I was glad to hear Courtney Oldwyn has her well-received camp going next week…I know a lot of mamas & papas that are gonna like hearing this, out at Blazing Tree Ranch (call for directions):

Dirtstompers Kid’s Horse Camp
Tues, Wed, & Thur on April 10, 11 & 12
4-6 years old – 9am-noon
7-12 years – 1-4pm
$99.00
Campers learn about horse care, safety & riding. We play games, work in the barn and groom, handle and ride horses every day of camp! Contact us at blazingtreeranch (at) gmail.com * 378-1364
Pre-Registration required, no horse experience necessary!

Junior captain Brett Paul (left) and freshman Sam Stewart (right) celebrate with Max Haenel after Max's goal helped set up FHHS' overtime win last week at Nooksack. Photo by Susan Mazzarella (thanks, Susan!)

Our young soccer team has found out what varsity soccer is all about through their first few games of the season, but their never-say-die attitude paid off as FHHS won 2-1 last week for their first win of the season at Nooksack Valley.

Playing on a sloppy & wet field in a downpour, Max Haenel scored in regulation to force overtime, where Rifal Fadi S’civott tucked away the winner (on a pass from Reuben DeLay) in a golden goal/sudden death period.

The Wolverines are back in action at Meridian on Tuesday this week.

The ROV is coming together...this year's competition is in Federal Way on May 12.

It was great to hear from the kids that the school ROV (Remotely Operated Vehicle) teams are coming together this spring – they did a great job in last year’s competition, and have high hopes this year. Here’s more from FHHS team members Marga Eshelman, Audrey Olshefsky, and Michael Barsamian:

FHHS and middle school ROV Teams Get Ready for Action

Over the course of the past several Sundays, Building 8 at the University of Washington Friday Harbor Laboratories has been taken over by the Friday Harbor High School and middle school ROV teams. They have been learning about, building, and strategizing for the 2012 MATE ROV regional competition.

For those of you that aren’t familiar with MATE, every year there is an international ROV competition through the Marine Advanced Technology Education Center. Involving both middle schoolers and high schoolers alike, this competition raises the participant’s awareness of current challenges facing marine scientists and engineers. The participants must build a remotely operated vehicle, whose purpose is to go on an underwater mission, which emulates many situations that current professionals deal with on a larger scale. Tasks that the students must simulate include surveying a shipwreck site and removing fuel oil from the shipwreck.

There is approximately one month and counting until the teams’ robots must compete against many talented opponents in the intense Pacific Northwest bracket, taking place in Federal Way, on May 12, 2012.

Here are the rosters for the participants in this year’s competition:

FHHS – Alex Halliday, Matthew Mazzarella, Marga Eshelman, Audrey Olshefsky, Michael Barsamian, Sarah Clark, Dalton Ayers, Matthew Stepita, Conrad Bormann, Mars Le Baron, Katy Deitzman, coached by Nick Frazee

Middle school team: FHMS – Griffin Cuomo, Zoe Halliday, Yasmin Sarah,  Helen Phelps; Spring Street International School – Zack Fincher, Lauren Ayers, Lucas Gao, Connor Dederich, coached by Jenny Wilson

Opeing at 5pm tonight!

Emily Reed reports an exciting new show at the IMA, across from The Market Chef:

The exhibition, “Anna, Anna Skibska”, March 31-June 1, opens at the San Juan Islands Museum of Art with an evening reception March 31. Skibska, who describes herself as a visual storyteller, is creating site specific work for the Museum on “A” Street in Friday Harbor.

She is separated from traditional glass blowers and flameworkers by her unorthodox method of heating, stretching and fusing glass to create forms which are largely comprised of space. The luminous qualities of glass threads, twisted and bent, define rhythmic, organic and architectural forms which appear to move with shifting light and shadow.

She states, “I like to wrap space, embrace time and trap light . . .” Collages in the exhibit continue Skibska’s storytelling.

Skibska  is a recognized artist in the United States, Japan and Europe where she has created public installations in Paris and Athens. She studied architecture and fine arts, earning her diploma in 1984 at the Academy of Art  in Wroclaw, Poland, where she became an instructor. The publication of her unique work in the 1988 New Glass Review of international artists brought her recognition in the United States and enabled her to leave communist Poland to be an instructor for a summer at the Pilchuck School of Glass in Stanwood.

