My first night on Vashon, I thought I had fallen in love with the island. Sitting on the deck at La Playa that August evening, I sipped a margarita, listened to waves lap on the beach and watched ferries come and go, their lights romantically reflected on the waves. A seal poked its head out of the water in front of me as if to say, “See, this is why you moved here.”
It’s easy to fall in love with such a postcard picture of Vashon. But as I came to learn, La Playa’s deck is closed most of the year, ferries quickly turn from romantic to irritating and even during long walks on the beach, seals aren’t often seen poking their heads out of the water. The lure of an island — and the promise of using my college degree — may have brought me to Vashon and to The Beachcomber three years ago. However, it’s the people and stories that fill the pages of our small paper each week that have kept me here and that recently made stepping into the role of editor at The Beachcomber an easy decision.
I’ve never lived in any other small community, so I may be naive in this, but I fully buy into the local belief that being surrounded by water makes Vashon a special place. Where else would one find such an eclectic mix of people — lawyers and farmers, engineers and activists, artists and entrepreneurs — who all choose to inhabit the same zip code? Confining these souls to a 35-square-mile, somewhat self-sufficient hunk of land usually makes for no trouble filling the newspaper.
Reporting on this community in all its glory and all its quirkiness hasn’t been easy. I’ve wrestled with sensitive stories, struggled to ferret out the truth or strike an even tone and been criticized for my work. But I’ve also learned from islanders of every walk of life and felt honored to tell your stories on these pages. I’ve been surprised by the passions that so many seem to follow and inspired by those on Vashon who care deeply and give of themselves to make the island, even the world, a better place.
At The Beachcomber, we understand the important role a newspaper can play in a small community. The paper has been and will continue to be a finger on the pulse of the island, a community watchdog, a place for information about where we live and a forum for islanders to have a voice. And as I move into a position of greater responsibility at the paper, I’ll strive to continue this paper’s tradition of questioning, investigating and attempting to present issues that matter to Vashon’s wide population both fairly and accurately.
As the Beachcomber’s new editor, I also promise to keep an open door — to listen to your ideas, concerns and opinions, either about our unique island or The Beachcomber’s coverage of it. Shoot me an email, call me up or invite me out for coffee. Maybe when August comes, we could even get margaritas at La Playa.
— Natalie Johnson, editor
