Destination Vashon, delivered to subscribers this week, could be dismissed as a publication only for tourists. We hope Islanders won’t do that.

It is, indeed, a supplement that aims to introduce Vashon to those who don’t know us well. In that way, it caters to tourists, offering up helpful information to the occasional visitor.

But this issue of Destination Vashon, as has been the case previously, goes far beyond the bounds of a typical tourism publication. We believe it showcases the best of Vashon; it spotlights some of our gems; it tells real stories about life here; and collectively, it captures something of who we are as an Island — passionate, creative, determined and individualistic.

Of particular note are the feature stories, such as one written by Islander Juli Goetz Morser about the All-Merciful Saviour Orthodox Monastery and another by staff writer Natalie Johnson about the Island’s tight-knit equestrian community. Both illuminate little-known aspects of life here on the Island and are written with flair and personality.

Elizabeth Shepherd, our arts editor, wrote a lively piece about the Vashon Opera, a remarkable company that is finding its way on this small Island. Verna Everitt, a freelance writer, captures the spirit of Vashon’s storied past with a piece on the Island’s historical museum. 

And Islander Tom Conway, in an opening essay about how he drifted ashore on Vashon and never looked back, writes movingly about the Island’s lure: “A stunning ferry ride from West Seattle, Vashon Island is just inconvenient enough to deter the impatient and cultivate the eccentric.”

The publication features some fantastic photography, thanks to the contributions of Ray Pfortner, Cindy Koch, Lawrence Huggins and several other excellent Vashon photographers. And it spotlights some of the Island’s remarkable and beloved community undertakings: The Church of Great Rain, the twice-annual Art Studio Tour, our farmers market, Wolftown.

So we hope you’ll peruse its pages, send it to those relatives back East who think you’re moldering away in a cultural backwater and give it to that friend of yours who you really wish would move to Vashon. It’s about the community that many of us, every day, are creating. And for that reason, we hope it makes all of us proud.