Posted July 28, 2009 at 12:02 am by Ian Byington
Lewis & Nancy Spaulding at the Arts Fair
It was fun to see Nancy & Lewis Spaulding at the Arts Fair…he’s a noted photographer & she’s an incredible pastels artist….you can see her work on the Island Studios website (click here!) and check out his photos at their family website (click here!)
Posted July 28, 2009 at 12:01 am by Ian Byington
Leon with mom Lindsey on the ferry....
You gotta start somewhere…I know my kids got their first driving chops by practicing on the ferry video games ages ago, and it was fun to see Lindsey Buck with Leon getting some practice in.
It’s important to let the kids wait till they’re thirteen before you tell ’em those machines take quarters….
Posted July 27, 2009 at 11:28 pm by Ian Byington
It's Jonathan, Teddy & Cecil on the CD...
I asked Teddy when his new CD was coming out, and he says, “Now.” Here’s the rest of the story:
CD Release Party, August 1, 2009, Front St. Ale House, 7pm-10pm
CD Title: “Goin’ Home to Friday Harbor”
Performed and recorded by the Play-Rite Boys (Teddy Deane,
Jonathan Piff, with Cecil DeMeerleer)
Produced by Teddy Deane on the “Red Newt” label for Frederick
Productions (www.frederickproductions.com).
The Project: To create a short CD composed of songs about Island Life for
the Friday Harbor Centennial with profits from its sale going to San Juan
Island Charities.
“Goin’ Home to Friday Harbor” is a cd that was created for the Friday
Harbor Centennial consisting of five original songs composed by Teddy
Deane about island life: “Wolf Hollow Jamboree”, about the secret life of
rehabilitating animals, “(I Saw Her) Cheatin’ on the Kaleetan”, which
names 30 Washington State Ferries in the lyric, “Island Companion”, a
retiring song about island retirement, “San Juan Island Girls”, a local
favorite, and “Goin’ Home to Friday Harbor” which speaks to why we live
here. The CD bears the Friday Harbor Centennial logo, is endorsed by the
Centennial Committee, and a copy will be placed in the time capsule.
This is the 3rd CD created by Play-Rite Boys Teddy Deane and Jonathan
Piff since their beginning in 2005. The duo has been playing on San Juan
Island ever since with mostly odd-ball tunes written by Deane plus
adaptations and enhanced versions of obscure old novelty tunes.
Teddy Deane is mostly recognized by his saxophone playing with various
blues bands in the area however, before coming to San Juan Island in
2000, he was as well known as a song writer and composer of over 120
published and produced songs and themes for theatre, radio and TV.
Among his credentials are compositions of two musical comedies and an
opera as well as numerous children’s shows, vaudeville shows and jingles.
Deane currently plays solo at the Front St. Ale House on Wed. Nights
from 6-9pm.
Jonathan Piff has been playing guitar on San Juan Island with everyone
since he moved here in 2000 and has a degree in jazz composition and
performance from the Berklee School of Music in Boston. His guitar work
and vocal harmonies help make the Play-Rite Boys respectable. His sense
of humor helps keep the PRB fun.
Cecil DeMeerleer was recruited for this cd because of his excellent bass
playing and recording knowledge. His presence on this cd and in live
performance is a great addition to the line-up.
The Release Party is August 1, 2009, upstairs at the Ale House from
7pm-10pm
Free Admission, (21 and older, sorry kids), CDs on sale for $5.00
All profits from the cd go to Wolf Hollow Rehabilitation Ctr. and San
Juan Island Historical Society
A Special Ale House Centennial Beer will be served to help with the
celebration.
The new CD will be available on the 1st....
Posted July 27, 2009 at 2:46 pm by Ian Byington
Relay for Life 2009 got started with the survivors' lap, and a lot of smiles in the sun...(photo by Janice Peterson)
Hey, we’re Northwesterners…what’s a little rain? And lightning? And thunder? And mud? (Remind me of Relay, three summers ago…remember?)
