Saturday walk, my husband was one of the only people I …
I used to have a “rejection file” in high school and college, as I called it. It was all the letters I had gotten in response to opportunities I tried for. I tried for everything that came my way – contests, jobs, internships, essay competitions, design solicitations, etc. I’ve always …
After four years of high school sports every single season, I decided not to be on the softball team my senior year. I was free after school for the first time in my life since 7th grade. I had been an average athlete, and my varsity status could only be …
Need a little infusion of ever-changing Orcas beauty?…
It’s ever-so-quiet in these Orcas COVID times. But the circle of life continues on all around us… The rock circle was already there – credit goes to the unknown artist.
In a quest to get fitter from home, I recently searched for a YouTube channel that had workouts I would like doing all the time. Found! I love it. The channel is called MadFit and I thought I’d pass it on to you. There are workouts of all lengths – …
Yesterday we needed to burn some serious energy, and Crescent Beach was hot and sparkling, calling to me. The tide was in, there wasn’t a breath of wind, and we planned to revel in the water despite the frigid temperature. We packed the car with rafts, boogie boards, towels, and …
Breaks from school are usually our kids’ most productive times. They love to invent, create, mechanize, electrify, etc. Now that all of schooling is at home, they get done with school and move into the laundry room, also known as TMI (our home version of MIT – ‘Too Much Information’), …
I can’t believe how fortunate we islanders are. See you out there!
This is so funny…
A pandemic circling the globe gets you thinking on all kinds of levels – serious, introspective, and downright silly. We here on Orcas Island have the incredible luxury of not yet being very affected by it physically, and we also have gobs of space and natural beauty to wallow in …
My husband used to draw the cartoons for his college newspaper (Cal Poly San Luis Obispo). With this abundant time at home to be creative, these are his latest drawings… Cartoons by Michael Kulper
Jake Perrine, the Artistic Director at Orcas Center, wrote a great letter for the Islands Sounder. As everything came to an abrupt end with the Coronavirus staying-at-home, so did all of the myriad artistic endeavors on the island and beyond. Jake encapsulates all of it here… Hello community! What an …
It’s deafeningly quiet here, and when you walk or drive into town all of the parking spots and lots are empty. Almost every store has a sign posted on the door. A few places are still open – Island Market, The Co-op (call in and pick up orders), Ray’s Pharmacy, …
The other day, the boys and I got our first take-out since the virus outbreak. It will be our only take-out during this time. I’ve felt convicted ever since then not to do it again until the coast is completely clear. The person who made our food did one glaringly …
Those of us whose communities aren’t yet as affected as others can and do remain hopeful. I aim to stay that way, but I also have to pass this article on to you, written by an ICU doctor and published in the New York Times. It is so chilling, and …
This is Orcas Island when it sparkles and dazzles in the sunshine. It was taken the other day by our older son on our favorite low-tide, rock-hopping jaunt and edited by him in Adobe Premiere. In these stay-at-home days, it’s great to experiment with programs that have free trials. Since …
Holing up translates into doing a lot of things we either didn’t do or didn’t have time for before the Coronavirus stay-at-home mandate. Spending more time at home together, I’m enjoying watching or partaking in some of the art projects my son’s teacher has been assigning. Like the ‘henna hand’ …
April Fools Day here began with snow falling. What???? We couldn’t believe what we were seeing. It didn’t stick and the air coming in our bedroom windows still felt light and spring-y. It was very odd. By this afternoon, there wasn’t a cloud in the sky. The dazzling sunshine and …
Go here: https://orcaschurch.org/
May 5th was the last time my little evening women’s bible study group of five met to eat dinner together and talk about our study. We didn’t hug or touch that night, and there was concern in the air. At the time, I didn’t know all that much about the …
What the Coronavirus is doing to communities around the world reminds me of a short story I read in high school called “The Lottery,” written by Shirley Jackson and published in The New Yorker in its June 26, 1948 issue. Here it is. Daunting… The morning of June 27th was …
In the midst of abrupt social change, nature continues on…
Done. Shwoo. Long hours of learning in a drastically narrower, quieter, less dynamic environment – home. No friends, no playdates, no sports, no basketball games at recess, some Zoom. And cookie dough. For me. We made it to the weekend – ahhh….a break. Good job everyone – kids working relentlessly, …
If you’re willing, I’d like to hear how the Coronavirus, quarantining, or the stay-at-home mandates across the world have directly affected your life. Record yourself telling your story, upload it to YouTube, and email the link to me at edeekulper@gmail.com and I’ll post it here on this blog. It would …
Edee, For the years to come, while you’re yearning for spring to spring, before you even feel an inkling to go out in the cold dreary garden, PLANT SEEDS INSIDE on March 1st. Because every year, the minute the clouds go away and the sun finally comes out, you realize …
Wondering how to define “shelter in place” literally? Driftwood shelter assemblers on Crescent Beach If someone had told me a year ago that in March of 2020 we would be keeping ourselves safe from a huge calamity by either staying at home with our families to cuddle, watch movies, bake, …
