Jennifer Rigg – Contributed photo

Many islanders know Jennifer Rigg as the woman behind so many wonderful t-shirt designs for local businesses and the county fair. Did you also know she donates a great deal of her time, creativity and resources to The Animal Protection Society of Friday Harbor? As a long time animal advocate, Jenn has been an active supporter of our animal shelter for many years.

Recently, as we have become immersed in a capital campaign to build our new animal shelter, Jenn has been busier than ever helping us out (most of her time donated) with new t-shirt designs, baseball caps, aprons, brochures and a number of other great promotional items. For all of her hard work and generosity, Jennifer Rigg is The Volunteer of the Month for October!

Make sure you check out all of our great new merchandise at our Animal Shelter Holiday Shoppe, opening soon at 135 Spring Street in the old Dream Beads location.

And as long as we’re talking Animal Shelter stuff, here’s the Pet of the Week too…

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

Now hear this! I am the last of this summer’s kittens without a home! How can this be? Look how cute I am! I’m super cuddly and playful and I like all the things YOU like: purring, cat treats, feathers on a string, climbing screen doors, sleeping in a box, toy mice….all the finer things life has to offer! Puh-leez come to the shelter to rescue me! Ask for Sheldon. That’s me.

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

Contributed photo

Fall has arrived. That means Thanksgiving is just around the corner.

We are gearing up for the annual Community Thanksgiving Dinner at the Mullis Center. This will be the seventeenth year for this event that has gotten bigger and better every year.

The San Juan Island Community Thanksgiving Dinner depends on more than 100 volunteers to help make it all happen. Anyone who wants to volunteer can sign up online to help out this year.

Just click on the Community Thanksgiving Dinner web page and go to the volunteer page. At that site, you can volunteer to

• Bring a Pie
• Roast a Turkey
• Help on Thanksgiving Day

If you have a problem with the links, just call Minnie at 378-7040 or email FHThanksgiving [@] gmail [.] com
Thank you. Have a very happy Thanksgiving.

The 3rd Annual Friday Harbor Film Festival is upon us this week!

The FHFF volunteer orientation is scheduled for both Tuesday, November 3rd and Wednesday November 4th at 6:00 pm at the Friday Harbor House. You may choose to attend the orientation that is most convenient for you. We will be relating important information regarding everyone’s responsibilities and duties. The Leads of the Venues will be present to talk to those signed up for each Venue. We will be available to answer any and all questions.

The 2015 volunteer T-shirt will be distributed as they are required to wear during volunteer shifts. Plus, your earned film festival punch cards will be distributed during Tuesday or Wednesday’s orientation. We still have a few venue slots open, so please bring a friend to sign them up. THANKS TO ALL OUR FABULOUS VOLUNTEERS! We couldn’t do it without you!

Again, you only need to be present at one of the meetings on either Tuesday or Wednesday night.

We look forward to sharing the excitement of our 3rd annual FHFF.

Questions?? 298-1939

Explore Artist Kathy Venter’s Unique Ceramic Sculptures And Techniques.

Kathy Venter and sculptures – Contributed photo

Upper Spring Street in Friday Harbor has been enlivened by an exhibition of the life-sized ceramic sculptures by the internationally recognized artist Kathy Venter. Driving or walking by the San Juan Islands Museum of Art (IMA) you can’t help noticing the suspended figures floating in the glass atrium as if underwater.

IMA is pleased to present an Art As A Voice talk by the renowned ceramic artist from Salt Spring Island, BC. The talk, Kathy Venter: Life-Sized Ceramic Sculpture is on Wednesday, November 4 at 7:30 p.m. at the San Juan Community Theatre. This talk is provided conjunction with the exhibition Kathy Venter: Immersion Series.

The public and art community are invited to enjoy this discussion and slide presentation where Venter will reveal her virtuosic process and provide a fascinating glimpse into her artistic vision. Venter’s sculptures connect with universal themes of the human spirit, evoke ancient times and challenge our notion of figurative traditions.

