Flossi and Lola invite you to the SJI Garden Tour – Pat Reveles photo

2013 Garden Tour!  Four spectacular and varied owner-created gardens are featured this year and you will get wonderful ideas from each of them.

Tickets are on sale at:

• Griffin Bay Bookstore
• Robin’s Nest
• Browne’s Garden Center
• Roche Harbor Grocery Store

Proceeds from the SJI Garden Tour benefit 3 programs:

• The Master Gardener Demonstration Garden (which grows food for the Food Bank)
• Funding for the SJC Fair Premium book
• Premiums in the Flower Hall at the SJC Fair

Kevin Holmes & his wife found a photo in a book and would like to know if it’s yours and if you want it back. Here he is with more:

Mystery photo – click to enlarge

Tim, This picture was stuck in a book my wife picked up at the San Juan Library. The book was donated to the Friends of the Library and my wife would like to get it back to the family it belongs to….  Was wondering if you might post on the update. If anyone knows who they might be or who the photo should go to, let me know – would like to get it home.  Kevin (Holmeskd [@] msn.com)

Has anyone seen this dog yet? “Skipper? Heeeeere Skipper! Where are you? Come on boy!”

Talk to ferry system leaders at June community meetings

SEATTLE – With the 2013-2015 transportation budget signed, Washington State Ferries is gearing up to head out to ferry-served communities to discuss the implications of the budget, as well as new vessel construction progress, ferry system performance measures, liquefied natural gas as a source of fuel, and route-specific issues.

“I look forward to visiting the communities and hearing directly from our riders on the issues that affect their everyday travels,” said David Moseley, WSDOT assistant secretary, ferries division. “I always find this feedback valuable and it helps us when we consider making changes to the system.”

Eight meetings are scheduled during a two-week period in June:

• San Juan Islands
  5-7 p.m. Wednesday, June 12
  San Juan County Council Chambers
  55 Second St. (corner of Second and Reed streets)

The Friday Harbor meeting will be streamed live to the Orcas and Lopez libraries and on the San Juan County website. Viewers can submit questions to [email protected].

Following is a list of other locations:  Continue Reading

Gys Bruins working on the first private property segment of the ACT trail in 2006 which was donated by Alice Hurd

Volunteers are needed to help with construction of the loop trail being built at Peace Island Medical Center. The second work party will be held on Saturday, June 8th at 9:00 am. This destination trail is also a spur off the Airport Trail section of the American Camp Trail. This project is being done by volunteer labor with materials supplied by the Peace Island Volunteer (PIV) group.

Meet by the large rock pile near far parking area. If you’re driving, enter from the San Juan Valley Road entrance. If walking, you can come in from the Airport side. Wear sturdy clothes & boots. Bring water, snacks, gloves & small hand tools, such as clippers, loppers, hand saws, rakes. Work will last approximately 3 hrs.

The next work party will be Saturday June 15th, then additional ones scheduled each following Saturday. Check the PIV web site (peaceislandvolunteers.org) for detailed info on the trail project & work party description. Please contact volunteer co-ordinator Cinda Pierce at (cpiemna [@] rockisland.com) or 370-5998 to sign up or with questions. We need 10 – 15 workers each session to complete the trail this summer. Thank you!

The County Council is searching for San Juan County citizens to fill current and upcoming vacancies on various boards and commissions. Additional information about each committee is available on the County’s website.

Persons interested in serving on a board or advisory committee should fill out an Advisory Committee Application or Contact the Council Office at: (360) 378-2898 Email: (ingridg [@] sanjuanco.com)

The following is a list of current and upcoming vacancies: Continue Reading

Just got this note from Jan at the Animal Shelter:

Hey Tim,  we have a bit of an emergency at the shelter…. We took in a couple of wild cats, and got em fixed.  Need to find folks looking for barn cats ASAP…. Can you post something to see if anyone is looking for barn cats? 360-378-2158.

Thanks!

Jan

There is only one place in Friday Harbor where you can take the whole family, most any time all year long, and enjoy different varieties of live music, have some dinner, some drinks, and do some dancing to live music. With the Rumor Mill, Oren and Peggy have created a great atmosphere for local music lovers and a great venue for local musicians.

Click here to read more.

