Do you have an old WORKING computer now that you’re upgrading to something new? How about donating it to a family in need to help their kids with school? Check out what Tom Doenges 0f Computer San Juans is doing. Here he is with the details…

COMPUTER TRADING UP?? I volunteered to help the 6 grade class teachers locate some computers to be placed into families’ hands that do not have one at home in order to enable the students to do their homework as assigned from the on-line courses. Are any of you out there thinking of or in the process of getting a new one? I will insure all sensitive data is removed, clean it up and turn it around for one of these families. You could use a write off rather than a recycle / dump run. Nothing older than 4-5 years old please and it must be in working order. THANKS! Call me at (360)378-5153 or PM me on Facebook or email at:

4tomhenry [@] gmail [.] com

I want to stress that it MUST be in good working condition, not older than 5 years old, prefer XP or Windows 7. Also, any OFFICE product CD’s and vaild license keys that are retired we would be hugely thankful for – mostly WORD and EXCEL. Also, any small desktop style printers in GOOD working order would be great and flat screen monitors NO CRT big style monitors will be accepted. We are trying to make sure all families have an equal chance for their kids. In extreme conditions we may seek small funding to fund DSL where necessary.
Thank you!

San Juan Island Cheese had a successful, fun and cheesy summer!

A big thanks to Friday Harbor Locals and all its visitors for making our first season so wonderful.
Upcoming Event: “Thank You Friday Harbor!” OPEN HOUSE @ SJI Cheese
Details: We invite you to a celebration of the end of Summer and a welcoming to the beginning of Fall. We are offering:
15% off all in-house Liquids (beer, wine, soft drinks) for all Locals, and 10% off all bottles of wine!

4-7pm, October 3rd, 2013 at San Juan Island Cheese
15% off Liquids in house for Locals

Haven’t had a chance to come check us out? Now is the time! Try some cheese, try some wine, and learn about what we have in stock for the off-season and beyond! We welcome back all our regulars too!
Also, we plan on staying open throughout the Fall with the following hours:
Thursday 11am-3pm
Friday 11am-6pm
Saturday, Sunday & Monday 11am-3pm
Closed Tuesday & Wednesday.
New Fall hours will start September 26th.
Lunch will be available 11-3.
As always, our delicious cheese, charcuterie and hummus boards are available all day.
We look forward to seeing you soon!

San Juan Community Theatre’s new HD-live program continues on Monday, September 30 at 7:00 p.m. with the National Theatre Live presentation of William Shakespeare’s Othello.

Olivier Award-winning actor Adrian Lester (Henry V at the National Theatre, BBC’s Hustle) takes the title role in the celebrated play about the destructive power of jealousy. Playing opposite him as the duplicitous Iago is fellow Olivier Award-winner Rory Kinnear (The Last of the Haussmans, James Bond: Skyfall), who is reunited with director Nicholas Hytner (Timon of Athens, One Man, Two Guvnors) following their acclaimed collaboration on the National Theatre’s recent production of Hamlet.

Othello, newly married to Desdemona – who is half his age – is appointed leader of a major military operation. Iago, passed over for promotion by Othello in favor of the young Cassio, persuades Othello that Cassio and Desdemona are having an affair.
Recorded live in London, Othello will be rebroadcast via SJCT’s new satellite, projection and sound systems, made possible through a generous bequest from the late Dodie Gann.

In addition to National Theatre Live presentations, San Juan Community Theatre will also present the 2013-2014 season of The MET: Live in HD, starting October 6 with Tchaikovsky’s Eugene Onegin. A complete schedule of the HD-live events is available at www.sjctheatre.org.
Tickets for Othello are $20 for adults, $18 for SJCT members and $10 for student reserved. The SJCT box office (378-3210) is open Monday through Friday from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. and Saturdays from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. Tickets are also available on-line at www.sjctheatre.org

As you can see from his photo, Percy is a very sophisticated Persian cat who is about two years old. Don’t let his debonair pose fool you – this guy is part kitten, part dog and part comedian. He’s great with people and loves to play and hang out with staff and visitors at the shelter, but he tends to be bossy and aggressive with other cats. We think he’d love being the only cat in his new home. He has diminished eye-sight in one eye so would be safest as an indoor cat, although he loves the great outdoors on a limited basis. He’s waiting for you to stop by the shelter to say hello. 111 Shelter Road.

