Two Private Tours in One Day

On May 19, as crowds on the lawn at Van Damme Park enjoyed Day in the Park, the FHA’s tour committee had the inaugural run of its new format for group tours. Two groups of about a dozen each were led off to see what our unique lifestyle has to...

Eelgrass, a whale of a plant

Biochemist and marine biologist Michael Konrad of South 40 Pier sends along the following natural history of one of our most important neighbors, eelgrass: Life began in the ocean. Then continents generated by tectonic plate movements gradually became hospitable to life, and some living organisms migrated onto this new dry...

Small animal neighbors on our docks

Living on the water means having animal neighbors that land residents infrequently see. The terns, gulls, egrets, herons, pelicans, and cormorants are familiar to us all, and if you live near deeper water, you may see seals. Schools of small fish swim in both shallow and deep water around our...

Dwell Features South 40 Home

A spectacularly remodeled floating home on South 40 Pier is profiled in the August issue of Dwell Magazine. The Seneca, which was featured in the FHA’s 2021 Virtual Gala and Tour, is owned by Marka Hansen and Joe Brubaker, who teamed with Sausalito designer Michelle Chan and Steve Crutchfield of...

A Father’s Day Sail

Renaissance man Davey Jones of Main Dock is the proud owner of the Black Cat, a 16’ gaff rigged catboat built at Spaulding Wooden Boat Works. Having lovingly restored her, he wanted to take her to the Master Mariners wooden boat show at the Corinthian Yacht Club last Father’s Day, June...

Gramps to the Rescue

When power went out on South 40 Pier during the recent spate of storms, just after midnight, PG&E announced that it might not be restored before 10:00 p.m. on the following evening. Joe “Gramps” Tate, who lives in an ark that sits on pilings just off of South 40, fired...

Literary Laurels for Locals

This fall, Georgia students participated in the annual Reading Bowl challenge, which invites students statewide to read all the Georgia Children’s Book Award Finalists. I was lucky to zoom into Media Specialist Abby Shapiro’s library to meet her reading club members and talk to them about my children’s novel, Muffled....

South Forty’s Online Gallery

Inspired by the long-running Artists@Issaquah and shaped by the pandemic, SoFo Gallery is a monthly virtual platform for residents of South Forty Dock to share their art, writing, short videos, riffs, and photos. The site provides an opportunity to get to know another side of our neighbors—from the other side of...

Ron Rankin, 1938-2021

Ron Rankin, a resident of South Forty Pier for over 40 years, recently passed away. Ron was a true gentleman, a friendly neighbor, and a very generous man. His global philanthropy included support for better wages and working conditions for the poorest of people and promoted holistic land management practices...