August 29, 2006

Merchant of Venice captured on film: John Sinclair is one of the best photographers around, especially of live action, and his images from the play's last night prove it. Here's a portfolio he took on closing night on Saturday, of a memorable play done well.

School starts, anyway: Don't look so surprised - that WAS the fastest summer ever recorded, and baby, it's gone.

The kids all go back to school on Wednesday this week, and we're back at it.

To help you get in the mood, drop by the football game at 6:30pm Friday as FHHS takes on the mighty Orcas Vikings here to kickoff the season.

On Saturday, both volleyball & boys' tennis play jamborees away, then girls' soccer gets play underway on the 7th, away.

Quote: This morning it's a favorite poem of mine:

It's the dream we carry
that something wondrous will happen
that it must happen -
time will open
hearts will open
doors will open
mountains will open
spring will gush forth from the ground
that the dream itself will open
that one morning we'll quietly drift
into a harbor we didn't know was there

by Olav Hauge

August 28, 2006

Tony walks the dog: Yesterday when I swung by Marketplace, which is closed on Sundays, I saw this car going in circles around the empty parking lot.

Closer observation: It was my friend Tony, with his dog running beside the car, just outside the driver's door. That dog worked hard. Round & round the lot.

This is the best picture I got, 'cause that pup was so fast.

Minke found dead: It's unusual, I believe, for minke whales to wander as far south as near Shelton. They like to hang around the islands through the summer, of course....

One was found dead & beached over the weekend down Shelton-way, with the causes (as far as science knows) under investigation presently. Here's the story.

Sure was hot: Although the online weather thing at the top of this page said it was only 82 degrees yesterday, I saw two different thermometers downtown Friday Harbor which had it just under 90 degrees. Pretty warm on Saturday, too....

That explains, of course, why there was such a nice line outside the Sweet Retreat (left) over the weekend, mostly getting cold things, I'd guess.

Quote: "Prayers offered in times of peace are silent conversations / Appeals for love or love's release, in private invocations...But all that is changed now / Gone like a memory from the day before the fires / People hungry for the voice of God / Hear lunatics and liars / Wartime prayers, wartime prayers / In every language spoken / For every family scattered and broken." - Paul Simon, Wartime Prayers, from his new album, "Surprise"

Sale: Whoa! At Dominique's House there's a 30-50% off sale this weekend...see ya there!

Open House: Ellen Johnson'd got one this Friday from 3-5pm at her new office at 849 Spring Street (former home of FH Pet Supplies).  She's had her biz for seven years and wants to show folks her new digs. Drop by!

August 26, 2006

Featured in the magazine: Dominique from Dominique's House let me know that her furniture & furnishings are featured in the latest edition of Coastal Living, which is on sale now. There's a nice outdoor photo in it that includes familiar faces like Tim Gambrell, Merri Ann Simonson, and others in the article - check it out.

Waterlines Communications Outfitters opens: I dropped by their new spot over in the Tucker Trade Center, behind Warehouse Coffee, for their open house. Dez Bridgmon tells me she has made the offices available as places people in the graphics & internet & layout & design biz can meet with clients, instead of working out of their homes, in a non-competitive environment.

She still has space available in the nicely-painted, smartly-decorated office, located where the artists' collective was a couple of years ago. Her first renter? Chris Teren, with his solutions-based Teren Solutions. He also is a diver - check out some of his photos here.

Quote: "The man who does things makes many mistakes, but he never makes the biggest mistake of all - doing nothing." -- Benjamin Franklin

The Annual Re-Enactment: It's as if you were there - soldiers from the 1870s acting out life in that period, today & tomorrow out at British Camp. The cool part, and great lesson, about having this yearly deal is the reminder that armies, nation, and people don't have to fight to settle things.

Quote: "The reason why worry kills more people than work is that more people worry than work." -- Robert Frost

Orcas make up: There's a study that shows that orcas actually do get into fusses with each other, ritually observe a cooling off time, then swim together (left) as part of re-affirming their connection & bond with each other. Here's the report.

