The moment I stepped out of the shower, I knew something was up. I could hear both my doorbell and my phone ringing, with a few new message dings immediately following, just for good measure. There must be a whale on our beach, I thought. I have the best neighbors. We all try to share those kinds of moments with each other.

I ran downstairs, dripping water onto the wood floor all along the way. It was my good buddy and neighbor, Rich Yates. What he said next was something I never expected.