Featured Seattle Refined Articles:
I write for a local lifestyle magazine, Seattle Refined, who is an affiliate with KOMO 4 news and broadcasting. My focus for their brand is local stories; who’s who, what’s happening, what’s new, and where to travel. Here is a curated list of the most recent articles with a few other stories to show the breadth of what I cover as a writer. Take a look!
Preserving history (and a lighthouse) on Stuart Island
Looking to go to Canada? You will need an app for that.
Vegan and Hungry in Bellingham? Look for Sage Against the Machine
One Man Living His Literal Dream at Deception Pass Tours
7 Northwest Lavender Fields to Visit This Summer
Skagit Valley’s Viva Farms Wants to Create a Strong and Just Food System
International Mermaid Museum Opens in Westport Washington
Temperate Habits: A family-owned brewpub in the heart of Mt. Vernon
Chimpanzee Northwest: A Sanctuary of Hope, A Home of Love
Celebrate the Beauty and Bounty of the Earth at FinnRiver Farms
Alexandra’s Macarons: A French neighborhood bakery, right in Seattle’s Central District
A haunting history at the Palace Hotel in Port Townsend
Edison, WA: Home of the infamous ‘Brewstillery’
Travel Pieces
As a travel writer, I have produced written pieces for publications locally and nationally including Alluring Travel, Europe Up Close, Food,Wine,Travel, VacationsByRental, Confetti Travel, Day Trips in WA, Cascadia Weekly, and MilesGeek. A few of these publications may have changed hands or are no longer are running as a publication due to Covid.
I enjoy telling the stories of the people we meet, places we visit, and connections made. Sailing and traversing the Salish Sea is especially rewarding and I hope my stories from aboard Selkie, our 36 foot Canadian Sailcraft, are just as fun and enjoyable!
Recharge Your Spirit, Refresh Your Soul in Westport, WA
Ahh, the aroma of that salty sea air hits my nose as we head West out of the metropolis of the city and along Hwy 101 towards the Washington coast. I stick my head out the passenger side window for a moment, like a pooch sniffing the wind. We are on a long-weekend. Destination is the cozy, little beach town of Westport.
Westport is a fishing town, through and through, with a quieter beach area than some of the larger resort towns near by.
On an Incoming Tide, We Arrive In Friday Harbor
Numerous times I traveled to Friday Harbor, an eclectic town located in the middle of San Juan Island, WA, via the hour-long ferry ride from the mainland. But I had never experienced arriving by way of the San Juan Channel.
Our trip began with us hitting some very dense fog as we crossed the Strait of Juan de Fuca that morning. But as we entered the San Juan Channel and progressed north, the skies cleared a little. We began to see a shoreline of these rolling fjords making up this archipelago of islands. Treelines became visible and we became aware of the shoal of porpoise following us, just off our port side.
A Haunting History at the Palace Hotel in Port Townsend
A Road Trip of a Different Color; An Intro to Our Sailing Trip
Road trips hold a sense of anticipation and excitement for that unknown but soon to be discovered thing. Sometimes they open our eyes to new places and our hearts to newly made friends. If we are very lucky, they open us too, to new possibilities and perhaps to dive within ourselves.
I am embarking on a road trip of a different sort, aboard a sailboat, and I invite you to come along! If road trips are to be like human wings then doing it by sail is the purest form of flying. The wind is literally beneath your wings and sails.
An Island Getaway to Whidbey Island
Honoring A Way Of Life
This is a cultural story illustrating traditions, ritual, and deep, deep ties to ancestral ways played out annually during the Canoe Journey and Potlatch of the Coast Salish people. One of my biggest honors to write about this cultural event of inclusion and brotherhood.
Medium Articles
As a freelance writer there are many outlets and avenues to share our written work. I write some blog posts over at Medium.com and Vocal.media. They range in topics but mostly highlight life now and in the present.
Massage Therapist in the Time of Covid-19
Here you will find my account of being a massage therapist during this unprecedented time. This has been viewed and shared over 8k times on Medium.com.
LBGTQ
One of the verticals I write in from time to time is the LGBTQ vertical. There are articles shared here from publications such as Well+Good, LGBTQueeries, and a few from my blog on Medium. Maybe even an excerpt or two from my upcoming collaborative work and book, Parent to Parent; Raising transgender Youth.
Unconditional Love For Parents of Transgender Children
Article written in Well+Good
Becoming a parent for the first time filled me with a jumbled array of emotions—excitement, awe, and even a little worry. Would I do this right? Holding my newborn baby and looking into those deep, dark eyes, I simply fell in love. Everything else fell away. Love became the groundwork in which our new relationship would grow.
Most parents hold expectations for their children—at least, I have not met one who does not. Perhaps it is for our child to be successful in a career and financially prosperous. Perhaps the expectation is for them to love and be loved. Or maybe it is purely the hope that they will grow up to be happy.
These article’s are in conjunction with Pride month and takes a look at different issues from the inception of the gay rights movement to today’s LGBTQ+ struggles as well as the pros and cons of corporate sponsorship.
The Day I Picked Up His Banner and Walked with Him
A Mother First, Gay Rights Advocate Second
A Landmark Victory
Six Degrees from Stonewall Riots