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 …
