August 30th at dusk, in the Sunken Park – Island Rec’s FREE Movies in the Park.

The Sandlot – Scotty Smalls spends his first summer in a new neighborhood learning to play ball with the local boys. But when Scotty “borrows” one of his step-dad’s baseballs, he gets himself and his buddies into the biggest pickle they’ve ever been in.

Go to www.islandrec.org or call Island Rec at 378-4953 for more information. Free popcorn. Come early for fun contests and prizes. Bring blankets or chairs. No alcohol please. Sponsored by FANS, Families and Neighbors support Island Rec.

Contributed Photo

If you’ve ever wanted to make a meaningful contribution to our community, Sheila Harley from San Juan Island Fire Rescue has an opportunity for you to consider.

Sheila sent us this photo hoping to spark some interest in attracting volunteers who would rather see their own face dressed up in firefighting gear than this poor, scruffy, dummy. In an emergency, I think we would all rather see your face! What you would need to do is sign up for and then complete the Structural Fire Fighting I course beginning Wednesday, September 3, 2014.

Basic requirements include: be 18 or older, a High School graduate or equivalent, have a valid Washington State drivers license, pass a background check and a physical exam. If you are in good shape, can demonstrate good judgment, and have a strong sense of community service, this rewarding opportunity is something to seriously consider. There is no upper age limit.

If you think you have the right stuff or would like to know more about it, please contact Brad Creesy, Assistant Chief/Training officer at 378-5335 or e-mail him at training [@] sjifire [.] org

Totem Poll Blessing and Send Off in Bellingham on August 17, 2014 – Paul K. Anderson photo

Here’s a note from Katie over at Friends of the San Juans…

FRIENDS is honored and excited to host a public introduction and benefit in support of “Our Shared Responsibility: A Totem Pole Journey” at San Juan Island National Historical Park’s English Camp on San Juan Island on August 29 at 7 p.m. This is a special opportunity for community leaders, people of faith, and local activists to learn more about this year’s journey and how they can stand with the Lummi community in support of their work to stop the Gateway Pacific coal terminal and fossil fuel exports that threaten sacred tribal sites.

Lummi Nation Elder and Master Carver of House of Tears Carvers Jewell James carved the Totem Pole – its journey highlights native and nonnative communities whose culture and livelihoods are threatened by coal, Bakken oil and tar sands oil exports. The trip will extend 2,500 miles from Minneapolis, MN, west to Bellingham, WA, and finally northeast until it reaches Peace River, in the heart of Alberta tar sands territory. Continue Reading

“Annie” is this week’s Pet of the Week – Contributed photo

Annie came to us several months ago when her owner passed away unexpectedly.  She is quite possibly the nicest, gentlest cat we’ve had here at the shelter and we think you’ll agree.  Sadly, she was declawed at some point in her life and as a result she tends to be somewhat shy and tends to hide under blankets when she is feeling threatened.  However, she is extremely sweet and makes friends quickly once trust is established.

Annie has lived with other cats and dogs and does well with non-aggressive animal friends.  She has been in a foster home for several weeks and must find her forever home very soon as her foster family is unable to care for her much longer.  We would love to avoid bringing her back to the shelter again.  If you are interested in meeting Annie, please call us at the shelter and we’ll make the arrangements.  This sweet girl truly deserves a loving, caring home!

Foggy Morning Sunrise – Kevin Holmes photo

Kevin Holmes shares this sunrise photo. He shot this from the early ferry near Anacortes yesterday.

Click on it to see it larger.

Thanks Kevin!

Here’s a note from the School District about the ongoing construction on Blair Avenue…

Welcome back to school! The Blair Street improvement project is underway! Please be aware that there will be some disruptions to school access and to parking. Note the district’s STEM project also continues. All students and staff are urged to use utmost caution for the duration of these projects.

For your information:

• Until the front sidewalks have been completed, entry into the high school and middle school is through the back entrance.
• Please note ALL drivers are responsible to follow Town parking regulations.
• Buses will park on Park Street as close to the Bluebird house as possible.
• District staff may park at the District office. First come, first served.
• 8 hour parking is available on parts of Guard Street west of Tucker.
• Culver Street has 8 hour parking available.
• First Avenue (behind the Courthouse) has parking available.
• The County has limited parking near San Juan Community Theater.
• Please DO NOT park on Islander’s Bank private parking lot or at the Post Office.

The Town will continue to explore other temporary options. Expect changes and delays through mid-September. Improvements are in the works!

Thank you for your patience. Be careful driving…and walking!
San Juan Island School District

Construction work on Blair Avenue between the Post Office and Islanders Bank – Tim Dustrude photo

Here’s a note to all of you from Mike Carlson, about the Blair Avenue Improvement Project…

August 22, 2014

To the citizens of Friday Harbor and San Juan Island:

This summer our crews have had the privilege of completely reconstructing Blair Avenue. Blair Avenue provides access to Friday Harbor High School, U.S. Post Office, Islanders Bank, Douglas Strandberg Law Offices, Higginson-Beyer Law Offices, Dr. Jerry Wickman DC , The Tooth Ferry and Tia’s Tacos. We want to sincerely thank all those affected by our work for your patience and tolerance in putting up with this major construction project all summer. Every person in our company cares about the folks who work at and do business with those establishments located along Blair Avenue.

