Life on Orcas Island with Edee Kulper

An Interview with Andy Rivera

Andy is a high school English, literature, Spanish, guitar, drama, history, government, and economics teacher at Orcas Christian School, a repeat pilgrim on the Camino de Santiago in Spain, a 6-language polyglot, a guitarist, Choral Society singer, world traveler, and adventurer in all things human and divine.

An Interview with Davina Liberty

She goes by Liberty, and she lived out her list of hundreds of dreams by the age of 30. She has swum with orca whales in Norway, the only human to have been in a tank with 16-foot Florida alligators with nothing between them and her but a mermaid suit, she's a trained free diver, an equine therapist, a wing walker on small aircraft, a mountaineer, an author of several books, the only female captain in the San Juans, a naturalist, and has lived the life of ten people so far. She is currently practicing Italian every morning and in the middle of her 45th book this year. She writes book reports on Facebook each time she finishes a book. Her new list of dreams is on the horizon...

An Interview with Gordon Koenig

What hasn't Gordon Koenig done? He's a retired air tanker pilot, a band member in Olga Symphony and JP and the OK Rhythm Boys, a former dress store owner and cookie store owner, a ukulele instructor and craftsman (Barn Swallow Ukuleles), and the list goes on.

An Interview with Sara Pelfrey

Sara Pelfrey grew up in a Sufi community and is one of the kindest, least judgmental people you will ever meet. Her education from a young age included a thorough understanding of and respect for other spiritual traditions, and she still considers herself a Muslim today.

An Interview with Tenar Hall

Tenar is one of the few people you will catch a glimpse of out in the sea all year round, even in the cold, winter months. She circumnavigates Orcas Island in a day on her surfski, trains for competitions, and talks about being doggedly persistence over being blessed with a particular skill (though I believe she is an absolute phenom). She's a math lover and instructor, shares her stories of navigating autism, and attributes many of her academic strides to the magic of a gifted teacher in her youth.

An Interview with Bob Nutt

Bob Nutt is the kind of guy whose full life has led to having a plethora of skills. He's a farmer and raises sheep with alongside his wife on their Warm Valley Orchard, where they sell apples, peaches, walnuts, handspun yarn, handmade garments, and more. He's a volunteer firefighter with decades of experience, and has done everything from working in the geology field to teaching math to school kids. He just published a book written by his deceased neighbor, Barbara Humes of Warm Valley Farm across the street.

An Interview with Sam Blackman

Sam Blackman is an Entrepreneur-in-Residence at Google Ventures, Founder and Former Head of Research and Development at Day One Biopharmaceuticals, a retired Pediatric Oncologist, an avid writer and storyteller having won two of The Moth's GrandSLAM storytelling competitions, and he has climbed to Mount Everest Base Camp as part of a fundraising campaign to raise $1 million for cancer research at Fred Hutchinson Cancer Center, despite being scared of heights. This man's intense curiosity about the world knows no bounds...

An Interview with Frank Loudin

After making a living drawing intricate architectural renderings for big design firms representing everything from corporations with fancy building projects to the Port of Long Beach, Frank Loudin struck out on his own, painting scenes that made him famous in his hometown Catalina Island art shows. With his charming brand of self-effacing humor, he's also published two books of short stories while honing a darn good version of homemade pot pie.

An Interview with Bob Waunch

Bob Waunch is a retired fighter jet pilot and the founder of the Airhawks Flying Club for local pilot instruction and scholarships. He was pivotal in founding Mercy Flights for people who need non-emergency medical transport to the mainland, instrumental in founding the Orcas Island Community Foundation, and helped coordinate fundraising for the Orcas Island Medical Center. Add to that his myriad forms of generous support to various community entities while also helping support the local animal shelter in multiple capacities, and you have a man who makes the world better wherever he goes. And a kind, humble man he is.

An Interview with Ken & Karen Speck

Both Ken and Karen had phenomenal careers in radio broadcasting before moving to Orcas Island, where they shifted into real estate and philanthropic work. Have you heard of the island's Music Advocacy Group, Community Band, and Orcatrazz swing band? Think Ken and Karen...