This is just a little story, but I think you’ll be glad you heard it…

John Nelson Simon tells me he just can't stay away from the plants & planters this autumn.....Tells me he has some birds with young'uns in the bird houses, too...

Maybe it’s because there was so much to do this week…sure went fast, didn’t it?

• The Rumor Mill welcomes The Polecats tonight, and Axel with special guests on Saturday…it was fun to see Peggy & Oren light up last night when they were telling me about the shows…

• Whoa…little online story about a couple of humpback whales & a close encounter with folks getting too close to ’em…here’s more. To me – it’s interesting they didn’t say anything about how precise the whales’ movement was that they didn’t (and probably chose not to) hurt the people in their little boat & on the surfboard.

Amazing photos from an amazing trip...photo by Bob Stavers

• Speaking of things that make ya go, “Wow!”…. Judy Chovan & Bob Stavers have written up a very readable & well-photographed journal of their recent visit to Mongolia…here’s more:

Judy and I have just come back from a wonderful trip to Mongolia where we were fortunate to see the Golden Eagle Festival, in the far western part of the country.  We have put together a “photo journal” of our adventures.  I hope you enjoy it.  Click on this link to download the journal.

• It’s the weekend for the “fall back” deal on the clock for daylight savings time, which of course means an extra hour of sleep. We should do this once a month instead of once a year….more dreams that way.

• Heard good & promising things about the Arts Council vote yesterday….I’ll get more info about that for you after I check with a few folks.

• Here’s a song from Polecat:

Ruth (Joan Benney) isn't sure to whom Charles (Dan Mayes) is talking as his late wife Elvira (Krista Strutz) blithely drops by...photo by John Sinclair for Island Stage Left.

Last night’s opening night for Island Stage Left‘s fall show Blithe Spirit had a lot to like, and a few surprises.

On the surprise side, the nearly full house last night (unusual for a show this early in the run, on a Thursday night) suggests this show may scare up a nice following. I’m pretty sure if the word-of-mouth praise I heard last night starts with last night’s crowd, the show is off to a great start.

Noel Coward wrote the play during the Blitz in Britain in 1941, and you can tell he’s going for something light to lift spirits here (in his autobiography he says he wrote the script in only five days). Ruth (Joan Benney) isn’t sure to whom Charles (Dan Mayes) is talking as his late wife Elvira (Krista Strutz) blithely drops by their home, and none of them are sure what to do with the energetically clairvoyant Madame Arcati (Deb Langhans). The play is about people reacting to other people they think they know well, and having to adjust to what they discover. What do you do when there’s too much ectoplasm around the house?

This is a great cast to have fun with that; it’s cool to see some of the best actors around all in one show.

It’s good to see Eric Concord back on stage on the island as Doctor Bradman, with Ann Cozzalio as his wife; Amanda Smith (Edith, the maid) completes an interesting year on stage around here that has swung from the Playwrights Festival to Peanuts to this.

You’re going to love the way this cast works together, as this farce cheers up an island heading into the darker months of the winter.

Kit Moorhouse attended last night’s show, and reminded me that she was in the show when it was put on some 25 years ago here at the Royal Theater (now the Palace, before the Community Theatre was built, and before Island Stage Left arrived in the late ’90s).

The show runs Thursdays-Sunday till December 3rd (no show on Thanksgiving, with shows at 7:30 except on Sundays when they are at 4pm), at the Fairgrounds. Don’t miss it! You’re going to like this one – see you there!

How do you tell your late wife to go away when she already has? Photo by John Sinclair.

The whole group collected on the steps...photo by Kevin Holmes

On Monday, the students from Stillpoint School headed down to the Courthouse to scare the folks there & go trick or treating…my guess is that it worked!

Looks like everyone at the Court Clerk's office was having as much fun as the kids...photo by Kebvin Holmes.

Pretty diverse group! Photo by Kevin Holmes

The westside, in the sun...photo by Michael Feist

Hey, good morning to you! Looks like it’s gonna be a great one – let’s look around & see what’s happening:

• Want to make your PC move faster? Try this.

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From the LWV: Remember to vote! And remember - TRY! That's Diane (left), Doris, Carlys, and Marty....

