Vashon Poem.

Will this become ordinary?
Will the sleek neck fo the cormorant be overlooked?
The mountian, as she rises over Puget sound, will she go unnoticed?
Does newness wear off and does taking for granted inevitably set in?

My prayer is that it does'nt.
That like my relationships with people the more I bask in them they become only richer, more complicated and more authentic over time.

The Transfer Station

Every other week (or so) we take our recycling to the transfer station.  (Our landlord said she was going to get us recycling bins but that never happened.)

It seems like everytime I drive there I turn down the wrong road and it ends up taking me longer than I think it will.  Of course on Vashon I don't mind it so much. It's not like I'm stuck in traffic.

I know it's odd to say that I like the transfer station but I have more than just one reason.  So here is a silly list of things I like about the transfer station.

•  there is something so refreshing about filling the back of the car up with trash and then getting rid of it
•  there are ALWAYS people there doing exactly the same thing
• Why there is such good art on walls is beyond me but, I like it.
• I scored a 1/2 dozen perfectly good wide mouth canning jars from the glass bin last time
• I like seeing what is in the pit of recyclables -once I saw a rowboat, another time a rubber ball, seriously some quirky stuff
• I am usually doing it on a day off and with my partner or my kids so it has a sort of cozy day off feel (wierd I know!)

A place to stay on Vashon

Last summer, before we were islanders we stayed at a VRBO (vacation rental by owner) house Here is the link. I figured based on my super limited experience I would offer a shout out for a reccomendation...

Doesn't she look happy here!

I have recommended it to a couple of people looking to stay on Vashon.  Though it isn't marketed to people with kids it was very kid friendly for us (4 kids and 4 adults). Close to the beach but no kids were wondering there accidentally, it was a little walk.  Also with a giant yard you can see almost all of from the deck, a great big deck.  On the other hand it would be a great place to stay with other adults.

So if your are looking for a good place to stay I recommend it.  Follow the link above...read other reviews.
Just sayin'

How to talk about Island life?

We are in the midwest for a couple of days.

We've been visiting with family, hanging out, enjoying the sun, and letting cousins play.

Sounding pretentious or "better than" is not a midwestern thing.  The culture in small town Mid-America is to pretend that we are all the same even though we are all keeping tabs of other people.  

So how then do you explain that you live on an Island? It sounds pretentious.
Or how do you explain that it isn't as exotic as it sounds, but you are happy and you know it's cool.
How do you swoon over a place that you love if such swooniness might seem "better than."

The fact of the matter is that we are proud of where we live and the decisions we have made to get there. On the other hand, we are well aware of the losses that we encounter living so far from family and in such an expensive part of the country.

But alas, we navigate the realities of Island life, even off island.

Vashon Stylin' -The Unmanicured

Mowing is overrated I think.

And so do a lot of people on this Island.

I am sure there are people scattered about who are pulling out dandelions as the pop up; no doubt there are others who don't let their grass get longer than 3 inches.

But, for the most part people let their lawns and the woods around their houses have an unkempt sort of feel.

I rather like it.

What about you? Do you like the kempt overgrown sort of yard?

Where do you keep your ferry schedules?

Seating on the Klahowya 

We've got them in our purses.
Dangling from car visors.
Hanging out in glove compartments.

They are stuck to our fridge with magnets.
Lounging around the doorways of local businesses.
Folded and unfolded in the spare change basket.

All of us Washintonians who commute and travel by Washington State Ferries are bound by our Ferry Schedules.

We start to memorize departure times only for them to shift by 10 minutes with the season change.
We know what time we want our guests flights to land at SeaTac so we will have enough time to pick them up and still make the ferry home before midnight...

The funny thing is that Sean and I used to have the most tense mornings. We almost always got in the car and were frustrated or fiesty with one another.  "You are the reason we are running late!" we each though to ourselves.

But now that we cannot be late, not even by a minute we don't fight over departing.  The boats, and having someone else decide when we leave have relieved us of the need to blame each other.   That's one I didn't see coming!

Oh...looking for a copy of the ferry schedules. There ya go.

Vashon Style

Nothing Says Pacific Northwest like Birkenstocks.
Nothing says Vashon Island like KVI in the warm sunshine.