Thank you so very much, San Juan County road crew and passersby on the byways  for respecting my line of blackberries …

For 11 years I have been mowing the edge and trimming and tending them all year long. I am so very happy to see people walking safely along a very busy Hummel Lake road, and I do my best to hand-trim the long runners.

Recently I have had several tourists and such, parking in the berries and in my drive. This happens every year, and usually I just ask them to move.

And usually people are respectful.   People have not been respectful this year. So, yesterday I decided to flag the area.

It is very dangerous to park along Hummel Lake road … BUT most importantly parking anywhere on a county road is dangerous, and it is not legal to park in a private drive without permission.

All this blocks safe passage of walkers and bicycles.

Anyway. Thank you SJC road crew for waiting to mow the berries until the season is complete! Thank you for all the work you do to keep our byways safe and beautiful!

Let’s all be aware of how we walk and drive along our narrow roads and be respectful of the land and the “other”.

Aurore Maren

Lopez Island