The move to Whidbey Island

First Street in Downtown Langley, WA

Invoking the pioneering spirit of our ancestors, Melissa and I made the hop off the mainland to Whidbey
Island at the end of October 2013. We found a humble home in Langley, the 'Village By the Sea'.

 I will always think of the time I spent in Seattle fondly, and of course to Melissa it will always be her childhood home.  We will never really leave Seattle entirely, as we have a myriad of friends and favorite places to visit; not to mention the Seattle Sounders.  Still, it was time to make the bold move to pursue our mutual dream of establishing a homestead and farm.

Now that we've settled into our new lives in Langley and entered into the new year, we are forging ahead with our plans to make Flying Bear Farm into something that will nourish our family and enrich our new community.  Our search for a permanent home continues onward, but in the meantime we will take root on a 1/4 acre plot of land generously donated to us by the local Chocolate Flower Farm.`On this site we will grow flowers and produce for the Langley Farmers Market and for our wedding clients.

It will be an exciting and challenging season in our newly adopted home. We face a limited water supply on our plot that will require us to be creative with our irrigation system.  Balancing the day-to-day work at Useless Bay Coffee Co. while helping Melissa establish our business will also be interesting.  Even so I can't help but face these challenges with a great big smile.

 - Ben