This fun, interactive session led by Marie Hart* will focus on your own well-being through a deeper understanding of your individual constitution.

Ayurveda is 5000 years old, and remains a brilliant way of perceiving the whole person and their health! We will use an Ayurvedic questionnaire designed to shed new light on your strengths, and discuss simple home remedies that can deal beautifully with everyday health concerns. You will receive a takeaway book that outlines easy to follow routines to take your health to the next level. Delicious yoga stretches and breathing practices will be sprinkled throughout the workshop.

A follow-up session will be held on Sunday, October 16th from 1:00 to 2:00 pm.
Register today at www.TheStudioSJI.com or call 360-378-0150. $70 plus tax.

*Marie Hart has studied yoga and meditation since 1978, and Ayurvedic wellness for 20 years. A yoga teacher for 15 years, she gave Yoga and Ayurveda workshops in Berkeley, CA before moving to the Island.

Volunteers Needed!

Day of Caring is the day that United Way of San Juan County and its supported programs get together with community volunteers for a half-day work party in the community.

The Day of Caring promotes the spirit and value of volunteerism, increases the awareness of local human service agencies and schools, and demonstrates all that people working together for the community’s good can accomplish.

Day of Caring on Orcas Island:

• 9 am to 1 pm on Saturday Sept 24:
  Apple Picking at Orcas Montessori

Day of Caring on San Juan Island:

• FH Elementary School – landscaping
• Weeding around senior center (especially around entry sign)
• Jackson Beach cleanup
• Town of Friday Harbor Tree Planting (FH High School at 555 Guard St, planting along Guard St. between Tucker and Blair)

We hope to see you! Feel free to meet us at United Way at 9, just below Key Bank on 2nd Street.

Questions? Call Deborah at United Way SJC 378-4121.

Merri Ann Simonson shares another San Juan Island lifestyle video. This time – Salmon Fishing!

Due to current fuel conditions and the long range weather forecast, San Juan County has reduced the fire risk status to “LOW.” However, burn permits will not be issued until October 3rd and only recreational fires are permitted at this time.

Diablo Dam – Contributed photo

Take a community education course “Energy and Society” at Skagit Valley College’s San Juan Center.

Fall weather is upon us and an excellent time take a class. Join our “Energy and Society” course, starting this week, and learn and discuss the scientific basis for our conventional and renewable/sustainable energy sources.

We will cover the political, socio-economic, philosophical and environmental context of how our culture uses energy and the barriers to large-scale renewable energy implementation.

Included in the course is a field trip to tour the Newhalem Hydro plant/dams (owned and operated by Seattle City Light) at the base of the beautiful north Cascades.

Course runs Monday and Wednesdays throughout the quarter from Sept. 21st thru Dec. 7th.
Cost for this entire course is just $90.00
Enroll now and join this engaging class!!
Call 378-3220 for more information

The view looking southwest from the top of Mt. Young – Tim Dustrude photo

On this leisurely 2-3 hour interpretive walk up Young Hill, discover how to beneficially relate to Nature in and around you through your senses.

Nature’s maverick genius Mike Cohen will teach us as we walk.

Meet at the English Camp parking lot at 1:00 PM, Saturday, September 24th.

Gilbert Venegas, FF/WF2 – Sheila Harley photo

Gilbert Venegas is one of the newest members of San Juan Island Fire & Rescue, but not really. He originally joined San Juan Island Fire & Rescue in 2010; moved off-island for a few years and as of February 2016, he is back to the department for good.

This is Gilbert’s story in a nutshell:
After graduating high school in north county San Diego, Gilbert decided to dedicate his education to becoming a career fire fighter.
He attended Palomar Community College majoring in Fire Science & EMT programs. He moved to San Juan Island and joined SJIF&R to gain some on-the-job experience. Gilbert was able to hone his skills by taking the wildlands and structural fire fighting classes here. He did go back to San Diego every couple of months to see family and friends.

It was on one such visit, New Year’s Eve 2011, when he met his wife to be, Kelsey. He decided to stay in San Diego and put himself through EMT school. They moved to Las Vegas in late 2012 to focus on Kelsey’s job and took the opportunity to save up money for their wedding at Roche Harbor. Continue Reading

Four-Week Class on Anonymous Women in the Bible

A four-week class on “Harlots, Widows, and Barren Women” explores some of the nameless women whom biblical history has forgotten. Led by Dr. Rebecca Moore, the course will look at the ways in which narratives about these unnamed women contribute to the theologies that appear in the Christian Old and New Testaments.

