On Cold & Dreary Northwest days.....

It is always good to remember that other places in the world, the sun is shining, the water is warm, and summer just goes on and on.....

This is a photo of Ko Podah off the coast of Krabi province in Southern Thailand......and folks wonder why we want to retire to Thailand in 9 years ??? uh...Hellooooo!

Tomorrow It All Starts again.....

So here it is the last day of March, and tomorrow Holly B's Bakery opens for the season, and here we go on another spin of the Tourism merry-go-round! Although the weather is mostly still grey and cold, we have seen our first spandex cycling pants of the season. Bucky's Grill opens on Friday, and for those of us who rightly believe that the Fries there are the BEST on the planet, it is a red letter day!

I found this terrific photo of Lopez on the web, I like the "hand-tint" coloring aspect of it...it conveys some of the mystery and changeable nature of the island.

Life On Lopez

"So what's it like to live on a small island....Is there anything to do???"

I cannot tell you how many times a day we Lopezians get asked those questions. What's it like...hmmmm....well it's wonderful and frustrating, sometimes peaceful and quiet, but NEVER dull. We live our lives, go to work every day, see friends and neighbors all day long, take our dogs for walks on the beach, hang out at coffee shops and the Library. We have dances, concerts, plays, lectures, and movie nights. We curse the ferry system, while thanking our lucky stars that we can live in a beautiful setting that's hard to get to. We hunger for any kind of Asian food, especially sushi! We pay our bills, and nurture our kids and senior citizens. We grouse about the weather, be it too hot, too cold, too rainy, or too grey. We read voraciously, and our library and bookstore are always full of clients. We read theNew York Times, both online, and in-hand. We laugh and grieve, sometimes at the same time. We have the most amazing potlucks on the planet. It's just...well....life.

on a small island in the middle of an inland sea....

What a winter....after reading my friend Kira's blog, I figured it was time to get off my ass and start blogging as well. So much heartache these past few months, so much loss. And of course the older we get, the more prevalent it is. Thank god for the love and support of a small community of like-minded folks....we all prop each other up in these trying times. When a community like ours loses so many friends in a short period of time, it feels like the end of the world, but we all put extra effort in working through these troubling times, and in the end emerge stronger, with greater sense of purpose and resolve.