• The good folks at the League of Women Voters check in:

The local chapter of the League of Women Voters has produced a flyer for public distribution called They Represent You or the “TRY”.

The “TRY” contains names and contact information of elected officials pertinent to San Juan County residents, from the President of the United States, federal congressional members, state congressional members to local elected officials.  Task leaders for the project, League of Women Voters members Diane Martindale and Marty Huleatte (far left and far right), both of San Juan Island, are shown offering the “TRY’s” to San Juan County Elections Supervisor Doris Schaller and Elections Assistant Carlys Allen (left and right center).

The “TRY’s” are available at no cost at the elections office in Friday Harbor and at all the county public libraries.  The League of Women voters is a non-partisan organization and encourages all registered voters to vote by November 8th.

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Sad days - heard that Shannon & Tim's always cheerful golden retriever Chester passed away this week...he's going to be much missed.

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• It’s this week – here’s more from Pam Herber:

A reminder . . .

The Writers’ Café open mic will be held from 5:00 – 6:30pm at
The Bean on Friday, November 4th.
Bring your fiction, nonfiction or poetry to read or just show up to listen. Please show our appreciation for Eric and the staff at The Bean by purchasing from the menu of coffee and pastries and such.

Is anyone interested in taking on the National Writing Month challenge this month? I’m looking for fellow nanowrimos to write with. Send an email my way if you want to join me ([email protected]). Go to the official website for info: www.nanowrimo.org

See you at Writers’ Café!

Pam Herber (472-1442)

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Island Rec's Teen Halloween Party moved to the bowling alley this year, with food by The Banry Café...and it was a blast. Sally tells me over 300 kids dropped by for fun & free pizza & costumes & bowling & games....and it was a blast. Photo by Tamara Weaver.

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• This weekend, there’s going to be a special presentation at Skagit Valley College – here’s the scoop from Lee Sturdivant:

You’re invited to a free community forum
SuperCitizens: How Corporations
Claimed the Rights of People
An Interactive Presentation on Corporate Personhood
Facilitated by Brian Gunn of Involved Democracy
The US Supreme Court’s Citizens United decision gives undue influence in electoral politics to giant multi-national corporations and is having a devastating effect on social, economic and environmental justice in America. Join this interactive presentation to learn about the historical underpinnings of corporate personhood. Participate in defining the scope of the problem we face and help decide how we can work together to put electoral power back into the hands of the People.
Saturday, November 5, 2-5pm
Skagit Valley College – Community Room
221 Weber Way
Friday Harbor, WA 98250
Involved Democracy (http://involveddemocracy.org/) is a partner of Move To Amend

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• The dinner of the year is tomorrow! Do you have your tickets? Here’s more:

The Whale Museum’s 3rd Annual
“Black & White Night” Dinner Event

Friday, November 4, 2011, there will be a Delicious Dinner Event! The Whale Museum’s 3rd annual “Black and White Night” will be held at Friday Harbor House on San Juan Island. The unique event will feature Chef Greg Atkinson, noted author, culinary instructor and former chef of the Friday Harbor House. Also featured is Kyle Nicholson, the Chef behind The Bluff Restaurant and Innkeeper of Friday Harbor House. Continue Reading

Greg will be appearing at Griffin Bay on Saturday, after cooking for the Whale Museum's fundraiser on Friday night....

It’s a special event this weekend at the bookstore – here’s more from Nancy Larsen:

Griffin Bay Bookstore takes special pleasure in announcing an evening with Greg Atkinson, former San Juan Island chef and a long time proponent of local and Northwest foods and cooking.

Greg will be on hand at Griffin Bay Bookstore Saturday night, November 5, 7:00 pm to sign and talk about his latest book At the Kitchen Table: The Craft of Cooking at Home, a wonderful opportunity for food aficionados, cookbook lovers, and those familiar with Greg’s scrumptious meals and recipes to hear first hand from an accomplished chef who is also a gifted writer.

A longtime contributor to The Journal of the San Juans, Greg not only explores the power of food in At the Kitchen Table but the meaning of coming together at the table, as well as the pleasures of home cooking. Each of the two-dozen essays ends with several related recipes.

Whether harvesting shellfish with fishermen in Puget Sound or walking the rows during harvest at Oregon vineyards, Greg measures these meals by how memorably they bring people together rather than the pedigree of the olive oil used.

