Island Senior is a regular column on the San Juan Update, written by Peggy Sue McRae…

Walking with Trekking Poles – Peggy Sue McRae photo

One of the most critical components of maintaining happiness and health as we get older is staying mobile and not falling down. Regarding that, I have some good news and I have some some bad news. The good news is that most healthy Americans can expect to live well into their 80s and beyond. The bad news is, we may wear out a few parts and meet some obstacles along the way. Keeping active is the best way to retain mobility and sustain the quality of life mobility provides. The next challenge is not to fall down, a risk that will increase, as we get older.

Lots of things that affect seniors contribute to falling hazards. Loss of eyesight and hearing or a general slowing of reflexes can contribute to a loss of balance. Diabetes, heart disease, blood pressure, and many common medications can also affect your balance. All of the things we know we are suppose to do, eat right, sleep well, and exercise become all the more critical to maintaining active lives and do I even need to say it? Get yourself some sensible shoes.  Those platform sandals looked so cool… in the 70s. But now, Serena looks pretty cool in her Nikes and you can too.

Handy Handrail – Peggy Sue McRae photo

What is becoming fairly common these days, a knee replacement, temporarily slowed down my friend Margaret, an avid hiker and loyal dog walker. The operation was so successful she plans to get her other knee replaced too. To get back up to speed around the house she and husband Conrad have installed strategically placed handrails. They have also made use of trekking poles. Trekking poles provide balance and stability while walking and reducing impact on knees, other joints, and strain on muscles.

If keeping good balance is an issue for you please consider taking Stephanie Prima’s class, Tai Ji Quan: Moving for Better Balance starting October 4 at the Mullis Center. If you have already lost some mobility consider taking Katrina Wen’s Chair Yoga class also at the Mullis Center starting October 2.

To learn more about these classes link to: Island Senior: New Classes Starting This Fall at the Mullis Center.

Zylstra Lake Preserve – Jennifer Furber photo

There will be an Open House at Zylstra Lake Preserve on Sunday September 30 from noon to 4:00 pm, at Zylstra Lake Preserve, San Juan Island…

The San Juan County Land Bank and San Juan Preservation Trust board members and staff are hosting an open house at the preserve where you can learn about the project, walk the preserve, and share your vision!

Directions: From Friday Harbor, take San Juan Valley Road for just over three miles. Look for event signs alerting you to the turn onto the property.

Please call Tanja Williamson at 360-378-4402 or visit sjclandbank.org for more information.

On October 13^thfrom 11 am to 5 pm, the Coastal Observation and Seabird Survey Team (COASST) will deliver a free training session in Friday Harbor, WA for citizens interested in surveying for marine debris. The COASST Marine Debris program is focused on the intersection of science, conservation, and communities. Rather than simply identifying debris, the program characterizesit and measures its abundance in particular zones of the beach.

Through an interactive, hands-on workshop, trainees will learn how to collect data that speaks directly to the source and transport pathways of debris, as well as to the potential harm to people, wildlife, and local coastal ecosystems.  The COASST training provides participants with the tools to monitor for potential changes in the marine environment and promote stewardship of local marine resources.

COASST is a citizen science project of the University of Washington in partnership with state, tribal, and federal agencies, environmental organizations, and community groups. COASST believes citizens of coastal communities are essential scientific partners in monitoring marine ecosystem health. By collaborating with citizens, natural resource management agencies and environmental organizations, COASST works to translate long-term monitoring into effective marine conservation solutions.  Currently, nearly 1000 volunteers survey beaches in Washington, Oregon, California, and Alaska.

The training session will be held at Friday Harbor Laboratories Commons (620 University Road, Friday Harbor, WA 98250). There will be a short break in the middle of the session for lunch, so please bring your own sack lunch, or money to purchase food in the area. Volunteers need NO prior experience with scientific data collection, just a commitment to survey a specific beach at least once a month.

Reserve your training spot by calling COASST at 206-221-6893 or by emailing [email protected].  For more information on COASST visit coasst.org

Katerina Wen – Contributed photo

Don’t we feel happiest when our bodies are flexible and our minds at ease? Did you know that prevention is far better (and cheaper) than cure? Designed for self-motivated people who enjoy living life to its fullest. Come to learn ways to take charge and optimize your wellbeing from the inside out!

Date: Monday & Wednesday 6:00 – 7:30pm, October 1, 3, 8, 10, 2018
Location: Friday Harbor Holistic Health, 669 Mullis Street, #202, Friday Harbor.

