Stan Mathews tells me there are a bunch of changes at the County – here’s the deal: May Brings Many Changes to County Staff Retirements and reassignments are changing the face of several county departments. The most visible changes occurred April 29th when Public Works Director Jon Shannon stepped down, and County Engineer John Van  Continue Reading

Let’s see what’s up, good friends: • The Family Umbrella Group’s Luncheon & Auction is today…here’s the writeup from last week (scroll down a bit) when you planned to get your ticket, and today’s the day! • Just got a note from India that my good friend Janet Thomas caught the royal wedding at Westminster  Continue Reading

On Saturday there are a couple of separate evenings planned to help raise support for local schools….here’s the scoop for Paideia School‘s event Saturday night, followed by Spring Street International School‘s Auction & Dinner: A Night of Family Fun: Paideia School‘s Hoedown We’re celebrating ten years of classical education with a “Hoedown Under the Stars”  Continue Reading

With royal weddings & basketball playoffs & hockey playoffs & all kinds of other things going on, let’s don’t forget that there are people hurting in the South, where those tornados tore stores & houses & dreams from their foundations and scattered them across the countryside. Most of my family graduated from the University in  Continue Reading

Let’s see what’s up: • Couple of chances to catch good music this weekend, at the Rumor Mill – Rewind (Tom & Tami Doenges, and Kate Schuman) play Saturday night at 7pm, while Kate plays with Keith Busha on Sunday from 6-8pm. See ya there! • You know the Health Fair is Saturday at the  Continue Reading

Here’s Eva Cassidy with Sting’s Fields of Gold…

Theresa Mathews tells me that everyone’s favorite hairdresser has been out of work for a month & a half, and probably won’t be back in action for another couple of months or so…can you help? Here’s more (and thanks, Teresa, for your good heart in letting us know!): Connie Auge experienced a life threatening illness,  Continue Reading

They’ve been meeting at the Library for ages, and they’re ready for you to drop by. Bring your knitting & meet the Chix with Stix in the meeting room from 10am-noon every Monday. They’re going into their third year, and everybody’s welcome. Athlene tells me they sometimes have as many as a dozen folks come  Continue Reading

It’s the Bare Naked Ladies, on a cruise ship…having a great time:

Well, the sun’s out & the sky is blue, so it’s time for paddling, too! Here’s more from Martha, as they get underway this week: You don’t have to go to Hawaii to paddle a Hawaiian-style outrigger canoe!  The San Juan Canoe and Kayak Club has a Youth Paddling Team. From April 28th to June  Continue Reading

My friend Dot wants us to know: The San Juan Island Garden Club will be meeting on May 3 at 1:00 pm at the Mullis Center.  The featured speaker is Barb Jensen.  Topic is an update of the Western Bluebird restoration project.  Please contact Joyce Harrell 378-6146 or Dot Vandaveer 378-8360 no later than April  Continue Reading

There are a lot of cool things going on around here…check it out: • On Friday night there was a little crowd of folks celebrating at Haley’s, so I checked in on them – turned out one was Sue Olson, who was on-island to celebrate her 40th birthday! You’ll remember her dad Frank Kelly, who  Continue Reading

I love it that there are people like Stephanie (she works at Harrison House/Tucker House) who think up ideas like The Great Island Cleanup & then make them happen – it’s people like her who make this a great place to live! Thank you, Stephanie! She filed this report about how it all turned out:  Continue Reading

I saw ace FHHS teacher Greg Sawyer Saturday night at the prom, and he told me the good news – in a couple of weeks he’ll receive a new kidney, as a matching donor has been found. The donor is a friend (who says they’d rather be kinda quiet about it), and the years-long search  Continue Reading

Saturday night you could hear the music… This year’s prom was held at Downrigger’s, so Josie & I went down to check it out. The restaurant was a good choice to stage the event, as there was room for food, room for Mark Gardner to shoot photos, the dj kept things hopping and the dance  Continue Reading

A little sprinkle & a little gray didn’t keep zillions of island kids & their mamas & papas from descending on Jackson’s Beach to look under logs & around the sand for eggs, and more…sponsored by the Fire Department, this annual hunt has happened for a couple of decades or more, and is a decidedly  Continue Reading

years ago, when I went to university there was this poem, scribbled & sketched & written on a scrap of paper on the wall in the first room i ever stayed in away from home i remembered it so i could read it my eyes closed, and my heart open here it is, as words  Continue Reading

This song kinda goes with the kinda week I have ahead, where things that usually make sense are a little mixed up & maybe even confusing, but if you back up a bit & smile while you’re reflecting on things, seems like it all comes out OK. Sure hope yours does. Mixed metaphor, you’d think  Continue Reading

Let’s get up-to-date with what’s going on ’round here…people gonna read this today & think all we do is eat around here: • It’s the 30th, not this weekend (like I said earlier this week)….Remember I told you that on Saturday -  Pablito’s hosts Jesse Berube & Nickie Davis for an evening of ukeleles, fine  Continue Reading

Time to plan the birthday cake. Then plan how many mouths can we feed. Really. As the sun rises on our beautiful island, I hope you have good & meaningful things planned for this day celebrating the planet that holds us, that sustains us, that offers us the wonder of the colors of changing seasons,  Continue Reading

There are just two weekends left for Island Stage Left’s production of “Trying,” and people are loving it. Here’s Louis O’Prussack’s take on the show: Going to the theatre in New York usually requires a large commitment of time and money, with no guarantee of a great performance. Yet, the potential for seeing a play  Continue Reading