The ferry cleared out the main lot on Sunday for the 1pm sailing.....

I was making plans for a Seattle visit in October & said something about “I’ll get home on the 8:25pm ferry…” and my friend said, “Hey, you better look at the schedule.” Yep – the late boat is now at 7:25pm, and there are other changes.

Here’s more from the Washington State Ferry people:

The fall sailing schedule goes into effect on Sunday, Sept. 27. Please note that on Mondays through Thursdays the last scheduled sailing from Anacortes to the San Juan Islands is at 7:25 p.m.

There are later sailings Friday through Sunday evenings. Other changes include eliminating the Sunday eastbound 4:15 p.m. sailing from Orcas to Anacortes, eliminating the Lopez stop on the 4:30 p.m. sailing from Anacortes, and eliminating the Shaw stop on the 7:25 p.m. sailing from Anacortes.

Got this note from Rita Weisbrod earlier this week:

Dear Ian:  I am glad that the Historical Museum was a hit on Saturday.  What was REALLY (also) a hit last weekend was the Gospel Jazz Concert at St. David’s Church (the second of two performances on Sept. 13 and 20).  They filled the church by 15 min. before the start and people stood outside the side doors to listen standing up.

There were about 150 people there (max. by fire code) and the event was the best thing I’ve seen here….and the whole audience was on their feet at the end.  You don’t see a lot of that anywhere……Rita

Paula & John will be joined for the PAS concert by Daughter Ruth & friend Sally....

Get it on your calendar! Sally Browne & the PAS have a great show lined up:

Ruth Lenz

The Performing Arts Society is alive and well. PAS is excited to introduce The Lenz Trio from Reno Nevada for two concerts, October 7th at The Grange (152 1st Street N) and October 8th at Saint David’s Episcopal Church (corner of Park & Marguarite). Each concert begins at 7pm with a suggested donation of $10 for admission.

Ruth Lenz will honor us with Mark O’Connor’s Caprice #1 for Violin. She will be joined by her father, John, for Handel/Halvorsen’s Passacalgia for violin and cello. Paula will join her family along with Sally Browne to complete the concert with the Mendelssohn String Quartet Op. 44 #1.

Come enjoy incredible classical music at a most reasonable price. See you there.

Sally on the cello

Couple of weeks ago, Ron DiCristina reported a bit about how his weekend went, visiting the westside:

Hey Ian,

Marie, me & our dog “Molly” were out enjoying stormy weather at Lime Kiln Sunday, 9-6-09.  We noticed three things of interest:

1) Yes, tourists are still here, but not in large numbers,

2) Doug Bison’s newly installed bronze Orca by the park gift shop looks real nice and is worth a look.

3) The “Orca Express,” a lightly touristed whale watch boat, came by about 2:55 pm.  A lone Orca “spyhopped” them with just enough “hang time” to check them out and then went on its way.  The vessel did not bother the Orca, the Orca just seemed curious.

Okay, there’s 4). A nearby woman yells at her husband, “Photo that whale!”  Hubby says “What whale”?  She says, “That one, it’s on the right side of that boat!”  Hubby says, “Which right side?”  A rapid debate ensues over the true meaning of “right side” as said Orca drops below the surface.  The woman turns to us and asks (I know you’ve heard similar before, but you had to be there) “Do they train the whales to come up to the boats?”  I reply: “No, & they usually don’t come by until 3:15pm.  But today, they’re not wearing their watches.”

I’m sorry, I just couldn’t help myself.  It’s all one good time out here in the San Juans.  Bless ’em all and hope they have a safe ride back home today.

Ron

Couple of weeks ago, Ron DiCristina reported a bit about how his weekend went, visiting the westside:

Hey Ian,

Marie, me & our dog “Molly” were out enjoying stormy weather at Lime Kiln Sunday, 9-6-09.  We noticed three things of interest:

1) Yes, tourists are still here, but not in large numbers,

2) Doug Bison’s newly installed bronze Orca by the park gift shop looks real nice and is worth a look.

3) The “Orca Express,” a lightly touristed whale watch boat, came by about 2:55 pm.  A lone Orca “spyhopped” them with just enough “hang time” to check them out and then went on its way.  The vessel did not bother the Orca, the Orca just seemed curious.

