Port of Friday Harbor Marina construction – Port of F.H. photo

The Port’s multi-million dollar marina project has wrapped up. In October 2014 Manson Construction mobilized into the marina with their huge crane and made short work of removing old creosote pilings and wooden floats throughout the marina. The Harbormaster relocated vessels to accommodate the major renovations and no vessels were turned away for guest moorage during the holidays. Manson Construction replaced the inner marina with new concrete floats, steel pilings and upgraded utilities.

An integral part of this project was the partnership between the Port and Islander’s Bank for providing the financial assistance through a General Obligation Bond. Port Commissioners Mike Ahrenius, Barbara Marrett and Greg Hertel invite everyone to come down to the marina on Wednesday, January 28th for a ribbon cutting celebration to commemorate the completion of the Marina Reconstruction Project. Members of the public and Port staff will meet in front of the San Juan Island Yacht Club at 3:00 pm for a brief tour and light refreshments.

Swans on a Pond – Contributed photo

Join Raena Parsons, January 31st or Tanja Williamson February 7th, from 11:00 am to noon, at the SJI Public Library, to learn how to participate in the 2015 Great Backyard Bird Count.

New to birding? Not a problem! The second half of the workshop is for those who know little about birding, but who have always wanted to learn. Basics such as what to look for when identifying a bird, how to use a bird guide and binoculars, and other keys to help you to become a better birder will be discussed.

January 31st or Feb. 7th, 11am to 12pm
SJI Public Library Meeting Room

Please call Tanja at 360-370-7655 to register.

Here is an update on what’s happening with our local Chamber of Commerce, written by Lauren Cohen, Co-Owner of San Juan Canvas & Chamber Board President…

Happy New Year from your San Juan Island Chamber of Commerce. In 2015, we want to take the opportunity to keep our island residents updated and informed on some of what we are working on for the betterment of our business community.

I am excited to be taking over as President of the Board of Directors succeeding two years with Eric Bienenstock, owner of the Bean, at the helm. We thank him for his time, effort and ideas and are glad to still have him on the board. Our Board of Directors and staff want 2015 to be a great year for all business owners on San Juan Island as well as every visitor that comes to our beautiful island. We also acknowledge that a dynamic business community is equally important for our island residents.  Check out who is on the Chamber Board at www.sanjuanisland.org. Continue Reading

Dealing with Grief and Loss – Tim Dustrude photo

Hospice of San Juan is again offering its Grief Support Group to anyone in the community who is grieving the loss of a loved one. This professionally-facilitated group offers participants an opportunity to share their experiences and to acquire tools and resources for coping with their personal grief.

Registration is open for the six week session of the 2015 Grief Support Group, which begins February 17th and continues through March 24th. The group, which meets Tuesdays from 4-5:30 p.m., is facilitated by Lenore Bayuk, MN, ACNS. Lenore has been a Psychosocial Nurse Specialist for 40 years and a nurse for 45 years and has worked with loss and grief in her own life and professionally as a nurse and psychotherapist.

Contact Lenore Bayuk at 360-378-3636, ext. 1, to register. Early registration is advised as the number of participants is limited. A donation of $5 – 25 per weekly session is suggested to sustain this program; however, sessions are open to all regardless of ability to pay.

Hospice of San Juan
P.O. Box 1434, Friday Harbor, WA 98250
www.sjhospice.com

Offered in collaboration with the San Juan County Economic Development Council, the Washington Export Outreach Team invites businesses to attend a workshop entitled Export 101: From Your Door to the World, on Wednesday, February 4th from 8:30-4:00 p.m. at the Bellingham Cruise Terminal in Bellingham.

In the workshop, attendees will learn ways to access local resources and advisers to grow their businesses – getting products and services into the global marketplace. The all-day seminar covers: developing an export business plan; determining appropriate international markets; finding qualified buyers, agents, and distributors; determining; financing and shipping; mitigating non-payment risks and more. Continue Reading

The joint military occupation of San Juan Island by the British Royal Marines between 1860 and 1872 marked the last time “redcoats” would be stationed in lands south of the 49th parallel.

