They are artists and authors, newcomers and natives, world travelers and neighborhood anchors.
And while they come from different walks in life, these women of Shelter Bay now share a common path guided by friendship and mutual support.
They are the Mucklettes, a devoted sisterhood that began among neighbors on Muckleshoot Circle and has since welcomed members from other sections of the local residential community.
“One thing I know is that anybody on that circle can put out an SOS and somebody will be there within five minutes,” member Mary Newby, formerly of Burien, said during a recent Mucklettes monthly luncheon at the Waterfront Café.
The Mucklettes represent neighborhood mapping at its best. Members know one another’s unique skills and needs should an emergency arise. But it’s their availability – eagerness, actually – to pitch in with everyday tasks that is the group’s signature aim.
“If anyone needs prescriptions picked up, a ride to the store, or any other kind of errand done they know someone will be able to help,” said Carolyn VanderVegt, who grew up on Pleasant Ridge, graduated from La Conner High, and is retired from the Skagit County Treasurer’s Office.
She moved with her husband, Ron VanderVegt, to Muckleshoot Circle a few years ago from Bradshaw Road northeast of town. The VanderVegts never felt isolated living in the country, but they now realize how much synergy is present in tight-knit neighborhoods like Muckleshoot Circle.
English-born Margaret Carpenter Arnett, at 90 years young, has enjoyed the camaraderie on Muckleshoot – dotted with nicely landscaped lawns and sweeping views of Skagit Bay – for more than two decades. During summer months, she has kept up with neighbors while outside on walks and working in her garden.
Carpenter Arnett credits neighbor Trish Anderson with keeping folks connected through inevitable changes.
“Trish had the idea that with new people moving into the community that we should get together for lunch occasionally and get to know each other better,” Carpenter Arnett said. “It’s been a great way to make friends and build relationships.”
Starting with a handful of members, the Mucklettes now number more than two dozen. They book the Shelter Bay Community Clubhouse or restaurants like the Waterfront Café that can accommodate a group their size for festive get-togethers.
“We make time for it every month,” Anderson said. “It’s kind of like a class reunion.”
The women converse over lunch on a variety of subjects. Their respective life stories may often be among the more interesting topics.
Roberta Gregory is a critically acclaimed comic book writer and illustrator who has her own Wikipedia page. Her many professional honors and awards include induction into the Women Cartoonists Hall of Fame.
Anderson, who grew up in Oak Harbor in a Navy family, is the daughter of a Pearl Harbor survivor. Her dad, Glenn Lane, was blown off the doomed USS Arizona during the attack that plunged the United States into World War II. Lane immediately swam to the USS Nevada, which in turn was hit by a torpedo and several bombs.
Famed broadcast journalist Dan Rather, who was then producing a special on Pearl Harbor, became aware of Lane’s experience.
“His publicist called and asked if they could include it in their documentary,” Anderson recalled.
Local massage therapist Mari Haworth lives on Swinomish Drive in Shelter Bay but fits in quite nicely as a Mucklette. Like Anderson, she is the daughter of a famous father.
Her dad, Joe Haworth, was a versatile actor who portrayed cowboys, soldiers and lawmen among other roles across four decades in television and motion pictures. He was a close friend and confidant of Academy Award nominee Robert Mitchum.
Carpenter Arnett was a nurse in London, where she trained at the school established by Florence Nightingale, universally recognized for having laid the foundation of professional nursing. Her sense of adventure brought Carpenter Arnett to the U.S., where she has tackled numerous careers, most notably as an artist, teacher, art therapist and writer.
Carpenter Arnett is perhaps best known for writing “The Art of the Inner Journey,” which addresses how the power of the unconscious can be expressed through art, and her remarkable memoir, “Invisible Threads,” written during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Her family couldn’t be happier with Carpenter Arnett’s living situation.
“My kids are spread out all over the world,” she said, “and it makes them feel so good to know that I have such good neighbors.”
VanderVegt’s anecdotes are especially valued by Mucklettes because they span accounts of growing up in rural La Conner with her global visits to iconic destinations like Rome, the bustling European capital known as The Eternal City.
Still, when vacations and trips wind down – no matter how fulfilling – VanderVegt and the Mucklettes feel blessed to return home among the best of friends.
“We’re so lucky to live on Muckleshoot,” Anderson said.
Charlotte Steinhorst, whose husband, Steff, is a retired La Conner Schools administrator and basketball coach, concurred.
“The Mucklettes are my second family,” she said. “I’d do anything for them, and they’d do anything for me.”
Bill Reynolds is a general assignment reporter for La Conner Community News.
