The Rock: Vashon's 80s throwback

I don't quite recall the first time we went to the rock but it was probably raining. We were probably desperate for a meal.  It was probably unplanned. I don't think we ever plan on eating at the rock. It just happens.

But the thing is, we go back. Good beer. Good pizza, Good salad, Chill ambiance. Kid friendly enough.  We are there. The pizza has a thickish crust, lots of sauce and cheese, nothing especially frou frou about it.  Just pizza.  We tend to get sausage.

The salad is an assortment of things: bacon, nuts, cucumbers, tomatoes, olives and cheese with lettuce and really good dressing.  Again it's not froofy but it is good!

The beer: Irish death stout, Mac n' Jacks, a couple of other localish things, usually and IPA. Solid. Beer selection without being pretentious.

We really really enjoy this Island pizza establishment.  (the other one I have nothing good to say about it.) On an Island full of foodies and locavores and free range people and animals I appreciate how middle America this feels. It's good. It's not fussy.  Oh, and they hang the extra chairs on the ceiling.

And, in regards to kid friendly-ness. We have never even gotten a snarky look for leaving a mess.  Their is a tiny arcade where you can unload $4 in quarters.  There you have it!

http://rockislandpizza.com/menu.html

The most dangerous place on Vashon to take a toddler

It will not kill them.

It might make you want to kill them.

It will bring them to the brink of explosion.

It will cause them to wail, scream, and cry.

As they turn into little kids this place can still hold the power to make them pout, whine, and bully.

But for the toddler.  .  . the danger is right there. It is in there face waiting for them to discover it's lure.

You will not be able to untangle them from the vines of attraction.

The Vashon Pharmacy.

Seriously folks the Vashon Pharmacy has some toys for the kiddos to play with.  The selection is basically made for grandparents hunting for something special or parents trying to scout a good birthday present for the party that they forgot to RSVP for and are now feeling guilty and thus willing to spend a tad bit more.

But taking my 18 month old to the Pharmacy while he plays with the train table or pushed the shopping cart, or rings the bells or whatever he does is utterly brutal.

Dangerous folks. Serious emotional danger.

The Episcopal Church Labyrinth

I noticed the signs for the labyrinth when we first moved to the Island. It has been on my list of things to do since then.

Alas today I finally went to the labyrinth, mostly because my kiddos have been begging me to go there.  Their childcare provider has taken them. Like many parents I find the hour or 2 before dinner to be hard when I am at home with the kiddos.  So around 4 o'clock on this sunny May afternoon we headed to the Labyrinth.

Next the the church the labyrinth sits amid a clearing in the forest. At one end are the names of deceased members of the church community on stones and the labyrinth is clearly the highlight.   I have prayed a labyrinth before so with the kids running around I just started.

I lasted about 4 minutes. I would like to blame the kiddos I really would. After all, my 1 year old really wanted to hang out up by the road and my older kids were running amok.  But the truth is my problem is with the width of the path.  The path is so narrow it's like walking on a beam.  Literally you must place one foot in front of one another. I twist my ankles easily so it was no good for me.

I really wanted to like it.  I really did. I wasn't expecting peaceful quiet prayer- I brought my 3 kids after all. But I was hoping to take in a reflective moment, let my kiddos run around, and be intentional about a moment.  I did that.  The problem is that I did that on the bench next to the labyrinth.    It's just too narrow for me (and for most people to be honest).

So alas it isn't for me.  But my prayer life isn't really about movement. I tend to be more about awareness of the sacred around me and also embracing of silence and stillness.    It is located in a lovely area but the noise from the highway makes it not the quietest place on the Island.  To be honest I think that might be one of the selling points- it's away from the chaos but the chaos is close enough to invite reflection.

All in all it is a lovely lovely little prayer space.  I could imagine myself bringing a journal and sitting there for a bit.  I just can't imagine praying the labyrinth there.

Vashon Island Facebook Groups

I like and use social media a fair amount.  I used it in work, private, and in other spaces.  There are, of course, many Vashon related facebook groups.  There are groups for birders, gardeners, farmers, historians, community members, parents, power outages . . .

Seriously there are a lot of Vashon related facebook groups.

My very straightforward advice.  If you aren't spending too much time on the Island then don't spent too much time trolling the facebook arguments, disussions, groups and various posts.

Some of these groups foster more debate than others. Some of them shut down debate faster than others, sometimes things run wild.  In my Vashon social media impression Vashonites are very whiny.  That cannot possibly be true. But it sure seems true!