ThisIsOurTown.com is a glimpse of the people and businesses that shape the personality of Friday Harbor & San Juan Island. It is a project of Dustrude Photography.

Louisa Nishitani cuts the ribbon to open the new trail. Left to right: Doug McCutchen, Bill Cumming, Tracy Roberson, Frank Mulcahy, Lee Taylor, Barbara Marrett, Louisa Nishitani, Lincoln Bormann, Pat Mayo, Ted Middleton and Alice Hurd

The San Juan Island Trails Committee celebrated the opening of its second long-distance trail on the island Saturday morning at the trailhead across from the baseball field on Spring Street. The new trail connects Friday Harbor with American Camp and is called the American Camp Trail (ACT). Maps are available in map boxes at both ends of the trail and on the committee’s website, sanjuanislandtrails.org.

This trail is six miles long, one-way, and is a true community effort. Parts of the trail are on property belonging to:

• the airport
• the county
• the Land Bank
• the National Park

and private landowners:

• Alice Hurd
• Louisa Nishitani
• Ted Middleton
• David Smith and Jane Weil
• Jennifer Woodbridge
• and the Fairway Drive Homeowners Association

and short stretches of the trail are necessarily at this point along the shoulder of the county road. You can follow the trail in either direction just by watching for the green and white signs.

Click for larger version

Bill Cumming, long-time member of the Island Rec board, presided at Saturday’s celebration. About 50 residents attended, and following the ceremony approximately 20 people walked as far as the Golf Course, and 10 of those continued all the way to the American Camp Visitor Center.

The effort has taken years and was spearheaded by Cinda Pierce and Dave Zeretzke.

The first long-distance trail on the island opened in June 2009. It connects English Camp with Roche Harbor Resort and is three miles long.

The Trails Committee is a volunteer committee of Island Rec, which has supported its efforts since 1999.

Griffin Bay Bookstore and the San Juan Island Library are co-sponsoring an evening with Northwest writer Laura Kelly Robb and her first novel, China Rock, on Sunday, June 9, 7:00 pm at the San Juan Island Library, 1010 Guard Street.

China Rock is a coming-of-age novel set in the San Juan Islands during the Great Depression of the 1930s. The author intertwines the fictional history of Pop Mohan and his seven children with the challenges and rewards of island life during hardscrabble times. Pop’s disappearance off the coast of Vancouver Island leaves Augie, his oldest son, as head of the rambunctious family. It’s left to Augie to unravel a mystery. What connection do the corpses of a young Chinese couple have with Pop’s fate? This is a story that will appeal to middle readers and young adults. Anyone who likes to read about the San Juan Islands, whatever age, will be swept into the lore of smuggling and a bygone era.

Laura’s presentation Sunday night will also include a discussion of history as inspiration and the ways to manage history in fiction. She will talk about the particular challenges a fiction writer faces when delving into history, and taking up tales and characters that are fascinating to us. Writing historical fiction means being faithful to facts, being accurate while at the same time, striving to capture the color and flavor of an era. She’ll refer to a number of her favorite works of historical fiction.

About the Author
Laura Kelly Robb has lived in Seattle for 30 years. China Rock is her first novel. A longtime teacher as well as frequent visitor to the San Juan Islands, she discovered the San Juan Historical Museum on one trip and was enthralled by the museum’s exhibit about smuggling. This sparked her imagination and so did “the legend of China Rock that I had heard,” she says.

Barbara Marrett

Barbara Marrett of the S.J.I. Visitors’ Bureau says:

We wanted to share this exciting news: “Island Secrets” filmed last year featuring Orcas Island and San Juan Island will air:

Thursday, June 6, 2013
8 am Pacific Time (11:00 am Eastern Time)
Travel Channel

Enjoy the show! This is an example of the Visitors Bureau working with a national film production company to promote the San Juans.

Cheers,
Barbara

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Helping an Islander in Need

Just got this note from Robin Garcia:

Could you please let your readers know that there has been an account set up at Whidbey Island Bank 535 Market St., for Van Valentin to help with medical bills and day to day living expenses while he is battling cancer.  The account is “Van Valentin Medical Fund”.  If there are any questions people can call Robin at (360) 317-7060.

