our hareytale

The Story of Bunnies By The Bay

We grew up on Fidalgo Island on the West Coast of North America, surrounded by the tulip fields of Washington State and the waters of the Pacific Ocean.

Like many fishing families we knew the wonders, the joys, and, yes, the power of the sea. In 1983 we lost fourteen men and their two crab boats in the Bering Sea. These men included our father, uncle, cousin and childhood friends. It was a fishing tragedy that devastated our small town.

In the months that followed, our Gram, a seamstress, comforted us with stories about bunnies who lived in her garden. Sitting in her sewing circle, these tales helped to mend our broken hearts and soothed us to sleep at night. Soon we started making up our own adventures and sewing cloth characters to make our stories come alive. 

Fidalgo became “Cricket Island” and our imaginary friends were modeled on the brave people around us.

Almost four decades later we are still making our bunnies, and we remain on “Cricket Island” where our stories began. Our haven is a world of fishing, whale watching, and tulip growing, beautiful in so many ways. 

It would be delightful if you’d stop in and say “hello.”

Family is everything

Fishing and the seas have always been part of our family. See below for a few photos of our beloved family. Their memory and legacy is a part of everything we do, and woven into every product we create.

Bunnies By The Bay is Dedicated to our Gram, Elsa Atterberry.

And in Memory of:

The Altair - Captain Ron Beirnes, Jeff Martin, Tony Veinhage, Lark Breckenridge, Brad Melvin,Troy Gudbranson, and Randy Harvey.

The Americus - Captain George Nations, Brent Boles, Larry Littlefield, Paul Northcutt, Jeff Nations, Victor Bass, and Rich Awes.

And lastly to our baby brother Tony Beirnes.

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