Following the nearly disastrous “Pig War” crisis of 1859 the Royal Navy’s mission with their U.S. Army counterparts was keeping the peace on an island considered ripe for the taking by Britons and Americans alike.

Drawing on historical, archaeological and photographic research, Outpost of Empire: The Royal Marines and the Joint Occupation of San Juan Island offers an intriguing glimpse of a frontier garrison in the Victorian age.

The book is available in two formats in the near term: A standard version is available as a downloadable pdf file. Click here to access a 2.5 MB pdf of the book. A deluxe paperback version (Discover Your Northwest/University of Washington Press, $15.95) is available for purchase on the Discover Your Northwest website.

As it has been since the book was first published in 2004, all proceeds from sales of the go to San Juan Island National Historical Park, Discover Your Northwest and the University of Washington.

Here’s another informative article written by Merri Ann Simonson…

Merri Ann Simonson 

All of us Island property owners received our tax assessment notices from the County in November.  As real estate agents we have been fielding many questions about the statements and new assessments.  As you may recall, the State has mandated that our Assessor’s office convert to an annual assessment update cycle versus the cyclical system we were on for years.  The current values are for a one year period only and will be adjusted the next year.  This process is much more stable and refined and will be a more accurate system than we have had in the past.

As agents, we have seen properties sell above their tax assessments the majority of the last 20 years with the exception of 2008-2012.  Most of the variance was due to the lag time that accompanied the previous cyclical schedule our assessor used.

Map of Exempt Parcels in 2014 – Click to enlarge (Note: You can also see a full sized PDF of this map via a link at the end of the article).

During a few years of the recession, properties were selling at or below the assessor’s values.  For example, back in 2006, many of the same type properties sold in an average range of 125%-150% over their tax assessments.

During the recession, many properties sold in an average range of 15%-30% below their tax assessed values.   These average percentages varied based on the type of property but generally that was the trend.

In 2014, due to market recovery, most homes are again selling slightly above their tax assessment. Due to annual re-valuations and the new assessor’s appraisal method, we may not have as extreme variances in the future.

Reviewing the tax assessment as compared to the actual sale price for high-end homes is not reliable as they are very difficult to appraise due to custom features. Continue Reading

Here’s the latest from Island Museum of Art…

For more than twenty-five years, in a career that brought him to the forefront of the modern Studio Glass movement, William Morris perfected a repertoire of techniques that virtually no other American glass artist can equal. Internationally acclaimed for his compelling work with glass, William Morris approached the demands of glassblowing and glass sculpting with an experimental eye and an innovative hand.

For Morris, glass is an endlessly intriguing material, fragile yet timeless, preserving the spontaneity of the creative moment unlike any other medium. William Morris artworks in glass are widely admired by artists, sought by collectors, and praised by critics.
(From wmorris.com)

The doors to IMA open on February 14 with Morris’ sculptural glass completed between 1998 and 2013. Morris’ beautiful work speaks of human origins, myth, ancestry, and ancient civilizations. Symbolizing a harmony between humanity and nature, the artist’s extraordinary technical skill combines with a love for cultural history to create a body of work respected worldwide.

William Morris, a teacher at the renowned Pilchuck Glass School, gathers much of his inspiration from ancient cultures – Egyptian, Asian, Native American – all peoples, he has said, who respected and admired the land they inhabited. Because of this, Morris’s artwork has an intriguing ambiguity: it is culturally distinct and yet familiar to all cultures. His pieces embody a spiritual quality that sharply contrasts old beliefs with those of the modern world.

“The William Morris exhibition is the perfect inaugural show for the opening of the new IMA building,” said Executive Director Charlie Bodenstab.

The show runs through May 12.