Of this exhibition the artist comments, “In the Immersion Series … the sculptures are made from studies of my models underwater. Water refers to another dimension, an altered state of consciousness – the spiritual.” Continue Reading

Please Drive Carefully – Newts Crossing!

Rough Skinned Newt – Contributed photo

This is the time of year when tiny Rough-skinned Newts are moving from their summer breeding ponds to the surrounding woodland where they spend the winter. Sadly that often means crossing roads, and many are killed. We just counted 72 little dead newts on one short stretch of Boyce Rd running from Wolf Hollow, down into the dip at Nettle Creek, and back up the other side past the turn-off to Crow Valley Rd. We also moved 3 live newts off the road.

These little, dark-brown creatures can be difficult to see, especially in the dark, but if you are aware that this is a newt crossing area, and drive carefully, you can avoid running them over.

We are aware of this newt crossing area because it is right on our doorstep, but there are probably other areas on San Juan Island where newts are being killed on roads too. If you are aware of other locations, please let us know so we can keep track, and also let your neighbors and friends know, so they can drive carefully and help spread the word.

Thank You!

Wolf Hollow Wildlife Rehabilitation Center – 378 5000,
wolfhollow @ wolfhollowwildlife [.] org.

If you live near an area where newts cross a road and would like a Newt Crossing Sign that you can print out and put up, contact Kwiaht, kwiaht [@] gmail [.] com.

Here’s a nice one from the Update mailbag…

We attended a soccer game for our granddaughter when her Burlington-based team played in Friday Harbor on Halloween against the FH U-14G Fleming team. There was no ref for the game and the weather was wet and windy with a giant lake in one corner of the field. There was seating for both sides and the area all around was clean and litter-free.

We are writing to comment the coaches, parents, and players of the Friday Harbor team for excellent sportsmanship and a very clean game. We’ve attended other games for other grandchildren and have seen rougher play and arguing about calls, etc. This game was clean with no rough play among players and no arguing about calls being made by whomever “ran” from the sidelines. Even when the game got lopsided in scores, the play remained clean and players kept going with no signs of poor sportsmanship or giving up. After the game, the Friday Harbor team brought apple cider and treats to our Burlington team players – such a great and simple gesture.

This is a letter to publicly acknowledge the great job parents and coaches are doing in setting expectations and modeling sportsmanship and the terrific job the players are doing in living that model.

Way to play and thanks for a great game and great personal weekend vacation on San Juan Island!
Gail and Andy Omdal

Update from SJISD Superintendent Danna Diaz

Dr. Danna Diaz – Contributed photo

November is the month to be thankful and I would like to take this opportunity to thank the school board, administrators, teachers, staff, students, parents and the community for making the San Juan Island School District one of the best school districts in the State of Washington.

The month of October was busy with the San Juan Public School Foundation Phone-a-Thon, the 100 Day Report Community Meeting, the Transportation Department’s Bus Ridership, Friday Harbor High School’s Homecoming, and the Friday Harbor Elementary School Halloween Parade.

State Representative Kristine Lytton met island superintendents and board representatives, including June Arnold, Vice Chair of the SJISD Board of Directors, and myself, to brainstorm on how we may be able to collaborate in the future. It was a great meeting on Lopez Island!

San Juan County Health and Community Services conducted flu clinics for students and staff at our schools. The School Board approved the Capital and Technology Levy recommendations. The district has begun committee meetings focused on the areas of Finance, Emergency Preparedness, Wellness, and more.

Our recent state test scores are astonishing. We surpassed the state scores at all levels on the Smarter Balanced Assessment!! Way to go students and teachers!!

Thank you everyone for an extraordinary month! Great things are happening in our district! Continue Reading

Thanks to all who made possible the October 17th Lions Eyeland Fest!

The evening began with the Argyle Street Jazz Band (thank you!) playing whilst attendees feasted on a magnificent tri-tip dinner prepared by “Billy Grewohl, the tri-tip guy” & his crew. The San Juan Lions ‘pride’ served up cocktails and smiles while Lion Lisa Moretti and her Wizard of Oz cast worked the crowd. Later, while the J-Bots played (thank you!), the high school LEOs club kept the energy up by dancing the Macarena into the crowd!

