Ruth Offen with featured artisit Tim Shumm at waterworks....

That’s Tim Shumm at last weekend’s opening of a show featuring his acrylic paintings at waterworks gallery… I dropped by to see him last Saturday & his paintings are wonderful, with a 3-D feel that makes you feel you’re there. Drop by the gallery & see what I mean…

That's the cast of Steel Magnolias: (back, left to right): Deb, Natalie, Jandira; (front): Maureen, Lorie, and Kaitlyn. George Iliff provides off-stage voice work as well.

Jan from the Community Theatre says the preview is this weekend:

Sneak Peak at SummerFest 2009 Play on July 18

San Juan Community Theatre’s summer play takes us deep into the South and into the lives of six women, who the author notes are “witty, intelligent, and above all, real characters.”

The Sneak Preview for Robert Harling’s Steel Magnolias is Saturday, July 18 at
8:00 p.m. on the Whittier stage.

Directed by Jane Maxwell Campbell, the play features Deb Langhans, Natalie King, Jandira Shelley, Kaitlyn Johnson, Lorie Narum, Maureen See and the voice of George Iliff.

Tickets for the Sneak Preview only are $15 for adults, $8 for student reserved, with $5 student rush at the door.  Tickets are available on-line at www.sjctheatre.org or via the box office at 378-3210.  The box office is open Tuesdays through Fridays from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. and Saturdays from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m.

An opening night party is planned on Thursday, July 23.  Steel Magnolias also plays July 24, 30, 31 and August 1, 6, 7, and 8.

Denise at the Skagit Valley College graduation last month...

The problem with having so many talented folks around here is sometimes they get recruited for other gigs… I hear Denise King is heading for Missouri to serve as Dean of Arts and Humanities at St. Charles Community College.

Denise came to become Director at Skagit Valley College/San Juan Center back in October 2005 (here’s the story of her, getting the job) from Olympic College in Bremerton. Since then, she & her family have become really involved in the community: daughter Joyce (FHHS ’09) was a regular in FHHS drama, while husband Patrick could be seen driving the Elderhostel van everywhere. Denise was active in the Community Theatre, acting, singing, and directing, as well as serving as the director of the choir at the Presbyterian Church.

The next year looks transcontinental. She says, “My family will be joining me in stages over the next year, my daughter Annabelle right away and my son William after he graduates from FHHS next June. So you may still see my husband Patrick running back and forth to tend to children in two states!”

It’ll be tough to replace her with someone with the same smarts & energy…she’ll be missed.

The line got long an hour before...photo by Josie Byington.

The new Harry Potter movie got here last night, and was expectedly on overload…people started queuing up as early as 8:30pm for the 9:30pm show (as you can see above), which was basically sold out by 9. It was a similar story for the shows earlier in the day, but in spite of the interest, Aaron eschewed offering a midnight show the night before, saying, “Hey, my staff has to work the next day!”

And the movie…well, I liked it. Once you get into the idea they gotta cut stuff from a long book to make a movie, you get used to it. The actors have grown up & are more at ease with their craft…it feels like the movie’s job is to set up the last book (whose story will be told in two movies), and that went OK.

So check it out.

A couple of friends outside King's last night. Photo by Josie Byington.

Sometimes you just gotta be patient. And they’re in there, getting food for you, anyway.

Casey in the streets...

Saw Casey Lehman over the weekend crossing the street in front of Paul’s bike shop (where I just got my bike tuned up, by the way – sweet…it just glides….). Those deals the 2009 FHHS grad has attached to his legs are really sturdy & he is actually very graceful (if a little bouncey) when he walks along.

I’ve always looked up to him.

Now I have to.

On the way to the house, in Friday Harbor...

Hey, several of you asked, so I thought I’d spill the beans: I’m not going anywhere.

Yes, I’m trying to sell the house I’ve raised the kids in for the past 12 years – going from four bedrooms to an empty nest, so we’re downsizing. But not moving off the island…sheesh, do we LOOK crazy? We love it here….

I keep telling ya to live simple, and I try to…this is part of that. Simplifying things….

Here’s more (click here) about the house, if you need one.

+++++++++++++++++++

I guess I started thinking a bit about having “enough”…and that reminded me of a little mini-essay by Derek Sivers, the guy who started CD Baby:

I love my Kindle and E71 but you won’t hear me rave about them. I don’t want you to want them.

Companies spend a fortune begging you to want their stuff. I won’t add to that noise.

Retail therapy is the worst kind.

I’d like to get 100 parrots and teach them to say “It won’t make you happy!” – then let them loose in shopping malls, big electronics stores, and car lots.

Then, when people are considering spending thousands of dollars on a giant TV, or going deeply in debt with a new car, a surprising squawk might shock them back to their senses.

The quickest way to double your income is to halve your expenses. Any study of happiness will tell you it’s best to actively appreciate what you’ve got.

I feel a responsibility with my PA system of blog, Twitter, and Facebook to only put helpful thoughts into the world.

So, no product raves here. You already have more than you need.

At a party given by a billionaire on Shelter Island, Kurt Vonnegut tells his friend, Joseph Heller, that their host, a hedge fund manager, had made more money in a single day than Heller had earned from his wildly popular novel Catch-22 over its whole history.

