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The annual Orcas Island Lit Festival is returning June 3-4.
This three-day festival features panels, readings, and events highlighting the vibrant literary culture of the Pacific Northwest and beyond. Authors range from Pulitzer Prize winners to gifted new voices. They herald from throughout the country, in a rich mix of local and national voices. Take full advantage of this uniquely intimate setting to engage with world-class writers, ask questions and explore their work.
How two local artisans support island agriculture through the Slow Fiber Movement.
There’s a rural beauty to Lopez Island, a slowness that’s earned it the nickname ‘Slowpez.’ This is thanks in large part to the generously flat terrain, where gently rolling hills are studded with farms and speckled with artisans. While the locally grown offerings are diverse — including beef, pork, and berries — the quaint 29.5 square-mile agricultural community is perhaps best known for its sheep.
Lopez Island wool products, in particular, are heralded throughout the United States and beyond for their exceptional quality and beauty. This is in no small part thanks to Maxine Bron- stein and Debbie Hayward, founders of Island Fibers.
A weekend jumping from Orcas to San Juan Island.
Watch the sun slowly dip down from the comfort of your own balcony after you’ve scrubbed the dirt and washed the sand off your little ones from a long day of exploring. Instead of battling crowds and waiting in lines, introduce your children to the finer things in life like clams caught mere steps from where they are eaten. Spend your mornings walking out to an island made accessible only by low tide.
Listen in awe at the excited squeals from each discovery of sea stars, sea cucumbers, and crabs. Spend the day whale-watching and the evening on a sunset sail. From Lopez to Orcas and San Juan Island, each has its own distinct sense of place and will have a unique draw to visitors. When you cannot decide which island is right for you, don’t. Instead, plan an “island-hopping” adventure, combining the best of what a couple of islands have to offer.
The killing of a pig nearly plunged the United States and Great Britain into war in 1859. Fortunately cooler heads prevailed.
Long before the San Juan Islands were a vacation destination, they were the focus of an international crisis ignited by an unlikely incident: The shooting of a pig in a potato patch. This was the famous Pig War of 1859, when military and naval forces of the United States and Great Britain almost came to blows in midsummer after the death of the Berkshire boar.
But in the end, not a single shot was fired. The nations opted for peace, an outcome that was commemorated more than 100 years later with the creation of San Juan Island National Historical Park. The issue, aside from mid-19th century notions of honor, was mainly about real estate.
In a small converted garage, roughly six miles southwest of Friday Harbor, you’ll often find Paula West covered in clay.
A Connecticut native, she came to San Juan Island in 1990 (by way of New Hampshire, California, Oregon, and Canada). It was here that she met her husband, Joe Cooper. And it was here she set up her studio in 1993.
Slow-paced island life, farm-to-table cuisine, and intimate accommodations make for the perfect winter escape.
Though the San Juan Islands aren’t as popular during the drizzly season, the relatively deserted towns make for a crowd-free adventure. The slow pace allows shop owners and artisans linger with customers. Cloudy days offer their own kind of beauty. Mist often clings to fields and shrouds shores, lifting like a translucent curtain.
The hikes remain beautiful and wildlife plentiful during the fall and winter months. But don’t feel pressed to go exploring. These cuddle-worthy destinations feature cozy fireplaces that may keep you indoors all day and all night. Whether it’s a solo getaway or a party of two, the San Juan Islands offer the perfect mix of solitude and hospitality.
What makes a wetland biologist trade water and grass for butter and flour? For Stephanie Smith it was the desire to be more creative and find a career she could do anywhere in the world.
A Pacific Northwest native, she dove fingers first into a world of dough. And after completing the pastry program at Le Cordon Blue in Seattle, Stephanie ran the bakery for Microsoft’s catering service. But she longed to use her skills at a job where her hands got sticky, customers ordered in person, and her schedule allowed her to travel.
Walking into Studio 45 Glass on Lopez Island is like falling down the rabbit hole with Alice. It’s a world of color, where possibilities are only the beginning and art feels like it is created from thin air.
After traveling the world working and studying glass art in Italy, New York and Germany, owner and master glassblower Rahman Anderson returned home to Lopez Island, where he grew up. He wanted to put down roots and settle on his family land where he has now built his own home and grows a garden.
Pacific Northwest locals are very nonchalant when discussing Dungeness crab. Dungies (as locals call them) are arguably the best crab on the planet. We crabbers are somewhat protective of our favorite spots and our most reliable bait.
Most of us have pulled fresh crab from the Puget Sound and Salish Sea. And with some experience tucked under our belt, we tend to think we know what we’re doing. But most of the time we just get lucky and land a few keepers. However, that’s not the case for Corey Joyce. Filling the pot is his daily hustle.
Soaking up the Simple Pleasures at Friday Harbor’s Lakedale Resort and the San Juans.
Now more than ever we crave a change of scenery. From long and sometimes isolating days of working from home, to wrangling children, whipping up countless meals and everything in between. Over these past few months our homes hastily transformed into schools and gyms to offices, restaurants and libraries. With all this time spent at home you wouldn’t think we would need a break, but we do!
There is something so invigorating about visiting the San Juan Islands. I cannot think of anything quite like the thrill of salt air rushing through your hair or seeing all manner of watercraft cruise by to make you enthusiastic about where you are fortunate enough to call home. And if you are insanely lucky you might even spot an orca, seal, sea lion or bald eagle on your journey. After a short, forty-minute flight, you might as well be a world away.
