Here are a couple of Job Notices that showed up in the Update mailbag recently:

Facilities Coordinator.  UW-Friday Harbor Labs.  Full-time position which organizes and schedules housing and lab facilities in a friendly, busy office emphasizing high quality customer service.   Info and application: http://tinyurl.com/fhlfac.  $2798 – $3728 per month plus a generous benefits package.  Closes Sept 28.

Contract Fire Marshal. San Juan County is seeking qualified candidates for a contract position of San Juan County Fire Marshal (SJC FM). The SJC FM position will report directly to the Chief Building Official within the Department of Community Development.
Check out the full description on this PDF Form.

Apply for low-income housing grants, loans by Sept. 30

San Juan County will award grants and loans totaling up to $28,000 in 2014 for projects that help make housing available to local residents of very low income.

The Low Income Housing Fund, created by the state legislature in 2002, is funded by a surcharge on documents recorded by the county auditor’s office. Funds may be used for construction, operation or maintenance of projects that serve families or individuals earning less than 50 percent of the area’s median income.

For a family of four, 50 percent of median income in San Juan County is $31,250.

Funding is available to non-profits and developers, either as grants or loans for eligible projects in San Juan County. Funding is not available for individual home purchases, or home remodel or rehabilitation. Continue Reading

AUDITIONS! SJCT Family Theatre

A “punny” spoof featuring a familiar TV series, Humpty Dumpty and other nursery characters will be the next production of San Juan Community Theatre’s Family Theatre.

Auditions for the November play are being held on Tuesday and Wednesday, September 16 and 17 at 3:15 p.m. in the Whittier Theatre.

Director Penelope Haskew will be casting up to 50 island K-6 graders and adults for LAW & ORDER: C-rhyme and Pun-ishment. Written by Jane and Jim Jeffries, with music and lyrics by Bill Francoeur, this goofy musical spoof on the Law and Order television series features two detectives who have to figure out what happened to Humpty Dumpty when bits of shell are discovered scattered around at the foot of a wall.

Rehearsals will be held after school and on Sundays. The play will be presented on the Whittier stage November 21-23.
Contact Penelope at penelopehaskew [@] gmail [.] com for more information.

Al Sundstrom – Gary Tarleton Photographer NPS Park Ranger 2014

Celebrate the Life of Al Sundstrom 

Saturday, September 20^th 11:30 am

Funeral Service at St. Francis Catholic Church

Burial to follow at St Francis Catholic Cemetery

1:30 pm Reception at San Juan Island Grange Hall

Come share your memories

From the family of Al Sundstrom

Fun at the Farm Parade – Photo by Peggy Sue McRae

Once again it’s time to gussy up the goat, leash the sheep, trick out the tractor, and head to the fairgrounds for the start of the Friday Harbor Fall Farm Parade. Held on the first Saturday of October, this year’s parade will be on October 4th.

Staging will be at the main gate of the fairgrounds starting at 1:30. The parade will leave the fairgrounds onto Argyle at 2:30 and go down Argyle, Spring Street, and then TURN LEFT onto First Street and head to the Grange Hall.

Most entries will turn onto Court and head home, but several will park at the Grange Hall and become part of our open house.  The Grange Hall will be open until 5PM with music, refreshments, a Deck Project display, a display of the winners of our arts contest, and some of the parade entries (animals?) for your viewing pleasure. Continue Reading

Kate Schuman and Teddy Deane – Contributed Photo

Teddy Deane joins Kate Schuman on Tuesday September 16th for some musical hijinx! Clarinet, flute, saxophone, and keyboard, not always all at once. Guaranteed toe-tapping music and knee-slapping jokes.

C’mon – who says Tuesdays have to be boring? Make the transition to Hump Day the easy way – start with Happy Hour at the Golf Course, great food, drink, atmosphere, and music!

Happy Hour at the Golf Course Tuesdays 4:00 pm – 7:00 pm

Music start at 5:00. — with Teddy Deane.

Caliope – Contributed Photo

This adorable young lady goes by the name of “Caliope” or “Cali” for short.  She’s a Dachshund-Chihuahua mix and is about a year old.  When she arrived here at the shelter from a high-kill shelter in California, she was very frightened and timid.  With the help of a part-time foster mom and lots of TLC from shelter staff and volunteers she is becoming a wonderful dog!  She is affectionate,  playful and extremely sweet and well-mannered.  She gets along well with dogs as well as cats and just wants a friendly lap and someone to love her.  If you have a lap and some room in your heart and home for this sweet girl, stop by the shelter to meet her soon!

Humpback Whale Off Victoria – Photo by Katie Jones

When I asked photographer and naturalist Katie Jones for a “September” picture, she sent me this captured moment of a diving Humpback Whale off Victoria. To see more of her work link to Spyhopper Travels Photography on Facebook or Spyhopper Travels Zenfolio.

