I’m writing to express my gratitude to Ron and Mary of Orcas Village Store. I have a son in the Navy who expressed disappointment that he would be missing Thanksgiving and his birthday for the fourth year in a row. After additional training, he is being transferred from Hawaii to Japan and was given leave for the month of December. We decided to postpone our traditional dinner until he was here, so ordered a turkey for pick-up on Dec. 1 after our return on the 7:30 p.m ferry. However, when we stopped by to pick it up, it was nowhere to be found. I was very disappointed and, although it probably wasn’t apparent, I appreciated the clerk’s calm and kind demeanor. I had chosen some wonderful looking candy canes while waiting, but left without them, as I had no turkey to purchase.

On Friday, Ron called. He remembered my request but in the holiday confusion had forgotten to order my turkey. He then offered me a turkey that had been in his refrigerator for a couple of days. I initially thanked him but said I didn’t want to make the 45 minute one-way drive to the market. Instead, he offered to bring it to me. Not only did I end up with a turkey twice the size as I had ordered, but Ron also gave me a beautiful bouquet of Asiatic lilies and a cup full of the candy canes I had admired! As he refused to take any payment, I am passing that money on to the food bank for the Christmas holiday.

I love living on this island and realize more and more what a wonderful community we have here. Thanks to the generosity of Ron and Mary, we were able to have a wonderful Thanksgiving dinner with my son.

Ann Peterson

Eagle Lake