Wow and whoa. What a year. And yet, despite global and local issues conquering the news, many of the most popular topics are more timeless. Bicycling on the island continues to leave the rest behind. The island’s geology isn’t topical, but draws crowds. Various descriptions of housing and affordability chronicle the persistence of the need and the concerns. While health remains an issue, it’s the post from years ago that is referenced; as compared to the monthly pandemic updates which are less likely to get concentrated traffic because each is superseded every month. The three prominent newbies are: the late 2020 post about Drewslist (the local email-based community board), the National Scenic Byway designation (which is obvious to many who live here, and may have moved here for the scenery), and Big Boats (our local example of the world’s supply chain issues.) And, why the interest in 2018? Those posts have been up the longest, so they accumulate the most traffic – at least for now.

• Bicycling Whidbey Island (2018)
• Drewslist (2020)
• Glaciers Carved Whidbey (2018)
• Affordability And Puget Sound Islands (Spring 2018)
• Big Boats In The Backyard (2021)
• A National Scenic Byway On Whidbey (2021)
• Following The Money (2018)
• Healthy Whidbey (2018)
• Whidbey Is Changing – Langley – (Fall 2019)
• Whidbey Has Faults (2018)

Old news can become new. New news can become usurped. High-Speed Internet may have dropped because it is commonplace. Cascadia and its politics ride with societal currents. And posts that are more evergreen (like Tides) may fall in the ranking but not in the need from folks affected, like sailors, commuters, and waterfront home owners.

As for 2022? Ha! The last several years have proved that guessing the future is even sillier than before. In the meantime, enjoy the island!