This is our second Sunday service being livestreamed and it will be mostly in the hands of our youth group and youth pastor, Jon Hane. I look forward to it, and good job in advance to the kids! Go here. There will also be a virtual coffee hour afterward via …
It is confirmed – an Orcas Islander has the first documented case of the Coronavirus in the San Juan Islands as of yesterday. It’s probably safe to say that it’s been here for some time undocumented, given that we haven’t had much testing and locals are going to and from …
Local islander Diane Morris gets to have some time again with her daughter, Britt Johnson, who recently moved back to Orcas with her husband Steve after traveling the globe for a year with another couple and capturing it all for the world to see. I’ve been enjoying watching her super-entertaining …
Judging by our stunning scenery finally bathed in beaming solar bliss this week, you’d never know there was anything haywire going on in the world… Photos Copyright © 2020 Edee Kulper
This is the end of Orcas Island’s first week of sun, self-quarantining, and school at home. And of course, the continuation of another s – a plummeting stock market. We walked to Orcas Christian School today to turn in work finished this week and pick up new assignments for next …
Whether you call it isolation, lockdown, shelter in place, social distancing, stay at home, or self-quarantining, I’m proud of and inspired by how people are living it out… “’Shelter in place.’…This morning, prompted by an amazing instant coffee drink Clara made for John and I, the girls and I did …
It was fun while it lasted – three practices and one game for Orcas Christian School’s flag football season. Then school at school was cancelled. It was our first-ever team game to watch one of our kids play in. His first team sport. I’m sad it came and went so …
My husband, a retired accounting professor, stays current on all financial news. After listening to this interview with investor Bill Ackman today, he played it for me. It’s probably the best solution I’ve heard, and it’s compelling. The whole interview is, if you have 13 minutes to listen to it… …
To the giver of my pet rock (you know who you are!), thank you for my new companion. It fits wonderfully in the palm of my hand as I walk along the road. Odyssey is its new name. When I was a kid, my favorite words were odyssey and crisp. …
A lot of things are shutting down at this point here. The library’s last day is today and several shops are dark and quiet. Schools are suspended for six weeks. Performances at Orcas Center are on hold until further notice. Island Market, Ray’s Pharmacy, Darvill’s, banks, the athletic club, and …
Now, whether in lockdown or voluntary quarantining, it’s a time to build strength not just in health. Strength in relationships. Bonding. Being together. Building up. Conversing. Calling relatives. Getting creative in the areas that always called to us. Drawing. Building. Reading. Mending. Writing. Inventing. Learning. Encouraging. Pulling inspiration from what …
What a strange time. Next week, schools here on Orcas Island will close their doors. All children are to stay home. Some parents both work and will now have latchkey kids. Some parents will have to choose which one will quit their job to homeschool. Some parents must work their …
Remember… Even though it’s getting windier and colder right now, adding to the doubly gray-blanketed spirits plagued by viral unknowns, spring is close. We may not know it other than seeing buds on branches and hearing geese honking on Indian Island. The rare day or moment of sunshine is almost …
I’m smitten with David Densmore’s painting style. It’s bursting with Orcas Island’s colors and tangible beauty, ever-striking with each new canvas’s subject. I haven’t seen many in real life, but every now and then I come across one of them when he’s been commissioned to paint a scene someone wants …
With things so heavy with the virus right now, this makes me laugh. I didn’t realize my husband was recording it. Ah, country life… Cover photo of kitty by Evan Kulper
I don’t own a cell phone; I could probably barely text to save my life. We don’t have cable. I have no idea what the shows are that people talk about watching and could be called despicably ignorant of daily news and current events. Heck, I barely even know how …
I just added a new page to this site called What I Do. Here is a fast link to it. I’m stepping back into wedding photography with the added bonus of our 14-year-old as my assistant. I stepped out of it 8 years ago to be an ever-present mother and …
Kids here have a midwinter break from school in February. Sometimes it happens to snow, but otherwise there’s not a whole lot to do on the island during that week off unless you enjoy family walks in drizzle or rain each day. We planned a trip back “home” to Santa …
February can be a mentally hard month here. By this point in the winter, it’s been gray and rainy for a long time, and sunshine is something our Orcas psyches pine for. I find that I’m least motivated in February to go out and walk, hike, or do anything in …
Several weeks ago we went “to America” for an orthodontist appointment and groceries. The kids and I stopped one final place and I lost my head and stayed about five minutes too long. “Oh my gosh, you guys!! I don’t know what I was thinking! We had plenty of time …
I woke up around midnight and couldn’t get back to sleep. The rain was pounding on the skylights and I couldn’t get my mind off of the fact that there are people who have been running in the 100-mile race ever since we watched them take off at 8 o’clock …
