Thursday’s news…

It was pretty cool to see Laura & Phil the other night at the Dust Busters...

There’s a wind advisory for the day (hit the weather button on the masthead for details), so batten down, baby…let’s see what else is up:

Even yogacats like Zumba (I'll doublecheck with Cynthia, but I'm pretty sure that's right.)

• Put it on your calendar – Cynthia at XYZ Movement Arts has a free Zumba class for the equinox on the 21st to celebrate the change in seasons…here’s more.

• Looks like someone is fixing to remodel & move into the old Mystical Mermaid spot on Spring Street – we’ll keep an eye on that.

• The funeral service for Jason Brockman is today in Bellingham…condolences to Darlene & his family.

• It’s this weekend: Daylight Savings Time kicks in on Sunday morning. You know to set your clock an hour ahead, right?

There are a lot of smiles when Christiane Biermann & Darlene Wahl get together - Christiane was on the island this past week with Charlie & Elsa, so they met up with me and Darlene (with Ingrid, who Charlie slipped a few fries) at Vic's....

• Kurt Wenner lives on the island…did you know that? (Thanks, Dan!)

• Amanda Brast got her driver’s license yesterday – way to go, Amanda!

• Richard Rodriguez reports some GPS problems on the water – here’s the deal from his blog. Solar flares?

Irish tunes at the Theatre tomorrow!

• The Irish Music Camp’s concert is tomorrow night…this is one of the don’t miss deals of the year, as the Camp celebrates its tenth year…I know every year I’ve gone it’s always wonderful. Here’s more about the show at the Community Theatre.

• Baseball & softball signups are this weekend (remember the full story?) Kris says here’s the deal:

Set your clocks ahead and mark your calendar. Friday Harbor Baseball & Softball Assocation wants to remind parents and children that baseball & softball tryouts will be held, rain or shine, on Sunday, March 13th at the elementary school fields beginning at 12:30 p.m. Those children wanting to be placed on a softball or baseball team should attend; those signing up for coed rookies or t-ball do not have to attend but are encouraged to turn in their signed paperwork and payment any time during the day.

Full tryout details, board member phone numbers, and registration forms are available at by visiting www.fhball.org. If you want to pre-register a link is also provided at that site.

This bike could be ours....

• This is going to be fun – here’s more from Tracy:

NEWS FLASH: Free Mountain Bike Raffle open to event attendees only, drawing will be at noon. Bicycle (pictured above) courtesy of Travel Light Cycles!

The Bike Paths group is excited to announce the Bicycle Tune Up and Warm Up event scheduled for Saturday March 19 from 10am to noon at the Elementary School play shed.  This free event is open to children and adults new to bicycling as well as seasoned riders.  Bring your bicycle and helmet for a variety of fun stations providing basic maintenance, demonstrations, Q & A, and hands-on bike mechanics.  Both of the local bike shops, Island Bicycles and Travel Light Cycles, have generously donated their time to help get you rolling. Activities include tire repair, brake adjustment, bike and helmet sizing and fit, creative all weather gear, and a children’s tune up station.  There will be a variety of safe cycling educational materials and maps.  A limited supply of helmets will also be available for a suggested donation.

Legends on the island....islander Mike Cohen is a folk legend in his own right, so it was cool to have his brother John (he was with the Lost City Ramblers in New York in the folk revival days) here to play tradiotional music with the Dust Busters. It was an awesome chance to hear some real-deal music with great musicans, right here on our little island.

Get a jump start on the bicycling season!  After the Tune Up, it is our hope that you will enjoy the opportunity to head out for a warm up ride on your own or with friends.  Route suggestions based on skill levels will be provided.

The Bike paths group is part of the SJ Island Trails Committee, both part of Island Rec. Learn more about us at: http://sanjuanislandtrails.org/biking/, or Contact Island Rec at 378-4953 or www.islandrec.org.

• Get your datebook out – Dot has news about next month’s Garden Club meeting:

The San Juan Island Garden Club will meet on April 5, Tuesday at the Mullis Center from 1:00 – 2:30 p.m.

Stellar sea lions last week...photo by Jim Maya.

Our wonderful speaker will be Richard Anderson, one of the partners of Westcott Bay Cider. In 1999, he planted and still maintains over 1000 trees in his Westcott Bay Orchard.

Please join us to share Richard’s venture at establishing the orchard and its fruition as he describes it reaching maturity.

• Over at the Fairgrounds tomorrow, the Mostly Middle School Players from Spring Street International School will present Much Ado About Nothing…the show’s start time has been changed from 6pm to 5pm to make it easier for Orcas & Lopez friends to come….

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