As our group wandered through downtown Bellingham, Washington, my college friend’s teenage daughter gently tugged on my sleeve. She had spotted a small ice cream shop and wanted to conspire for a taste, so we nipped in. From an assortment of creative and exotic ice cream flavors we selected honey lavender and then rejoined the others, who were settled outside a nearby creperie waiting for their treat. Such meandering is how most people pass a typical Saturday in this bayside town. We had come for a reunion of college friends to celebrate a milestone birthday and found an interesting complement of four villages that came together in 1903 to create the northernmost city in Washington. Situated right between Vancouver and Seattle, it is a place for shopping, learning, outdoor recreation, and gastronomic delights. We were only there for a weekend but decided to dip our toes into each. In addition …