San Juan Healthcare announces their 2013 Drop-In Flu Clinic Schedule:
Flu Clinics begin Wednesday, October 2nd from 2:00 to 4:30. Walk in Clinics will run every Wednesday* while supplies last. Flu shots will be available by appointment only outside of our scheduled Walk in Clinics.

*Wednesday October 23, 2013 Flu Shot Clinic will be held at the Mullis Center 1pm-4pm

San Juan Healthcare
689 Airport Center, Suite B
(360) 378-1338

Jan Murphy of Wild at Heart Studios invites you to a Shrine Making Workshop:

So, join us! Bring a friend or two and indulge yourself in a weekend of creativity and fun! Hope to see you there!

Jeff and Sherri Haynie’s Pop-Cap and Kitty-Can Shrines Workshop…

I fell in love with Jeff and Sherri’s work when I visited the Verksted Gallery in Poulsbo, Washington a few months ago. I knew I had to contact them to see if they’d come up and teach a workshop here on the island. Luckily for us, they agreed and I know this 2-day workshop will be amazing and so much fun!

November 9 & 10, 2013
Friday Harbor Grange
Friday Harbor, Washington

Warm Regards,

Jan Murphy
Wild at Heart Studios

Yup – this beautiful piece was made using an empty cat food can!

For more information and to register, visit: www.wildatheartstudios.com

On September 20th at 9:30 am, OPALCO Journeyman Lineman Kevin Zoerb was working on the south end of Lopez Island when he came in contact with a high voltage line. He was airlifted to Harborview and admitted to the ICU burn unit in critical condition.

As of Sunday night, Kevin was awake and breathing on his own – ahead of schedule. The family has set up a Caring Bridge site to provide updates as they occur and a way to send messages to Kevin and his family. A “Zoerb Family Fund” has been set up at Islanders Bank to help with expenses. Deposits can be made directly at any Islanders Bank branch.

The OPALCO family sends its love, hope and prayers to Kevin, his family and community.

Captain Daniel navigates the Spike Africa out of the harbor toward San Juan Channel for a couple hours of world class cruising in the San Juans

You may have seen the post yesterday about the upcoming Spike Africa cruise to benefit the Historical Museum. If not, scroll down to check it out (or just click here). That post reminded me that I had something to share with you before my recent 2 week road trip got in the way.

Schooners North invited me (your San Juan Update Editor) aboard the Spike Africa for their 2 hour evening cruise in late August to shoot some photos to share with you what their cruises are like. Wow, what a great time it was. Beautiful boat – beautiful weather – it was a great time and I highly recommend it for you and your friends and family. Keep in mind, even on the warmest days around here, it can get chilly on the water, so bring warm clothes and maybe some extra layers. They provide blankets and hot tea or coffee as well as some snacks.

Passenger participation on the Spike Africa

It’s a really laid back cruise and offers some passenger participation – As soon as we were in the channel, we passengers got to help raise the sails and once under sail, we were invited to take the helm if we wanted. Make sure you allow extra time – I’m sure they can’t promise this, but for our trip the wind was so good they asked us all if we could stay out a bit later than the scheduled 2 hours!

Check out this slideshow to see more photos of the cruise and some detail shots of parts of this beautiful classic wooden schooner. I suggest that once you’re on the slideshow – click the “Pause” icon in the lower right corner so you can go at your own speed, and also click the “Fullscreen” icon in the upper right corner – then you can use your arrow keys to advance or go back between photos.

Hope you enjoy the show as much as I enjoyed shooting it!

