Around the island….

John Miller caught this fox last weekend relaxing between the drops...he calls this photo "Splendour in the Grass."

Let’s see what’s going on…

Leslie at Friday Harbor Espresso had a visitor yesterday - this dog was a sweet girl who hung around for quite a while...do you know who her people are?

• Kevin Roth is going to the Welding Radio at Bellingham Tech College this weekend – here’s what that looks like (looks like fun!)

• Bryn Barnard has the second of his three author talks at the library tonight at 7 – here’s more. People told last week’s presentation was wonderful…

• I hear there’s a way you can help: Christina DeLorenzi tells me there’s a Silent Auction/Spaghetti Feed Benefit for Carmen Dixon (to help with costs related to breast cancer surgery) on Sunday, June 5. Here are the details…and a chance to help a fellow islander.

• Garage sales! Two I heard about – The Montessori School on Park Street has theirs starting at 9am tomorrow, and Tim Barrette and Laurie Paul‘s is at 154 De Haro Lane (that’s off Yacht Haven Road) from 9am-2pm.

• The Rumor Mill has an AfroBeat Dance Party on Saturday with Seattle’s Cascadia ’10, kicking off at 8pm. Tonight it’s NPO, and there’s jazz on Sunday with the Davis George Band at 4pm, and the San Juan Jazz Quintet with Jill Urbach at 7:30pm.

Come see Dana Roberts' work at waterworks gallery's opening for him & Matthew Gray Palmer this weekend!

• The new show at Waterworks Gallery starts this weekend – here’s more from Ruth:

May 21 – June 18
Dana Roberts – Oil Paintings
Matthew Gray Palmer – Sculpture

This show is a wonderful pairing of two San Juan Island based contemporary artists. Both artists share a love for the organic and natural world, presenting the works in different mediums.

Dana Roberts‘ newest oil paintings are partly abstracted thoughts and musings about dresses using the lexicon of color and shape, surface and line.  Matthew Gray Palmer‘s unique sculptures in metal, stone and wood continue his exploration of the transcendent through hybrid mythological images blurred with abstraction. The show opens this Saturday, with a reception for the artist and runs from May 21 – June 18.

• Reminder from Mary-Brooke at Mirabella Skin Care & Massage: Now that we HAVE sun, be sure & use sunscreen (and lots of it!) to look after that beautiful skin of yours!

• Secret weapon: How ironic that the Mariners won yesterday’s afternoon game in Seattle because one of my favorite players, Torii Hunter, lost a fly ball in the…(are you ready for this?) sun. People don’t come here expecting that….

Weeds or wishmakers?

• Val Curtis passed this along – here’s a bit from Mental Chew…do you see them as weeds or wishmakers?

• Yesterday at the Town Council meeting, Mayor Carrie Lacher made this cool declaration, with Mike Vouri & more in attandance:

By official proclamation, Saturday, May 21, will be declared National Kids to Parks Day in the Town of Friday Harbor. Mayor Carrie Lacher hereby encourages all visitors and residents of the Town of Friday Harbor to join with other municipalities across the country to take our children and grandchildren to a neighborhood, state or national park on this day and every other day of the year.

National Park Trust’s (NPT) first annual National Kids to Parks Day on May 21^st is a special opportunity to join with children and families in this grassroots effort to celebrate America’s parks. Recognizing that young people spend far too much time indoors and far too little time appreciating America’s magnificent national, state and local parks – NPT is mobilizing kids across the Country for a nationwide park play-in.

To date, over 2,000 kids have committed to visit a park on Saturday, May 21 by signing up online at NPT’s Buddy Bison web site (http://www.BuddyBison.org). Buddy Bison, the wooly mascot and driving force behind NPT’s popular educational program, “Where’s Buddy Bison Been?” encourages children to “explore outdoors, the parks are yours.”  When they visit a park on May 21^st, kids can tweet or send in photos to [email protected] to have their pictures posted online on a national map commemorating the day.

The Town of Friday Harbor has several urban green spaces that are welcoming to visitors of all ages including Sunken Park on A Street and Memorial Park at the foot of Spring Street. San Juan County is also host to many local, state and national parks that offer green havens, stunning vistas, sheltering trees, wildlife, and visitor amenities.

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