This afternoon was our last day before winter break, so after doing several hours of store math and nutrition at Island Market and the Co-op – comparing the prices of fresh versus frozen green beans of the same weight, hunting down the foods highest in sodium, recording the names of …
This is a fantastic 21-minute video… Interestingly, it has come into my life at the very moment that my 12-year-old MacBook has become too outdated to allow me to access my blog. I’m borrowing our son’s computer to type this. I’ll be on the lookout for a used, refurbished laptop …
For the past year-and-a-half, our older son has been helping senior citizens use their technology at the Senior Center. Once a month for an hour, he meets with up to four people in one of the community rooms and does his best to answer questions, fix problems, and navigate mysterious …
Summer here is external. You’ve gotta enjoy every ray of sunshine while it lasts, and they last until almost 10 PM. Winter here means that life goes internal. Aside from the last few days, the sun has remained remarkably steady through November and December here, which is an oddity in …
If you live on the island, you know of this phenomenal brother duo, whether you’ve seen them jamming with their also-talented parents at the pub, on the Village Green stage, or on the ferry as they’re headed to a bluegrass festival that’s highlighting them. If you live elsewhere, you may …
Wow. Did the kids on this island ever blow everyone’s minds with their creative wares this year. The Annual Children’s Christmas Market gives kids a chance to make and sell to the community whatever they dream up in order to earn their own spending money for Christmas. Here’s a glimpse …
Here, Santa comes by boat. Early. Weekend before last, Santa arrived at the Deer Harbor dock to a hoard of happy onlookers of all ages. He parted through the sea of people, Ho-Ho-Ho-ing his way to the island fire truck, which deposited him at the door of the Deer Harbor …
Eating, ugly-sweater-cookie-decorating, fir bough-ing, and overall Christmas enjoyment…
Each year, the Odd Fellows Hall sparkles with reds, greens, and glittering lights among vendors’ beautiful handmade wares for the weekend sale. Here’s a glimpse at some of this year’s eye candy…
Tomorrow is one of my favorite Christmas events – the day that island children sell the wares and goodies they have personally made in order to earn their own money for Christmasing. Its new location this year is the library, and it will be from 11-2 PM. All kids are …
Thank you very much for reading this blog. I really appreciate you. I started it figuring that even if no one read it, I’d enjoy writing it. I can’t add to it everyday in a consistent manner in the way that I’d like to since I’m serious about spending my …
Russel Barsh is one of the most fascinating people out here on the islands. He studied at Harvard, lives on Lopez Island, and is the Director of Kwiaht (Center for the Historical Ecology of the Salish Sea), but most of us on Orcas know him as the man who is …
The Christmas season is upon us, which means that here on Orcas Island the magic continues. Saturdays, especially, begin to fill with all kinds of activities that are unique to our island. Today, for instance, we’ll be headed to the Santa Ship in Deer Harbor, which will deposit Santa on …