Saturday’s weather didn’t slow up the local Relay effort, as they raised some $50K for the American Cancer Society Saturday night & Sunday morning.
Pretty cool…way to go, you guys!
Posted July 27, 2009 at 12:21 am by Ian Byington
Shirley!
In our ongoing series about folks who help out at Lime Kiln State Park, today we present Shirley – she answered the questions we gave her so you could find out a bit more about her:
Name: Shirley Zyph
Number of years visitin &/or living in the San Juan archipelago: 2
Occupation in your real, or unreal, life: Retired. Before that, DOL vehicle licensing.
Furthest place in world from LKPSP that you have visited: Europe
Major passions, besides the whales: Family, history of the islands, soaking up the beauty of this place, being on a nice warm beach in Hawaii
What inspired you to volunteer at Lime Kiln Point State Park? The privilege of seeing and meeting new people Continue Reading
Posted July 27, 2009 at 12:16 am by Ian Byington
Leave your drugs in the chemist’s pot if you can heal the patient with food.
Hippocrates
Posted July 26, 2009 at 6:17 pm by Ian Byington
Bob Stavers is in charge of the photography part of the County Fair this year – and he wants you to join in! Here’s more:
Calling all photographers! How good can you be?
One of the most popular “departments” at the county fair has always been the photography exhibit. Perhaps this results from the desire in all of us to capture in a meaningful way the wonderful beauty and excitement that abounds in our island paradise.
The photography exhibit has grown very rapidly since the “digital revolution” and the ease with which we can quickly turn out images. The large increase in the number of entries has not, unfortunately, come with an increase in quality and a number of you Continue Reading
Posted July 26, 2009 at 12:34 am by Ian Byington
Connor has his wings now....
At this year’s graduation ceremony at Friday Harbor High, I was thinking how proud the late John Volk would have been to know that Conner Johns received the scholarship named after him – Conner is the kind of great person who is a positive, bright light, and you would find him absolutely trustworthy…this is a young man who is going places.
Last week his proud mom Lisa called to tell me – wow! – he’s gotten his pilot’s license. Wahoo! Here’s more from Will Hamilton:
Conner Johns is New Pilot and SJPA Member
Conner Johns passed his private pilot check ride this month and at 17 is now the youngest member of the San Juan Pilots Association. Conner recently graduated from Friday Harbor High School and plans to attend Carroll College in Helena, Montana with an interest in International Business. During this summer he will be helping his Mom and Dad run their family-owned Fishing Bear Lodge Continue Reading
Posted July 26, 2009 at 12:13 am by Ian Byington
It is during our darkest moments that we must focus to see the light.
Aristotle Onassis
Posted July 26, 2009 at 12:01 am by Ian Byington
There’s going to be a public forum on the CAO this week on Tuesday at FHHS – Gordy Peterson sent this along for me to share with you:
San Juan County’s controversial Critical Areas Ordinance (CAO) has caught the attention of some influential and powerful citizen’s advocacy groups around Washington State. Several distinguished guests from these groups will speak to the issues surrounding this proposal on Tuesday, July 28th, 5 pm, at the Hall Gymnasium, at Friday Harbor High School. They are brought to you courtesy of the Common Sense Alliance.
The Common Sense Alliance is a loosely organized group including business owners, realtors, property rights organizations, members of the building industry, and many other local citizens Continue Reading
Posted July 25, 2009 at 11:31 pm by Ian Byington
You know, the video is kinda rough – I think this is on Shindig, circa 1965, but it’s great to hear Bev Bivens & the We Five sing this Sylvia Tyson song one more time:
Folk historians…if you liked that, you’ve dig this: Ian & Sylvia (Tyson) singing the song the way Sylvia wrote it, with their beautiful harmonies…folk is cool, and Canadian folk is even cooler:
Posted July 25, 2009 at 4:30 pm by Ian Byington
Don’t be fooled by the calendar. There are only as many days in the year as you make use of.
