Tuesday morning….

Art in action - it was cool to see Terry Ogle turning the wood from a fallen holly tree into magic on Monday...he was attracting a lot of attention, set up in the alcove of the building on the corner next to the ferry lanes, next to the Trading Company.

Let’s check it out – really feels like summer’s on the fade with the rain yesterday & today, and with the sounds of it through the evening…let’s see what’s up:

The crew at Haley's came out to sing "Happy Birthday" for fellow worker Brad on Sunday night - wahoo!

• I love it when things overlap – someone on the ferry Sunday asked if the killer whales still come out in the rain, and Colleen at San Juan Safaris addressed that on her blog yesterday. (Thanks, Colleen! You saw a LOT of wildlife yesterday!)

Not unless they have their umbrellas…. 🙂

• It’s been two months since the Rumor Mill opened, and what a difference a place can have on the feel of a town. There were some real risks that Peggy & Oren took on when they tackled the challenge of re-opening, re-designing, re-everything the place into its new incarnation in time for the Fourth of July…and they pulled it off, giving visitors & islanders a steady dose of live music and a pleasant place to hang out. Way to go, you guys!

So...just park in the street...

• Won’t be able to park behind King’s Market today….the airport‘s working on their paving job, too, till Friday.

• The Wolverines got off to a nice start for football season – cheer coach Deanna Banry told me Saturday that the team looked good in beating La Conner 29-8, and that the cheerleaders did a super job, too!

• One of my pet peeves that you’ve heard me occasionally rail about is the bit with Canadian money – some stores in Friday Harbor actually have signs saying they won’t take Canadian currency.

It’s always struck me as nutty & counter-intuitive to be set up for business here on the border, putting some time, effort & money into inviting Canadian friends over to visit, and then turning away someone who has a $20 bill in their hand.

Sign in the galley on the Chelan: Why make the food if you're gonna tell people you don't want their money?

In fairness, I do want to note that there are a number of folks who DO take Canadian money in town, too – and kudos to you!

But it really surprised me that the galley on the Chelan which is the ferry for the international run won’t take Canadian money – that just seems wrong, as well as a business practice that seems aimed at losing money. And customers.

There isn’t just one big, huge thing we need to chance to make visitors feel welcome who are coming & going to our island – it’s a bunch of little things. This is one small thing which is a good place to start.

It's time to start thinking about your fall re-model - you have time now! - so drop by San Juan Interiors and visit with Sarah (left), Gabe & Michel...they'll get you started, and they're nice to work with. You'll be glad you did!

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