You will see when you pull off of the ferry that Friday Harbor is a ‘main street” town without any parking lights, overpasses, or four lane highways. When traffic gets busy and the ferry needs to unload in the summertime, a real person often directs the cars with a whistle and their arms. There are no pedestrian lights, either. Jaywalking is not unheard of and usually doesn’t get a second glance. There is a four way stop and people actually take turns with going through it. Often people in crosswalks will motion for a car to go ahead … read full article

I remember the first time that I saw the shore of San Juan from a boat. I squinted to try to get a closer image of the houses that I had only seen from driveways in my car. How different everything looked from the water! Homes with docks and boat moorings and front patios on the water side seemed to have a secret life on the side that faced the Salish Sea. Long and winding wooded driveways visible from the interior of the island led to sparkling shiny homes with boats at the ready to escape to Canada’s … read full article

This weekend was the 20^th annual San Juan Island Artists’ Studio Tour, with sunny weather and friendly artists welcoming visitors into their studios.  This happening started in 1990 when nine artists got together with the idea of having a free tour in Spring weather to give island residents and visitors an opportunity to see where they worked and what they had come up with over the winter.  The idea was not to sell artwork, but to inspire others.  Since that time the original concept has remained the same, but the increasing number of artists coming to the … read full article

 It is said that our ties to the past are a road to the future.  Our real estate office has moved to a new location which dates back to 1883.  This was back in the times when Spring Street had a real Spring flowing down it.  Our new address is #1 Spring Street, a great location which is close to the water and ferry terminal.  The building was first used as a Green Grocer.  In 1894 Jack Douglas took over the ownership and it became Saloon Best.  (See photo below, from the University of Washington Libraries Special Collections … read full article

This summer I had a reunion with nine of my sorority sisters from college in the sixties. None of them lived on this island, or any island for that matter. (Unless you count Mercer Island, which has two floating bridges on it) Seeing them again after as many as forty years was amazing. Of course the memories came flooding back, and it took very little time before we were back to the same easy communication we had shared for four years of living together at the UW. Mostly their personalities seemed unchanged, and they probably thought the same … read full article

The field had been mowed and the fragrant hay was rolled up into huge circular bales, wrapped in white plastic, and stacked out of the way. The gate to the field was open with several acres for cars to park. In one corner there was a barbeque going full force and there were tables laden with food and coolers full of wine and soft drinks and water. The day was sunny and bright and many guests choose to relax in the white tent that had been rented for the event.

It was an island wedding, with guests from … read full article

Roundabout the end of July, the people on San Juan Island can start getting, shall we say, a tad bit irritated with the tourist congestion. At our island, the ferry lets cars and people off in Friday Harbor, our main town. All the cars unload and drive up the main street past all the businesses. So, when the ferry unloads, it might be a wait at the grocery store or a few times around the block to find a parking spot right adjacent to where you want to go. The beautiful thing is that we island residents are … read full article