The first thing that jumps at you when you see Susie “Sooz” Mansueto’s tiny wood dwellings is the whimsy — bright, lovely designs that instantly put a smile on your face. But pause to study them, and you realize there’s something much deeper going on — poignant even, as you start reading a phrase painted […]
Rodika Tollefson
An award-winning writer who lives on the Key Peninsula with her husband and three sons. She is a contributing editor and blog manager for WSHG, and also writes for several local publications and produces videos. Her work has been published in regional and national publications; she also writes for companies and organizations. She holds a bachelor’s degree in journalism from the University of Alaska Anchorage, where she received the Outstanding Journalism Graduate of the Year award; she is also a graduate from the University of Washington’s Master of Communications in Digital Media program. (See WSH&G Contributed Videos)
Posted inFood & Entertainment
El Sombrero — A Taste of Mexico on the Key Peninsula
The Key Peninsula has seen its share of restaurant comings and goings over the past decade. But the Mexican restaurant El Sombrero, which opened in Key Center eight years ago, feels right at home amidst the rustic charm of the Peninsula — never mind its off-the-beaten-path location. “The Hat,” as some locals have nicknamed it, […]
Posted inFeatured, People & Places
Expressing Native Tradition Through Contemporary Art
While many artists excel in a variety of mediums, it’s rare to meet a master who is equally talented as a woodcarver, jewelry maker, painter, glassblower, printmaker and sculptor. For Larry “Ulaaq” Ahvakana, that’s not even a complete list. Known nationally for his sculptures — especially animals and Inupiaq figures — the Suquamish artist has […]
Posted inFeatured, People & Places
Spreading Joy and Merriment Year-Round
Many people who own pets in Kitsap or Mason counties are familiar with Jeff Berger — especially if they take their pets to Christmas photo sessions at the Kitsap County Humane Society or the Humane Society of Mason County. To them, of course, Berger is known as Santa. For years, he’s been a fixture at […]
Posted inFeatured, People & Places
Green.House Restaurant — Fine Dining for the Whole Family
Gig Harbor’s Green.House has all those things you’d expect from a fine-dining restaurant: classy décor, white-linen napkins, elegant food presentation that makes your mouth water. But don’t worry if you don’t feel like changing out of those jeans, or hiring a babysitter, for that matter. This is a place where both casual attire and children […]
Posted inFeatured, Food & Entertainment
ChocMo — An Ever-Evolving Bistro
Poulsbo’s ChocMo is a business that never stands still. From its original beginnings as a tiny chocolate shop, it has evolved into a full-fledged restaurant that continues to surprise. Case in point: A new lunch menu being introduced this fall that takes the focus off sandwiches to include more entrees. Keeping up with the tradition […]
Posted inFeatured, People & Places
One Man’s Junk — An Artisan’s Treasure
When Jeff Yeager goes to a garage sale, he heads straight to the pile of unsightly junk — old toolboxes, rusty equipment, obsolete metal parts and the like. To the untrained eye, it all looks like a heap of unusable thingamabobs. But Yeager is like the proverbial kid in the candy store. “I always want […]
Posted inFeatured, Garden
Living Machines — Innovative Technology Turns Water into Renewable Resource
Located on the opposite ends of the Greater Kitsap Peninsula, Bainbridge Island’s IslandWood and Key Peninsula’s YMCA Camp Seymour share many of the same goals. Both offer environmental education and outdoor programs for children, and both are focused on sustainability. One of the unique features that both locations have in common is a Living Machine […]
Posted inFeatured, People & Places
The Sentinel of Yesteryear Still Beckons Visitors
Long before American ports became a major part of a burgeoning transportation industry — and before roads became as common as Northwest rain — Puget Sound was a bustling maritime throughway. The gateway to Puget Sound for all the ships too large to enter Deception Pass was Admiralty Inlet, where the Point No Point shoal […]