In warm and eloquent prose, Greg brings memorable meals to life and reveals tips and tidbits on cooking garnered from the food royalty that have passed through his kitchen. At the Kitchen Table is about the meaning behind eating, the culinary web we enter with every bite we take, and the special sanctuary that is the home kitchen.

This is sure to be a memorable event – don’t miss it!

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Greg Atkinson is a regular contributor to The Seattle Times and a food commentator on Seattle’s public radio station KUOW. He is the author of In Season: Culinary Adventures of a San Juan Island Chef, Entertaining in the Northwest Style, Northwest Essentials, and West Coast Cooking. In early 2012 Greg will open Restaurant Marche on Bainbridge Island, where he now resides.

Andrew & Janet dropped by The Rumor Mill to hear Carolyn Mark last night....

When I visited with Andrew & Janet Thomas last night, he mentioned that San Juan Island is one of his favourite (he has a British accent) places to come, and he’s looking forward to this weekend’s workshops. I attended his Sacred Activism workshop a while back & came away with lots of ideas & inspired…I’m pretty sure you’ll tell me it’s worth it if you go this weekend.

Here’s a bit more, from Janet:

Internationally renowned author and scholar Andrew Harvey is back in the San Juans and will be doing workshops on Orcas and San Juan his weekend. “Celebrating Hope in Hard Times” will be held in Eastsound on Friday at Emmanuel Episcopal Church from 10 am – 3 pm. He’ll be doing the workshop in Friday Harbor on Sunday, from 1 – 5 p.m. at Ernie’s at the airport. Cost for each workshop is $45, or whatever you can afford. Call Janet Thomas for more info: 378-3854. For information about Andrew: www.andrewharvey.net.

Marianne Williamson says: “Every age has its teachers, who keep the eternal truths alive for all of us. In the case of Andrew Harvey, the light he sheds is like a meteor burst across the inner sky.”

Here’s a little video, with Andrew telling a bit about his book The Hope: A Guide to Sacred Activism:

Come see what the IAL’s been up to! Here’s more from Marie DiCristina:

Island Arts League Show at the Community Theatre

The Island Arts League (IAL) is pleased to announce the Annual Art Show in the lobby of the San Juan Community Theatre from October 26 through November 22, 2011.  Drop by when the Theatre is open and view the collection of recent art works.  IAL is a non-profit group of artists known for their popular art raffle fundraiser in the San Juan County Fair.  The mission of Island Arts League is to support arts education on San Juan Island.  The first IAL art scholarship will be awarded in 2012.

Please join us at the Reception for the Artists on Saturday, November 12 from 1 to 4pm.   The next art class is Mosaic Tiles with Jan Murphy on November 5. For more information about joining IAL or art classes, please contact us at IslandArtsLeague(at)gmail.com.

Emily gave a helping hand as more than 16K meals were prepared Sunday afternoon...

If there’s anything cooler than feeding the folks in the world who need it most, I don’t know what it is…

Did you see the big mob over at the Grange on Sunday? Some 150 people showed up throughout the afternoon to package food for kids in the Dominican Republic…here are photos from the afternoon, and a note from Vic Woodward, one of the main organizers of the event:

A huge  Thank You, Thank You, Thank you! goes out to the Printonyx team, the San Juan Update and San Juan Islander for your help in publicizing the COTN Meal Packaging Event for us. We had around 150 folks help package 16,000 meals in 55 minutes…at the Grange last Sunday. It was a packed house – Wow!

Everyone seemed to have a great time and we had many comments asking us to consider making this an annual event.

Lots of friends got a lot done in a short time, for a lot of people.

Fraser Ratzlaff is the meal packaging coordinator for Children of the Nations (COTN), and he was pleased by what he saw:

On Sunday something amazing happened – you all took a break from your normal weekend routine and chose to donate your time and money, resulting in raising $4,267.43 and packaging 16,000 meals for orphaned and destitute children overseas! That’s incredible!!!

Over 150 people came out to package meals on Sunday, an amazing show of force for our first event ever in the San Juan islands!

Thank you all so much for your generosity, your decision to get involved, and for having a heart for children half-way around the world. You all made a difference in the life of a child. A mother. A brother. A family.