I guess it is no surprise but when I look through facebook discussions it makes me feel like an outsider, or sometimes it makes me feel unknown or misunderstood.  For me, and maybe for you, it is important that my social media that is unrelated to my personal relationship and more related to my geographic

Tranquil and Peaceful Island life

Sometimes the view isn't so clear....

There is a mythology that people have about Vashon...that is it peaceful & tranquil.  The idea that all your neighbors are nice, all people are watching out for each other, and that kindness abounds is no more true here than it is anywhere.

In fact, when you have relationships with people you don't like here (aka enemies) you are more likely to run into them here than you are in a larger and more cosmopolitan area.  My partner was recently accosted by a former (and probably mentally ill) landlord.  My anxiety skyrocketed when I saw a former employee who I had to "let go" at the park today....all in all it's not perfect.

The reality is that life can be wonderful wherever you are....and life can be miserable wherever you are...and for most if it life is in the middle!

On a greater scale the dysfunction of non-profits, businesses, and other things are more present, simply because in a small town one possesses a greater awareness of their surroundings.

On the other hand the care that neighbors possess for one another reveals itself to a greater degree here on the Island.  On Vashon you wave at your neighbors, you learn the faces of grocery store employees, you trust that you would find each other in the case of an emergency.  All in all though  I think that this is the case in cities as well...we just aren't as aware of it.

What do you think?

Easter Sunday Ferry Traffic

So I cannot say that traffic is always bad on Easter during the late morning.  But I can say that in 2015 we were desperate to get home to Vashon sometime around 11 and the line was long in Seattle. Very long.

Vashon IGA

So when I was a daytripper and then a vacationer on Vashon I had no idea there was a second grocery store on the Island.

Thriftway was all I knew of, and frankly was all I needed.
But of course I now know there is and IGA on Island as well. Just one street west of the downtown core.  I have to confess that I am kinda charmed by IGA.

Maybe it is because I spent a summer working at an IGA in Greenville, Illinois and that happened to be a great summer job for me.  Or maybe that the Vashon IGA is not the wierd, artsy, hippy dippy Vashon. It is an ordinary supplemental grocery store...

Sure I once bought day old fried chicken that tasted exactly like the store smelled.
And no one is claiming they have an abundance of any particular food item.
But honestly I have had good luck with everything else I've purchased there.

Sometimes things are delightfully cheaper.  Their bulk nuts are like $5 a pound cheaper! Their clementine oranges are $1 a bundle cheaper (right now). Also, as a Tillamook yogurt die hard they often have Tillamook yogurt on sale!

But really, I love IGA for these reasons:

1. When you forgot something at Thriftway and you just cannot go back there again.
2. You don't want to run into anyone.
3. You are going for a quick in an out- after all IGA is just smaller
4. You can always park close to the door.  This doesn't sound like a big deal but since I am always hauling kids in and out- this matters a lot to me!
5. It is what it is. Nothing fancy. Just a simple store. There is no pretension.

Here is their website if you are looking....
http://www.vashonmarket.iga.com/

Beachcomber: Banana Split Bandits.

Please, reader, allow me to share you one of the hilarious bits of the Beachcomber:

If you cant read it it says this, "In the ##### block of ###the Ave. SW, several 10-to 14 year olds entered an unlocked home and outhouse, stole banana split makings and left."

If there really is a gang of food stealing tween bandits haunting the Island then surely that is worth being a bit nervous about.  But something tells me there is more to this story.

For references sake this is from the Wednesday July 23, 2014 Vashon-Maury Island Beachcomber on page 22 under the Vashon-Maury FYI Sheriff Reports.

Cafe Luna's Latte

I love Cafe Luna's Latte.
It is good.
There are places to sit to enjoy them.
They are friendly.

Thank You Cafe Luna.

Vashon Island: Customer service.

We needed to order some topsoil/compost for our new raised beds.  So with recommendations from an Island friend S called Mr. X.  S played phone tag with this someone for many, many, many voicemails.

It was so frustrating.  We called another topsoil/compost person and were told, "Oh no you gottta call John Doe." No number provided.  Just call him. Hmmm.

So then finally Mr. X and S leave a series of helpful voicemails.

"Oh hi...blah blah blah. . . We need a trillion square feet of soil."

"Oh hi...blah blah blah...That will be more money than you want to pay." (this is an island after all)

"Ummm how about only a million."

"Um okay. That will be 245.34"

"Um since you don't ever answer your phone and i don't ever answer mine. We will leave the check taped to the front door please drop it off anytime this week."