Like a home remodel, there can be un-expected conditions within a reconstruction project like Blair Avenue Improvements. Our crews have had to uncover, remove and replace generations of both active and abandoned utility piping, conduits and wires often inter mixed with roots, clay, rocks and other unsuitable materials. It is extremely difficult to predict how long it takes to do this type of work safely and without causing interruptions to other utility services. These conditions have adversely impacted our schedule in spite of the fact the project is otherwise going very smoothly.

Here is a rundown of how we are scheduling to complete the remainder of the project: Continue Reading

This rare 1938 Buick 46C Special will be arriving from Yakima

The Sports Car Club of the San Juan Islands and the Rotary Club of San Juan Island invite everyone to the eighth Annual Concours d’Elegance of the San Juan Islands at the San Juan Vineyards (3136 Roche Harbor Road) on Sunday, August 24, from 11:00 am until 3:00 pm.

Here’s the Schedule:

• 11:00 AM: Open for Spectators
• Noon – 2:00 pm: Lunch by Spring Street Deli and Wine by San Juan Vineyards will be sold in Pavilion
• Noon – 2:00 pm: Argyle Street Jazz Band will be performing in the Pavilion
• 2:00 pm: People’s Choice Award Voting ends
• 2:30 pm: Presentation of Awards
• 3:00 pm Concours Closes

Spectators are welcome with free General Admission although a voluntary tax-deductible contribution of $10.00 is encouraged. Everyone can participate in the “People’s Choice” voting.

The Concours is a charitable event with this years’ net proceeds going to the San Juan Island Family Resource Center, the San Juan Historical Museum, and the Rotary’s PolioPlus Project.

We hope to see everyone there!

Gabby Baisch draws Allen Rosenberg’s name from the jar – Contributed photo

Here’s a note from Susan over at the SJI Community Foundation…

The Community Foundation was gratified by the amazing generosity of islanders last week at the 2014 San Juan County Fair when over $31,000 was donated to eight different projects featured in the matching program. This amount was raised in just the four days of the Fair!

The Foundation, in turn, matched those donations up to 50% of the project’s goal amount, thereby allowing over $44,000 to be granted to the following projects:

• Animal Protection Society’s new shelter
• Islands Oil Spill Association’s new supply trailer
• Museum of History & Industry’s expansion project
• Community Foundation’s Scholarship Fund
• Islands Museum of Art’s new building
• Family Resource Center’s mentoring program
• SJICF Women’s Fund membership drive
• Band Families & Friends musical instrument repair and acquisition

At the conclusion of the 2014 San Juan County Fair, two-year-old Gabby Baisch reached into the glass jar that held names of all contributors at the Community Foundation’s booth – and drew out the name of Allen Rosenberg. That gave Allen the opportunity to select the nonprofit beneficiary of a bonus $1,000 from the Foundation. He chose Islands Oil Spill Association to be the lucky recipient.

The Community Foundation extends its deepest gratitude to all who made this annual event so enjoyable – and so successful.

Here’s a notice that was posted on the San Juans Department of Emergency Management’s Facebook page…

How the phone and data connections reach all the islands.

The Washington Utilities and Transportation Commission has released it’s report on the November 2013 CenturyLink outage (it’s a large PDF file, you can download it here: http://1.usa.gov/XAS23X . Report captures UTC staff recommendations- final decision by UTC is yet to come.

A few key points that islanders should be aware of:

1. CenturyLink efforts to build a microwave back up for the submarine cables are still underway and are not in place yet.
2. There are two “single route” cables (Lopez-SJI and Anacortes-Decatur) that will cause major service disruption if they fail. The one in Rosario Strait will be especially difficult to repair. Cables are expected to fail on an average of every 25 years. Anacortes-Decatur was laid 30 years ago (1984).
3. We were lucky that repair happened as quickly as it did in November. Report says that similar repairs can often take a month.

Bottom line – given our dependence on CenturyLink and our inability to control their business and operational decisions, we could experience a similar or more severe outage at any time. Island residents, businesses, and government should take steps now to make their communications systems as robust as possible- use multiple providers, have access to Skype, IP phones, multiple sources of internet service if at all possible. Especially if you are performing critical services or are reliant on communications for your business.

A scene from Twelfth Night – John Sinclair photo

Helen at Island Stage Left sends you this reminder about this weekend’s show…

Our production of “Twelfth Night” is coming to a close this weekend. We have just Friday, Saturday and Sunday left. Show starts at 8:15. Last performance on the 24th. It’s at 1062 Wold Road.

Come, or come again, to see this incredibly popular show’s final weekend – it would be a shame to miss it.