Thomas Jefferson, played by Island Stage Left’s Daniel Mayes, gets a chance to talk to San Juan Islanders – Jan Bollwinkel-Smith photo. Click for larger version

From This Desk: A Reflection on Thomas Jefferson in Three Acts, directed by Helen Machin-Smith, will be presented in San Juan Community Theatre’s Gubelman Theatre Thursday through Sunday, September 26-29.

Playwright and islander Don Pollard moves the audiences into the study of the third President of the United States for a close-up chat that takes us from his efforts to expand the West; to the end of his life and his tumultuous relationship with John Adams; to present day and Jefferson’s take on how the Founding Fathers’ plans have fared.

“This play is about whether there is still relevance to what Thomas Jefferson and the Founding Fathers said and did more than two centuries ago,” said Pollard. “At the end of the play, you’ll get the drift!”

Seating is limited to 67 people each night. Thursday and Friday’s performance sold out quickly, prompting SJCT to add a second Sunday performance at 7:30 p.m. (there is also a now sold out performance at 2:00 p.m. Sunday). Saturday’s 7:30 p.m. performance is a festival seating, “pay as you can” event: folks are encouraged to arrive when doors open at 6:30 p.m. to secure a seat. There will also be waiting lists starting one hour before each sold out performance.

The presentation of From this Desk has been generously underwritten
by Westwind Aviation. For more ticket price information, visit www.sjctheatre.org or call the SJCT box office at 378-3210. The box office is open Tuesdays through Fridays from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. and Saturdays from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m.

Hobbes has been off doing other things during the busy Summer Season, but now it appears he may be back… Here’s a new one from him for you to try out on all that Salmon you picked up (or are going to pick up).

Oven poached salmon and tomatoes in extra virgin olive oil.

This is a fantastic dish, you can use any kind of fish including ling cod, rock cod or halibut. We grew everything on the plate except the rice, now that’s a really good feeling.

Recipe for four:

6 ripe tomatoes quartered
1 large onion thinly sliced
4 cloves garlic thinly sliced
1 cup extra virgin olive oil
salt & pepper
2 pounds salmon – skin removed

Click to see it larger and make your stomach growl

Turn the oven on to 350˚. Place the tomatoes and half of the oil into a baking dish, season with a little salt and pepper. Cook in the center of the oven for one and a half hours. Cooking the tomatoes this long will intensify the flavors, check on them after about 45 minutes, turn the heat down if they are browning.

When done, add the onion, garlic and the rest of the oil and cook for another half hour or until the onions are soft. Then lay the fish on top, season with salt & pepper, and cook until done which will be about 20 minutes depending on the thickness of the fish.

Serve with rice and fresh garden greens, spoon the olive oil sauce over the top. This is a simple and rustic meal that even the kids will love.

Bon Appetit! Chef Hobbes

You may find yourself on this trail, on Hillcrest Place as part of this walk.

Meet Frank Mulcahy, Director of San Juan County Public Works and Wayne Haefele, Director of Public Works for the Town of Friday Harbor, to tour and learn about the public works departments on San Juan Island.

Meet and park at the county Public Works main office, 915 Spring St.

Length is 3 miles round trip.
Terrain is paved road. Rating is easy, with a hill included.
No dogs please.
Saturday Sept. 28, 1:00 pm – 4:00 pm. Rain or shine.

Information at www.sanjuanislandtrails.org

Sunday, September 29, 12:45 p.m. – 3:45 p.m.
A benefit for the San Juan Historical Museum

The San Juan Island Historical Museum announces an afternoon sail aboard the famous Spike Africa wooden schooner on Sunday, September 29th, from 12:45 pm to 3:45pm, with all proceeds benefiting the Historical Museum. Tickets are $50 per person, and availability is limited to 27 persons. Depart and return to Spring Street Landing Docks. Boarding ticket holders will also receive a special 15% discount coupon for Sunday Brunch at Cask and Schooner Restaurant the same day of the sail.

Tickets may be purchased by calling the San Juan Historical Museum at 360-378-3949, by visiting the Museum office at 405 Price Street during regular business hours, or online at sjmuseum.org/events. Will-call tickets can be picked up at the dock on the day of the sail.