"Okay. I'll bring the soil on Friday afternoon."

Friday morning, while at the grocery store, the dirt guy arrives. Finds us not home because I think that afternoon must meet AFTER noon.  Hey drops it off. Grabs the check and leaves a reciept.

I call and leave a grateful message.

Seriously though, we did an entire interaction with this business person without speaking, without meeting, without actually connecting.  It kind of sucked.  It was a classic Vashon business encounter where it seemed like the person wasn't actually interested in selling us anything.  I guess few competitors sometimes takes the steam out of a business.

But alas. We kept at it (or S did!) and we have some beautiful soil in our raised beds now!

laBoucherie- Vashon Island

We splurged and went to laBoucherie on Moroccan Sausages a couple of weeks ago.
They gave us suggestions on how to cook them.
They were AMAZING!  We did not share them with the children. We selfishly hoarded them.

So flipping good.
If money were no object....this is what I would be doing on Easter:  A farm tour and 9 course meal!

Their website is worth a perusal if you are interested in this restaurant and farm etc.

Beach walk- Fern Cove

There are days you forget that you live on an island.
Or days that you forget that the benefits of living on an Island is taking a beautiful day that the universe is offering you and going on a low tide walk.
Sometimes that mud is sticky, and if you are 2 years old it can be scary.
But that stream that pours into the water is fun even if cold and even if you are a grown up.

And it makes you want to pick up that perfectly round rock,
or climb over some driftwood.

This is the wonder of a beach walk.

Sunrise on Vashon.

I got off the bus the other morning before I got on the Water Taxi (on the north end ferry dock) and the sun was coming up.

It was glorious.

Now, 2 weeks later the sun is already higher in the sky at 8:03 when I usually get off the bus.  Alleluia.

Vashon Island garden plan...for a 750sq foot garden...

While everyone else in this country is freezing their tails off everyone who is West of the Cascades/Sierra Nevadas is doing alright (Alaska and Hawaii too!). 

So luck us today we pruned the apple trees, pulled roots from the garden, sent a package, priced out lumber for raised beds and went a bit nuts on my family.  But on this lovely January day the stuff of my fantasy life is mostly about gardening. 

So let me share with you the fantasy!

The green outline is the garden.  It is 750 square feet, but parts are very wet, uneven and parts of it still have a lot of roots that need pulled. As this is our first year in the house I am fairly certain it will be sunny their for the bulk of summer but I don't know what kind of light it gets in the spring...

Here's what needs done soonest...but they aren't exactly in order.

• Ordering fencing and install - 
• Keep hacking down the brush that is next to the garden but will eventually become lawn (the brush has to come down to allow maximal sun!
• Having the brush man come and chip all the brush
• Order seeds and start them under a grow light.

By April I hope to get at least one raised bed (the orange are raised beds) built. I don't know if we can afford more than one this year because the front end of fencing and chipping brush is costing us.  

If you look at the diagram you'll also notice that there are not things like carrots, potatoes, onions, etc. We don't have a goal to become self sufficient and are actually happy to let other people grow some of those things for us. We want to raise things that taste the best when they are home grown- we have never noticed a difference in the quality of those things when we raise them.

So that's what's up 

Vashon Beach- winter explorations

We are having a cold snap here in the Pacific Northwest.  That means our highs are in the 30's and 40's rather than 40's and 50's.  In some of the low spots in our yard the frost is staying throughout the day.  (I know you who live in actually cold place scoff at this!)  Here in the PNW cold weather often is accompanied with clear weather- and lately that is the case.

Here on Vashon the mountains are out! The water looks blue, and it is all so lovely!  Today, we wanted to go down to the beach! We also wanted to enjoy a bit of the sun!  Except cold weather and the beach can sometimes just chill a person to the bone.

So here's what we did, and here is my suggestion for fun winter beach visit with kids.  We packed up a thermos of cocoa, a jar of mini-marshmallows, 2 apples, and a bag of crackers and 4 mugs in a nice little basket and did some slurping cocoa, beach combing, rock throwing, and duck watching.

I'll admit we weren't there for too long and it wasn't the time of our life, but the sunset was BEAUTIFUL, the cocoa was yummy, and we had some beach time!

Vashon/Seattle Commute- The dynamics of commuting with exactly the same people every day

I was at a meeting in September and a professor of cultural studies (or something like that) was telling a story and she said, "...in the Pacific Northwest People show respect by giving you privacy..."

