Spring is Bursting
I can’t stop taking pictures of the hope incarnate hanging off branches and blossoming above and below me.
Month: April 2021
Photo of the Day: Chess at the Exchange
This is so quintessentially Orcas Island…random, rugged, intelligent… Greg Books and Fabrice van Putten in a spontaneous chess sesh, making brief intermittent moves in between placing incoming items and ringing up customers at The Exchange. Thank you, Fabrice, for letting me use the camera on your phone and emailing me …
Evening Olga
Living near Eastsound, it’s rare that I find myself strolling through Olga out on the east side of the island. A few days ago, I took a leisurely evening walk (6:00 – 7:00 PM) through the Olga neighborhood while our son was helping someone fix their technology. Come meander along …
The Beauty of Orkila
A week ago the Orcas Island Cross Country team hosted the island’s first cross country meet, which took place on the grounds of Camp Orkila. While walking the route a few times before the meet, I thought about all of the memories our family has there, from festivals to school …
Orcas Island Leather Goods
Mike Connell and Mindy Sonshine have been quite the busy bees. Over the course of this quiet, isolated pandemic year, they’ve been building a leather business that looks like it’s going to absolutely thrive here on the island – and beyond! Last week, they opened the doors of their new …
One Down, One to Go
One thousand doses made their way here today thanks to the National Guard. They’ve been to Orcas Center before for health workers, teachers, coaches, the immune-compromised, and folks 65 and up, and Ray’s Pharmacy has been vaccinating as well, but now vaccinations have been opened up to everyone 18 years …
Learning to Drive Here
I’m seeing our island with new eyes now – from the passenger seat! I can’t believe how quickly this phase came. It seems like just yesterday that we spent the bulk of our family time exploring the low tidelands catching crabs, hiking magical forest trails, fishing for newts in ponds, …
Lizards with Ticks
Spring is bursting here with a week of nonstop sunshine and no clouds in the sky – a near-anomaly for this place before summer. Deer are grazing, bunnies are hopping, birds are chirping, and two snakes and two alligator lizards found themselves in our critter cage this afternoon (we catch …
Spring Radiance
How uplifting it is to have a full week of sunshine – it changes everything! Walking around town, stopping in stores, riding the ferry, and hiking the trails now feels a lot more invigorating with blue skies, beaming sun, light filtering through fresh new leaves, and the scent of blossoms …
Happy Easter!
You might love some cheering up for Easter. If you’d like to attend one of Orcas Island Community Church’s Easter services tomorrow, there will be an in-person, outdoor sunrise service at 6:30 AM out in OICC’s backyard, which you can also watch livestreaming here: There will also be an in-person …
Come Away With Me…
Sometimes you just need to be swept away into a beautiful storybook land. That’s how I feel every time I do this hike. I’ve done it over and over in the past few weeks and I can’t stop taking photos of the verdant moss, tiny details, and stunning views. (They …
Salish Sea Yarn Co.
Katie Gaible didn’t let the pandemic stop her from living out her dream. Last October, she opened Salish Sea Yarn Co. right in the heart of Eastsound. In such a tiny little village, it’s important to be in the middle of where all of the main action is. From what …
