When we homo sapiens’ settled down and stayed put to grow crops, we first did that to grow cereals and then we did that to brew beer (or something like it)! The Sumerians are credited with brewing beer as far back as 2800 BC. Beer is mentioned in the bible, by the ancient Egyptians, the Greeks and the Romans. In middle-age Germany the alms for the homeless included 2 liters of beer per day, for the kids too. Beer was considered safer than water back then. When the British invaded India, the sailors would not go without ale on the long boat ride. But ale spoiled. And thus India Pale Ale was invented, with lots of hops to preserve the precious libation. In the 1990’s we Pacific Northwesterners were in for a treat when the microbrew revolution came upon us and we didn’t have to be ashamed about American beer anymore.

I recently had the absolute pleasure to get a private tour of the production facility at the Pelindaba Lavender Farm on gorgeous San Juan Island.  The farm, it’s lovely farm store and visitor’s center are one of the main tourist attractions on San Juan Island in the Summer, however the production facility on site is not open to the general public.  We here at the Earthbox Inn & Spa source all of our body care products for our guest rooms from Pelindaba, because they are amazing, local, certified organic and a big plus--dispensing them in bulk cuts down on a lot of waste.  Especially important on a little island.  So I got to go see how all the good, purple stuff is made.

There is nothing like Summer on San Juan Island. The killer whales are here, sailboats are bobbing in the port of Friday Harbor, there are colorful arts festivals, delightful wine and spirit tastings, historical re-enactments, flowers stands and flourishing farms everywhere and the beaches, mountains and parks are just waiting to be explored. Here are five San Juan Island Summer activities not to be missed:

It all started with a selfie, when I was searching for a title picture for my article How to Plan the Perfect Girlfriend Getaway to San Juan Island. After asking Sarah, Lynette and Jill if I could use our pic, I suddenly missed them like crazy and decided to heed my own advice and plan a girlfriend getaway to San Juan Island.

In the sylvan heart of San Juan Island, overlooking a serene pond, in a cedar shingled house, overgrown with grape vines, find the Duck Soup. Duck Soup, now in its 39th year and originally built as a woodshed, has been a Farm-to-Table restaurant since long before the term was coined and is taking the concept to its next logical level.

Beautiful San Juan Island is nestled between the Olympic Mountains and Vancouver Island, just 65 miles north of Seattle. Precisely because of those mountains the isle enjoys a rain shadow and approximately 247 sunny days per year, making autumn the most astonishing time to visit. The hotels offer lodging specials, the restaurants proudly serve freshly harvested island fare. There are lovely shops, galleries and museums and you have the beaches all to yourself. But that’s not all. There is so much fun to be had on San Juan Island. Here are 10 ideas of things to do on San Juan Island in the Fall.

Perhaps you have been coming here since you were a little kid. Maybe you consider San Juan Island your home away from home. You have been on and off the beaten paths, know the hidden coves, the best place to eat fresh oysters and when the wildflowers are in bloom. But are you truly a San Juan Island expert? Find out with the ultimate San Juan Island Insider Test! Results are on the bottom. Have fun!

The Washington State Ferry and Kenmore Air’s Seaplanes land right on the shores of beautiful Friday Harbor. Everything in town from restaurants and museums to boutiques and galleries, are in walking distance. It is the loveliest past-time to stroll the docks of this former fishing village turned cute coastal town, go souvenir shopping, browse the many shops and ...

With kids in school and 9 to 5 jobs you are most likely going on vacation when everybody else is; in the Summer, on weekends and holidays.  Everything is crowded, takes a little longer and is more expensive. Not so on beautiful San Juan Island.

Nowhere is ecological fragility quite as apparent as on an island in an ocean sharing its waters with wildlife, recreation and industry. I was painfully reminded about this in the beginning of this year, when word got out that “Granny”, the oldest Resident Orca, went missing and was presumed dead. I celebrated my own grandma’s 95th birthday that day and couldn’t help mourning the loss of their matriarch with the Orcas.