Island Notes Island Notes

International Food Writers Visit Whidbey and Camano Islands

The International Food, Wine and Travel Writers Association held their annual conference on Whidbey and Camano Islands. In a bold experiment, these travel experts broke from the traditional big-city conference centers and chose our islands as their 2018 conference site.

Whale Watching from Land

This map from the Orca Network shows many great places around Puget Sound where you can watch whales, if there are any nearby.

An orca, or killer whale, a few hundred yards from shore

The Whales of Puget Sound

The Whales of Puget Sound After spending most of the summer in the San Juan Islands, our Resident orca pods venture south into inland waters for the fall and early winter months, traveling down Admiralty Inlet chasing chum salmon runs into lower Puget Sound. BY SUSAN BERTA & HOWARD GARRETTORCA NETWORKUPDATED 2/28/21 There are many opportunities to observe the orcas … Read More

Dog and Owner walking on Double Bluff Beach

Take Your Vacation Day

It’s “Take Your Vacation Day!” OK, so it’s one of those slightly annoying made-up holidays, but the idea here is spot-on. You probably left some vacation days unused in 2017. Everybody in the corporate world does.

Northwest Glass Quest

Watch how the glass balls that are the sought-after prizes at Glassquest are made by the father and son-team of Mark and Marcus Ellinger.

The Love Locks of Oak Harbor

The love lock tradition has come to Oak Harbor. The engraved padlocks, fastened to chain link in the shape of a heart on the side of a downtown building called The Loft. But there’s a twist on this enduring symbol of love.
These are dedicated to the men and women who serve our country.