First, let me acknowledge the obvious: this blog and website have been languishing for some time. It is important to us to keep it up to date for many reasons. The problem is that that our lives have been so busy that there hasn’t been time to write what we have been up to. Ironically, if we did fewer things and had less to write about on this blog then there would be more time to write. But this isn’t likely to happen any time soon. Another problem is that we now have a big backlog of blog entries and photos to publish. This will get done in time, but the best thing to do now is just start writing now.

We are currently staying at Friday Harbor Laboratories for 10 days. It is a privilege to be here for many reasons. First, simply to be a part of FHL. This is our third time here. Chris came here for a month in 2004, during which Melissa visited for a long weekend. We returned for a month in October, 2011 with Everett, who attended Alphabet Soup preschool while Melissa worked on her dissertation and Chris worked at the Whiteley Center. Now we are here with Teddy & Gwen. Second, to have the opportunity to work in the Whitely Center, which is where Chris is working while we are here. Third, to be able to spend time on San Juan Island. This place is heaven for us, though not necessarily in ways that we can articulate or that would make immediate sense to people outside our family. It is reminiscent of the line from Which Way Does That Old Pony Run by Lyle Lovett: “What’s riches to you just ain’t riches to me.”

Gabby and Grandaddy arrived on Monday and are leaving this afternoon. It has been great to have them here with us, taking part in our adventures. Last night all of us had a fantastic dinner at Downriggers. We recalled having dinner with Grandaddy somewhere downtown in 2011 but couldn’t find the restaurant on this trip. Then we checked the blog and realized that it was the same place, but looked different because it burned down in 2013 and reopened in 2016. Particularly memorable were the Dungeness crab tater tots and a charcuterie plate as appetizers. And the fact that the kids got to go the restaurant with Chris in the rowboat.

Photos of the trip so far are here: http://gallery.dromomania.net/Travel/2017/Friday-Harbor-2017