Bugging You From San Juan Island

Cow and Pig Welcome You to the San Juan County Fair

Just what exactly is it that makes this island so magical? Quite possibly it has something to do with advice a friend gave me shortly after I moved here.  “Be yourself…doesn’t matter who you are or what you do, just go with it!”  I’m sure there are limits with that statement because obviously it’s not a green light to go and break all sorts of laws (look what happened to the Barefoot Burglar)…but if you wanted to paint your house purple OR decorate your lawn with a Cow and Pig, you’d fit right in!   Ok, so there are a FEW people on San Juan Island who might get uptight about that sort of thing.  Some of them recently complained and got the “Free-pile” shut down.  That wasn’t nice.  I suppose those are the residents who might be better off re-locating to where I came from….”homogeoamerica” – land of the McMansions, McTidy lawns, McWalmarts, McEscalades, McCoffees…..AND McFootball!

Okay,  well so there!  I said it!  I’d had enough of what I left behind, so the quirky-ness of the island I readily embraced.  And the people here…well, some of them might be “quirky” too, but I wouldn’t interpret that in a derogatory way.  That person who has the wacky yard ornament might be the first person donating time and effort to raise money when your loved one is sick in the hospital and can’t work.  It might be the guy with the freepile who donates artwork or organizes the community to raise funds for the school, or the person with the purple house who offers to drive your elderly mother to the grocery.  And without a doubt, it means that someone waves to you when you drive into town or stops to pick you up when you have to hitch because your car is in the shop.  It means you get a hug at the post office…or a pat on the back and “how are you?” at the grocery store.   It’s a community of folks who care…in a BIG way!

So…about where I started with Cow and Pig?  Well, they’re inviting YOU to the San Juan County Fair.   Come see for yourself how nice folks here are!  August 17-20, gates open from 10am to 9pm.