We recently returned from a vacation to an idyllic place. Such a trip allows for retrospection and fresh ideas. This trip gave us even more. We met up with friends who gave our time there meaning and an enhanced awareness of who we are and why we travel. We met them many years ago while […]
It sits off the road—settled in the trees, about a mile from downtown Langley. You might miss it if you didn’t know it was there. The entryway is nondescript, matching the peacefulness that permeates the neighborhood. We spent over a year on the island without knowing a cemetery was nestled in the forest behind the […]
Meet Larry. With two different colored glass eyes, askew on opposite sides of his small head, he stares out at the world from his humble perch. He’s not glamorous, but maintains a sense of dignity. We first met Larry at an antique store in Anacortes. Lined up on a high shelf with other antiques, it […]
A new year. New adventures. New people to meet. We still love it here in our new home. As we take stock of 2023, we have an extensive list of people we are thankful for, things we are proud of, how we have taken steps to care for others and our planet, and the causes […]
The day glistened, with light dancing off Penn Cove’s deep blue waters. It was a cool afternoon on Whidbey Island, but the sun’s rays penetrated through the calm. Out on the water, looking at the rolling hills and tree lined land off in the distance, I couldn’t help but think of Grace. Grace, who set […]
An early morning excursion brings us to the Coupeville ferry terminal, waiting for the next available transport off-island. Having passed the palatial farm estates and rolling fields along Ebey’s Landing, we drive by the glassy water of the National Historic Reserve. Driftwood and large rocks dot the shoreline, and the cool, misty morning conveys a […]
It has been raining every day…and every night. And we are happy about every drop. To us, this means climate change doesn’t have quite so much control over our existence. It means we are having some semblance of typical seasonal weather. It allows our environment to be refreshed and regenerated. It gives us hope that […]
The light clouds shield us from the sun, and a gentle marine layer hangs over Puget Sound. Down a nondescript, residential street, we had driven to a parking lot full of spaces for oversized vehicles, but empty in the early morning. We made our way a short distance, passing an abandoned general store, sagging under […]
Vibrant warm colors, soft velvets, and intricate details. It felt delicate in my hands as I unwrapped it from the safe plastic box in which it was lovingly housed. Unfurling it, I tentatively held in front of me the unfinished quilt started by my fourth great grandmother, Sophia (née McBride) Murphy. It had passed to […]
“You know you’re in a good place when you see ice cream everywhere.” Those were the wise words of a passerby, noticing the delicious ice cream scoops we were enjoying. A beautiful sunny day had brought us to La Conner, Washington, about an hour-and-a-half drive from Langley, up through Oak Harbor, and to the mainland. […]
The forest drives never fail to take my breath away. The raw beauty that surrounds the roads is something I rarely experienced in suburban Southern California. Weekend drives were usually spent going coastal or to the mountains, with the surrounding landscape a desert chaparral, filled with dark brown and grey hues. On Whidbey Island, the […]
Originally from Ireland, unique circumstances brought my fourth great grandparents Francis and Grace (née Mullen) McCrohan to Australia and its New South Wales penal colony in the 1830s. Their daughter, my third great grandmother Elizabeth, was born in Australia and married her Irish husband Thomas Nunan there. By 1858, circumstances had changed and Francis and […]
We did it and we are celebrating! Our first year in this beautiful place has yielded new opportunities, new friends and a renewed view on life. What was once important has been replaced with a focus on working to live, enjoying our environment and setting goals related to our impact on this community. We are […]
A yellow film coats everything, from the outside of the car to the windowsill. It blankets the driveway as a visible snow, floating lightly to the ground. Springtime and summer in the Pacific Northwest couldn’t be more different than Southern California. For those who are allergy-prone, this means bracing yourself for all that the seasons […]
The first time I can remember crossing it, I was in awe. When I was little, I crossed over it many times and my mom would retell its story and the importance of it, just like her father did for her. I just never really focused on it as a child. It took on new […]
Grandma Bernie was the only grandparent I ever knew. She had a wicked sense of humor and loved me because I was her beloved son’s daughter. My earliest memory of her is a trip to Disneyland with my dad grumbling at my grandma because her footwear for the day was completely inappropriate. That was Bernie […]
With the winding road taking us through dense forest, we caught occasional glimpses of sparkling blue just beyond. Hidden for most of the journey, it was only as we were right upon it that it came into view — Lake Crescent. At the foothills of the Olympic Mountain range, nestled within the peninsula, this glacially […]
We have a lot to be thankful for this year, taking a large leap and fulfilling a dream. Some of it was well-orchestrated, some just pure, blind good fortune. All of it leaving us with a feeling of satisfaction, contentment, and joy that we are here in this beautiful place. There is a past and […]
I’ve been told I first “met” her when I was a baby and she gently tossed me around a bit. I of course don’t remember that meeting, but I do distinctly remember subsequent visits and phone calls. My great Aunt Marge, Marjorie Eleanor Nunan Dyer, was my grandma’s sister. She was a strong, stoic, and […]
Happy birthday Dad. I’m here! It took a while, but life got in the way. It’s been a very good life with a loving family. The dream of coming here began to form years ago when you would tell me about your childhood and the beauty and peacefulness of this place. I knew if it […]
We live on an island. One connected to the mainland by two ferry routes towards the southern and middle part of the island and a large, iconic bridge located to the north. Getting “off island” requires preparation, whether that’s budgeting time to travel the approximately 30 miles of state route roads to Deception Pass Bridge […]
Coming to Whidbey Island, I knew there was a small-town appeal. Neighbors greeting each other on walks, locals enjoying coffee at their morning hangout, and a general sense of connection and support. That’s why, when we learned about the Welcome the Whales parade, there was no question about it, we were going to the annual […]
Sunny skies greeted us our first week in Whidbey. Coming from Southern California, we’d been warned about drizzly Washington weather. Fully prepared for gloom, we were pleasantly surprised to experience back-to-back days of warmth and piercing blue skies filled with puffy, cotton ball clouds. As we continued to acquaint ourselves with the island, we decided […]
After many days spent moving into our new house and figuring out a routine, we needed a vacation. Living out of a suitcase and traveling from hotel to hotel over the course of the past month had taken a toll and we figured we’d earned a day of play. We had also been introduced to […]
“I always get where I’m going by walking away from where I’ve been.” — Winnie the Pooh They say to take the road less traveled. I’m not sure Interstate 5 qualifies, but that’s where we found ourselves in spring 2022, beginning a multi-day, three-state drive to Whidbey Island, Washington. Months of epic planning had brought […]
It approached dusk and the daylight started to fade. With the recent memory of a delicious, warm meal of shrimp and clams on my mind and the melodic sound of the car wheels on the road, I sensed myself being softly lulled to sleep. Staring out the window, listening to Bruce Springsteen’s ballad to the […]
My ancestors immigrated to Whidbey Island in the late 1850s. Taking circuitous routes from their native Ireland, through the Australian continent, to the shores of North America, they came from modest backgrounds with the little they brought with them. These were gritty, resolute people, determined to make a go of it in a new land. […]
My breath fogged up in front of me as I left the warmth of the car. The heavy raincoat I was wearing was no match for the morning and did little to stop my shivering. Traipsing through the wet grass, I made my way past the leaves and pinecones, acutely aware of my shoes absorbing […]