The front of the IMA Building – Contributed photo

Some IMA History: The Little Island With The Big Dreams

It was an improbable notion brought to life by an unflappable bunch of artists on a remote island in Puget Sound’s Salish Sea. Their harebrained idea: to build a fine arts museum that would gain the attention of artists and global audiences. They had no money. They had no building. Still, the tiny museum-without-a-home set up grand exhibitions in venues from theater lobbies to abandoned retail shops. Dedicated volunteers swept, painted, built exhibition space and wooed talent from around the country to the new San Juan Islands Museum of Art (aka IMA.) Continue Reading

San Juan County is among fifty communities across the nation leading the way to energy efficiency.

On Wednesday, January 14, 2015, San Juan County officially advanced to the Semifinal round of the Georgetown University Energy Prize, a national competition that is challenging communities across the U.S. to rethink their energy use. At a press event in Washington, D.C., San Juan County was announced as one of the fifty communities who are leading the way on energy efficiency.

“In San Juan County, we know we must transform how we generate and use energy. Our plan addresses these challenges and charts a course of action,” said San Juan County Councilman Bob Jarman.

Over the past few months a local group of engaged citizens, OPALCO staff, and county leaders developed the San Juan Islands Energy Plan in preparation for the competition. Priorities include community and youth education and engagement, increasing energy efficiency and reducing waste, and promoting renewable sources of energy. Continue Reading

Michele Morton at Islanders Bank shares this notice with you…

Islanders Bank and Lake Kennedy McCullough have partnered up with the EDC to offer a Free Business Entities workshop on Wednesday, Jan. 28th. Click on the poster at right to enlarge for more details.

Courtney Oldwyn invites you to this party/fundraiser…

It’s the 2nd Annual Red Carpet Oscar Party and Fundraiser for MS Research. Come watch the Academy Awards on the big screen and support Multiple Sclerosis Research at the same time! Sunday February 22, at Tops’l Seafood and Sushi Bar from 3 – 9 pm.

• $5.00 drinks and food
• Raffles
• Games and Prizes
• 60 inch Big Screen TV to watch the Oscars!

We’re donating all proceeds to MS Research through the MS Trust in a joint fundraising effort with Julia James (local islander Booboo James’ sister) who is running the London Marathon as a fundraiser in honor of their mother who had MS.

I’d also like to honor my long time friend Chris Redelsperger (from Forest Grove, Oregon) who, at age 27,  was diagnosed with Primary Progressive Multiple Sclerosis, (the most under-researched form of MS) and all of our other local islanders, friends and family members who suffer from this disease.

In order to reserve a spot at this event, get a group of friends together and make a donation to a VIP Table that seats up to six people and includes gift baskets and other swag. There will be limited open seating for walk-ins.

We’re in need of small, local items to fill our gift baskets so if anyone has smaller, fun things to donate please contact me, Courtney Oldwyn at:
courtneyoldwyn [@] gmail [.] com

Here is the link to the Facebook event page for more info.

The Friday Harbor Film Festival is proud to present a Josh Fox film “Gasland” next Tuesday, January 20th at 7:00 pm at the Grange. It’s the Second Showing in the FHFF 2015 Winter Film Series of Ten Films every other Tuesday night.

Filmmaker Josh Fox examines the potential long-term environmental impact of hydraulic fracturing, including poisonous water and earthquakes.

Gasland Part II
2013 ‧ Documentary ‧ 2h 5m
7.7/10-IMDb

Read more about it and see the trailer at FHFF.org.

Principal dancer Caitlin Ross, definitely a dancer of the sea (la danse de la mer means dance of the sea) – Contributed photo

Lina Downes, the Director of the upcoming La Danse De La Mer ballet production has this note to share with you…

Are you thinking February will be dull in the aftermath of the Holidays? Look no further for entertainment than “Prince of the Rain Realm”, an original, full length, “adult fairy tale” contemporary ballet, danced by professional dance company “La Danse De La Mer” and set to music from Pink Floyd to Mozart!

Onstage at the mainstage of San Juan Community Theatre, one night only, Feb. 7th Saturday at 7:30pm, “Prince” is dark, lushly romantic, humourous, and “would be rated pg 13, if it were a film” said Director Lina Downes.