Heller said, “Yes, but I have something he will never have: Enough.”

Michael's back on Vashon....

The local online paper on Vashon says their new superintendent (and our old one) Michael Soltman is off to a fast start there – here’s the story.

Michael’s last day here on the island was just two weeks ago…

Michael's back on Vashon....

The local online paper on Vashon says their new superintendent (and our old one) Michael Soltman is off to a fast start there – here’s the story.

Michael’s last day here on the island was just two weeks ago…

Mo & Winnie are ready to scrub your car!

You remember that deal I told you about the folks going to the Dominican Republic to help folks out…? (Here’s the story, from before.)

There are a couple of ways you can help (and get your car clean)…here’s more from Vic Woodward:

The Children of the Nations missions team is having one more car wash and bake sale this Saturday July 18th from 12 – 4 p.m. at Whidbey Island Bank. This is a great way to support our mission to Haitian refugees, meet the team, take home a dessert and get the car washed all at once. What a way to spend our 17th wedding anniversary (Mo and Vic)!

Also, Paul Hopkins at the San Juan Island Fitness is helping us with a shoe drive – here’s more about that:

Dominican Republic Shoe Drive Through July 29
A dozen islanders, including several children, are venturing to the Dominican Republic for nine days beginning August 1, 2009 as part of a larger organization associated with Children of the Nations. They will be conducting a basketball camp and taking shoes for donation to Hatian refugees.
New or used athletic shoes – tennis, court, running, sneakers, etc.- are being accepted at San Juan Island Fitness through Wednesday, July 29. Don’t worry about the condition of the shoes, staff at the fitness center will sort through them.
For more information, contact Steve Brumsickle at 378-6015 or Vic Woodward at 378-8435 for more information. For more information about the trip and cause, visit www.cotni.org
Thanks for your help in getting the word out.
Vic

Mo & Winnie are ready to scrub your car!

You remember that deal I told you about the folks going to the Dominican Republic to help folks out…? (Here’s the story, from before.)

There are a couple of ways you can help (and get your car clean)…here’s more from Vic Woodward:

The Children of the Nations missions team is having one more car wash and bake sale this Saturday July 18th from 12 – 4 p.m. at Whidbey Island Bank. This is a great way to support our mission to Haitian refugees, meet the team, take home a dessert and get the car washed all at once. What a way to spend our 17th wedding anniversary (Mo and Vic)!

Also, Paul Hopkins at the San Juan Island Fitness is helping us with a shoe drive – here’s more about that:

Dominican Republic Shoe Drive Through July 29
A dozen islanders, including several children, are venturing to the Dominican Republic for nine days beginning August 1, 2009 as part of a larger organization associated with Children of the Nations. They will be conducting a basketball camp and taking shoes for donation to Hatian refugees.
New or used athletic shoes – tennis, court, running, sneakers, etc.- are being accepted at San Juan Island Fitness through Wednesday, July 29. Don’t worry about the condition of the shoes, staff at the fitness center will sort through them.
For more information, contact Steve Brumsickle at 378-6015 or Vic Woodward at 378-8435 for more information. For more information about the trip and cause, visit www.cotni.org
Thanks for your help in getting the word out.
Vic

Rusty...

That’s the Chelan, the ferry that manages the Anacortes/Sidney run during the summer…looks like they skipped the paint & rust-scrapin’ job this winter with the budget rollbacks….

Hanging around Griffin Bay last week...photo by Kyle Schaefer.

Yep, that’s the World, a huge cruise ship of floating condos that came by a week ago for a couple of days, anchored out in Griffin Bay. Here’s their website, so you have an idea what they’re up to.

Experience is something you don’t get until just after you need it.
Steven Wright

The world we have created is a product of our thinking; it cannot be changed without changing our thinking.
Albert Einstein

Gearing up for the season....

It’s the middle of the summer, so that means it’s time to get the kids signed up…the Soccer Board has some new members, and it’s time to get your kids on the roster – here’s more from Travis Ayers:

San Juan Island Soccer Association Announces New Board and Online Registration

SJISA announces new board members for the upcoming 2009 season.  They are Kevin Porter, President, Beth Nicholson, Treasurer, and board members Travis Ayers, Michelle Herko, and Declan Place.

“We would like to thank the previous board members who worked tirelessly for several years to help develop the great soccer program that we have on the island today.  They are Sherri Phelps, Gina Westrich, Beth Nicholson (continuing), Jenny Roberts, and Tom Pieples” Porter said.

The registration deadline of August 1st is quickly approaching, and online registration is now available at:
http://www.skvysa.org/home.php?layout=1045

If you have already registered using the paper forms for the 2009 season, you do not need to register online.

After the August first deadline, players are not guaranteed a spot on a team and are accommodated on a space-available basis.  The registration fees also increase after the deadline.

The Association is looking for coaches and volunteers to ensure a successful season.  Please contact Declan Place ([email protected]) or 378.2321 if you are interested in coaching.  Registration questions should be directed to Travis Ayers at 370.5612 or [email protected]