Cheers,
Helen

Just heard from Colleen Johansen that San Juan Safaris has accepted the Ice Bucket Challenge. And here they are on YouTube… check it out:

Mike Vouri and Michael Cohen during a benefit performance last fall for the Pickett House in Bellingham – Contributed photo

Help make history and see the final San Juan Island performance of “The Life and Times of General George Pickett” scheduled for 7:30 pm, Thursday, August 21 in the Gubelman Theatre of the San Juan Community Theater.

Mike Vouri (in the title role) and folksinger Michael Cohen have presented the play throughout the Pacific Northwest and British Columbia, plus a trip to the East Coast, for more than 17 years. They shelved the comedy-drama in 2009, and then returned to the stage in 2011 to raise money for Park Ranger Darlene Wahl, who was battling cancer.

“I know, we said we were done once before,” Vouri said. “Then the performance for Darlene was so successful that Merritt Olsen (then theater executive director) urged us to bring it back…so we did, and it worked again for a while.” Continue Reading

Totem Pole Journey Blessing Ceremony Comes to San Juan Island – Click for event poster – Paul K. Anderson photo

On Friday, August 29th at 7:00 p.m., FRIENDS of the San Juans is hosting a public introduction and benefit in support of “Our Shared Responsibility: A Totem Pole Journey” at English Camp on San Juan Island. This is a special opportunity for community leaders, people of faith, and local activists to learn more about this year’s journey and how they can stand with the Lummi community in support of their work to stop the Gateway Pacific coal terminal and fossil fuel exports that threaten sacred tribal sites.

Lummi Nation Elder and Master Carver of House of Tears Carvers Jewell James carved the Totem Pole – its journey highlights native and nonnative communities whose culture and livelihoods are threatened by coal, Bakken oil and tar sands oil exports. The trip will extend 2,500 miles from Minneapolis, MN, west to Bellingham, WA, and finally northeast until it reaches Peace River, in the heart of Alberta tar sands territory.

“We’re honored to be showing our solidarity with all Nations and people that are impacted in some way by the export of fossil fuel. Here in the Salish Sea, our shared waters are threatened by an oil spill which could impact all of our lives,” said Stephanie Buffum, FRIENDS of the San Juans’ Executive Director.

The totem pole is one of the oldest forms of North American storytelling. Today, it still serves to remind us of our place within nature, our responsibility to future generations, and our connections to each other and to our communities.

The event will incorporate Native American traditional values and knowledge as well as a cross-cultural dialogue with the broader community about what’s at stake with fossil fuel extraction, export, and consumption.

There will be a free shuttle to the event that departs Friday Harbor ferry landing at 6 p.m. and returns at 8:30 p.m. Call to RSVP at (360) 378-2319 or email Julie [@] sanjuans [.] org.

For more information visit www.totempolejourney.com.

Here’s a story from Wolf Hollow’s monthly newsletter, Hollow Happenings…

Within the past few weeks we have successfully rehabilitated and released two very different herons.
The first to be released was a young Green Heron that was found, weak and thin, in a park in Burlington in late June.

Green Heron – Wolf Hollow photo

It was a youngster that was just growing in feathers and still had grey down sticking out all over its head and back. Green Herons are small (only ~ 18 ” tall when fully grown), so we started by offering it small fish pieces with forceps and in water in a dish. At first it wouldn’t take the pieces so, several times a day, we had to carefully open its mouth and pop pieces in. This continued for 4 days, then suddenly it got the hang of it and started to pick up fish pieces and other food from its dish and swallow them down. Soon all of its feathers grew in and it was moved into an outdoor enclosure where it spent most of the time hiding among the tall grasses. After ~ 4 weeks it was able to fly and was released in a nice marshy area near Burlington.

The second heron to be released was a young Great Blue Heron that had been with us since mid May.

Great Blue Heron nestling – Wolf Hollow photo

It was a nestling that was found on the ground under a heron rookery on Whidbey Island. It was about the size of a large grapefruit, with a round belly and a huge beak and feet. It was just beginning to sprout grey, fuzzy down its on head and body. We were amazed that it hadn’t been injured in the fall from its nest in the top of a tall tree. But the young heron had only one thing in mind – FOOD! Right from the start it noisily demanded food and grabbed and swallowed lots of small fish. We watched as it gradually grew feathers, learned to stand up on its long wobbly legs and tried to look big and tough. The final stage was a few weeks in our Eagle Flight Enclosure to practice its flying skills and learn to catch live fish in a pool. In early August, the young heron (now almost 4 feet tall!) was released at the edge of a lake and flew strongly out over the lake to land in the top of a tall tree.

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Know Your Island Walk – Contributed photo

Meet Steve Ulvi, crackerjack trail builder, former employee of the Alaska National Parks and dedicated/concerned San Juan Island citizen, to walk our new hospital trail, The Peace Path.

Steve will fill us in on how this trail came to be, its deliberate design as a slow, contemplative and meandering trail, what the building of it entailed, and what plans might lie ahead.

Meet and park at the Peace Island Hospital parking lot on San Juan Valley Road. Length is 1.5 miles and terrain is wooded trail. Rating is easy. Dogs on leashes are welcome. Saturday, August 23rd, 1:00 – 4:00 pm. Rain or shine. For more information visit www.sanjuanislandtrails.org.