The professional contemporary ballet dancers who will soar through the air in “Prince” using their barefeet and their pointe shoes are sure to capture the San Juan audience in their spell, – including one male dancer who is internationally renowned for dancing “en pointe”!

“La Danse De La Mer” company members include world-touring professional dancers Danny Boulet, who dances the leading role of the Prince, and his fraternal twin brother Sylvain, who dances the role of the evil Lord of the Stark Realm in this fantasy saga, fairy tale inspired production. Continue Reading

L-R: Minnie Knych, Don Craddock and BJ Craddock – Contributed photo

Don Craddock is featured in the recently published book: Lest We Forget, a compilation of stories about WWII veterans. The book is published by the WA State Daughters of the American Revolution. Don is featured in a chapter called “One Lucky Bastard” written by Minnie Knych.

As a B-17 pilot during WWII, Don received the “Lucky Bastard” award for having successfully completed 35 bombing missions over Germany. During WWII the average number of missions for a B17 pilot was six. Don’s plane was named “Embraceable You” in honor of Don and his wife Betty Jane’s favorite song. Her portrait was also on the tail of the plane.

Unique Literature Class Offered At The San Juan Center Of Skagit Valley College. Wandering Among Mountains and River:  Landscape In East Asian Literature.

Join class leader, Catherine Barnhart, in this six week community education course exploring the theme of landscape in the literature of China, Japan and Korea and drawing connections with the mountain landscapes of the Pacific Northwest.

Readings are in English translation. Images of Asian landscape paintings provide a visual context for literary selections. An introduction to some fundamental elements of the original languages enhances understanding of our readings and of the relationships among literature, art and nature. For comparative purposes, we also read poetry and essays by Pacific Northwest writers. Oral and written reflections on readings and images form a key component of class sessions. Continue Reading

The Secret Case of Sherlock Holmes – Jan Bollwinkel-Smith photo

It’s the first case for Sherlock Holmes and Dr. Watson and it’s up to the Friday Harbor High School Drama Group to solve it! Craig Sodar’s The Secret Case of Sherlock Holmes is at San Juan Community Theatre THIS Thursday through Saturday, January 15-17 at 7:30 pm and this Sunday, January 18 at 2 pm.

Sherlock and Watson’s client—a young H.G. Wells—has hired the novice detectives to find a manuscript by Arthur Conan Doyle. Hiding from their angry landlord, Holmes and Watson duck into Wells’ time machine, and soon find themselves in the 21st century.

“They end up in a funny and crazy place where they meet characters like Marilyn Monroe, Tarzan and Lizzie Borden,” said director and FHHS drama coach Jenni Merritt. But are they really the famous personalities or patients with grand delusions; and what happens when murder comes into play?

Jenni thinks the clever humor in the play and Sherlock’s recent popularity in movies and television series should draw plenty of interest from community audiences of all ages eager to see Sherlock and Watson (perhaps a little sillier than usual) in action.

The Secret Case of Sherlock Holmes – Jan Bollwinkel-Smith photo

Tickets ($16 for adults and $8 for student reserved) are available at www.sjctheatre.org or the box office (378-3210).

Cast:
Drake Waite – Sherlock Holmes
Brian Fleming – Dr. John Watson
Emma Jean Carpentier – Inspector Lestrade
Courtney Bell – Dr. Sydney Freudley
Zach Fincher – H.G. Wells/Figure
Macalister Arendt – Miss Pinchley
Adriena Pew – Mrs. Hudson/Mrs. Willows (Tarzan)
Chloe Cunningham – Mrs. Cobb
Erich Atwell – Eddie Nash
Madrona Jameson – Dr. Carla Young
Libby Anderson – Ruby Allen (Marilyn Monroe)
Diego Anderson – Tom Smith (George Washington)
Keegan Hebert – Henry Lee (Count Dracula)
Jillian Urbach – Winifred Brownlow (Emily Dickinson)
Summer Fox – Nancy Darling (Lizzie Borden)
Essine Kilpatrick-Boe – Charlotte Hyde-White (Queen Victoria)