Okay, there’s 4). A nearby woman yells at her husband, “Photo that whale!”  Hubby says “What whale”?  She says, “That one, it’s on the right side of that boat!”  Hubby says, “Which right side?”  A rapid debate ensues over the true meaning of “right side” as said Orca drops below the surface.  The woman turns to us and asks (I know you’ve heard similar before, but you had to be there) “Do they train the whales to come up to the boats?”  I reply: “No, & they usually don’t come by until 3:15pm.  But today, they’re not wearing their watches.”

I’m sorry, I just couldn’t help myself.  It’s all one good time out here in the San Juans.  Bless ’em all and hope they have a safe ride back home today.

Ron

Shannon Bailey sent me this little writeup about Wilma Bailey – she’ll be missed:

In Memoriam: Wilma G. Bailey

September 18, 1919~September 16, 2009

Wilma G. Bailey

Our mother, grandmother, and great grandmother, Wilma, left her battered body in order to enter a place of peace and health. She had a mercifully brief struggle with cancer and conceded only 30 hours short of celebrating her 90th birthday.

She is survived by her son, Bill Bailey, his wife Shannon; her four grand children: Eli, Ben, Sam, and Kestrel, and great grandson, Keegan; all residents of San Juan Island. She is also survived by her two brothers, Robert Grebel and Wayne Grebel, both in Southern California. She was preceded in death by her husband, Morris.

Wilma was born in Scotts Bluff, Nebraska, and moved to San Diego in 1942, where she married her husband of over 50 years, Morris. In 1964 after working as a nurse in a San Diego doctors office for many years, Wilma and Morris bought a small custom printing business in Del Mar, California. Together with their son Bill they ran this business until closing it to move to San Juan Island in 1989.

Locally, Wilma was active in the Lions Club, where she was in regular attendance until her final illness was upon her. She was an active member of Friday Harbor Presbyterian church for many years, and volunteered there in many capacities.

Her passing leaves spaces in many people’s lives, and we will all miss her until we are reunited.

A Memorial Service will be held on Saturday, October 3, at 1:00PM

At Friday Harbor Presbyterian Church, 425 Spring Street, FH.

In this well-written piece by MPR’s John Louis Anderson, he refers to a buddy of his named Ray who used to be harbormaster at the marina in Friday Harbor. Naturally I knew you’d be curious about that so I asked Tami Hayes, the present harbormaster, and former Port Director Steve Steve Simpson what they knew of Ray.

Tami says: “Yes, I do.  It’s Ray Chesnut.  He was harbormaster here from about 1982—1987.  Bart Matthews had just been hired after Ray when I started working here, but I knew him. Steve?”

Steve relied to her: “Ray. Now there’s a name I haven’t heard for a long long time. I didn’t know Ray had a background in Minnesota.  I’ve heard about him from friends who have a farm near his and who shares some workers with him now and then. I don’t think Ray ever forgave me for making the place a non-smoking office and kicking out the every-day dogs.
I’m thinking you have the record for longevity for Harbormasters at Friday Harbor.
Keep up the good work!”

In this well-written piece by MPR’s John Louis Anderson, he refers to a buddy of his named Ray who used to be harbormaster at the marina in Friday Harbor. Naturally I knew you’d be curious about that so I asked Tami Hayes, the present harbormaster, and former Port Director Steve Steve Simpson what they knew of Ray.

Tami says: “Yes, I do.  It’s Ray Chesnut.  He was harbormaster here from about 1982—1987.  Bart Matthews had just been hired after Ray when I started working here, but I knew him. Steve?”

Steve relied to her: “Ray. Now there’s a name I haven’t heard for a long long time. I didn’t know Ray had a background in Minnesota.  I’ve heard about him from friends who have a farm near his and who shares some workers with him now and then. I don’t think Ray ever forgave me for making the place a non-smoking office and kicking out the every-day dogs.
I’m thinking you have the record for longevity for Harbormasters at Friday Harbor.
Keep up the good work!”

I heard from Willard Kessel yesterday – he’s wondering if anyone’s working on the FHHS Class of ’60’s reunion for next year.

