My friend Melissa Crane over at the County says the training for the new GIS system is open to you, and you might like to come by. (You can review it here – I found it really easy to use!) Here’s the scoop: The GIS Team will be hosting Polaris training tomorrow morning in the  Continue Reading

Hope you got a chance to swing by the Skatepark last weekend & see how talented the guys are…their tricks & moves in Island Rec’s Skateboard/BMX Jam are captured  in this wonderful gallery of photos by Concepia’s John Sinclair & posted at http://www.sanjuanskate.org/. You will believe that kids can fly. Good eye, John!

Over at Lynn Danaher’s Churchill House and Carter House spot on Argyle Avenue, there’s a new studio – Licensed Electrologist Allison Lance is offering electrolysis & thermocoagulation services (that means she removes hair & spots & sun spots & stuff). Drop by & see her at 470-A Argyle Avenue or call her at 298-0368 &  Continue Reading

Western Prince‘s Ivan Reiff sent along this concise, easy to read article about a program to fire people up about keeping our spending money here…click here for more.

Over at the Rocky Bay Cafe, owner Kira Sable says ace waitress & ruthlessly cheerful food server Sara Totten is on her way to Seattle – that’s her at graduation in June at Skagit, in the photo to the right, with mom Mary. Here’s more: Hi Ian! I’m writing to let you know that Sara’s  Continue Reading

Shannon wrote to tell me that Allison & Bob Benz found the dogs – thanks for helping look for them! Jan wrote to say they had just wandered off, as dogs sometimes do…

  You’ve seen her book of killer whales with the killer photography, but Monika Wieland is keeping up with the plants, too.   Check out her Orca Watcher blog – she’s turning out an extensive catalog of the plants around here. Click here to see the latest entry of photos ( the fourth in the  Continue Reading

One of my favorite artists is watercolorist Teresa Smith, who continues to paint & teach although she moved off the island about 6-7 years ago. I caught up with her in Boulder, Colorado on Sunday, and she reports she’s been doing great – Erica & Michelle are both high school grads while Emma is in  Continue Reading

My friend Amar Kaur (she goes by Alicia Robinson at FHHS during her workdays) is moving to California, and asked if I could let you know about some stuff she has for sale: Alicia ‘Amar Kaur’ Robinson is leaving San Juan Island School District and headed to school herself this fall.  She begins her Clinical  Continue Reading

Remember Elizabeth Churape? She graduated from FHHS in 2004 & went off to Seattle University for school…along the way she had her son & now is aiming to finish up this next school year. Good to see her & her boy on the ferry the other day!

A couple named Chris & Natalie visited the island this past weekend – here is their story, in pictures (from their blog).

My friend Shannon Evans was wondering if you could help with this one: Today I stopped by to visit one of my former students, Allison Benz, only to hear that her golden retriever , “Sunny”, and two of Sunny’s 3-month-old puppies had disappeared. Allison’s dad, Bob Benz, believes that the dogs may have been stolen  Continue Reading

Every so often, our fire department helps out in other parts of the state that have more fire activity than we do…here’s a report from Fire Chief Steve Marler from last week: SAN JUAN FIREFIGHTERS DEPLOYED TO ASSIST IN WILDLAND FIRES This morning, Friday August 21st the San Juan Island Fire Department dispatched three firefighters,  Continue Reading

Jane Fox’s series continues (here’s part 1 in case you missed it): A Tourist in Disguise II. To me, the situation seemed simple. I could not begin my life as a local of the San Juan islands without a place to live. And a place to live was exactly what I had almost found. ‘But  Continue Reading

Joyce Sobel from the Family Resource Center asked me to share this little profile with you of her Mentor of the Month (questions provided by her): Mentor name and occupation: Carrie Unpingco, San Juan County Telepsychiatry Project Assistant Mentee name, age and year in school: Elsa Prieto-Lopez, 11 years old, 7th grade How long have  Continue Reading

Bill Carli has his second book out – Stone Totem. He tells me you can get it at Joe Friday’s, Ace Hardware, Harbor Books, or through Bill Carli himself at Shooting Star Publishing. Way to go, Bill!