Small and isolated places like Orcas Island need hardware stores and I’m so thankful that Island Hardware not only exists but does so in such a family-like style. More than just about any other place, it is Orcas Island and I hope it never changes.
Category Archive: Pacific Northwest
Welcome to Cascadia 🌲
The post below was sent as an issue of my newsletter, Ready for Rain. Photo by SounderBruce Forget, for just a moment, the lines on a map that separate counties, states, and countries. Without these lines, North America looks fundamentally different. The desert...
Catching Spot Prawns 🦐
It didn’t take long to hear about spot prawns after moving to Orcas Island. Like the fishers at Emerald Isle, islanders here are always aware of what’s in season and how to catch them.
Feel the Burn 🔥
The best we can do is hope for summer rain and keep our little corner of Orcas Island cleared and ready so there’s little fuel for a truly big fire to burn.
The Pig War 🐖
The post below was sent as an issue of my newsletter, Ready for Rain. As I write this from my home office, I can see Canada’s Gulf Islands, which are like sister islands to the San Juan Islands. This view is one I don’t take for granted because living on the...
The Traffic Jam at Safari Island 🦭🦌🐋
The post below was sent as an issue of my newsletter, Ready for Rain. In the evenings this time of year, we often hear a deep growling sound coming from across the water that sounds like a call-and-response conversation. We soon learned that the growls come from...
Hibernating in the PNW ☔️ 🦠
The winter of 2020-21 was no regular winter. A range of factors all converged to make it like a hibernation that could only end in the spring.
A Thud, Then a Gasp
There comes a time in every vehicle owner’s life when they are forced to test just how far a tank of gas will go. We see the gauge point to the upper case “E” and say it’s arbitrary; just a label. What matters is what’s inside the tank. We can push it a little...
A Little Smoke, A Little Fog
Morning on the water in Deer Harbor. The smoke from wildfires on California has drifted up to Orcas Island.
Being One with the Dirt on Orcas Island 🐕🦺 🥾
Being one with the dirt is part of the transition and how you become part of the island itself.
Podcast Interview: Jeffrey and Jillian at Managing Partners
This is your chance to hear Sachi’s voice and see that, despite her perceptions, she is awesome in interviews.
The Simple Life in Northern Sweden
A video tour of a young couple’s off-the-grid cabin in northern Sweden.
A Cabin the PNW Woods
It's a familiar story. Two friends decide to build a cabin in the woods where they can get away from desk jobs and spend time away from the city. These stories often cover the same territory: the dream runs headlong into reality. The story below is no different, but...
The Smell of Crabbing in the Salish Sea 🐟🐕
One of the challenges of crabbing in the Salish Sea is dealing with the bait, which can sometimes get very ripe. In this case, the bait attracted our dogs, who shared the love.
Big Dungeness Crab from the Salish Sea
Sometimes a crab comes along that seems to have evaded traps for a long time. It won’t go to waste. That’s enough meat (claws and body) for dinner for two.
A Walk on Orcas Island 🌲🚶🏻♂️🚶🏻♀️🌲
From the moment the word “walk” is mentioned, both dogs scurry about as whines become barks. For this reason, we have come to spell the word and ask one another if it’s time for a “w-a-l-k”.
WHOOOOSH and the Whales 🦌🌲🐋
A walk to our construction site ends in seeing orca whales in the water in front of the house.
Crabbing in the Salish Sea 🦀
One of our favorite hobbies since moving to Orcas Island is crabbing for Dungeness Crabs in the summer. This is how it works for us.
Removing and Using Big Trees 🌲🔥
To make room for the new house, big trees had to be removed and I was sad to see them go but found ways to use them.
Why Orcas Island? Why now? 🌲🛥🦀
When we decided to leave Seattle and move to Orcas Island, it made sense to us, but people always asked why. This is my explanation.