I have often thought of this since then.  It is so true.   The life of someone who commutes on Vashon is that you commute with the same 200 people every day.  I suppose there might be tad more people than that, but generally it's  true. There are many many many faces of Vashon Island people that I recognize because I see them on the bus, boat, ferry, etc. but for the most part I don't talk to them.

When you commute on/off of Vashon to Seattle you have some choices.  Where you sit on the boat, what you do, if you talk etc are all part of the choices you make daily.  There are people on the boat who play cribbage, who talk politics, who discuss their bikes, etc.  There are others who will chat only with a selective friend or so.  And then, there is the large majority of people who are quiet.  Reading, sleeping, playing games on your phone are all acceptable.

Sean and I are the quiet commuters.  We talk to each other and once in a great while we will talk to a friend (but seriously not much).  It is our alone time or our couple time.  I always have a book or magazine in my bag and move on.

Now that we know the faces of those we commute with there is an unspoken recognition that you are a reader or a quite rider.  There are some random people we talk with for a minute...Joke about the weather, or comment about an overheard something or other...that is life with people you see every day. But in general I like the privacy as a way of respect thing.  It works for me.  It works for my commute.

First Friday- Art Walk on Vashon

I am not an artist. I don't have a degree in art. I just kinda like it.  There are several art galleries in the downtown alone.  There are "shows" in the hardware store and Snapdragon and other various places that rotate throughout the year.  There is art hanging all over the walls of Vashon Island.  Once a month, all months of the year there is "first friday" where resturants, banks, galleries and a various assundry of other businesses open their doors and share the weath of art from our Island.

Yes, this is quilt!

 The coolest thing is that places you wouldn't normally expect step up for this event.  Place like the PSCCU Credit union opens up, Cafe Luna often has music, or hallways between stores will have exhibits.  I'm not a quilter so I don't know much about the "art of quilting" but the quilting store has some really awesome quilt exhibits. They are seriously mind blowing.

When we lived in Columbia City in Seattle our neighborhood had a first fridays event- we went to it but we never really felt connected.  We didn't see people we knew and didn't know how to fit in.  A lot of things seemed to cost money and it was hard.   So when we started going to this periodically we were delighted that was NOT what first Fridays on Vashon feel like

Frankly it's a pretty great event.  The shops usually have little snacks like crackers and cheese, it's nice to wander and see folks (because it's Vashon we inevitably see someone we know!), and honestly,  If we didn't have young children it would be more fun, get a glass of wine at the Hardware Store and then able together listening to music.  But, even with children it is almost always more fun that I think it will be.

Vashon Orientation

I've been thinking about how each household on Vashon has a kind of orientation to where their island imagination directs them.  We, for example, have a Seattle orientation.  We work in Seattle. We go to Seattle often enough to do some of our shopping there. We are VERY familiar with Seattle and feel at home there.

But some Islanders are Tacoma oriented.  Probably for the same reasons we are Seattle Oriented these households work there, or do extraneous shopping there and I'm guessing are more likely to live on the South end of the Island.

Some are Kitsap oriented.  It didn't occur to me until we were driving through much of Kitsap County, but because so much of Kitsap is accessible by the Southworth Ferry there must be a contingent of people who work over there, have family there etc.

Others are Island oriented.  Of course you CAN do all your shopping on Island and have all of your need here. You might even have family here (what a bonus).  So for many Islanders their lives are here.  They might be lucky enough to work on Island or be retired. I am guessing that vacationers and those who have cabins on the island are "Island oriented" while on Island.


So, I know this isn't a revelation kind of post.
But how are you oriented?

Vashon and her fruits.

So many homes on this Island have fruit trees around them.  And we are lucky enough to be among them!  I kinda can't believe that Thirftway even sells ANY apples between September-November.  I have to admit, I am sorry we didn't turn more of it into applesauce.  These kids love applesause!

But beyond deer fencing are there any ways to keep the fruit for you and not for the deer?
Or beyond that what kind of flowers and plants look beautiful without being Bambi's breakfast?
The deer are awesome around here. Seriously love them.
Oh, and I hate them too!

Vashon Playground- The best of all

There are some great playgrounds on Vashon. Ober park, Dockton park (tell me if there are others!) but the best playground of all is the driftwood on the beach!  

This little one loves to climb and climb and climb!

Throwing rocks is an eternal amusement.  Have humans been doing this since the beginning of humanity? (Do monkeys do this?)

Pretend you are riding a horse!

Explore for treasures or clean up the trash for and teach an ethical lesson!

Hmm. Is this a naturally occurring fort!?

Seriously the beach is a great playground!