Clashing swords, roasting turkey legs, magical creatures, and royals holding court. Where can you find all these things in the 21st century? At a renaissance faire, of course! Earlier this summer,…
East of downtown Bellingham just over the Alabama Street hill unfolds sprawling Lake Whatcom—the city’s vast drinking water reservoir ringed by lakefront homes, parkland and an inviting 6.2 miles easy trek into the wilderness. As you arrive at…
Ken (and Loretta) offer their post- Winter Olympic Games thoughts to increase viewership Every two years, we celebrate the world’s athletes, their incredible stories of sacrifice, and the spirit of Olympic competition. Once upon a time — back before cell phones and the internet—the whole world tuned in. Now, not so much. Why? Well, as all her readers know, my alter-ego, Loretta, is a marketing genius….
Between the name and the marketing slogan: “Fat Shack—Late Night Done Right” there’s little question to whom this new restaurant, open as late as 3 a.m., is targeted. Popular items are burgers, wings, and their densely packed specialty sandwiches, some with names a party animal would chortle over (“Fat Doobie” and “Fat Hangover,” for example.) The typical “fat” sandwich…
What is your favorite thing to take pictures of? My favorite subjects are in the sky: stars, comets, eclipses, the sun and moon. But being a night sky photographer in the cloudiest city in the continental United States can be challenging, so I also spend a significant time…
When you find the perfect house —it’s got a beautiful view, a great lot, lots of space for three growing girls, and in the desired location —but it’s lacking charm and style, what do you do? This is what my some of my interior decorator clients purchased last year. Right away they knew they wanted to make some changes. But they were unsure of what to do and how to pull it all together in a cohesive…
Last month was Women’s History Month, but we don’t have to stop celebrating just because it’s April. The second annual Cascadia International Women’s Film Festival is April 12–15 at Pickford Film…
Many residents in Anacortes are lucky enough to live within walking distance to some of the city’s 2,800 acres of forests. With rapid real estate development engulfing much of the city, we have Friends of the Anacortes Community…
Your shovel and spade have been collecting dust in the shed all winter. They’ve been itching to hit the soil for months now, and spring is finally here. Some novice (and not-so-novice) gardeners may be wondering what to plant in their often damp, rarely sunny Pacific Northwest…
Off La Conner’s main drag and up a hill sits The Oyster & Thistle Restaurant & Pub. Originally a hotel and restaurant (and for a year a barbershop), it was designed in 1976 by architect Glen Bartlett in an English country theme. Going for authenticity, Bartlett salvaged stained glass from a London building that was about to be demolished and…
Doctor Answers Questions About Growing Industry Increasingly, older Americans are looking in the mirror and unhappy with what they see: Scars, skin laxity, wrinkles, moles, liver spots, excess fat, cellulite, unwanted hair, skin discoloration, and spider veins top the list of complaints. As skin worries grow, so have new ways to treat them (think Botox) and new places to seek help. Once mainly the purview of dermatologists and plastic surgeons, only a few hours of television will…
So, you’ve never muddied your hands with garden soil. You can never remember what a perennial is. You’ve drowned or deprived all your past plants. Do not despair. Below is a list of some of the hardiest, low-maintenance plants you can put in the ground. These, according to the experts, are…
So, you’ve decided you want to build a water feature in your back yard That’s a wonderful idea. A pond draws hummingbirds, songbirds, and butterflies. The trickling sound of a stream is soothing as is watching colorful gold sh or koi swim lazy laps. Water lilies in full summertime bloom are stunning….
Lil’ Tugs Children’s Boutique 713 Commercial Ave., Anacortes 360.299.2350 | liltugskids.com THE SHOP Since its opening in July 2016, Lil’ Tugs Children’s Boutique has become a community favorite. The darling shop carries toys and clothing for newborns through eight years old. Inspired by the Anacortes tugboat town culture, the store features a child-sized tugboat perfect for keeping kids busy while grownups browse the shop’s fun inventory. THE…
Hydration ‘Tis that glorious time of year here in the Pacific Northwest in western Washington, where the rain is constant and everything is oh-so-sopping wet. This is the point of the year where I start to lose it. I comfort myself with the thought that I am in this glorious part of the earth and its ecosystem is that almost of a rainforest. I imagine birds, vibrant colors, animals, exotic plants, and humidity (not too far off from reality,…
Wine Bar Extraordinaire Bellingham native Katie Bechkowiak had plenty of experience in the restaurant and wine industries when she began toying with the idea of opening up her own wine bar. Then, while wrapping up a visit to the city’s Bloedel Donovan Park, she hopped in her car and turned on the Oprah Station on XM-Satellite Radio. During the program, Oprah asked her listeners, “What’s holding you back?” Katie recalls. That was the trigger that set her dream in…
When you walk into The Blue Abode Bar in Barkley Village, it feels like you are home —even though it’s new to the neighborhood. A cozy spot for cocktails, it has a wood bar, tables are accented with blue paint, and chairs and blue lights line the walls. On each table, empty spirit bottles with twinkle lights on the inside provide a DIY home decor feel. The Brandied Cherry Collins is exciting to the…
Lather & Salt Tucked — almost squeezed — neatly between Antique Warehouse and Roger’s River View Bistro on Snohomish’s main drag is a delicious bath and body shop. Though it only occupies about 75 square feet of space on…
After 22 years as Western Washington University’s director of communications, Lynne Masland has now committed herself to becoming a connector of the community. As she describes it, she is an elder of Whatcom County, responsible for building a web of support in…
Chef Todd Alan Martin of Hundred North hosted his German-inspired dinner on Thursday, February 22 at Judd & Black Appliance in Mount Vernon. The four-course meal was full of comfort foods from parsnip soup to chocolate cake, each with its own flair and elegance. Martin’s attitude was laid-back, straight-forward, and far from over the top….
Twin Sisters Creamery The Twin Sisters Creamery and cheese shop is big, bright, and airy, not exactly what you’d expect of a store of its kind, but certainly what you want. Lindsay and Jeff Slevin opened the Ferndale retail shop in August of 2015. Customers will find a variety of…
Kelli Linville chuckles as she recalls how people occasionally mistake her husband for the mayor of Bellingham—a job she’s held since 2012. White men still predominate in the…
For those of us who spent time or grew up in the East, a West Coast road trip has this one, can’t-beat-it novelty:…
If not for the California gold rush, the construction of the first lighthouses on the West Coast would have been far less urgent. The “original eight”—seven on the California coast, one at the mouth of the Columbia River, began sentry duty in the mid-1800s, not long after gold was discovered in 1849…
THE PIERS AT LA CONNER MARINA The piers at La Conner Marina see all different kinds of boaters from commercial, recreational…
In recent years, health and wellness centers are catering to clients who want far more than feel-good country spas and or challenging exercise adventures. Centers today offer approaches once considered unconventional, but now more mainstream, like acupuncture, natural medicines, and…
