Author: Kate Poss | With Photos by David Welton

Whidbey Island Garden Tour’s annual event Saturday June 22, from 10 AM to 4 PM, offers a peek at some of our island’s most delightful gardens, some of which include art studios. Ticket proceeds support groups such as 2023 grant recipients: Good Cheer, South Whidbey School District, South Whidbey Commons, Meerkerk Rhododendron Gardens, Price Sculpture Park, and Readiness to Learn. Since the non-profit’s inception more than 25 years ago, the tour and its sponsors have raised more than half a million dollars, whose proceeds benefit community organizations. Five gardens that opened their homes to the public this year include: A…

We visit our daughter Gillian about three times a year. She lives in Corvallis and works at Les Schwab in Philomath. She enjoys trouble shooting car problems and telling stories about her interesting work life. We camp at the Benton Oaks RV Park at the Benton County Fairgrounds. This time, we camped in site #27 with a view of Oregon white oaks rising out of the meadow dotted with English daisies. Camp spaces are angled in this part of the campground, have full hookups, and we were fortunate to have a site that did not look directly into our neighbor’s…

Our Langley Library is undergoing the largest remodel in its hundred year history. Construction began in March, and is expected to be completed within a year. Rest assured, the building’s exterior will maintain its historic appeal. Last week I donned a hard hat, safety vest and closed-toe shoes to tour and report on the progress made by Valdez Construction, the contractor selected for the library’s construction project. My tour guide was Chy Ross, Langley Library’s project manager, with the official title of Sno-Isle Library’s assistant director of capital strategy. Joining him were Kaley Costello, Langley Library’s manager, and Katie Leone,…

Michele Sakaguchi teaches microbiology to learners enrolled in the Woodhaven High School, a private alternative high school, whose classes meet at the South Whidbey Community Center. Michele’s teaching style engages her class in applying their knowledge to the community and the real world. Michele is a long-time educator in the South Whidbey community. “I’ve taught for over twenty years in primarily the public alternative programs here (Bayview High School, South Whidbey Academy, South Whidbey Middle School, and the ALE,” Michelle wrote in an email. ALE stands for Alternative Learning Experience, a first through eighth grade education program administered with the…

Note: all photos shared by Peter Morton and Arlene Arnold. I saw Peter Morton at the South Whidbey Commons May 23rd, and the first thing I noticed was that he looked younger than when I saw him last. I mentioned this to him, and asked what he was up to. Peter was picking up a couple of latte orders with a decorative heart swirled in the steamed milk of his coffees. He pointed over to a woman sitting at a long table and said, “You’ve got to meet Arlene.” I have always liked talking to Peter. He served, and has…

Note: all photos taken by Kate Poss, unless otherwise noted. Our Mother’s Day weekend was soul satisfying, visiting the Wings over Whidbey Bird Festival at Pacific Rim Institute in Coupeville on Saturday, and the South Whidbey Tilth Farmer’s Market on Sunday. We were surrounded by people we know and one we just met. We all share a love of Whidbey’s natural beauty and its way of life. Our appreciation for where we live is a reminder of the gifts of simple living, and commitment to caring for our island’s birds, fish, plants, insects, marine world and old forests. Wings Over…

Note: All photos taken by Kate Poss unless otherwise noted. We spent April 28-May 5 on Maui, where ohana or family are a strong pull. My muttie–German for mommy–Helen, lived there from 1996 until her passing in 2012. It was my mom and dad’s purchase of a timeshare in Kihei at Maui Hill in the 1980’s that began our love affair with Maui. This year, we stayed at a lovely condo at Maui Kamaole, the same complex my mom lived in. We felt her love and presence all around us while we were there. While visiting Maui in late April,…

Note: Nearly all of the photos were taken by David Welton, unless otherwise noted. South Whidbey’s memorable character Elliott Menashe passed into–what I believe is–spirit on Saturday, April 27, 2024. I learned of the news from Marnie Jackson, ED of the Whidbey Environmental Action Network. After posting the news on my FB page, I received many comments from people who knew and loved him. Almost universally he was described as a sweet man who loved the land. Elliott taught my husband Bill and I about the importance of working with nature rather than against it. An example: using soft shore…

Note: Bill and I stayed for the second year in a row at Krisann Santiago-Dean and Samuel Dean’s welcoming home on the North Kohala Coast of the Big Island. Last year they mentioned searching for Samuel’s father, Spencer Dean, whom Samuel had not seen since he was eight years old. Fifty years later, Samuel found his father, thanks to determined sleuthing from his wife Krisann, and their son Arden. We sat in the comfortable living room of Krisann’s childhood home on a recent morning, and learned of the remarkable reunion. Samuel said he was named for his grandfather on his…

Greetings from the Big Island! We feel at home here at our ohana, at Krisann and Samuel’s “Old Hawaii Rustic Charm” rental in Kapaau. A restored plantation home built in 1941, Krisann grew up here, and is a third generation family member of Puerto Rican descent, whose grandparents arrived from their home country to live at the top of the Big Island and work in the sugar cane fields. We stayed last year and felt so at home, we booked four days in 2024. We arrived in Kona on April 21, our 45th anniversary, to be greeted later by our…