Many thanks: Islander’s Bank, Dr. Robert Williams, Village at The Harbour, Islander’s Insurance, San Juan Pest Control, Windermere Real Estate, Heritage Bank, Friday Harbor Brewing Company, Starr Excavating Inc, Salt Spray Window Cleaning, Safe Harbor Insurance, Printonyx, Pelindaba Lavender Farm, Spike Africa Sailing Adventures, King’s Marine, Browne’s Home Center, Ace Hardware , Cattle Point Rock & Topsoil, Richard Lawson Construction, Islanders Bank, Roche Harbor Resort, San Juan’s Vision Source, Dr. Brain Crain, Alice Shull, Spring Street Deli, Brandli Law, Bob & Toni Bailey, Dockside Treasures, Friday Harbor Eye Clinic, Argyle Street Jazz Band, Savannah & Josh Boles, Tony’s Terrific Carpet Care, Friday Harbor Espresso, Griffin Bay Bookstore, Sweet Retreat, The Bean Café, Crow’s Nest Coffee, San Juan Coffee Roasting Co, Roy’s Island Buzz, Joyce Crain, Brown Lantern Ale House, Ositos Gift and Toy Store, Creative Fashions, Office Center NW, & Island Rec.

Very special thanks to auctioneer Boo Boo James, who donated her time and sense of humor, to bring our live auction to life and laughs: “It would be rude of me not to ask if anyone would like to bid higher…”

Much appreciation goes to Michele Morton for getting our credit card machine running (yay!), and Lions Sheila and Bruce Martin, for staying at the guest services table all night long! Heartfelt thanks to our Lion volunteers and especially to the Lions Eyeland Fest “core”: Lloyd Vaughan, Tom Starr, Jeff Neely, & Bob Swartzberg – and special thanks to Mary Uri.

If we have missed naming anyone who helped with the Lions Eyeland Fest, we apologize. And a last, large thank you to the people of the San Juan Islands for your never-ending support of these community events – without you, they wouldn’t happen! Because of your generosity, San Juan Lions will be able to continue helping underinsured islanders purchase the glasses they need to excel in school and at work.

Lion President Bob Williams, VP Lion Brian Brown, & Lion BJ Brandli

Contributed photo

Diane Martindale shares this report from IMA…

The weather was perfect and the ocean still, as if prepared for us.  On October 18, Matthew Gray Palmer with Dan Tucker gave a fitting and promised farewell to the Liminal Currents: Explorations of An Emphathic Umwelt exhibition.

Friends, artists, docents, volunteers and IMA visitors watched as the approximately 1200 written wishes, prayers and hopes were borne out to sea.

Dressed in wet suits and gear, Matthew and Dan pulled the round raft built from the exhibition’s cedar boughs off the shores of South Beach.  We watched and they waited as all the papers burned.

It was magical.

All of us there had our own papers burning.

On land, all the rest of the exhibition was burned and we left nothing but ashes.

Well done, Matthew!

I thank all the people who helped the many pieces come together for this wonderful exhibition, from beginning to end.

Enjoy the moment,
Diane

Aerial photo by Darryl Swenson

Know Your Islanders Talk – Monday. November 2, 2015

Darryl Swenson – Contributed photo

Darryl Swenson, local pilot, aerial photographer and adventurer will speak on Monday evening, November 2nd, at 7:00 pm at the San Juan Library. Swenson recently returned from his seventh journey in the skies over the Desert Southwest, and has some amazing views of Bryce Canyon, Monument Valley and other red-rock splendors to share. The Trails Committee’s theme for the Know Your Islanders Talks this season is Journeys on Land, Air, Sea and Space, exploring our world via the experiences of our fellow Islanders.

About the Speaker:
Darryl Swenson and his wife, Carol, are longtime Seattle residents who moved to Friday Harbor in February 2014. Darryl is a private pilot and amateur aerial photographer who has flown his Flight Design CTLS, a two-seat single engine airplane, 75,000 miles across North America. He typically flies low with his camera lens pointed out through a hole in his side window. He keeps his airplane in a hangar at the Friday Harbor Airport.

