Over the last couple of years, the idea of having an artificial Christmas tree has become increasingly enticing. Having the smell of a freshly cut tree in the house is definitely one of the best parts of the holiday. However, the watering, clean up that extends throughout the year because pine needles are relentless, and…
Columns
Edmonds Art Beat: Holidays take center stage with movies, concerts, caroling and more
What to See: Musicals, comedies, free movies and art displays, oh my! Take your pick and enjoy a family outing, a special date, or a solo treat. Edmonds Driftwood Players Presents: A Christmas Story – The Musical If you are looking for a night of laughs and great theater, head over to see the Edmonds…
Edmonds Restaurant News: Checking in on a couple of fledgling restaurants
Calypso, the Caribbean-themed restaurant at the foot of Main Street, has just installed its new bar and it’s kind of surprising how this addition has completely changed the dynamic of the restaurant. A custom-designed, full-service bar now rises out of the back center of the space. It’s in addition to the “front porch“ — which is…
Bird Lore: Laysan Albatross
On the morning of Dec. 14, 2015, an unlikely visitor appeared in Edmonds offshore waters — a Laysan Albatross. This albatross, a West Coast species, is rare but regular within sight of land. It is even rarer on inland marine waters such as Puget Sound. A number of birders got to see this albatross in…
Edmonds Healthy Eating: Choose your food treats wisely during the holidays
Are you still feeling full from your Thanksgiving feast? Did you eat a piece of pie for breakfast the next day? That’s OK because it probably has pumpkin or apples, maybe eggs, butter and milk, flour and spices — all ingredients that a healthy breakfast might include! But… remember most of us gain weight between…
From the Publisher’s Desk: Gratitude
It’s hard to believe, but we are almost at the end of 2019. And what a year it has been. Since January, we have been recognized for our work in numerous ways, including MLTnews being honored as 2019 Small Business of the Year and Publisher Teresa Wippel being named Edmonds Citizen of the Year for…
Recommended Reads: Set in Seattle, ‘Christmas Knight’ an adventurous journey through time
Christmas Knight Matchmaker Café Series, Book 5, by Pam Binder Cross the threshold of this romantic adventure without hesitation, and be propelled onto a breathtaking time travel tour between contemporary Seattle and medieval England. Do you have a holiday wish? Colin Edward Penrose has one. It’s a very desperate Christmas wish. He must find the woman…
Edmonds Art Beat: Gothard Sisters back for Dec. 5 concert, plus what to hear, see and do around town this week — and beyond
The Gothard Sisters. From left: Greta, Solana and Willow. (All photos courtesy Gothard Sisters) (My Edmonds News welcomes our new arts and entertainment columnist Rachel Gardner. Learn more about Rachel in her bio below.) I had a very special opportunity to catch up with Greta from the Gothard Sisters, before their upcoming performance at the…
Art Beat brief: Meadowdale HS improv team competing for Hogan Cup Nov. 25
Did you know that Meadowdale High school has an improv team? They do, and they are really good. The MHS improv team recently qualified for the Hogan Cup finals for the second year in a row. The Hogan Cup is a Northwest high school improvisational competition put on by Unexpected Productions in Seattle. Meadowdale students…
Restaurant News: Downtown Edmonds now has a legit sushi place, plus Thanksgiving dining ideas
San Kai is now open for business. Edmonds can proudly count among its number a truly legit sushi restaurant downtown. I imagined that I could see contentment in owner Ryuichi Nakano‘s face as he engaged in conversation with guests, guided his staff, and deftly prepared dinner orders early Thursday evening. Things seemed to be running…
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Edmonds Kind of Play: Many options to see Santa this season
It took more than one try to get our first picture with Santa, now 13 years ago. I used the trick where you hand the kiddo to Santa while keeping eye contact and smiling while the photographer jingles the bell for further distraction. Santa is picture perfect and my son is mostly smiling. Over the…
Fitness corner: In November, my thoughts turn to men’s health
When November rolls around every year, I think a lot more about gratitude. Thanksgiving has a way of reminding us how much we have to be grateful for, and I often find myself telling people “I’m thankful for you” and that sort of thing. And when Movember rolls around every year, I think about my…
Kids are Bookin’ It: ‘Trombone Shorty’ a magical, musical adventure set in New Orleans
Trombone Shorty, by Troy “Trombone Shorty” Andrews Illustrated by Caldecott Honor Winner Bryan Collier Recommended especially for Young Readers ages 6 – 8 Where y’at? This fun, true story will transport you magically into the midst of a New Orleans neighborhood. This wonderful book describes the city in such exceptional language it stimulates your imagination…
Edmonds Kind of Play: Holiday events just around the corner
Christmas movies turn up on the Lifetime and Hallmark channels ahead of the holiday. Though of the two Lifetime channels we have, one is still playing a movie that involves a cheerleader who murders or a mom who murders or — as in the movie I checked right now to make sure I wasn’t exaggerating…
Looking Back: Does anyone remember Pleasant View Hospital in Edmonds?
