Sunday, October 28, 2012

The Vashon---Seattle Commute- It's normal

One of the wonderful things about Vashon is how everyone makes it work.

Kids on the water taxi, having Island cars and city cars, working for lower wages on Island, working from home some part of the week...

How people live on the Island and still manage to pay their bills is one of the things we Islanders talk about. One of our neighbors works in Everett and drives up and back 5 days a week. It must take him about 2 hours.

And, because we islanders talk about how we all make it work, we have this way of normalizing it for one another.  At work (in Seattle) my colleagues seem dumbfounded by my commute. How I (and my partner) make it work with kids, childcare, water taxi, buses, ferry rides, working nights sometimes baffles them.  But to Islanders it is all on the spectrum of normal.  And, that is pretty cool.







Sunday, October 21, 2012

Grease- by Drama Dock

For a play that seemed to be put on almost exclusively by kids under 18 it was awesome!

Today, my three year old and I went and saw the musical Grease at Vashon High School.  It was such fun! She loved the dancing and the music. I really enjoyed seeing the Island kids acting and creating.  It made me dream for my girls. Not that they will necessarily do drama but the auditorium was full of other teenagers supporting one another.  Very cool!




They did a great job! We had plenty of fun!
Oh, and the snacks at intermission were by donation only.

I confess though this was my first experience of not loving all of it.  Some people were pretty hostile at intermission. I was trying to negotiate helping Junia make a donation for her snacks. She had brought some of her own money and I wanted her to donate it before she grabbed a cookie. She was totally fine with it- but the woman behind her wanted her beverage NOW!  C'mon people, I have a three year old with me, and you are at a freakin' musical.

So be it.

Nonetheless, it was great fun!

Thursday, October 18, 2012

Driftwood


The Puget Sound beaches are mostly rocky and driftwood covered.  Perhaps a failure of my midwestern imagination, it took me awhile to learn to love them.  After all, when we think beach don't we mostly think sunny sandy and warm?  But having lived in the PNW for awhile and now on Vashon I am starting to feel connected the the driftwood, the rocks moving up and down with each wave, even the way that people's gatherings around a warm beach fire leave a footprint.  I wonder what ways I am being molded and shaped, hoping that I becoming softer and smoother as I age.  

Just FYI this is my Vashon Island blog we just moved here and I'm starting to take note of things that I find unusual, love and want to point out...

My other daily life blog is called Did I.  Please take a look!

Wednesday, October 17, 2012

Barn Dance

Last night we went to a barn dance on the Vashon.
All four of us got gussied up and headed out.
Okay, we didn't really get gussied up but plenty of attendees had on their best western wear.

I'll admit I was nervous.
Dancing in front of people, in public with our kids.  Spending $30 and not being sure if we will have fun. It is a bit of a risk for two lousy dancers like ourselves.

In an old warehouse or a series of warehouses that is now the "open space for arts and community" we danced into the night and had a blast. (okay into the night isn't quite true it was from about 6:30-9pm but as band notes 9 is late on Vashon!)

It was super kid friendly but had an awesome mix of young people and old people and a bunch in the middle.  Their was live music and beer and had no sense of pretension at all.  It was much better than most wedding receptions I've been to because everyone there wanted to dance and listen to music- so even though we  terrible dancers it didn't matter because many people were dancing yet the large space allowed for the dance-floor to not feel crowded.

We had a great time.
I am falling in love with this place.