Darryl, his airplane, and camera have traversed Canada and The United States three times in the last three years. His easternmost destination was over the lighthouse at the eastern tip of Prince Edward Island in the Canadian Maritime Provinces. He has flown small airplanes over the Australian Outback and around the North Island of New Zealand. Darryl especially seeks out the Four Corners region — Utah, Colorado, Arizona, and New Mexico — for his amateur aerial photography. Continue Reading

For her high school Community Service Project, Yesenia Salas Trujillo is holding a rummage sale to benefit the animal shelter. Here are the details in her own words…

Donated Items needed for rummage sale to help the Animal Protection Society of Friday Harbor.  Donations can be dropped off on Friday, November 13, 2015 from 3:00pm – 6:00pm  at the Friday Harbor High School Cafeteria. Donated items accepted are Household items, toys, books and clothing. No BIG items please.

Rummage Sale: Saturday, November 14, 2015 from 9:00am – 2:00pm in the Friday Harbor High School cafeteria. All proceeds benefit the Animal Protection Society of Friday Harbor. Please come out to support a great organization!

You’ve eaten the leftovers; you’ve watched the bowl games (your team won!); you’ve visited all the local haunts; now what?

Come out for the second annual Turkey Walk-not-Trot Trail Event at Mount Grant Preserve. Share the preserve and its 360-degree views while sipping hot cider with your visiting friends and family.

We’ll provide the cider—you provide the family!

Hosted by the San Juan County Land Bank and San Juan Preservation Trust, this event is free to the public.

Please dress for the weather. Parking is limited – carpooling is encouraged. Dogs on leashes welcome.

• Friday, November 27, 2015
• 1:00pm – 3:00pm
• Mount Grant Preserve, San Juan Island

For more information email [email protected] or phone Tanja Williamson at 360-370-7655.

A chilling sight at Islanders Bank – Tim Dustrude photo

Halloween in Friday Harbor – Tim Dustrude photo

Here are a few photos from around town on Friday.

And be sure to click the link below to see an image gallery of the Friday Harbor Elementary School Halloween Parade.

Despite a weather forecast calling for rain, the weather turned out to be beautiful and the kids marched right down Spring Street.

See them all right after the photos below.

Halloween in Friday Harbor – Tim Dustrude photo

Halloween in Friday Harbor – Tim Dustrude photo

Continue Reading

Contributed photo

Everyone at Stillpoint School wishes you a very Happy Halloween! We had a fantastic Costume Parade and a wonderful visit with the LifeCare Center residents on Friday. We hope you enjoy these pictures of our special day!

♡ All best wishes from everyone at Stillpoint School ♡

(click to see 2 more photos)  Continue Reading

The beginning of November brings the end to Daylight Saving Time.

Don’t forget to set you clock back tonight when you go to bed (or if you’re like me, do it in the morning when you’d rather roll over and sleep for another hour).

It is also a good time to change the batteries in your home’s smoke alarms too.

2nd Annual Bite of the San Juan Islands – photo courtesy Aaron Shepard of IslanderImages.com

Richard and Sherri Daly of SJI Cheese – Contributed photo

The 2nd Annual Bite of the San Juan Islands was a great success! Thanks to all who attended, volunteered and participated.

Richard and Sherri Daly, co-owners of San Juan Island Cheese, organized this year’s event which took place on Sunday, October 25th at Brickworks in Friday Harbor.

This unique event showcases our local Gourmet Archipelago all under one roof.

Over 20 local chefs, caterers, farmers, food and beverage producers from San Juan, Orcas and Lopez Islands were represented. The event drew quite the crowd.

Everyone had smiles on their faces and were raving about the delicious bites, the live music, and the festive atmosphere.

A portion of the proceeds will go to the Family Resource Centers on Lopez, Orcas and San Juan Islands.

Click below to see more images from Aaron Shepard of IslanderImages.com. Continue Reading