You drop him a line at kesseljr (at) gmail.com (write it out with the “@”, you know) or leave a comment below & I’ll pass it on….

Emily's words live on...

There are all kinds of things in the shop windows of Friday Harbor, including poems in the window at Griffin Bay Bookstore, written on an old Corona typewriter.

Last night’s poem was by Emily Dickinson – click here for the larger, readable version.

• In soccer last night, the Lady Wolverines (4-2) made it four in a row with a 3-0 win over Orcas. FHHS struck first, as Maggie Anderson headed in a brilliant corner cross for a 1-0 halftime score, then got two more from Emma Ytander to seal the deal on the girls’ fourth shutout in a row.

The girls are back in action & back on the road on Thursday (Mount Vernon Christian) and Saturday (tough Meridian).

John won the thing, following the web....

When I saw John Pachuta last night, I asked him how did he know he was ahead in the race on Saturday. He answered, “Spider webs.” Noticing the funny look on my face, he laughed & said, “The deal was – there were spider webs across the trails all over the course – so if I ran into them, I knew I was the first person to go that way.” And he was, and he came in first – here’s the rest of the story from Paul Hopkins:

Pachuta Wins Second Annual San Juan Island Quest

The rain ended just in time for Islander John Pachuta to win his second consecutive San Juan Island Quest Adventure Race in 5 hours, 37 minutes on Saturday, September 19.

Second place went to a team of two, team sparky, Garret Madison and Phong Duong, in 5 hours, 53 minutes.

Third place overall and first women to cross the line was local team Kayakasaurus, comprised of Shannon Miniken, Megan Hoffman, Stacie Tangney and Kathleen Foley.  The team finished in 5 hours, 53 minutes.

This year’s SJ Island Quest began and finished at Roche Harbor.  It included various athletic and mental disciplines, including kayaking, mountain biking, trekking, orienteering and even some brain teasers.  While billed as a “6 hour race”, many teams had trouble navigating the land surrounding Mitchell Hill and Mt. Young, leading to nearly half the field ending after 6 hours.

Following the win, Pachuta said, “It was challenging, but fun with just the right mix of three sports.  Beautiful scenery, diverse terrain and great organization.  Thanks to all the volunteers, organizers and public/private agencies who made it possible.  The course was more difficult than last year, but the weather was much better.  It was great to see the number of off-island competitors.”

“I liked the course.  I think I’ll tone it down a bit for next year, but not a lot” said Course Designer and Race co-director Brent Molsberry.

Organizers are already excited about the 2010 event.  As is the nature of Adventure Races, the 2010 course will remain a secret until 30 minutes prior to race start.

SJJQ - playing at a bistro near you. Really near.

If you haven’t been by to hear the San Juan Jazz Quintet, maybe this is the week to start – they play each Friday at Pazzo Vivo from 6-9pm. Here’s their website – see ya there!

SJJQ - playing at a bistro near you. Really near.

If you haven’t been by to hear the San Juan Jazz Quintet, maybe this is the week to start – they play each Friday at Pazzo Vivo from 6-9pm. Here’s their website – see ya there!

That's Jim in the middle a couple of weeks ago, with his beloved Rinda (with Jack & Lori on either side)

You all know Jim Stegall who helped pull together the dog park project last year…I just heard that his closest companion & friend has passed away – here’s more from Lee:

Jim’s guide dog Rinda had to be put down a couple of hours ago. The vet tested & probed and found extensive tumors, and it was the best thing to do. Probably notes are better than calls right now, because he’s pretty devastated, so could you ask folks to drop him a note at:

Jim Stegall
595 Linder Ave Apt 10
Friday Harbor, WA 98250

…or you can leave comments here & I’ll get them to him. Thanks…it’s a great community we live in.

Katherine at the "Saving Luna" event a couple of weeks ago....

The Whale Museum‘s Lecture Series ends tonight at 7 p.m with a conversation with Katherine Ayres on “Conservation Canines: a researcher’s best friend.”

Katherine is the one (you’ll remember from last year) who uses Tucker the dog to help sniff out whale poop for research…should be a cool deal. See ya there!

Here’s more.