Art Beat: New exhibits, October Author Talks, congratulations, and a Save the Date

Gallery Graphite Presents “A Witch’s Gift” Sept. 23-Oct. 28, reception 5-8 p.m. Thursday, Oct. 19 The Gallery at Graphite at Graphite Arts Center, 202a Main St., Edmonds After two months of in-house work constructing the flora and fauna, and creating the critters and creatures for the fantastical, full-scale exhibit “A Witch’s Gift,” the immersive experience…

Restaurant news: A bumpy first visit to Lynnwood’s new Shake Shack

Shake Shack at the Alderwood Mall opened almost three weeks ago.  This is a restaurant chain that has its roots in New York City via St. Louis. Danny Meyer, the founder of Shake Shack, grew up in St. Louis, enjoying iconic food from Ted Drewe’s Frozen Custard and Steak n’Shake.  While he started out as a fine…

The Writer’s Desk: It’s a mystery to me

Picture this scene: A group of teens is playing a game of Monopoly. The four kids chat amiably as they roll dice and move their game pieces around the board. One kid erupts in with glee when he draws a “get out of jail card.” Another kid is forced to sell his hotels. It’s a…

Healthy eating: Enjoy a taste of Portugal in this nutrition-packed soup

PCC culinary instructor Tiego Freitas was born in Brazil but his father comes from Braga, Portugal. He grew up speaking Brazilian Portuguese, but is starting to teach himself to speak Portuguese from his father’s homeland. He and his wife hope to move to Braga and open a small restaurant.  I recently assisted Tiego with his…

Edmonds Booktalk: All the great books coming our way this fall

The fall preview column — one of our favorite times of the year! Turns out there are way too many great books coming this fall,  so I concentrated on the fantastic and varied list of titles landing in September that we are particularly looking forward to…. And then I added some bonus titles at the…

Bird Lore: Wandering Tattler

The Wandering Tattler is an uncommon shorebird due to a small global population, remote breeding grounds and a geographically expansive wintering range (Pacific Ocean islands). This shorebird breeds in the arctic and passes along the West Coast during migration. Of the six Edmonds sightings of this species since 1995, they have all been in the…

Home + Work: On becoming locally known

In the threeish years I’ve been actively writing for and about Edmonds and its surrounding areas, I’ve gotten questions about how I’ve become locally known. And, because I understand the world through stories, here’s one that will help you understand the answer to that question. (Also, hi Lisa! If you’re reading this, your hello at…

Restaurant news: Farewell and hello — plus wine pop-up and ‘Beers in the Barn’

Seems we are still having nice summer weather and many places are still offering outdoor dining. We had to say goodbye to Chanterelle in Edmonds this week to make way for Machiavelli’s, which will open sometime in December 2023. On their last night, current and former employees celebrated and reminisced together one final time. Must…

Poet’s Corner: Place of Serenity, Listen, Morning Prayers

Here is the latest installment of Poet’s Corner, presented by the Edmonds-based EPIC Poetry Group. Place of Serenity The sea, once it casts its spell, holds one in its net of wonder forever. — Jacques Cousteau Winding my way down the steep hill, the Olympic Mountains towering over the sparkling waters of Puget Sound, impart…

Art Beat: Live music, a book signing and September author talks

The Edmonds School District began the 2023-2024 school year Wednesday. The grocery stores have shifted their flower offerings from summer petunias and geraniums to fall mums. This change in seasons has always signaled a new focus and beginning, a kind of buttoning down the hatches. Yet in the Edmonds art community, the frantic pace of…

Climate Protection: Avoid furnace regrets

I’ve been talking with folks about carbon dioxide and global overheating. Several times, people have heard the news and said, “Oh shoot! I just replaced my gas furnace.” I wish I could head off these kinds of heating mistakes. Here is what I’ve been sharing: Eight hundred thousand years ago, there were about 1.5 trillion…

Poet’s Corner: A Soul Once Filled with Darkness, She Heard Me — and more

Here is the latest installment of Poet’s Corner, presented by the Edmonds-based EPIC Poetry Group. A Soul Once Filled With Darkness Spring 1994, Los Angeles, California 9:00 AM, I’d just returned from the gym. I’d sat down to eat a bowl of oatmeal, before getting dressed for work. While I was standing in the shower,…

Planting Edmonds: Share your bounty?

Planting Edmonds is a monthly column written by and for local gardeners. Zucchini fritters, zucchini bread, grilled, stuffed or fricasseed zucchini, or as the joke goes, zucchini stealthily left on your doorstep in the dark of night – it’s a familiar meme in August. If you planted too much zucchini, there’s no need to panic….

Art Beat: Concert, exhibit, theatre tickets, ballet — and so much more

Bel Canto Concert Series at Holy Rosary Parish Thursday, Aug. 31, 7 p.m. Holy Rosary Catholic Church 630 7th Ave. N, Edmonds Attend the Bel Canto Concert Series on Thursday evening, Aug. 31 at Holy Rosary Parish in Edmonds. Arranged by Bellevue Opera and performed by local and international performers, the concert includes sacred music,…

History: Jane Harris (Cunningham), a World War II WASP — Part I

Part 1 of 2 parts An Early World War II Issue Less than six months after the bombing of Pearl Harbor, the U.S. Air Force had a big problem.  Thousands of new airplanes were coming off the rapidly expanding assembly lines and they needed to be delivered to military bases nationwide. But there was a…

Art Beat: Jazz, Paint Out, Porchfest, meet the artists and a ballet master class

Bring your lawn chair and ears: Edmonds-Woodway Jazz Colony Performance Wednesday, Aug. 30, 5-8 p.m. Mary Lou Block Public Plaza 465 Admiral Way, Edmonds You won’t want to miss the culminating performance of the Edmonds-Woodway Jazz Colony at the Port of Edmonds Sea Jazz stage. In the event of bad weather, the venue will be…

The Writer’s Desk: The secret to telling a great story

I don’t have all the answers, and there is no universally appealing story, but there are elements in books that hold massive appeal and end up on best seller lists. Many of these novels and memoirs are not particularly well written, yet there is something intangible that grabs the reader and doesn’t let him go…

Just Around the Corner: Lynden — Mayberry, with a touch of Holland

With its small-town atmosphere, well-tended lawns, shops closed for Sunday, this place has the vibes of bygone days. Kind of like Mayberry…set in Holland. Fun facts: Established in 1874, it’s located five miles south of the Canadian border. A large Dutch population arrived here in the early 1900s. Dairy farming was the major industry then….

Healthy eating: Use your bounty of zucchini in these nutritious fritters

It’s zucchini time. Yes, that time of the year when gardeners regret planting so many zucchini starts and neighbors do stealth porch drop-offs of their abundant produce. (We’ve been doing that with our green beans this year.) However, don’t despair. Zucchini is a super food. It’s so good for you and if you prepare it…