To register: Island Rec (http://www.islandrec.org), (360) 378-4953

• Movement: Joint health and mobility
• Breath: Modern science and spirituality
• Nutrition: Goals and tips
• Vision: Road map
• Choice: Self-empowerment

This series of seminars explain the intricate relationship between breath, movement, nutrition, circulation, and a healthy immune system. The simple step by step navigation has been designed to enhance the overall quality of your life. It makes self-care comprehensive, easy to follow, and deeply gratifying.

Taught by: Katerina Wen. M.Ed., RYT., Dipl.Hom, develops and teaches self-care courses to educators, hospice caregivers, yoga/movement teachers, and health providers. In addition to 20 years of teaching experience, she shares personal wisdom from her own healing journey: the road to recovery from injuries and multiple health challenges.

For more information or registration visit our website at islandrec.org, stop by the Island Rec office M-F, 11am-5pm, or call us at 360-378-4953.

Friday Harbor in the Spotlight – Fred Schumacher photo

Fred Schumacher shares this awesome photo he shot from the air of the sun shining on Friday Harbor. Be sure to click on it to see a larger version. Thanks for sharing Fred!

Mother Nature Loves Friday Harbor – Or, at least it looked like it Monday evening from a Kenmore Caravan heading North to Orcas. With Lopez in the foreground, sun rays were perfectly positioned to bathe San Juan Island in a heavenly glow.  All my camera gear was bagged up behind the safety webbing, so my iPhone saved the day (evening).

“Atmosphere” by Teresa Smith

Sip & Shop – 8 Local Artists Offer their work for sale at the SJI Grange in Friday Harbor, September 22 & 23, 2018

Come join us at the San Juan Island Grange for two days of art and fun!

Eight San Juan Island artists, including Patti Barker, Shannon Borg, Alison Engle, Gail Garrett, Maria Michaelson, Jan Murphy, Mary Sly, and Teresa Smith will be showing their paintings, fiber art, sculpture, works on paper and mixed-media creations during two days this fall at the San Juan Island Grange #966, just three blocks from the ferry landing at 152 1st Street North. Hours: 9/22: 11 a.m. – 8 p.m.; 9/23: 10 a.m. – 4 p.m.

Come by and enjoy the stunning view of the harbor from the Grange’s new deck while you browse, sip a glass of wine and shop for local art after the Farmers’ Market, or just as a fall afternoon break to meet some of the local artists in Friday Harbor. Don’t miss this lovely fall art event!

A selection of artists information about The “Art Over the Harbor” Eight: Continue Reading

Hula is a way of life in Hawaii – a celebration, a moving meditation, an expression of gratitude for the Earth, its living residents and Spirit ancestors. Join Alice Hibberd to experience hula as a dance of gratitude, learning how basic hand and body movements express a tale of the Earth, Sea and Spirit. Classes are offered with cultural integrity, practicing simple Hawaiian chant or song and studying the story and kaona (spiritual meaning) of each hula. Classes help to instill within students the true essence of the Hawaiian Hula as a sacred prayer. Wear comfortable clothing. Hula pa’u (skirts) provided for class time.

Alice has been a haumana (student) of the hula with Kumu Hula (master teachers) Frank Kawaikapuokalani Hewett, Keala Ching and more recently Leia Lawrence when living on Hawai’i Island in 2017. She first studied hula and several other dance styles as a young child. She has studied over 35 forms of dance and has taught Creative Movement, Zydeco and Waltz in addition to Hawaiian Hula. For her, dance is a universal language of creative expression.

Island Soul Studio
FREE Intro Class Tuesday September 25th
Class Series Begins Tuesday October 9th
Tuesdays 5:30-6:30
Teen & Adult Women
$45 per month (4 classes) or $15 drop-in

Classes begin on Tuesday October 9th. Please register by calling Alice Hibberd at 360.298.2186 or emailing, [email protected]

Ami & Nadia creating – Contributed photo

For the fall Family Art Days at the San Juan Islands Museum of Art (SJIMA), food inspires the art classes. Imagine waving fields of grain, cattle grazing in fields, printing with potatoes and eating your still life model!

Family Art Days are fun for the whole family, and everyone can leave with their work of art. Although donations to cover material costs are appreciated, the workshops are free.

Workshops are from noon to 4:00 pm at SJIMA located at 540 Spring Street, Friday Harbor. The instructors, Lana Hickman and Alice Hibberd are fully qualified art teachers.

The fall schedule follows. Mark your calendars.

