It's now down to between 1 and 1.5 percent. Former Chicagoans Mary and Art Lumkes contributed to those statistics. They visited three times in the 1980s, looking for a retirement place with water, mountains and a moderate climate. They settled there in 1990. When we moved here, it was pretty basic.
Stores have better merchandise and more choices.
Although they planned to retire, they haven't. Mary Lumkes owned a local needlepoint shop for several years, and now she works front desk for Inns at Friday Harbor. Art Lumkes has a private guide business, driving visitors around the island in a 1965 Lincoln convertible.