It should come as no surprise that 2026 was another fun year with family and friends on Washington Island, that relaxing place North of the Tension Line. As usual, at the end of the week we lined up for a group photo to record all of our smiling faces.
Although there’s a core group of family and friends that shows up most years, it’s always fun to see who else might make their way across Death’s Door to join us. Confucius said, “All people make us happy; some by arriving, some by leaving.” On the Island, all make us happy when they arrive!
To see how the group changes from year to year, let’s slowly march back in time from 2025 – 2017.
I don’t remember why, but for some reason we went to Washington Island twice in 2022, once in July and once in August. Taking two vacations in the same year was quite a challenge, but somehow we did it!
Not even COVID-19 could keep us from celebrating our annual trip to Washington Island, but only a dozen masked men and women and one unmasked dog were brave enough to join us that year.
The photos from 2020 – 2017 were all taken in the party room at the Whippoorwill. Look at that lovely carpet!
The 2018 group was the largest that I remember. There are 40 happy folks in this photo and I think that one or two left earlier in the week.
Although I have taken many group photos over the years, it was not yet a tradition in the early days so some of those gatherings were not documented. Also, I was only able to join the group a few times during the 25 years that I lived and worked in Portland, Oregon. But, to put the most recent years into context, I thought it would be fun to include a few long-ago photos. So, let’s continue back in time. . .
In 2013 we all joined the Official Washington Island Fishing Team. I’m not sure why we were all wearing those wool hats!
In 2007, the founders of the Washington Island Summer Vacation Trip, Mary Ann (Min) and Harold (Pudge) Sustachek, celebrated their 50th Anniversary.
In 1980 most of us made the Official Washington Island Olympic Fishing Team! It was a long trip to Moscow but those Russian bass didn’t stand a chance.
This photo from 1972 was the oldest official group image that I was able to find. It was the only year that my dad joined us. I think he came up for a few days with Louie and Kay Noppe. He’s holding a very young volleyball player! Have fun trying to identify some of the other people, especially the kids.
Note that, like the 1980 photo, this one was also taken in front of the Solnedgang, which was one of the cottages owned by Harold and Edith Flath. For quite a few years we rented an entire row of cottages from Flaths and took over the whole place.
I should finish this post of pictures with a couple from my very early years. I don’t know who took the photo below on the left, but I know that in 1967 I rode up to the Island in a fast convertible driven by Pudge’s friend Vince Sienko (we’re the first two in the back row). Friends Gil and Marian Jensen and their daughter Vicki were also there (they’re the three on the right side of the group). You can probably guess that the three on the left side of the first row are Steve, Min and Pudge.
The picture above on the right was taken by none other than Pudge. 1968 was the first year that I was lucky enough to bring Kathy along with me. We only had time to come up for the weekend so we drove up on Friday after work and caught the midnight ferry from Gill’s Rock. We then drove to the Hansen Cottages, where the Jackson Harbor Ridges are now located, and slept in the car until everyone greeted us. The island must have made a great impression on her because we got married 3 years later and have now been married for 55 years. If I could sign up for another 55 years with her I would do it in a heartbeat.