September

• 15th – A Color Study- in potato prints
• 22nd – Landscape, still life and pattern in grains
• 29th – Berries and mushrooms-explore natural dyes

October

• 6th – Cows in Pasture in collages
• 13th – Native Food in 3-D sculptures
• 20th – Octopuses, crustaceans and seafood creations
• 27th – Become a Spice Islands’ Explorers-art using spices

November

• 3rd – Still life-in apples and tasty colors
• 10th – Birds in 3-D

Family Art Days and SJIMA would like to thank our sponsors, Suzy and Jay Wakefield and the Community Foundation of San Juan Island for their generous support. Also, these local businesses contribute to the success of the program-Robin’s Nest, Creative Passions, King’s Market, Nana’s Holiday House, Mystical Mermaid, Sandpebble and Jeanine Earnhart.

SJIMA brings art experiences and educational opportunities to the community, artists, students and visitors as we celebrate that which makes our islands unique. Visit www.sjima.org for a complete array of information.

FHHS Senior Tailback, Emeron Geiser (with ball in hand) breaks off a big gain against the South Whidbey Falcons on August 31st, 2018 – Photo credit: Becky Volk

~ Story written by Kaila Olin

“As they go, we go,” FHHS Head Football Coach said of his ground-and-pound offensive line.   

And they have gone…off.  In the first game of the season, playing up one level and on the road, his offensive line bashed open holes for Wolverines’ ground-and-pound rushing attack.  In that game, senior tailback Emeron Geiser and company, went for nearly 400 yards rushing in the season-opener against the South Whidbey Falcons.

Hauck mixes in an efficient passing attack to keep defenses from keying on the Wolverines’ rushing game. It paid off in the 20-19 loss to South Whidbey as the team eclipsed 400 yards of total offense. Quarterback, Jaden Jones completed 5 of 8 for 35 yards and a touchdown against the Falcons.  

Opening the holes for WIAA’s Week 1 State 2B Player of the Week, Emeron Geiser are:

• Junior, Left Tackle–Mike Walter;
• Senior, Left Guard–Ian Volk;
• Junior Center–Westin Swirtz;
• Junior Right Guard–Gavin Mason;
• Senior, Right Tackle–Andy Rude, and
• Junior, Tight End–Teagan August-Frocklage.   

Against the Vikings, Coach Hauck feels that the Wolverines physically wore their opponent down with this offensive line that averages 253 pounds.   Continue Reading

Wheston’s “Loading Black Truck”, 2014, Oil on Canvas

Verdugo’s “Jail”

The three innovative and insightful artists opening at the San Juan Islands of Art (SJIMA) on Saturday in Friday Harbor take their own unique view of the world and bring a feminine perspective to their creations. These varied works interpret the theme of 2018, The Female Gaze-The Woman as Visionary and Creator.

In NICOLA WHESTON: STUFF- the Consumption, Nicola paints penetrating works commenting on our consumerist culture.

LUMI VERDUGO: Of My Hands 1962-2018 is a retrospective of a body of work across multiple media reflecting a lifetime of exploration in drawing, high fire and low fire reductions and Raku pottery.

Surgent’s All the Little Things

APRIL SURGENT: Portrait of an Ocean takes items washed ashore on a Pacific island and creates luminous art while commenting on marine ecosystems.

Wheston’s “figurative paintings focus on the psychological aspects of our humanity, including all the foibles and eccentricities of our daily lives, as well as the relationships we have with each other, ourselves, our pets and our surroundings.” She frequently uses her own body as model to explore private moments, aging and absurd situations.  Wheston, from Salt Spring Island, B.C., has had numerous solo exhibitions in the US, Canada and the UK. Continue Reading

Marimba Studio – Contributed photo

There’s a new introductory class for beginning marimba students coming up.  This will be a short 4 week session beginning September 19 and going through October 9. 

The classes will be held Wednesdays from 5:30-7:00 at Island Marimba Studio. This is a fun opportunity for people to join in and see what playing marimbas is all about.  No prior musical experience is necessary. The cost for the class is $50.

For more information, directions, answers to questions contact Margie 360 378-5437 or email:  [email protected].

Island Marble Butterfly – Contributed photo

Amy Lambert, lecturer at the School of Interdisciplinary Arts & Sciences, University of Washington Bothell, will be giving a Pub Night Talk: “Encountering Rarity: Restoring the Endangered Island Marble Butterfly”.

Once thought to be extinct, the Island Marble butterfly is making a comeback in the San Juan Islands. Lambert, a conservation biologist, explains why saving the rare butterfly is so important.  

Amy Lambert – Contributed photo

Free and open to the public. All ages welcome. Seating is first come, first served. Talk will be followed by Q&A.  Tuesday, Sept. 25, from 7:00 to 8:30 PM. Doors open at 6:00. Hayne’s Hall, McMenamins Anderson School, 18607 Bothell Way NE, Bothell.  