Annie Adams – Photo by Marty Ahart

Local artist Annie Howell-Adams is in the garden painting the sunflowers that she and her fellow gardeners planted in San Juan Island’s Community Garden (out Spring Street before Douglas Road). Each gardener has a 20′ x 20′ plot, mostly used for vegetables, some that end up helping to keep our local food bank supplied.

Annie’s first year garden is an experiment in permaculture. She is creating her soil out of things like cardboard, kelp, and manure. Still, she has already harvested some handsome scarlet runner beans, and the pumpkins and sunflowers are thriving.

San Juan Island Library Classic Movie Series with Therese Finn presents a new series featuring beloved stars, Shirley Temple, Lauren Bacall, and Mickey Rooney. “Stars Who Live Forever in Our Hearts”!

Friday, Oct. 3rd, Shirley Temple And Victor Mclaglen in “Wee Willie Winkie”. Saturday, Oct. 4th, Lauren Bacall and Humphrey Bogart in “To Have and Have Not”. Sunday, Oct. 5th, Mickey Rooney And Judy Garland in “Girl Crazy”.

All movies start at 7:00. Free admission and popcorn! See you at the library!

Northwest Repertory Singers – Photo Courtesy SJCT

San Juan Community Theatre presents a special screening of the documentary Shining Night, A Portrait of Composer Morten Lauridsen and an appearance by some 50 members of the Northwest Repertory Singers on Saturday, September 20 at 7:30 p.m.

The composer, who recently moved to San Juan Island after living on Waldron Island for years, is America’s most frequently performed choral composer and a National Medal of Arts recipient.  Musicologist Nick Strimple describes him as “the only American composer in history who can be called a mystic.”  Shining Night, a film by Michael Stillwater, explores the relationship of art, nature and spirituality, revealing the composer through the lenses of his love for silence and solitude with his passion for music and literature.  Islanders who attended the 2013 Friday Harbor Film Festival will remember that the film received the coveted “Audience Favorite” award. Continue Reading

Frank H. Mullis

During the summer and autumn of 1905, eighteen year old Frank H. Mullis of Friday Harbor kept a journal. Here are a few excerpts from September 1905.

Sept 11, 1905 – I picked pears in the morning. After dinner I hitched up the rig and mama and I went for a drive. We went to the south end of the Island, where Roy and I went last Saturday. I would not have gone all the way if I had not left the halter out there Saturday and so went all the way and got it back. Mr. Holl came home today so the rig went back in the evening. Mama and I had a very enjoyable time. The view was just grand from some places. I never saw such a beautiful view of Mt. Baker as I did today.

Sept 15, 1905 – I picked apples in the morning and helped mama and Ella put up fruit most of the afternoon. I also made some fine cider.

Blackberries – Photo Peggy Sue McRae

If you have not made a blackberry pie yet this year do it now before the next rain. There are still lots of plump juicy berries out there and here is an easy, tasty recipe. I won a blue ribbon at the San Juan County Fair with this recipe, a proud moment in my life.

First, pick enough berries for a pie… and then some. You want plenty of fruit for this pie. Pre-cook your favorite pie crust. You can do this ahead of time. Then divide your berries in half and cook one half in a saucepan with sugar to taste and enough cornstarch to made a nice thick berry goo. Put the rest of the berries into the cooked pie crust raw and whole. Pour the hot berry goo over the whole berries until they are completely covered. The hot goo will cook the berries just slightly but the berries will retain their plump juicy whole character. That is what makes this pie so tasty. Refrigerate overnight (or as long as you can wait) but long enough for the berry mixture to set. Enjoy with whipped cream.

Al Sundstrom – Photo Courtesy San Juan Island Grange #966

Sadly, we received this news today. Al Sundstrom we will miss you.

It is my sad duty to report the passing of Al Sundstrom, Past Master of San Juan Island Grange #966. He will be remembered for his clarity of mind, his knowledge of Grange history and his gentle encouragement that we stay with our principles. Al, you will be missed.

Roger Ellison – Master, San Juan Island Grange #966

Queen Anne’s Lace – Photo by Peggy Sue McRae

Here is a fun easy project to do with the Queen Anne’s Lace that grows all along our roadsides. Right now, before they go to seed, pick some Queen Anne’s Lace flowers. Look for nice flat ones and cut the stems off right at the top. Lay the flowers flat between paper and tuck them into a nice big fat book that you don’t plan to read anytime soon. Put that book at the bottom of a stack or set a heavy rock on top of it… and then forget about it.

Months from now, with just a piece of thread and a few spots of glue you will have some pretty snowflakes to hang on your Christmas tree, or in your holiday window.