The only way Children of the Nations is able to feed thousands of children every day is because of people like you. Right now we’re feeding over 3,300 children every day, and we impact the lives of over 23,000 children every year through all our programs.

The Friday Harbor community is now part of a team of over 20,000 volunteers and staff around the world that help Children of the Nations provide holistic care to raise children who transform nations. If you would like to find out how to get more involved with Children of the Nations please visit our website at www.cotni.org/get-involved.

It was pretty easy to stay excited with so many folks pitching in....

The whole team celebrates a win! (Click on the photo to see a larger version!)

The sun goes down on Halloween night....photo by Kevin Holmes

Hey, good morning to you! Looks like it’s gonna be a great one – let’s look around & see what’s happening:

• Guess I got it wrong – I thought the Wolverines were eliminated from the football playoffs last weekend, but that was just a seeding game…so Friday Harbor High plays Vashon here at 5:30pm this Friday. This is great! The football season continues! Go get ’em, Wolverines!

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Mary and the crew at Kings Market welcomed a mob of trick or treaters on Monday - even Superman!

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• You’ve heard & you’ve planned – the Farmers’ Market moves inside this weekend – drop by FHHS from 10am-1pm in the commons. See you there!

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Carolyn Mark tonight at the Rumor Mill...

• Tonight, it’s Carolyn Mark at the Rumor Mill. This is gonna be special. Here’s more about the Canadian-raised singer who added Friday Harbor to her tour…show starts at 7pm. (Here’s her website.)

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• Got a note from Jim Maya wondering why Zylstra Lake was drained….anybody know? Drop me a line & then we’ll know…

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• Glenda Edwards posts a piece from Kathy Edwards on her blog about domestic violence as her contribution to DV Awareness Month last month…here’s the posting.

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• Barb & John Jensen mention that the Audubon Club meets this Saturday, Nov 5th on San Juan Island at The Whale Museum and it begins at 11:30 and will end at 2pm so folks from other islands can catch the ferry home. Contact Barb at 378-3068 or skylark (at) rockisland.com for more information!

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• As part of the world hitting 7 billion people, the BBC offers this…start by putting in your birthdate: click here.
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Great pictures by Alan...

• Here’s a great chance to get you pet’s photo taken by a great photographer – Alan does super work! Here’s more:

Photographic portrait artist Alan Niles is returning for a pet and family portrait event this weekend Novemer 5 and 6th.  Alan’s work is on display at Friday Harbor Pet supply, Lisa Holt dog training, Island Vet, Loving Hands Grooming, Lisa’s Grooming Place, Pampered Pets, The Bean Coffee, and Island Studios. as well as over a hundred homes on the island.

Part of the proceeds support Animal Protection Society of Friday Harbor.  There is no session fee and no obligation to purchase.  Prices start at 25 for a 5×7.  Alan will show you a variety of portraits and you can choose as many or as few as you like.  Many clients enjoy a canvas wall portrait of their pet or family and those start at 175,00.  Give Alan a call for more information and you can see more samples online at www.AnimalPlanetPhotography.com   Don’t delay this will be the last chance for a portrait by Alan this year! Call 360 480 5000 for more info.

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Islander Sue (second from left) joins Pat (second from right) in Saturday's concert with Rainer & Tom with Chamber Music San Juans.

Jan Bollwinkel-Smith tells me this is going to be a special night at the Community Theatre:

CMSJ “Mixes It Up” on Saturday

Artistic director Patricia Kostek promises that Chamber Music San Juans’ second concert of its 24st season “will be a program unlike any we’ve presented in the past. If you love the sound of clarinet, your enjoyment will be quadrupled!”

Kostek’s ensemble, The Winds of Yarrow, includes four classically-trained clarinetists plus a string bass player THIS Saturday, November 5 at 7:30 p.m. on the Whittier stage.

The group will play a festive mixture not only of classical favorites but folk, jazz and a few surprises as well. Composers such as Mozart, Bartók (Romanian Folk Song), Piazzolla and Bechet (Waste No Tears) will be featured. The group will also play a new composition from San Juan Island’s own Richard Hieronymus, newly arranged for the group and described by him as “a haunting ballad.”

