How are your travel plans shaping up? How about Alaska? Australia? Or, closer to home, how about Lopez Island?

Do you know there is a site called Vacation Rentals By Owners (VRBO.com) and you can go to the site and check out what is available at almost any place in the U.S. and, it seems, the world? You don’t have to be a member to just browse, and the price per night or week or longer is posted.

Wonder why I bring this up? Well, family members that lived on Lopez (The Tower House) needed to move to Friday Harbor and that left the Tower House ready for possible vacation rentals. The problem was, getting the word out.

Well, the long and short of it is, this site is like having a professional property manager working just for you. People make inquiries, make reservations and can sometimes even talk to the owners (via email or phone) to negotiate a time or special needs (like is it baby friendly with high chair, etc.). Cool, huh? Just needed to share this travel perk I learned about.

And, if your travel plans include being home in and around Hansville these coming months, maybe it’s time to join the Hansville Memoir Writing Workshop. Your children and grandchildren will treasure the stories you have to tell about your parents, your growing-up years, your school experiences, and even about your early married years. We get together on the first and third Monday of each month (unless a holiday takes precedent — like Labor Day in September).

This group meets September through May. The first meeting of this year’s sessions start on Sept. 16 and we gather at the Hansville Community Center at Buck Lake. First time you come is always free, so check it out. It’s a fun group, both men and women, and we do gentle critiques (not criticisms) like “What year was that” or “How old were you then,” and have very lively discussions. We meet from 2-4 p.m. If you need directions to the community center or have a question, email me at welltoldtales@aol.com.

Another thought: Hasn’t this been a lovely summer for our flowers (and weeds)? The yards are all so beautiful and prolific with color. Makes you smile just to see them when you drive by. Thank you, everyone, for giving us this visual joy and for all your hard work.

Now, as the fall weather sets in (well, it’s not quite here but we know it’s coming), it’s time to get out a good book (have you read “Project Emily” yet?) and know spring is just a few months away.

— Contact Donna Lee Anderson at welltoldtales@aol.com