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And Lynn Danaher can show you a better way to go; check this out…

I have opened a Pedego Store at Surina Business Park www.pedegofridayharbor.com and last year I saved over $900 in fuel riding my Pedego around town during the summer and never had to look for a parking space… We need to promote electric bikes as a clean alternative to autos… plus they are good for your health!

The following was featured in the print edition on the front page of the Business Section in the LA Times last weekend and also posted online. In the print edition, it was surrounded by stories about Apple and Tesla.

http://www.latimes.com/business/la-fi-hy-autos-electric-bicycle-20130601,0,3198699.story

Lynn Danaher
360-472-1050

San Juan Island Fire Rescue will participate in the Port of Friday Harbor’s celebration of National Marina Day this Saturday, June 8,2013, from 11:30 am to 1pm.

The public will be invited on board to join the crew of the fire boat “Confidence” in operating the monitor, which is the apparatus that sprays water on a boat afire or a structure fire from the water side. A buoy will be anchored in the middle of the waterway which will be used as a target.

Come on down to the “Confidence” which will be tethered between docks C and E and join in the fun. Fire fighters will be there to answer your questions.  This is another way for you to learn how San Juan Island Fire Rescue serves the community of Friday Harbor and its visitors.

Just heard from Stephanie with Tucker House, Harrison House Suites and Coho Restaurant that they’ve won not one, but Three awards for service excellence. Here she is with more:

One of the rooms in the original 1898 Tucker House

Our guests are giving us great reviews on TripAdvisor and it’s translated into Trip Advisor Certificates of Excellence for all three of our businesses. We’re pretty proud because only 10% of the businesses listed on TripAdvisor world wide earn this distinction. It’s important to note that unlike other awards where anyone can click and “vote”, these awards are determined by the number of reviews we have, and we have to maintain an overall rating of four or higher out of a possible five.

You probably know how tough it is to run ONE business and keep customer satisfaction high, so earning these awards for all three businesses is quite a feat – at least we think so.

Click here for their full Press Release. Congratulations you guys!

Construction is about to begin to replace the 1886 earthen dam at Briggs Lake on Roche Harbor Highlands, and during the six-month construction period the trails (really, logging roads) on the north side of the lake will be closed to recreational use. There will be trucks and other heavy equipment using these roads.

Work is expected to continue through the rest of the year.

Click to see this map larger

There will be signs indicating which trails are closed, and you can also print out a map from our website, sanjuanislandtrails.org, by clicking on Roche Harbor Highlands under Trails. The closed trails are indicated with a yellow highlighter. Copies of the new map will be available shortly in the map boxes at the parking areas at the intersection of Roche Harbor Road and West Valley Road and the entrance to Mitchell Hill, as well as in the National Park office.

The owners of this property have generously made it available to the public, and we know you will stay out of the area during construction. For just these few months you will be unable to make a complete circuit of Briggs Lake, but trails connecting to English Camp including Mitchell Hill and Young Hill will remain open.

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San Juan Island Trails Committee, a committee of Island Rec

Facilitating and participating actively in the creation, maintenance, and use of a network of trails for non-motorized use on San Juan Island

“Kath Ell”, Bill Cumming’s beautiful West Coast Troller

Here’s a little glimpse of timeless beauty for your Tuesday morning. I saw Bill Cumming leaving the fuel dock the other day at the helm of one of the prettiest boats in the harbor, and I had to snap some photos of her. He saw me taking photos and turned a wide 360 so I could see her from all sides. What a beauty!

Mike Lineback and Cindy Crowe, owners of the new House of Jerky in the back of Jeri’s Mall

I’m probably starting to sound like a broken record here with the “There’s a New Business in Town” thing, but they just keep on showing up. This time it’s the House of Jerky, down the hall on the left in “Jeri’s Mall”. You know, the building where the San Juan Hot Shop is…

That’s new owners Mike and Cindy in the photo – here this week all the way from Southern Indiana. Mike used to live out this way a while ago, but Cindy has never left Indiana until now (so she decided to make a quick stop in the Dominican Republic on the way).

They have Beef Jerky, Pork Jerky, Turkey Jerky, Pineapple Jerky, Salmon Jerky, and more jerky that I can’t remember right now. Lots to choose from and some taster samples to help you decide which ones you like best. Go say hello when you have a minute.