Lopez Village is a quaint little enclave of shops and restaurants, potently expressive as the inhabitants who run them. To the shopping obsessed, that's all for you. Run to catch the ferry before it leaves you behind. For those with an eye for landscape, and a heart for place, Lopez unfolds like a richly woven blanket. Ochre-hay piles that dot the pastures in the setting sun are as peaceful a sight as you might see in the 21st century.
Dogs stop and start and twirl and bark at the silent hand commands of their owners.
Jugglers, too, flock to the island for a summer juggle fest with flailing, flinging and flaming objects that obey the silent hand commands of their owners as well. Pay your respects to the pioneers of Lopez at the cemetery adjacent to the church. The timing of your trip will determine what rhododendrons are in bloom and how long the shadows land from the steeple and gravemarkers. Light and shadow are a big part of Lopez beauty. The subtle beauty of a weathered bench in a clearing, the soft palette of ripening fruit, stones on a beach, the shadow of a hawk circling overhead.