One interesting part of the report, which wasn't identified as a key part of the study, is that it was done with whales in captivity, not in the wild, leaving out (I think) some key observations about whether being free might have an effect on behavior.

Pelindaba's book reading: Randy Sue Coburn is reading tonight from her second novel, "Owl Island," at Pelindaba tonight at 7. The book is set on a fictional island in the Pacific Northwest, like ours.

Boardwalk's book reading & signing: Meanwhile, at 6pm tonight, just up the street, Boardwalk Books hosts Deborah Donnelly reading from her new book, "You May Now Kill The Bride."

August 24, 2006

Lecture: A Personal Approach to Photography - Nationally acclaimed photographer Huntington Witherill will give a lecture and slide presentation on the subject of his personal approach to the photographic medium over the past 36 years.

This free event is sponsored by University of Washington, Friday Harbor Labs & Freestyle Photographic Supplies and is open to the general public. The event will be held on Tuesday, August 29th at 7:00 p.m. in the Lecture Hall at Friday Habor Labs. Here's more info...

New song for you: I haven't sung a song for you for a while. Here's one I think you'll like.

If it makes you dance, let me know.

Whales & lost boats in the harbor: My friend Shannon told me that over the weekend a boat got caught on the reef that her mum could see from her house at the end of Carter Beach Road, looking to the left. When the tide rose, it was able to wiggle free. Meanwhile, there were orcas wandering between her beach and Brown Island to the left. I asked if she'd send photos, which she did with this note:

Here are some photos from last weekend.  The fishing vessel is the “Ole”.  It could be Norwegian as in Uncle Ole, but a faded Mexican flag in the window makes me think it’s more “Ole!” The orcas do look like miniatures, don’t they?  Hope your day is going well.  -Shannon

That baby's rockin' on: Remember that orca calf I told you about last week, that some were concerned had gotten lost or died or something? Well, it's around, as you can see in this photo by Kelley at the Center for Whale Research. There's a little update at the bottom (scroll down!) of this news page on the Orca Network site. It's identified as K41, born to K22 a week or two ago.

Lori, all day: The cool thing about my kids' ability to take phone messages is that they usually get the name right.

Sometimes, though, they forget to ask for the phone number. So the other day, when I got a note that said "Lori called," I had a bit of work ahead of me. Was it Laurie Connelly, one of my parent buddies whose kid hangs with my kids? Maybe Lorie, who shot those nice Loop Run pictures I posted yesterday? I hadn't heard from Lori Williams for awhile (the aesthetician - remind me to call her & ask how to spell it.)

Then there's Lori Stokes, who's doing great things with the Anti-Litter campaign, but I think she's supposed to call tomorrow. Maybe someone was giving me a truck (a lorrey?)

Anyway, I never did figure it out, so if it was you, drop me a line & we'll do lunch or take a run or work on curriculum or something fun, baby.

Quote: It will be of little avail to the people that the laws are made by men of their own choice if the laws be so voluminous that they cannot be read, or so incoherent that they cannot be understood.
James Madison

August 23, 2006

The Loop Run results & pictures are in: Yesterday I told you who won & ran in the Island Rec 8.8K Loop Run, but today here are the pictures - Lorie Narum shot a nice set that she & I turned into a portfolio of about 43 pictures for you. Click here to see who you know!

The island makes the news, again: This time it's the Washington Post - they used a photo of one of Susie's Mopeds' little scoot cars going past the Big Store (you know, also called ET by the old-timers) last weekend in a story about expensive gasoline prices.

Even more remarkably, we're in a tourist-related story in Northern Ireland, where they just have to mention that we, too, had a run-in with the Brits wanting to occupy their island....ours, of course, was in 1859.

Meet Brendan: I remember how proud Ivan (left) was when he finished painting the Western Prince, and even prouder when he changed it over to biodiesel...but all that is nothing compared to how he beams when he is with his new boy, Brendan...he and Jacquelyn will make great parents.

