A Beach Kitty on Raccoon Island
I have more Vashon Island pictures to share! First, a view from the cabin we stayed in. We rented our cabin from one of those rental websites where owners can rent out their cabin directly instead of through an agency. The cabin we stayed in belonged to an artist named Christina Nichols and the cabin was decorated with her work. She does really beautiful monotypes. I tried to find her art website so I could link to it, but I couldn't find one. Vashon seems like a place that is very artistically inspiring because it is a place that is calm and lovely to look at.
While at the cabin, we befriended a cat! This cat had three names: Beach Kitty, Island Cat or Kitty Friend. We never learned her real name, or the name her people gave her. She seemed to have a happy life wandering the shores, scratching on drift wood, and befriending out-of-towners.
And now more pictures of the actual beach!
While in Vashon, I read the local newspaper and learned about a local controversy: raccoons! The raccoons are adorable, but they are wreaking havoc on farms and in neighborhoods. So does cuteness trump their tendency toward destruction? Opinions differ! I too, am torn. The article mentioned that a group of raccoon thugs broke into a women's house and in the process killed her cats! That is the type of behavior that even the most adorable face in the world cannot justify. But their less murderous mischief is easier (At least for me, a non-victim of their mischief) to look past, especially when I get a look at an adorable raccoon. On Vashon, what makes the raccoon issue especially divisive is that while some islanders have to deal with the raccoons destructive behavior jeopardizing their livelihood (Vashon is a farming community), other islanders are feeding the raccoons.
For my trip, I happened to pack a t-shirt that has a picture of a raccoon on it. At heart, I really am a raccoon fan. But after reading about the controversy, I decided I would not wear my raccoon shirt while on Vashon. I did not want to get any dirty looks from the anti-raccoon faction of Vashon.
But I think some of the residents of Vashon are less afraid of conflict than me. While in the car driving to a hiking spot, David and I saw a teenage girl dressed up like a raccoon, walking along the road. She was wearing a raccoon tail and a hat that looked like it was suppose to represent raccoon ears. We admired her outfit then made some jokes about how she was the raccoon queen. Then, a little further down the road, we saw another teenage girl walking the opposite direction also wearing a raccoon outfit! At some point during their walks, they were going to meet. At the time, David and I thought the two girls did not know each other and that they would be surprised to see another person dressed as a raccoon. They might even have to battle over who is the true Raccoon Queen. But maybe they were actually friends and they were dressed up as raccoons to protest the cruel treatment of raccoons. Maybe they were meeting so they could start a protest together.
While at the cabin, we befriended a cat! This cat had three names: Beach Kitty, Island Cat or Kitty Friend. We never learned her real name, or the name her people gave her. She seemed to have a happy life wandering the shores, scratching on drift wood, and befriending out-of-towners.
And now more pictures of the actual beach!
For my trip, I happened to pack a t-shirt that has a picture of a raccoon on it. At heart, I really am a raccoon fan. But after reading about the controversy, I decided I would not wear my raccoon shirt while on Vashon. I did not want to get any dirty looks from the anti-raccoon faction of Vashon.
But I think some of the residents of Vashon are less afraid of conflict than me. While in the car driving to a hiking spot, David and I saw a teenage girl dressed up like a raccoon, walking along the road. She was wearing a raccoon tail and a hat that looked like it was suppose to represent raccoon ears. We admired her outfit then made some jokes about how she was the raccoon queen. Then, a little further down the road, we saw another teenage girl walking the opposite direction also wearing a raccoon outfit! At some point during their walks, they were going to meet. At the time, David and I thought the two girls did not know each other and that they would be surprised to see another person dressed as a raccoon. They might even have to battle over who is the true Raccoon Queen. But maybe they were actually friends and they were dressed up as raccoons to protest the cruel treatment of raccoons. Maybe they were meeting so they could start a protest together.