The class meets four Tuesdays in October, beginning October 4, in the Teen Room in Gryphon Hall at St. David’s Episcopal Church, 760 Park Street, Friday Harbor. Each class will be offered twice, both in the morning between 10:00-11:00 a.m., and again in the evening between 7:00-8:00 p.m.

Rebecca Moore – Contributed photo

“We will be looking at everyone from Mrs. Noah and Mrs. Potiphar, to the virtuous wife in Proverbs and the anointing woman who appears in all four gospels,” according to Dr. Moore, an Emerita Professor of Religious Studies at San Diego State University. “Who were these women? And why were their stories included in the Bible?” she asks. “Those are a just few of the questions participants will be considering.”

For more information, please contact St. David’s Episcopal Church, 378-5360.

June and Don Mullis – Photo courtesy Mullis Center

Some of you may remember when island seniors used to gather at the old Grey Top Inn at the fairgrounds. With an active base of volunteer labor and local fundraising efforts, island seniors refurbished the old Home Economics building into what for a number of years provided a home for senior services and senior activities.

An article in The Islands’ Sounder, Oct 31, 1984 quoted then senior services coordinator Jan Elmore saying, “The Senior Center is proud of its ability to do these jobs without government aid.” Islanders have a long-standing and well-deserved reputation for being fiercely independent.

As the years passed it became evident that the old Grey Top Inn was inadequate to the growing needs of island seniors. That is when my uncle Don Mullis stepped up and donated the property where the Mullis Center stands today. There is a plaque on the outside of the building that says, “This land is a gift to the seniors of San Juan Island to honor the memory of our grandparents George and Emma Mullis and our parents Frank and Belle Mullis – from Ina Gustin, James and Florence Mullis Lang, Wallace and Evelyn Mullis, Donald and June Mullis” the date was December 1994. That is why it is called the Mullis Center. From the Mullis Center the land extending toward Argyle and including the historic Mullis House is where George and Emma Mullis built their home and where later, Frank and Belle Mullis raised their family.

Don, Wally, Flossie, and Ina Mullis – Photo courtesy Mullis/McRae family

While the land was a gift, the building of the Mullis Center was again dependent on community fundraising efforts. The Mullis Center has been community funded for community and senior use since it began in 2001. The Mullis Center is an independent non-profit managed by an all-volunteer Operations Committee. Every fall new members are elected to the Operations Committee. I will have more to say about this fall’s election in an upcoming article.  Meanwhile, I’d like to encourage your participation. We have a beautiful facility, one that we can all be proud of and one that will require our ongoing energy and support to remain vital.

Link to: The Mullis Center Facebook Page

Written by Peggy Sue McRae

Keith Busha and Kate Schuman – Contributed photo

Keith Busha shares this invitation…

This coming Tuesday at 5:00 Kate Schuman and I will wrap up this Summer’s music series at the San Juan Golf Club. It’s open to the public. There’s food, bar, friends and music without a cover charge.

Kate began this series and we have enjoyed every minute of our time playing together. Our sets are a mix of country, jazz, blues, instrumental guitar, and of course some Patsy Cline covers. Kate and I worked up new material for this show.

Hope to see you there.
All the best, Keith

On September 23 at 5:30 p.m., The Whale Museum will host the 10th Annual “Greeting Ceremony” Dinner & Auction

The event will be held at the Brickworks in Friday Harbor, beginning on the patio at 5:30 p.m. with a happy hour & silent auction; the no-host bar will include wine from Northwest Totem Cellars; San Juan Roasters is brewing the coffee.  Cellist Sasha von Dassow will delight all with music during the reception. Market Chef is preparing the dinner. The menu will offer choice of entree: prosciutto & artichoke stuffed chicken breast with white wine cream sauce or wild mushroom, parmesan & fresh herb risotto cake; entrees served with mashed Yukon gold potatoes, roasted veggies,and homemade rolls.

After dinner, Auctioneer Farhad Ghatan (of the Friday Harbor Grand) will get the entertaining portion of the evening started with the live auction & raise the paddle bids followed by a dessert auction. That’s right, dessert after dinner is available in this delicious auction.  Bid on delectable treats like Red Wine Velvet Cake, Cheesecake, “Chocolate Shot Cake,” Apple-Pear Pie, the Danish National Dessert (Rød Grød med Fløde), Dessert Fruit Pizza, and many more.

