When Josie & I went to Mike & Julia Vouri’s nice presentation for their new San Juan Island book on Tuesday, I couldn’t help but remember that it was this week in 2004 that longtime islander Wade Sundstrom’s barn burned down. My son (and ace photographer) Shay & I heard about it, and ran out  Continue Reading

Let’s look around: • Did you know Lisa Kleypas‘ book Christmas at Friday Harbor has been released? Now you do. • Whoa! Eddie & Genie at the Hot Shop have a blog now…here. • Remember the Safety Fair in October?  A lot of people made that happen – Carolyn from the Fire Department wanted to  Continue Reading

This little piece called “What is a Veteran?” appeared in this month’s local American Legion newsletter, and is a reminder that behind it all, there are people: Some veterans bear visible signs of their service — a missing limb, a jagged scar, a certain look in the eye. Others carry the evidence inside them —  Continue Reading

• Ruth at waterworks gallery says a year of changes created the opportunity for Joan Stuart Ross and Kathryn Trigg to experiment with their techniques, and in some instances changing their composition content. Come see their work at the gallery; here’s a bit about what they say they are up to: Kathryn [aka Kappy] is  Continue Reading

Last Friday, the FHHS football team closed out the fall season with a 27-20 loss at Charles Wright Academy. The weekend before, the volleyball team beat Nooksack (here are videos on YouTube from the match), but was eliminated later in the tourney, ending their season. Good job, Wolverines!

Let’s see what’s happening: • It’s exciting when big things come to our little town – Torrey at the Presbyterian Church wanted to share this with you: Puget Sound Concert Opera: Up Close And Affordable! Puget Sound Concert Opera (PSCO) incorporates an innovative concert opera format, allowing audience members to see, hear and feel the  Continue Reading

Let’s see what’s going on: • Do you have a song in your head & heart this morning? Cool! If you want to try one that I’ve had running around in my head, try this oft-recorded Leonard Cohen song, sung by four Norwegian dudes…you’ll see why it got nearly 30 million views. And listens. •  Continue Reading

There was a nice size crowd for the Farmers Market‘s inside edition last Saturday at Friday Harbor High…the next Market is set for the 20th, same time (10am-1pm), same place. See ya there!

Next week, I get to teach a class that you’ll love. Things you’ll like about it: 1) It’s free. 2) You’ll leave the class with a fresh, new way of thinking about your business or mission or next novel (I know your secrets). 3) You will change the way you’re doing your marketing, and you’ll  Continue Reading

When folks look at the causes of declining numbers of killer whales, they usually point to three things: decreasing salmon stocks, toxins in the water, and noise in the oceans. The Orca Network’s Howard Garrett has been watching the local orcas for some time now, and offers his observations, conclusions, and recommendations about what’s ahead  Continue Reading