In 1996 she returned to Seattle where her exhibits include the Seattle and Bellevue Art Museums and the William Traver Gallery. Among her awards and honors are the 2010 PONCHO Artist of the Year Award in Seattle, the Espy Foundation Grant and naming of the Anna Skibska Flameworking Studio at Pratt Fine Arts Center in Seattle. Skibska has public installations in Seattle as well as in Arizona, Illinois, Georgia and Pennsylvania.

Dan Kany states: Skibska’s matrix fascinates. She produces her pieces by using a torch to stretch and bend slender glass canes into delicate sculptures. The style immediately draws natural forms to mind—spider webs, crystals, honeycombs, and so on—but with Skibska’s spiritedly romantic mind and academic education, the matrices grow into forms that mingle poetically and thoughtfully with the world.”

Museum: 232 “A” Street above the ferry lanes. 370-0035. www.sjima.org

Echo Wood, Jillian Urbach & Colleen McPadden help weave the web of the story together as helpful spiders & a chorus.....

I hope you get a chance to take your kids to see Charlotte’s Web at the Community Theatre this weekend…I got a chance to see the dress rehearsal Thursday night & it looks like a sweet show, put on by the middle school  & directed by Penelope Haskew. It’s fun to see each of the kids getting into their characters (especially the animals, who move & talk in character…

Here’s more about the production & the complete cast list.

The show runs Friday & Saturday at 7pm, and Sunday at 2 – see ya there!

Madeline Schroeder (Charlotte) considers the choices ahead in her future, while Wilbur the Pig (Jordan Davis) wonders how things are going to go at The Fair.

It was a full house last Saturday at The Bean as Mo & Vic Woodward put on the Acoustic Cafe, which featured Ashley Stone, Mo (above), Ashley's friend Adam, Ryan Cole, The Wellwishers from WWU, Steve Anderson, and me, all doing a little set each. Great fun - and it was a fundraiser for the mission to the Dominican Republic this summer.

Let’s take a look around…

• At Lavendera Massage Center, there’s a special evening planned:

“Riding the Waves of Change” How’s your surfing?
Lavendera’s first open forum evening discussion.
A time for expansion, evolution and sharing.
Thursday  March 29, 2012,   7 – 9 p.m.
285 Spring Street • 378-3637

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• It always amazes me how we stay in touch around here…have you seen The Hunger Games? Amazing piece of work, and amazing our little town has the incredible treasure of our own movie theatre, for nearly 100 years now….

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• The girls tennis match this weekend has been changed to 11am as a home match, instead of away. The girls play Granite Falls….drop on by & give them a cheer!

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• At The Rumor Mill this weekend, the The One More Time Band plays Friday (come swing!) & The Polecats play on Saturday – see ya there!

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• At Gallery San Juan, Matt & Barbara tell me they plan to close up their retail space next month sometime…they’re working hard on their art, and will be able to spend more time creating, this way. It’s gonna be sad to see them close up, though – their attractive, friendly store has been one of the welcoming & warm places visitors to the island come to….

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From left: Patricia Tullock, Bethy Johnstonbaugh, and Mollie Kohring (not present: Natalia Lawrence).

Lori Stokes says yesterday’s well-attended lunch meeting was inspirational, and here’s why:

Soroptimist of Friday Harbor honored the recipients of the service club’s annual awards at its Notable Women’s Luncheon held on March 28.

Mollie Kohring of Lopez Island received the Violet Richardson Award, given each year to a young woman between the ages of 14 and 17 who has made a difference in our community through volunteer service. Growing up, Mollie always loved being outdoors — hiking, biking, climbing trees, or just sitting in her backyard. When she read about all the things that are happening to the environment, she felt frustrated and wanted to help. So in 2007, when the Lopez Island Conservation Corps was formed, she signed up and has been a very active participant every summer since then. She hopes to continue working on environmental issues for the rest of her life.