One last weekend: Yep, there's only one weekend left of the Merchant of Venice, out at Roche Harbor. Here's the times & rest of the scoop - don't miss it! Show's at 8pm... You'll love the new outdoor stage, and the production....one of the better ones the group has done.

Backdoor Kitchen: Lee & Sasha at the BDK sent a note to tell you & me that they're open till September for dinner & drinks, every night except Tuesday & Wednesday at 5pm...they also say lunches will return in September!

Helping others help themselves: Andi Zaerhring tells me Jennifer (left) is back in town and is going to give a talk on Sunday afternoon at Friday Harbor Presbyterian Church at 4 p.m. in the Fellowship Hall. Here's the scoop:

Micro-Enterprise and Micro-Finance: Small Solutions with Big Impact in Third World Development

Jennifer is a 1999 graduate of Friday Harbor High School. She graduated in 2003 from the Jackson School of International Studies at the University of Washington. She recently completed the course work for an MBA in International Economic Development at Eastern University and will be doing an internship in the fall of 2006 in the poor, semi-arid Sertao region in northeastern Brazil.

Rev. Jango Miranda, the local Sertão Coordinator of a church planting project with the Independent Presbyterian Church of Brazil, has welcomed Jennifer's offer to come to the Sertão for a three-month volunteer assignment to work with the local leaders and the BETHEL Association (the social services arm of the denomination). Jennifer will serve as a consultant with the aim to help poor women increase their family incomes through sustainable businesses.

Darcie checks in: You think YOU live a long way away...Darcie Nielsen wrote from Albania to say hey & promises to tell more about what she's doing there in her next letter.

She also mentioned that over 40% of the state lege here is women, which is the highest in the US, I'm pretty sure. Always good to hear from our old friends....

Quote: "The real work of planet-saving will be small, humble, and humbling, and (insofar as it involves love) pleasing and rewarding. Its jobs will be too many to count, too many to report, too many to be publicly noticed or rewarded, too small to make anyone rich or famous." Wendell Berry

August 21, 2006

New phone service: Over at San Juan Wireless on Mullis Street, Denny & Joy (right) are now offering Sprint/Nextel service for island cell phoners who prefer those companies...Cingular service (which they used to offer) will now be available through Radio Shack over on Argyle Street.

Heck, if you don't need a cell phone, you can still drop by & say hey.

Loop Run surprises: Perhaps the biggest surprise this year in the 29th annual Island Rec 8.8K Loop Run was FHHS junior soccer player Kate Fyrqvist coming in only a second behind winner Rosemarie Donnelly, who won with a time of 41:57. Jane Hutchinson captured third a couple of minutes later.

Men's winner Jesse Buffum won the whole thing in a little over 33 minutes, chased by two FHHS soccer players, Louis Paul & Erik Nash in the 5.5 mile (8.8K) event.

The complete results are posted on the San Juan Islander's site, so you can see how your friends & neighbors did.

Going to the chapel: Saturday night was beautiful night in a number of ways here on the island, but if you saw a special glow from the Friday Harbor Marine Labs, here's why.

Longtime researcher Ryan Gile, who has to be one of the nicest guys you'll ever meet, married Alana Hysert, who teaches in the school outreach program, and she's definitely one of the nicest women you'll ever come to know.

They had family & friends from Scotland & Portugal & Ontario & all over come for the event, which included a nice reception in the Labs' Dining Hall. Besides a lot of speeches & singing & dancing, there was a lot of smiles & laughter & more dancing. The evening ended with the DJs playing "All You Need Is Love" for a last dance (right) with the couple before they took off, with everyone singing & holding hands in a circle around them, dancing with them.

Quote: "We have always had reluctance to see a tract of land which is empty of men as anything but a void. The 'waste howling wilderness' of Deuteronomy is typical. The Oxford Dictionary defines wilderness as wild or uncultivated land which is occupied 'only' by wild animals. Places not used by us are 'wastes.' Areas not occupied by us are 'desolate.' Could the desolation be in the soul of man?" - John A. Livingston, in Borden Spears, ed., Wilderness Canada, 1970