OK, Vashon, it is time to show that vision thing, thinking outside the box, the “keep Vashon weird” spirit.
Not a day goes by without my wife Christel and I telling each other how lucky we are to be living on beautiful Vashon Island. Friendly, supportive people with varieties of nationalities, religious beliefs, no prejudice.
I used to call our dog Terri the Terrific but Sometimes Terrible Terrier.
Now I call her Slumdog Millionaire.
In some ways, it’s a radical notion to suggest abandoning the stretch of Dockton Road that runs along Tramp Harbor and turning it into a promenade for pedestrians and cyclers. In other ways, it makes all the sense in the world.
A significant grassroots effort, spearheaded by Vashon and other ferry-served communities, culminated last week.
I was starting to give up on that old greenhouse; a 25-by-50 foot patchwork of old windows and scrap wood built by the former owners of the farm.
As the big leaf maple pollen settles in a fine layer of yellow dust on everything, it signals that the cornucopia of spring edibles has arrived.
Vy Biel, the owner of The Country Store, called The Beachcomber recently with an interesting observation. “It’s not enough to buy locally,” she said. “We have to create locally.”
It’s hard to feel optimistic about the funding of our public schools these days.
The recently announced budget gap and reduction in force (RIF) at the schools is disappointing. Much of the budget gap is a result of the state unexpectedly cutting funding for established programs. In response to this, there is little we can do other than come to terms with it, hope that the state restores some funding and support the school district’s fundraising campaign and the PTSA auction to the extent we are able.
The Beachcomber’s coverage (April 1) of the King County Library System board meeting focused almost entirely on the opinion survey. There was only one small line in that coverage which pointed in the right and relevant direction: “the condition of the K2 machine shop building.”
How inspiring that more than 200 Vashon High School students showed that discrimination doesn’t belong in their school on Friday, April 17 — the national Day of Silence. By choosing to be silent in support of those who feel silenced, these students sent a loud message that day: that harassment of any kind because of someone’s gender, sexual orientation or personal identity choice is unacceptable.
It’s a tough call — whether the school district should ask parents for money to help salvage a public school system struggling because of our political failures at nearly all levels of government. The worry, of course, is that little by little we’re chipping away at one of the pillars that upholds our democratic ideals — universal education.