This year, two women received the Women’s Opportunity Award, Natalia Lawrence and Patricia Tullock. Natalia, who is supporting both herself and her 3 year old daughter, will be using the Soroptimist grant to help pay for her studies at Western Washington University’s degree program in recreational therapy. With a long-time interest in mind and body health, Natalia has been working as a licensed massage therapist while in school, and has also volunteered in a rehab center, where she worked with girls in recovery. Patricia has lived on Orcas Island for years, and is commuting four days a week to San Juan Island so that she can attend Skagit Community College here. She is working toward attaining her associate’s degree, with a goal of ultimately becoming a dental hygienist. She is the sole support for herself and her two children, ages 8 and 13.

The Fellowship Award for graduate study was presented to Elizabeth (“Bethy”) Johnstonbaugh, who is currently working on her master’s degree in geographic information systems from the University of Washington. Bethy plans to combine her scientific background (she majored in chemistry at Reed College) with her newly acquired graduate-level training in digital mapping technology to have a career that contributes toward solving serious environment issues such as pollution. Continue Reading

Next month’s Garden Club has a special presentation & guests from Orcas as well – here’s more from Dot Vandaveer:

San Island Garden Club will meet April 3 at 1 p.m. at the Mullis Center.  Our speaker will be Elaine Kendall. She will speak to us about the non-GMO initiative petition that is circulating within the County.  She is extremely informed and will be available to present the facts and to answer general questions.  We will also be hosting members from the wonderful Orcas Island Garden Club.  If you want to attend, contact Dot Vandaveer at 378-8306 no later than Saturday, March 31.

The transient orcas have been around the past couple of weeks, from north Vancouver Island...this one is sometimes called "Captain Hook" by the scientists up there....photo by Jim Maya

It’s always good to hear from friends with their cameras around San Juan Islandit’s good to catch up with Cyndi Brast (), Jim Maya, Alex Shapiro, and Kevin Holmes. Check out their other photos as well!

The gull was passing by right at that moment, and Jim caught its shadow....photo by Jim Maya

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It's the time of year for herons, as they come & go....photo on the west side of San Juan Island by Alex Shapiro

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An immature golden eagle takes off...photo by Kevin Holmes

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Another shot of Cyndi Brast's friend Cubbie....

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A fox in the nighborhood, near Friday Harbor...photo by Kevin Holmes

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Spreading its wings, a bald eagle prepares for flight...photo by Kevin Holmes

This weekend!

• You know it opens & runs this weekend, right? Denyse Davis tells me, “I’ve been able to be backstage for several rehearsals and this group of middle school students are doing a phenomenal job of putting their spin on E.B. White’s characters. Penelope Haskew is directing the play this year. Please urge our fellow islanders to come and enjoy this wonderful story about friendship!” Here’s more from the Community Theatre about this show which runs Friday & Saturday at 7pm and Sunday at 2pm:

The stage version of Charlotte’s Web captures all that is thrilling and enchanting in the book proclaimed by the Children’s Literature Association as “the best American children’s book of the past two hundred years.”

From Wilbur, the irresistible young pig, to Fern, a girl who understands what animals say to each other, to the extraordinary spider, Charlotte, who proves to be a “true friend and a good writer,” Charlotte’s Web is a story that has mesmerized generations.

More than 20 island middle school students will take on this delightful play that brings home the true meaning of friendship to kids of all ages.

While the story’s main theme is the importance of friendship, director Penelope Haskew says the play also brings a message especially relevant to middle school age children as they transition into their teens. “Wilbur is like the typical geeky new kid in the class and his innocence is off-putting to the other more worldly animals. Charlotte, however, finds him endearing; and in valuing him as a friend she makes it cool for the other animals to treat him with respect and love too.”

Penelope says her cast and crew of more than 25 island students have been focused and open to trying anything to make this production their own. “I think the audience will find they are riveted by Charlotte, Goose, Wilbur, Fern and the rest, so that the identities of the actors are no longer present.”