Joining Kostek will be string bass player Bruce Meikle and clarinetists Rainer Roth, and jazzman Tom Ackerman and guest  player Sue Collado. You may remember Sue from playing in last spring’s You’re A Good Man, Charlie Brown.  Sue and her husband, Jim, recently moved from California to live on the island full-time.  She performed with the San Diego Symphony and was the principal clarinetist for the La Jolla Symphony for 28 years.

Buy Now on line! or Box Office hours are 11 am to 4 pm Tuesday through Friday and 11 am to 2 pm on Saturday.

Thanks to Jessica Hagy, Indexed

Ready for her first parade! Violet is dressed & ready to go! Photo by Tamara Weaver...

There have been lots of fall colors this last month, and yesterday added even more, as the elementary school’s annual Halloween costume parade made its way through town. The sun peeked out just in time as shopowners & mamas & papas & siblings & grandparents & friends lined the streets to see the kids on the sidewalks.

Ace photographers Tamara Weaver, her husband Jon, and Kevin Holmes and I shot a bunch of pictures, and made a little movie for you from both sides of the street…we tried to get lots of pictures that included the adults, too – both in the parade & watchers. See what you think!

The Island Stage Left offering for this fall is going to be fun, and it opens this week at the Fairgrounds…be sure & plan to see it early in the run, when it’s a bit easier to get tickets (so you won’t be disappointed!)

Here’s more from Helen Machin-Smith:

It’s time to mark your calendars for a good laugh! Island Stage Left presents its fall play Nov 3 – Dec 4 at the Fairgrounds:

Following the example of Noel Coward himself who lightened the spirits of his fellow Englishmen in a time of national despondency and international war,  this seemed an appropriate time to reprise the classic comedy, and one of his greatest successes, Blithe Spirit!

Novelist Charles Condomine, living peacefully with his second wife, Ruth, invites a local medium, Madame Arcati, to his house, with the intention of doing some research into the spirit world for his new book. But he gets more than he bargained for when Arcati conjures up the ghost of Charles first wife, Elvira. Caught between one live wife and one dead one — both jealous for his attention — Charles’ life becomes considerably more complicated than he ever imagined!

Joan Benney, Krista Strutz, Daniel Mayes and Deb Langhanshead the cast for this farcical romp through the polite world of 1930’s England.

Opening this week!

Grazing in the autumn leaves...photo by Kevin Holmes

Hey – happy morning to ya! Let’s look around:

• The Duck Soup Inn ended its season last weekend & will be back next spring – here’s a note from them wishing you & me well:

See you for dinner April 13, 2012! Have a spectacular winter. Be warm, eat well and laugh often.

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• Today is the sixteenth anniversary for Dilys & Carol at Serendipity Bookstore – yep, that’s right: they opened on Halloween in 1995! Drop by & congratulate them on the next sixteen! Wahoo!

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• Nice to see Meaghan McCormick out & about yesterday with baby Sapphire…

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• Sports check: The FHHS football guys lost in their playoff game at Kings 41-13 to end their season – good hustle, and a never-say-die attitude will be what this team will be remembered for. Way to go, guys!

Meanwhile, the volleyball girls wrapped it up with their season-ending playoff tourney over the weekend – just wait’ll next year!

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• Anna Maria at the Coho Restaurant is looking forward to Wednesday:

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The greenhouse is taking shape, across from the middle & high school....

• Jenny Wilson at Friday Harbor High oversees the students’ community projects, and she reports about the progess with the greenhouse you see going up across from school:

Ryan, just before the building starts...

Last Saturday and Sunday students and volunteers began putting up the greenhouse!  Yay!

It is more than halfway up now, so I thought I would send you some pictures. Our adult volunteers were Terry Whalen, John Stamey, Jim Cole, Marion Melville, Chris Wilson, Cathy Cole, and Linda Cobos. Kids were Ryan Cole, Parker Satin, Cody Pierce, Nick Falls, Mars Le Baron,  Sean McLaughlin, Meghan Cole, and Liam Cole.  Building materials were donated by Browne’s Lumber.  Friday Harbor Rental and Saw shop let us use a digging machine for the holes, and the money for the project has been donated by the Gates Foundation.

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Ready for Halloween, I'd guess...that's the cow & pig on Roche Harbor Road...photo by Kevin Holmes (thanks, Kevin!)