Dear Reader,
It’s fascinating to think back to March of ’99 when I came to America with my parents, six suitcases in tow and about four learned phrases in my pocket: hello, goodbye, please and thank you. Though I’m fluent in English now, the occasional accent slip still reminds me of those years I was frustrated with my broken English.

THE UNLIKELY WORLD OF SURFING IN THE PACIFIC NORTHWEST
Story by Sakeus Bankson
Photos by Jake Bankson
It is 31 degrees and I am about to go surfing.

I’m standing on the expansive sands of Hobuck Beach, at the most northwestern point of Washington, in the thickest wetsuit commercially available, complete with gloves and a hood. My booteed feet crunch in the frozen grass as I hold the board I rented in Port Angeles and try to convince myself it’s a good idea to get into the water.

WHAT TO DO WHEN YOUR BONG BREAKS
Story by Liza Weeks
Photo illustration by Jordan Stead
The breaking of a bong is a sound every stoner dreads. It can happen a number of ways: A happy dog’s flicking tail knocks it off a coffee table, a drunken fool loses grip and it shatters on the floor, the owner breaks it while trying to clean out the musty-smelling resin that builds up inside. Regardless of how it happens, hope is not lost — broken bongs can be put to creative use.

BOOZED UP AND READY TO BRAWL
Story by Michelle Naranjo
Photo illustration by Jordan Stead
It’s a Saturday night and downtown Bellingham is bustling. People are looking to play after working hard all week. Some prefer to have a few drinks and hit the dance floor to let off some steam, while others just end up hitting other people.

MAKING THE TRANSITION TO FLUENT ENGLISH
Story and photos by Sarah Richardson
Ten years ago, Jose Cruz walked into Barnes and Noble and bought three English language books. After long shifts at a Mexican restaurant in Lynden, Cruz would sit at home for hours studying his books and looking up the meaning of new words he encountered at work. This is how Cruz learned to speak English.

BREAKING FREE FROM RELATIONSHIP ABUSE
Story by Marianne Graff
Photos by Jeremy Smith
Dark purple bruises, unsuccessfully hidden behind dark sunglasses, makeup or long sleeves, are considered the telltale signs of domestic violence. Yet for the women who experience domestic violence, abuse can extend far beyond the physical. Breaking the silence and seeking help is just the beginning of a journey to freedom.

BREAKING DISHWARE BRINGS JOY, REMEMBRANCE TO CELEBRATIONS
Story by Rachel Lerman
Photo illustration by Jordan Stead
Usually breaking dishware is a cause of frustration — an appropriate time to curse and mourn clumsiness as another plate hits the floor. In some situations, dishes are broken out of joy, remembrance or hope.

A PHOTOGRAPHIC STORY ABOUT TRAINING A COLT
Story by Nicole Strep
Photos by Jordan Stead
Wearing green patterned boots, a pair of metal spurs that jingle as he walks, a crisp black cowboy hat and a well-worn pair of faded blue jeans, Mac McLeod looks the part of a movie cowboy. He grew up in the panhandle of Texas, training and showing horses until he moved to Ferndale in November.

IS BREAKING THE SEAL A REAL PHENOMENON OR JUST IN OUR HEADS?
Story by Raymond Flores
Photo illustration by Jeremy Smith
I’m sitting on a wooden picnic bench in the World Famous Up & Up beer garden, surrounded by a haze of cigarette smoke and the smell of beer. My two best friends and I are on our third pitcher of Milwaukee’s most award-winning brew, and then I feel it. My bladder has reached full capacity.

LABELS CAN DEFINE PEOPLE’S EXPERIENCE OF DIVORCE – BUT THEY CAN’T ALWAYS DESCRIBE IT
Story by Gina Cole
Photo illustration by Jaynie Hancock
When a marriage isn’t working, when fights are an everyday soundtrack to spouses’ or children’s lives, in cases of truly irreconcilable problems such as abuse or abandonment, home is far more broken before divorce than after it. The family may have been physically together, but the people in it were shattering. After a divorce, they call fixed what society calls broken.