Special thanks to our wonderful event sponsors:
Islanders Insurance, Islanders Bank, Mike’s Cafe & Wine Bar, Northwest Totem Cellars, John & Marcy Aschoff, Coldwell Banker-San Juan Islands, Windermere, Friday Harbor Pet Supply, and Ace Hardware.

The evening is a great deal at $35.00 per person
(Price includes dinner. Wine & beer sold separately).

RSVPs are strongly encouraged as seating is limited. Continue Reading

William Stewart Sparrow

You’re Invited to a very special reading and signing event at Darvill’s on Orcas Island on September 22nd at 6:00pm.

• Pacific Northwest Bookseller’s Association Award Nominee
• Staff Favorite at Darvill’s , Powell’s & University Bookstores

Please join William Stewart Sparrow and Inland Waters Press for a fun filled evening of storytelling and laughs at Darvill’s! This gripping memoir became an instant Pacific Northwest classic. It Recounts the unbelievable but true tale of a young man who buys an old wooden sailboat in Seattle and immediately embarks on a three-week summer cruise down the west coast. He thinks he’s bound for the little-known southern California island paradise of his youth. Unfortunately, nothing goes as planned and by the time Billy realizes the boat isn’t up to the task, it’s too late for Billy—or the reader—to turn back.

“While many of us have dreamed of leaving it all behind and embarking on an epic ad-venture, Billy Sparrow actually did it. In 1997 he cashed in his savings and bought an old wooden sailboat called Tranquility (which proved to be anything but tranquil). The account of his journey is both inspiring and entertaining. It’s the type of book that should come with a warning sticker that says, “Caution: May cause reader to quit job, leave family, sell house, and set off for parts unknown!”

— Shawn Donley
President of the Pacific Northwest Bookseller’s Association

Marco is this week’s Pet of the Week – Contributed photo

I only have one thing to say. “People are weird”.   My name is Marco and if you are in the market for a wonderful best friend, loyal companion, snuggle buddy or just someone to have fun with – I’m your guy. I draw the line at silly hats. Good day!

Also – Fall Kitten Special!

The Animal Protection Society of Friday Harbor is offering a Fall Kitten Special through the end of September – Two Kittens for the price of one or a reduced adoption fee of $100 per kitten.

The animal shelter has plenty of kittens to choose from and would love to ensure they all get good homes soon!

Animal Protection Society of Friday Harbor
111 Shelter Road
(360) 378-2158

See how eating the colors of the rainbow can help you with a whole body detox and reset. Heather B. Munro will be hosting a 21-day wholistic cleanse and detox for all of the systems of your body using the teachings of Dr. Deanna Minich.

Learn how different colors of food affect your different aspects, and how those aspects in turn affect parts of your body such as Adrenal Glands, Pancreas, Thymus and Heart.

Because the systems in your body are all connected, this complete detox program is designed to renew your body, health, mind, and spirit, rather than a simple, one-dimensional approach that only targets individual issues. It’s 21 days during the month of October.

Heather is a yoga instructor and nutrional therapist who’s been working out of her location at Surina Business Park on Malcolm Street for a year and a half. She moved to the island about 6 years ago after traveling all over the country (and to New Zealand) learning about yoga, hands-on gardening and nutrition. For more information and to get in touch, check out her website.

Deadline approaching for accepting park bench sculpture proposals

The deadline for submitting proposals for the Town of Friday Harbor’s park bench sculpture project is 4:30 pm Friday, September 30, 2016. The Friday Harbor Arts Commission (FHAC) is sponsoring the project which will feature artwork located at, on, or in association with an existing park bench at one of three locations on Spring Street. The selected artwork will be available for sale while on display.

The proposal application states that the artwork is intended to add beauty and interest to a park bench and the downtown core, and to provide an opportunity for local or area artists to display their work in a public venue. The sites have been selected by the FHAC based on their high visibility by vehicle and pedestrian traffic. Additional sites may be selected in the future.

All proposals will be considered with preference going to those from local artists. The FHAC will review and select one or more proposals to recommend to the Town Council who will then determine the final selection. Interested parties should review the Request for Proposal (RFP) for the Park Bench Sculpture Project at the Town web site: www.fridayharbor.org under “What’s New” and “Agendas—Arts Commission”.

The FHAC was formed in 2015 to advise the Town Council on the cultivation, selection, acquisition, and placement of public art. Eight residents, including one student, are appointed by the Mayor to represent the interests of the Town, the community, and local artists.

Because of a fire earlier today at the Transfer Station on Sutton Road, Friday Harbor, the Station will be closed for the rest of today, Friday, September 16, 2016.