About The Spike Africa
Built in 1977 in California, The Spike Africa is an 80’ wooden, gaff-rigged schooner with classic lines and a rich history. She was named after a renowned sailor who was dubbed “The President of the Pacific Ocean”. The Spike Africa is owned by Gary Gero of Schooners North, who has donated the schooner’s time and crew for this special charter to benefit the San Juan Historical Museum. The Spike Africa operates out of Spring Street Docks in Friday Harbor, Washington.

About San Juan Historical Museum
The purpose of the San Juan Historical Society and its museum is to share and interpret the story of the peoples of San Juan Island. The Historical Society will assemble, collect, preserve, exhibit and make available for future generations historical data, information and artifacts which illustrate the heritage of San Juan Island. Collections, programs and publications will provide for the enjoyment and education of residents and visitors. The Museum’s administrative office hours are Monday through Thursday, 9am to 1pm and tour hours are Wednesday – Saturday 10 am to 4 pm, Sunday 1 pm – 4 pm.

Learn how to build a Rain Garden

Join us for this fun and informative workshop and learn basic steps to make your own rain garden.
Learn how to design, build, plant, and maintain a rain garden, and take home free plants!

Sunday, Sept. 29th, 1:00 PM – 4:00 PM at Roche Harbor Resort Marina

Please register by email at:
info [@] sjislandscd [.] org
or call 360-378-6621

Click for larger poster

Island ARTS League invites you to the Annual IAL Art Show. There are 25 works of art on display including sculpture, carved glass, encaustic, oils, acrylics, watercolors and more. Enjoy refreshments and mingle with art lovers and the artists at this reception.

The Art Show will be hung in the lobby of the Community Theater from September 11 through October 30.

Plus, mark your calendar for the reception on Oct. 4th from 5pm – 7pm to meet the artists and celebrate their art.

IAL is a non-profit art organization whose mission is to provide and promote art education on San Juan Island.

Island Arts League
P O Box 1365
Friday Harbor, WA 98250

In The Event Of The Unthinkable: An Oil Spill in our Waters

The communities of the Northwest Straits region are keenly interested in planning for the potential of an oil spill in our marine waters. Industry groups, tribes, state, local, and federal agencies regularly conduct oil spill response drills. The average citizen, however, is not aware of what happens during an oil spill, who makes spill response decisions, how those decisions are made, and how volunteers can become involved in spill response.

Join us for a rare opportunity to hear directly from the decision makers who would be involved in responding to this type of event in San Juan County.

The Northwest Straits Foundation and the San Juan Marine Resources Committee will help community members understand the world of oil spill planning and response through a workshop to be held on September 28th. Through this day-long workshop, spill responders will help community members understand oil spill contingency planning, the fate and effects of oil in the marine environment, and the unique challenges posed by local geography for spill response. Community engagement and volunteer opportunities will also be discussed.

Come to this exciting workshop held in San Juan County:
September 28, 2013, 9 a.m. – 3 p.m., Friday Harbor Labs Lecture Hall

(Please bring your own sack lunch)

To pre-register for this workshop:

RSVP to [email protected] or contact Marta Branch, MRC Coordinator at 360-370-7592

San Juan Nature Institute is holding an evening reception from 5:30 pm to 8:00 pm on Saturday, September 28, 2013 to celebrate 19 years of educational programs that encourage active learning and stewardship. The venue is the beautifully renovated Brickworks on Nichols Street in Friday Harbor and chef Farhad who is catering the event promises some indigenous treats including some from the Queen Charlotte Islands.

Join us in this historic building and take the opportunity to mingle with other guests and members of staff, learn about some of the new partnerships and talk to former students. In addition to the refreshments, there will be live music, live auctions and opportunities to invest in the four core programs through which the Institute achieves its mission to encourage knowledge and stewardship of the unique natural history of the San Juan Archipelago.

Reservations are requested and tickets are available now. $35 per person and reservations can be made on line at www.sjnature.org or by email to Fiona Norris at [email protected] or phone 378-3646.

We look forward to a celebrating our successes over the past 19 years.