Charles Richards
Posted July 25, 2009 at 9:06 am by Ian Byington
Beatriz Velilla de Tobón
Memorial service is Thursday, 5 p.m., at St. Francis Church for Beatriz Velilla de Tobon of Friday Harbor.
Mrs. Tobon passed away July 25. She was 64.
Her family remembered her today as a person who loved children, loved dancing and parties, and enjoyed the company of friends.
She was born Dec. 10, 1944 in Medillin, Colombia. She owned a clothing store and a couple of clothing factories.
“She always wanted to come to the U.S. because it was a dream to her to live here,” her daughter, Teresita Tobon said. “To have lived on the island was important to her.”
She and her family immigrated to the U.S. in 1991 and settled on San Juan Island. Here, her love for children was manifested in Child Care University, a child care center she founded.
“She loved children. Children were her life,” Teresita said. “She lived for music and the kids. Family was very important to her, especially her grandchildren.”
She sang in the choir at St. Francis Church, and enjoyed playing bingo at the American Legion. “She enjoyed the company of friends,” her daughter said. “She always cooked for everybody. She loved parties and dancing and singing. She was very energetic, a happy amazing woman up until the last day.”
In 2004, she and her husband made a long-desired trip to Spain.
Mrs. Tobon loved San Juan Island. Lately, she was staying at her daughter’s home in Snohomish so she could be close to treatment at the Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center. “She missed her friends at bingo. Those were her buddies,” her son, Juan Pablo Tobon, said.
She never complained about pain, he said. But as the end neared, she made it clear she wanted to return home to San Juan Island.
She passed away in her home, in the presence of her family. Her family participated later that day in Relay for Life.
Mrs. Tobon is survived by her husband, Juan Rafael Tobon, of Friday Harbor; daughter, Teresita Tobon, of Snohomish; son and daughter-in-law, Juan Rafael Tobon and Yudy Ochoa, of Boca Raton, Fla.; son and daughter-in-law, David Tobon and Bianca Benavides, of Friday Harbor; son, Juan Pablo Tobon, of Friday Harbor; grandchildren, Juan Pablo Tobon, Alexandra Tobon, Rikki Tobon, and David Tobon.
She is also survived by her brother, Victor Velilla, of Medillin, Colombia; sister, Ana Catalina Velilla, of Medillin, Colombia; sister, Claudia Velilla, of Miami, Fla.; sister, Pilar Velilla, of Medillin, Colombia; sister, Patricia Velilla, of Bogota, Colombia; and sister, Victoria Velilla, of Miami, Fla.
She was preceded in death by a sister, Alma Velilla.
The family prefers memorial contributions to American Cancer Society, c/o Danielle Anderson, 728 134th St. SW, Suite 101, Everett 98204. Write on the check that the donation is for the Friday Harbor Relay for Life in memory of Beatriz Velilla de Tobon.
Posted July 25, 2009 at 12:12 am by Ian Byington
Inspiration comes forth from within. It’s what the light burning within you is about, as opposed to motivation, which is doing it because if you don’t do it, there will be negative repercussions.
Abraham-Hicks
Posted July 25, 2009 at 12:09 am by Ian Byington
The new logo to go with the new name...
They’re gonna go by CenturyLink, starting this fall. Here’s more about that in the Kitsap paper, including a note that they’re not sure what’s gonna happen for people who use centurytel.net with their e-mail.
And here’s the word from CenturyTel themselves.
Posted July 24, 2009 at 7:51 am by Ian Byington
Pat O'Day signs an autograph after announcing the Fourth of July Parade in Friday Harbor....
Tomorrow at the Mariners game in Seattle, islander Pat O’Day is slated to throw out the first pitch to get the game going – the former radio broadcaster is in Seattle for SeaFair (which he is pretty much the voice for, and has been for decades). Pat used to pitch in high school, and he used to pitch stuff on the radio, so this is a natuarl progression… He’s a member of the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame, so this is a natural the Mariners would chose him. Wahoo!