The Reporter was a newspaper established in August of 1949 and published in the community of Lynnwood — before the city’s 1959 incorporation. With its office located at the crossroads of State Highway 99 and 196th Street, the newspaper covered happenings in the Alderwood Manor, Lynnwood and Edmonds areas. Founded and edited by Seley Alvin…
Recommended Reads: Thrills abound in international action novel ‘The Eighth Sister’
The Eighth Sister, by Robert Dugoni Mystery surrounds the sisters. Their identities are unknown even to each other. Trained from birth to penetrate Russia’s foreign intelligence service and report to the CIA, suddenly they are disappearing. Three of them are dead. What is it about this intrigue that appeals to ex-agent Charles Jenkins? What convinces…
Travelogue: Signing off — and airline adventures
Well, the knee ganged up on me. I’m back in London sorting out hotel cancellations, changing and canceling flights, etc. Robert arranged for me to have a wheelchair in the Newcastle train station. Not totally necessary, but awfully nice, not least as the two helpers (one for the chair, one for the bags, tip refused)…
Edmonds Kind of Play: Homework help at library, Try Hockey for Free, LGBTQ storytelling
When all my parenting was hypothetical, my biggest perceived school-age deficit was math. With the invention of apps like Photomath (it’s free, shows you not only the answer, but the steps, and I already depend on it for 5th grade math), it hasn’t been as tough as I expected. (Though to be fair, I co-parent…
Recommended Reads: Cozy up with a murder mystery set in San Francisco
The Fog Ladies, by Susan McCormick An ominous suspicion creeps into the minds of the resident ladies at the Pacific Heights apartment building as they watch the fog bank inch its way over the Golden Gate Bridge. There had been a number of grave accidents in their building recently. It’s suspicious. None of the group,…
Looking Back: Robert Earl Bonney — A local hero, veteran and Medal of Honor winner
What did former Edmonds and Alderwood Manor resident Robert Earl Bonney, and famed aviator Charles Lindbergh have in common? The answer: They were both awarded this country’s Medal of Honor for their heroic actions during peacetime. Chief Watertender Robert Earl Bonney, U.S. Navy, was honored for extraordinary heroism in saving the life of another crewman…
Bird Lore: American Dipper
The American Dipper is gray and plump, an aquatic songbird that inhabits western rivers and streams from Alaska to Central America. This is a bird that can’t stand still. It is usually noticed by its continual bobbing while standing on a rock at the edge of or in a stream. The dipper is a permanent…
Travelogue: Bad British breakfasts, glorious old ships
Part 2 London, after a seemingly endless disembarkation and bus ride to the capitol. Cunard does everything so well, but the trips are always bookended by an impossible website and a disembarkation process that borders on ridiculously inefficient. When the bus group was called to disembark 45 minutes late, with no information about what was…
Edmonds Booktalk: Holiday gift ideas for book lovers on your list
November! The chill is in the air. Time for sweaters, mittens and cozy boots. And to make your lists! Our annual Holiday catalog will be out in the middle of November; in the meantime, here are a few ideas to get you started: Fiction: All recently published and staff recommended “A Better Man: Chief Inspector…
From the Publisher’s Desk: Musings from Nashville as our news network starts year 11
A week ago, I returned home from a whirlwind trip to Nashville, Tenn. — this year’s location for the annual gathering of Local Independent Online News publishers. I sit on the national board of this organization, which has more than 200 members in the U.S. and internationally. It’s no surprise that our acronym — and…
Edmonds Kind of Play: The library as a community gathering place, plus Día de los Muertos events
This afternoon, I picked up a copy of Lynda Hunt’s Fish in a Tree, the story of a student with dyslexia, at the Edmonds Bookshop. It was one of those interactions that went exactly right on all levels. Despite my calling ahead of business hours, when the reminder showed up on my phone, I was…