Story by Jessica Peterson

Envision exploring old-growth forests, unchanged by human hands, beautiful as they have always been, uninterrupted by people for miles. The backpack, at 35 pounds, carries two days worth of food and supplies. No cell phones, buses, school, work or e-mails. Nothing but nature and some well deserved quiet.

Story by Amber Rucker

Within the tall, white walls of the Green Glass Frog Studio, three women sit chatting and holding pieces of glass up to the light. Anne Burns and June McKay flip through patterns before starting their first stained glass project. In between picking out colors for their patterns they chat about daily issues like their gripe with texting. McKay wonders why her grandson sends her texts instead of just calling her. She holds up a pink, opaque piece of glass to fit her pattern. This is a typical scene at the Green Glass Frog, where people can gather to work on stained glass projects but also discuss life issues.

Story by Alex Roberts

The stars have played an important role in human history. Their positions in the sky have helped navigate, determine time and hold religious significance. But now that the population has spread into every last available piece of land on earth, seeing the stars is becoming a luxury of the past.

Story by Jen Sawyer

A dark room is instantly illuminated by a simple flip of a switch. A compact fluorescent light bulb in an overhead lamp fixture supplies the light. As the bulb begins to fade and slowly burn out after 10 years of faithful service, it is time to replace the energy efficient light bulb with another. Climbing a short ladder step-by-step, reaching out to grab hold of the extinguished bulb, and twisting it free from the light socket – where does the bulb go now?

Story by Brett Flora

Pablo Picasso crouches in his underwear. The grainy black-and-white photo reveals a hodgepodge of scribbled lines, hand-painted plates and a half-naked Spanish painter.

What in the world is going on?

Story by Patty Hastings

Colleen Carrol, at 120 pounds, launches herself 30 feet into the air on a daily basis. The Bellingham Kite Paddle Surf (BKPS) shop manager and certified kiteboard instructor, tucks her blond hair behind her ears as she describes the dangers of the water.

Story by Elise Harrington

After waiting in line for 40 minutes and being patted down for drugs, I slip through the crowd, dodging dancing people as I make my way to the stage to see DJ Lovebug and Wheelz vs. Check 6. Electronic music blasts from every direction. The light technician projects visuals onto a screen while other lights bounce over the crowd. People walk by in outfits made entirely of fishnet stockings and bright beaded bracelets. They wave glow sticks to the beat of the music.

Story by Julie Franz

“You can start to see them now. Can you see them?” Jay Allyn asks the group as the kayaks descend into the bay, away from the bright lights of Taylor Dock.Each swipe of the paddle through the water activates the dinoflagellates, and leaves blue-green glowing streaks in the paddles’ wake. Schools of fish swarm beneath the kayaks, excited by the sudden visibility of the microscopic organisms. The vibrant light of the dinoflagellates is bright enough to make the deep dark waters somewhat visible to the paddlers.

Story by Mitch Olsen

Sunlight cascades through enormous bay windows, setting the room ablaze with the glow of sunrise. The fiery light acts as a guide, a road highlighting a hierarchy of important tourist attractions. The sofa, coffee table and the corner of the room are magnetic with its warm, golden hue. Although it seems natural at first, every aspect of this lighting was calculated to elicit a response. Calculated to give direction the moment someone steps through the door. Calculated, because in the world of architecture, light is king.

Story by Andrew Cederlind

Computers can do just about anything for us. We can grocery shop, video chat, read the news, do online banking – all without leaving our black swivel chairs.

Seventy–four percent of adults spend time on the Internet. For most people time is the only thing computers take back in return for their services. For some, however, computers take more than that, and without warning; they take one of the most important senses – vision.