Charlotte’s Web Cast

Jordan Davis………………….. Wilbur
Halla Warner…………………..Fern
Madeline Schroeder ………..Charlotte
Will Christison ………………..Gander
Alex Hayes ……………………Goose
Sammy Finch …………………Templeton
Zoe Kromer……………………Martha Arable
Connor Dederich ……………John Arable
Helen Phelps ………………..Uncle
Isabella Brown ……………..Edith Zuckerman
Hayden Mayer ………………Homer Zuckerman
Lydia Downs ………………..Reporter
Beatrice Grauman……….. Announcer
Journey Howden ………….Photographer
Madrona Jameson……….. Lurvy
Emma Wickman …………..Avery
Essine Kilpatrick-Boe …….Sheep
Celia Roth …………………..Lamb
Macalister Arendt …………Spec 1/Fair/Judge
Madi Kincaid ……………….Spec. 2/Fair/Judge
Ryanne Pluff ……………….Spec. 3/Fair/Judge
Echo Wood………………… 1st Chorus
Jillian Urbach ……………….2nd Chorus
Colleen McPadden…………3rd Chorus

Student Tech Crew

Brooke Ashcraft………. Assist. State Mgr/Food Set-up
Qili Duyanski……………Running Crew
April Esposito …………Sound Designer/Running Crew
Hannah Krebs……….. Running Crew
Samantha Markham……….. Running Crew
Sami Menjivar …………Running Crew
Hailey Ott ………………Stage Manager & Prompter
Emily Rothlisberger…. Running Crew
Emma Schroeder …….Props
Fiona Sutherland…….Assist. Stage Manager SR/Props
Megan Wilson……….. LBO & Prompter

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Last week, Kurt Schwalbe wrapped up a month of teaching classical Tibet in India...photo by Janet Thomas.

Whoa! It must be spring, ’cause there’s a lot to try & keep track of! Did you know:

Wednesday night!

• Tomorrow night at the Rumor Mill, it’s the Henry James Band starting at 7:30pm….always fun, and always good – check out Cecil & Tom & Roger & James!

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• Just got a note from Kelly Snow about a thing to catch if you have a TV:

Set your recorders, Friday Harborites: Paul Deanno, morning meteorologist for KOMO 4 television station, will feature Friday Harbor Elementary School on his newscast on Wednesday, March 28 between 6am and 6:30am. It will be a customized forecast specifically about FHES. Our school was nominated to be included in this fun program by teachers, students and/or parents. Tune in!

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• Brendan has an important gathering on Thursday…hope you can come. Here’s the scoop:

The San Juan Island Grange and the Department of Emergency Management present:
Community Preparedness Forum
Thursday March 29th
5 – 6:30 pm at the Friday Harbor Grange

Local leaders will talk about what the chances of disaster are and how individuals and neighborhoods should prepare. Grange members will display their preparedness kits and discuss what steps they took to become self sufficient. Lots of opportunity to ask questions and to have informal discussions with folks who can help you take the first step.

Everyone in the islands should be able to be on their own for at least a week in the event of a major earthquake or other disaster, and this is a great place to start.

Light refreshments served or bring your own dinner.

Brendan Cowan, Department of Emergency Management

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The boys soccer team dropped a 5-0 decision last Saturday to Rochester, but played well, by all reports...that's Brett Paul attacking the goal the game before, against Granite Falls...photo by Susan Mazzarella

Boo Boo & Kerry get everyone ready before the start...it was great - everyone started on time, ran a good race, and no one got lost.....

It was a great day for a race on Sunday – the morning was just a little chilly (running the first mile takes care of that) and a pleasant sunny day in the forties after that. This year’s Half Marathon & 10K put on by Run Ladies Run attracted some 40 half-marathoners & about 50 10k runners. I was able to get there a bit early & shoot photos of a bunch of the runners as the stretched & prepped for the run, as well as make a video of the start so you can see everyone as they take off. That’s in the video above – check it out – I made it just for you!

Below are the final results, which I grabbed for your convenience from the Run Ladies Run website. Just check your favorite runner & see how she did. It’s amazing that Boo Boo Keane & Kerry Andrews & their amazing cadre of volunteers pull all this together – way to go, you guys!

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Left to right: Carrie Unpingco, Lyzz Unpingco, Jeanine Unpingco

Just heard from Carrie Unpingo about a cool thing that happened this weekend, which she described as a reminder why living here is so great. She & Juan had family & friends up for the weekend, and things take off from there:

Juan’s sisters and our friends were here on the island this past weekend and we decided to stay at a rental house on the golf course for fun. We were leaving the house to watch the 3-on-3 bball tourney on Saturday at Turnbull Gym.