The number of people on little Orcas Island has temporarily increased by about 5% thanks to the 100-mile race that began this morning at 8 AM. Around 100 runners and about 200 “pit crew,” volunteers, and family members are here. Runners paid between $270 to $325 to enter and have …
Here is our third commercial in the series…
I’m frugal, frugal, frugal. Eight years ago, I knew Orcas Island was for us when I discovered there were three used clothing stores within a three-block radius. Torture for me is walking around a retail store, burdened by the idea of buying any item for more than $20. I wear …
This past weekend I drew up some simple storyboards and our son and I filmed three commercials, just for fun. For some reason this one took three day-long tries at uploading before it was finally successful. So here’s the second of the series. The irony being that I still don’t …
Time to come out of the woodwork… J.Lo – you’re beautiful, you can dance, you can sing, and you’re famous enough to do it all for the Super Bowl halftime show. But I don’t really get it. It’s all still a bunch of sex-sensationalizing Madonna mimicry, just 30 years later. …
This is what you see on a morning walk on Orcas Island. It equates to a lot of priceless thinking time…
Since our big snow, the rain has taken over. We’ve heard that the ground here is 100% saturated. You see streams where trails were, new creeks cutting through the forest, and water glossing out over the roads. Cascade Lake has overflowed into the parking lot and into the whole grassy …
The next time you have an extra half-hour or so while awaiting your ferry back to Orcas Island, check this place out! It’s an overlook right in Anacortes that is pretty darn stunning, and it takes no time at all to get to. Just drive down Commercial Ave in Anacortes …
Ever since our big snow, it’s been gray and rainy. You know what that means – lots of indoor creativity! Time for some good, down-home apple-pie-making!
What do you do with rainy Northwest winter days and a son who’s well-versed in all kinds of technology? Why, you make commercials, of course! Here’s our first of the series…
I’m far from Type A. Type Z, really. I love spontaneity, change, variety, surprise, and living a different life every day. I don’t make plans with my free time. I don’t live by structure or routine. I loathe sameness and prefer to see what life offers over what I demand …
I love when young people are given the opportunity to live out their passions. When I opened The Islands’ Sounder today and saw that Nikko Naugle, 9-year-old public elementary school student, is going to be a contributor to the paper, I was so thrilled. Thank you, editor Colleen, for helping …
Whenever we eat out, which is a rarity, we go to the same place every time – Mijitas. We even order the same things. Everything’s good, and we’ve found the dishes we love most. Coming from California, we were used to eating Mexican food all the time. Thank you, Raul, …
As weather reports predicted, we awakened to a wonderfully thick covering of snow this morning – perfect powder for sledding. Dreamy, really. It felt like today was a vacation somewhere else. Tired out from hiking the sledding hill, we walked into town for some après-sled mochas and cozy relaxation at …
I just can’t get enough of Eastsound blanketed in snow at night, paired with the night mode on my son’s iPhone. The images are sometimes ethereal, sometimes haunting, and sometimes nothing at all like what I see with my eyes. In general, everything I see is quite dark. Then night …
Water is always flowing here in the winter. In certain places, you’re only aware of it once it freezes. The high tide has given these a haircut… After taking these, my iPod shut off. It got too cold. Five minutes later, the most beautiful golden sunshine peeked through the clouds …
My husband, an avid triathlete, watches the weather like a hawk. He’s found that weather.com is accurate almost to the minute, and he always knows exactly when his windows are for running and biking. In the years we’ve been here, he’s never seen the “Wind Chill Warning” that was posted …
According to the weather report, snow will start again at 6 PM and continue all night tonight. There’s a good chance we’ll be waking up tomorrow to snow joy and sledding! The weather right now reminds me of a day years ago that my husband captured… For now, we’re milking …
Last night the snow began around 4:30. Five hours later, downtown Eastsound was blanketed in white. It was absolutely silent, except for fierce gusts of wind now and then that sent snow swirling in funnels. No one was around. I didn’t want to come home, as the fallen snow lit …
Yesterday. Today. Photos by Evan Kulper. I love this cartoon filter he has on his phone, and the way it makes nature photos look.
One of the planes you see flying above Orcas Island is this one… Inside it are a flight instructor and a student, from school age to adult, working to earn their pilot’s license. The plane belongs to the Airhawks Flying Club, a 501(c)(3) organization that exists with the intent to …
I’ve been wanting to post Brown Bear Baking for a long time now, but they’re so good at what they do, there’s usually a line out the door. For the sake of preserving people’s anonymity, I’ve been waiting for the perfect moment. Today is it! The wind and rain are …
We’ve had a lot of winters here on Orcas Island that are like gray blankets over the sky for two or three months straight with nonstop drizzle. This year, winter has been so wonderfully different. We haven’t had even a blanketed week. Sun has been in and out, which is …
At the same time I began this blog about Orcas Island, I wanted to start another one as well. I put it off, so as not to be overwhelmed. I’ve been sick in bed for the last several days, so it now exists… It’s called Navigating Christianity… and Finding God …
