Living the Lummi Life: Make No Mistake
USA
Just to have an imagination like this! I wonder where the world would be if each of us could foster a future finale from a fleeting feeling - the kind that flimsily arrives and flees faster than it first came, but one that fuels a fire of desire that demands and forges fulfillment. For him, the nidus was one weekend. At the tender age of ten, two days of bliss at a friend's cottage gave birth to the vision of this beach home that’ll drop your jaw while filling your heart with feeling uber blessed.
Situated at the tip of the spit, the waterfront views are generous from almost any angle. The property is one of the prettiest I’ve seen, making me want to find jobs where I can blog about baller pads and handsome homes. I suspect that would also entail needing to travel to discover (and hang out in) them #livingthelife.
A gentle awe mounts with the sight of floor to high ceiling windows, layouts that lean into the light and custom designs that are as creative as they are tailored, like a signature that showcases personality, status and what one stands for. Make no mistake, this is no ordinary cottage.
I’m honoured to have an annual summer weekend on Lummi Island. Whether its ribs or salmon, home made pasta or pizza, steaks or stuffed chicken, shakshuka or pancakes, aged gouda or organic berries, the foodie in me is beyond satiated. Her cooking is also a talent that’s subtle and sturdy, steering you through the spontaneous suppers and snacks. I’m always wondering how she manages to be so efficient and chill as she creates her dishes, where the fresh ingredients appeared from and how succulent the spices seem. It’s a bit of a trade off though. Having her crab cakes for example, leaves me sullen to seek out any second place substitute. Afterall, we went boating, caught and cleaned the crab then stuffed that freshness into the self-made recipe. Make no mistake, these are no ordinary crab cakes.
The views alone make any misery melt. Colour schemes scream “this is my favourite hue” while the overall style balances grand with comfy, contemporary with warmth, avant-garde with ageless, vintage with new. Kitchen cabinets open like Ferrari doors, displaying the delightful designs of thematic culinary ware, reminding you that you’re living the life, on a beach getaway. And if you happen to be boating to a sister island nearby, a flick of a button can remotely turn on the pizza oven, security system, blinds, mood lighting, surround sound music and locks.
Despite the high tech, it’s often in the low tech moments I really relish, resuscitate and relinquish. It’s how nature is such an elemental part of this experience - the backdrop on which a solid story of the sanctity of life and the sharing of legendary moments with loved ones is invited to be written then iteratively re-remembered.
Healing is to be had on tap, literally and figuratively. The example of the outdoor shower is a space they mindfully engineered. Here, I linger longer in the elements with hot water cascading down my body as I dreamily look out to Nature’s painting in progress.
Titrating temperatures to perfection, my eyes soak up the horizon, the softness of the setting sun and the stillness of the water as my hands work in some luxurious bath products aligned in branding and scent to the scenes that are swallowing up the stress and soothing the soul - I feel so spoiled as I slowly slurp this all in. It slowly sinks in: they have consciously crafted and continue to catalyze these experiences for me, as part of their extended family. Make no mistake, this is no ordinary generosity.
Interestingly, where they’ve chosen to situate this sanctuary aligns with the vision of community building. The petite island is reachable by a tiny ferry that tick tocks back and forth every twenty mins during most waking hours. Neighbours too uphold their reverence for that ‘far-from-the-city-island-feel’. Of course, this is in part due to the community’s water testing association, local children’s summer theater, farmers markets, quaint restaurants and specialty stores that don’t need a name since they’re the only fish in the sea, not only proverbially. While those elements are more prone to reproduction elsewhere, what I want to see photocopied is the real sense of co-created community. In our attempts to progress, have we passed over this piece de resistance?
One of the blessings of the annual invitation is that each cycle introduces me to other families. By virtue of our overlaps at Lummi, we’ve adopted each other too - now they’ve become part of my tribe, or I an extension of theirs - definitely not an easy feat in today’s times. Together, we frolic, focus on connection and feel the vibe of ‘being part of their family’. Over the years, we’ve had our fair share of fun. Paddle boarding, kayaking, hiking, boating, tubing, electric biking the perimeter of the island, chilling in the hot tub, island hopping, DJing our own dance parties and more. The architecture of this boutique beach home embellishes the built environment, no doubt, but the real gem comes from how it catalyzes the culture that’s created therein.
I love the moments where we bear our souls at fire side chats, in the hot tub or around the kitchen table. We can’t be raw and real with everyone, but here, there’s space, place, TLC and a genuine care and curiosity to let you let loose. Likely because of this, the magic of this place becomes exponential. Make no mistake, this is no ordinary experience.
Indeed, the design of this place leaves no room for want. From form to function, fantasy and future proofing, they’ve thought of everything, and then some. But this is all just the cherry on top - well, ok, maybe a bit of Michelin star ganache icing too.
Undoubtedly, the real-meal-deal is from the heart, soul and spunk of the hosts. Between the two, I sometimes try to pick who I love more, and in the end, realize that my loyalties land with both of them (even though she's def my homie). The gifts they give are indeed the retreat that rejuves the aches in our overscheduled lives, but more so, the way in which we all feel: somehow it seems that surely I am their bestie, the fave, the one that they’ve been waiting and wanting to share all this with …
It’s how they make space for me in their own home and the milestone moments that take up their bandwidth. I’m welcomed into their world in such an authentic, wholesome, solidly standup and meaningful way, yes yes, all of this in a venue that leaves me pinching myself to make sure this isn’t a just a dream. How do people design their own lives in such a way so as to add such sweet value to mine just by virtue of being invited in?
Make no mistake, this is no ordinary reality but, indeed, it ought to be the only one we all sweat and strive for.
May we be worthy of a warm and wholesome welcome into the world of others,
Amazing rhetoric and wonderful experience. Loved reading it.