Juan’s sister, Lyzz, had just cleared out her car so we could all ride together and put her wallet on top of the car for safe keeping. We stopped at The Little Store for a drink when she remember that she’d never grabbed her wallet off the top of the car. We headed back the way we came, along Cattle Point Road to look for it but the bright pink wallet was nowhere to be found.

As we were sadly driving back to town empty handed, our spirits low, a car was coming towards us waving a hot pink “something” out of their sun roof. I started screaming, “There’s the wallet! I love living here!! I’m going to cry!” Two really nice people from Friday Harbor picked up everything off the street and drove back and forth on Cattle Point until they found us. We pulled over, retrieved
the wallet, and thanked them over and over.

Later that afternoon, we were at KO Subs and the same couple drove by and recognized us. They stopped again and asked, “Was everything still in your wallet?” They said everything was scattered all over the road but they think they’d gathered it all. Not only did they care enough to find us the
first time, but they also stopped to ask us how we were doing later. I love good Samaritans and knowing there is still good left in the world.

Remember to do nice things. Thank you, nice strangers!

These nice people’s car was a white VW Jetta Sportwagon (or very similar) and the man in the car’s name was Gary (we think). They also had a mid-sized poodle in the car and possible another dog too. I hope to find out who they are so I can officially thank them.

Good story, huh?!! 🙂

Carrie Unpingco

A big banner welcomed us all to Sidney from the States when we got off the ferry yesterday in British Columbia....

It’s been three or four years now that the ferry service to Victoria (through Sidney) has been cut for three months (after New Year’s till the end of March), but it sure is nice to see it going again, so that Americans can easily go visit Canada’s Vancouver Island & so that Canadians can come to Friday Harbor or carry on to Anacortes & the mainland. It’s our highway! Good to have it open!

So, with the season’s first run, the Town of Sidney had a nice welcoming celebration, as they’ve done in previous years, with town criers & officials & mayors (our mayor, Carrie Lacher, came, as did State Representative Jeff Morris & the County Council’s Howie Rosenfeld, as well as the Chamber of Commerce’s Tom Kirschner & the San Juan County Visitors’ Bureau’s Deborah Hopkins). It was great to meet all the other mayors & folks, and for a hundred or so Sidney folks to show up to cheer for the ferry run.

A good-sized crowd showed up to eat cookies & drink coffee & celebrate the opening of the international run of the ferry yesterday.

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The Visitors' Bureau's Deborah Hopkins & her husband Hobbes chat with the town crier from Duncan, BC...

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It's an awesome project - San Juan Island is part of the state's Scenic Byways, and you'll be hearing more from former town council member Liz Illg & San Juan Transit's Dan Ward about it this year.

Here’s the two things, all at once – dinner is explained (I know I’m going!) with the poster, and Debbie Fincher has more about what you can do after (here’s a video of Kenya I took, a couple of years ago):

We are thrilled to have Kenya return and offer our community a new experience! We all love Kenya for his amazing “Community Drum Jams” but now we get to see a more playful side of him in “Family Game Night.” This is good fun for the whole family! Hope to see you there. Thanks for sharing… Debbi

Family Game Night with Kenya Masala and Community Dinner
Wednesday, March 28th
Dinner (suggested donation $10 adults/$5 children under 12)    
5:30pm-7:30pm FHHS Commons
Games (FREE, sponsored by San Juan Island Prevention Coalition)  
6:15pm-7:15pm Turnbull Gym

Family Game Night!
Not your usual sit down board games – these unique cooperative games will have everyone up, laughing and connecting in the true spirit of community.

Families that share play together, give themselves a special gift of connection time and bonding.
Communities that play together, build strengths that become resources for everyone’s healthy development.

Play lifts stress while it refreshes and energizes us. It brings a renewed sense of optimism, and sparks our brain’s creative centers. Come join us for an unforgettable evening of joy and celebration of simply feeling wonderful!

Join us as facilitator Kenya Masala shares one of his favorite things: PLAY!