128 years later it is our turn. Realtors at Island Group Sotheby’s International Realty are confident that this is an ideal and welcoming location for marketing island properties.  Some places are known as spots where people gather, and this is one.  A warm and welcoming interior reflects through the wavy windows of the past and reminds one of our intimate ties to the sea.  Here is where all-night festivities known as “fishermen dances” occurred when the fishing fleet was in, a place with an excellent pool table that beckoned travelers.  In real estate it is said that the three most important elements of value are 1.Location  2.Location and 3.Location.  It is also said that the only constant is change.  We embrace both of these concepts now that the boxes are all unpacked and the files have been tucked away.  Here is a picture of how our office and Spring Street appear today. Our signage will go up soon on the building with the curvy top, and a new era will begin.

It didn’t take long for me to start collecting examples. For our first night at dinner we ended up at a local restaurant which I considered fairly spendy. To the contrary, my friends thought the prices were not expensive but ordinary, and they raved about the service. One sunny day we boated up to Stuart Island on glassy waters of perfection. I was pointing out that people live year round on Stuart, without electricity, land line phones, ferries, or any amenities. I got a question of, “Why would anyone want to do that?” And “How lonely that would be.” As an islander, I could give several reasons why but instead I thought about how much I personally would dislike living in an urban setting, commuting to work, and shopping at a mall. It is not that I do not shop. Few of them had turned to the internet and explored EBay to the extent that I had.

At my home, my friends seemed curious and delighted that I had several acres and a garden. My long, winding, and dusty driveway probably seemed like a backload adventure. I’m sure they had expected a much larger home than the scaled-down modular house that my husband and I love. He had spent the day mowing the large lawn so people coming to supper could enjoy the area around the pond and walk about as the day cooled down. Although our guests ate on our outside deck, they did not venture any further than the distance between the parking area and the front door. We had such a good time full of laughter, but I believe that if islanders had been our guests things would have evolved differently. They would have scattered all about the acreage, some eating on the grass rather than in chairs and many of them asking about the plants and trees and fish. They would have eaten a lot more dessert, too, I think.

Now that my college friends have gone, my good island dog that goes everywhere with me is much happier. He just hates a change in his routine. I felt a bit of a tug when their ferry pulled out, wondering when I would see them again. I couldn’t imagine feeling enthusiastic about their return drive south in traffic on I-5. My conclusion was that where we end up living does shape our interests and attitudes, regardless of our personalities.

It was an island wedding, with guests from afar and just down the road. A home-grown island girl and the guy she met at college were getting the royal send-off. But first, the energetic band was going to play the music that seemed to suit all the generations present: Rock and Roll. Little girls in pretty dresses flounced around in their filmy skirts and boys in cowboy hats jumped up and down to the beat on the wood floor that had been put together for the day.

It felt like the old island, when people came together and knew just about everyone because there were so few people residing here. The Gigantic Garry Oak trees that the first farmer had left in this field stood over it all. This family farm had been owned by several generations of the same family The beautiful bride in her ivory satin gown had been married there under the trees in the exact same spot as her parents were wed. I thought how proud her grandparents would have been of her on this day. Everything seemed to have come full circle.

But those obvious reasons are not what I think is the true gift of the tourist. The true gift from the tourist is seeing our island in a fresh way through their eyes. You can catch a glimmer of their excitement as they jump around at the ferry terminal, hardly able to contain themselves at the trip on a ferry. On the boat they may bring cameras, binoculars, or simply stand on deck for the entire trip. It takes the boredom right out of you if you are a frequent rider.

When tourists arrive by walking off the ferry, they appear to be in a state of surprised shock. They are finally here! They cannot believe it! They are looking about deciding where to go first. They are asking silly questions like “When do the whales go by?” They want to know where to get the very best hamburger. They ask you if you live here “full-time” and gasp when you say yes. Where ever they are from it is not here, and their joy in our island lets us appreciate anew how truly lucky we are to reside here. Seriously, let’s face it islanders, we were nearly all tourists here before we became residents. The tourist is a gift to remind us of what brought us here and what made us decide to stay.

But I am going to stay on San Juan. I can live here within this more mature population without feeling like I am old as mud. The things I like to do, learn about, and participate in are likely to be available because other people my age have similar interests. If I go to join a group of people, it will be easy to relate. If I’m looking for a certain kind of product or food in the stores, I’m likely to find it. If I feel like taking a break, I’ll watch town life from one of the many benches.

San Juan County topped the Washington state’s 39 counties in health rankings. It feels healthy to live here, where there are no freeways or industries to pollute the air. That means that it’s OK to poke around in your car on the two lane roads since the speed limit doesn’t go over 45 anyway. We don’t worry about crime or safety so much as they do on the mainland. There are lots of good things about being a small place with little anonymity. The sheriff will know you, your car, and your kids. He will wave.

I appreciate some of the things from my generation that I find in this older population. People here usually open doors for each other; they take time to listen and seem in less of a hurry. They seem non-judgmental and value the differences between people. And that is what is fine about being old in Friday Harbor.

Another agent’s Seller came into the real estate office and saw me and called me by name. We chatted about nothing important.

A young man that owned a BIG truck parked next to my car looked out a window to see me outside, loading up my French Bulldog on the passenger side of my car.  He came outside to offer to move his vehicle so I wouldn’t have to struggle to open my driver’s side door.  It was my fault; I’d parked too close to the line.

A gentleman that I did not know opened the door to the grocery store for me, although his arms were full of sacks and mine were empty.

The woman in line to buy groceries said, as she paid the clerk, “Easy come, easy go, I guess” and, although I didn’t know her, I said that I could understand the “easy go” part but what was that about “easy come?”  She laughed and suggested that it should be changed to “Hard come, easy go.”

Then, at the video store a friendly clerk helped me by recommending her favorite western movie. She got up from behind the desk and went over and found it on the shelf for me. As it turned out, my husband’s basketball team in Seattle had beaten her high school team in an important game and she remembered that well, although it had happened forty nine years ago.  I took the movie home and my husband and I watched it with great enjoyment.

It occurred to me that you do not have to be an astronaut to see that in many ways it is a small world with connections like spiderwebs between people and places all over the island, the state, the country, the world.

It was just another Monday in my hometown and I think there is no better place on earth for me to have chosen to live my life.