This event is cosponsored by the University of Washington Bothell and McMenamins.  

Click here or here for more information.

©2018 Center for Whale Research – J50 with her family- Photo by Dave Ellifrit

“The message brought by J50, and by J35 and her dead calf a few weeks ago, is that the SRKW are running out of reproductive capacity and extinction of this population is looming, while the humans convene task forces and conference calls that result in nothing, or worse than nothing, diverting attention and resources from solving the underlying ecological problems that will ultimately make this once-productive region unlivable for all.”
– Ken Balcomb, Center for Whale Research

J50 is missing and now presumed dead.

Her last known sighting was Friday, September 7 by our colleagues at NOAA, SeaDoc, and others. The Center for Whale Research has had a vessel on the water looking for J50 for the past three days. We have seen all the other members of her family (i.e., J16s) during these outings.

Watching J50 during the past three months is what extinction looks like when survival is threatened for all by food deprivation and lack of reproduction. Not only are the Southern Resident killer whales dying and unable to reproduce sufficiently, but also their scarce presence in the Salish Sea is an indication that adequate food is no longer available for them here, or along the coast.

Click here to read the full Press Release

Here’s a note from Safe Shippers…

Proudly, our San Juan County Council Members recently joined their Canadian counterparts, the Islands Trust Council, in calling on Prime Minister Trudeau to abandon the Trans Mountain Pipeline Expansion project, once and for all. As Safe Shippers well know, if approved, this project would increase tanker traffic by 700% and could bring irreparable harm to our commonly shared Salish Sea. You can read their letter here.

Let’s say Thank You to our Council Members for standing up for our fragile marine environment, our economy, the Southern Resident Killer Whales, and all of us who call these islands home. 

While we are saying thank you, we need to urge our county lawmakers to take action right here in San Juan County. Our County Council Members need our encouragement now, while they are in the Shoreline Master Program (SMP) update compliance process. Ask them to protect the critically endangered orca by protecting the Chinook salmon they need more of to eat, and the forage fish that feed the salmon, and the shorelines that provide forage fish and juvenile Chinook salmon habitats. 

Please tell Council Members:

• Thank you for opposing the Trans Mountain Pipeline Expansion in support of the Southern Residents and all of us who call these islands home!
• Please fulfill your requirement to update the SMP to ensure no net loss of our shorelines’ ecological functions that the Southern Resident orcas depend on for their food, including meaningful analysis of the cumulative effects of development on shoreline conditions.

Contact San Juan County Council:

• Bill Watson: [email protected]; (360) 370-7473
• Rick Hughes: [email protected]; (360) 298-5103
• Jamie Stephens: [email protected]; (360) 378-2898

Thank you, Safe Shippers! This is our county’s chance to do what is needed to provide food for the orca’s survival.

************

More info: Continue Reading

On Sunday, September 16, from 2:00 to 5:00 pm, the San Juan Historical Museum will host the First Annual Back to School Ice Cream Social on their grounds at 405 Price Street.

There will be Bowls of vanilla ice cream, chocolate sauce and toppings (Yum!) with a suggested donation of $5.00. All proceeds will aid in the ongoing development of the new Museum of History and Industry

All museum buildings will be open so have a look around. Wear you best vintage hat and enter to win fabulous prizes. Join us for a laid back, old-fashioned community ice cream social and help us celebrate the closing days of a busy season.

Keep it simple, get your bowl of ice cream and sit around with your friends and neighbors you didn’t see all summer! We have picnic tables and some chairs, or you could bring a blanket. Admire each other’s hats, tell stories and listen to the music and advertising of a century ago. Check out the museum buildings before or after the ice cream, and see what your community museum has been doing to preserve and display San Juan Island History.

Note: The Seahawks are playing on Monday Night Football that week so no worries about missing the game.

Rich Barker, Jill Urbach and Angel Michaels – Contributed photos

Nine years ago, gospel and jazz lovers attended a pair of concerts at Saint David’s Episcopal Church which both sold out.

Apparently they didn’t get enough, because it is going to be done again on Saturday, Sept. 15th, and Sunday, Sept. 16th, starting at 4 pm each day.

The reason for the concerts is to raise funds to aid the Friday Harbor Food Bank and the San Juan Island Family Resource Center. Admission will be by donation, with a minimum suggested donation of $10 per person or $20 per family.

The concerts will feature singers Jill Urbach and Angel Michaels along with Rich Barker and members of the San Juan Jazz Quintet and a gospel choir directed by Jim Collado.

As the seating capacity is limited, it is advisable to arrive early. Saint David’s is located at the corner of Park & Marguerite.