Rebekah & Brian are the new owners at The Mystical Mermaid

It was a great phoenix story – after the fire in 2002 destroyed the block downtown (here are photos, from the archives), Rick & Wendy brought the Mystical Mermaid back better than ever in that same spot, next to China Pearl on Spring Street. A couple of years ago, they moved the popular Friday Harbor store over next to the ferry lanes, and now the store is under new ownership, as Brian & Rebekah Moore took over June first.

Drop by and see the place – it’s always fun to see what new things people add to a successful shop.

I got a chance to check in with Brian & his family, who are newcomers to the island. Here’s more:

Q: Hey, Brian! So, where are y’all from?

A: I was born in  Oregon and Rebekah was born in Southern California. I met Rebekah when I moved to Southern California for college. (We have been together 16 years and married 11 years this August).  Rebekah and I moved to Port Orchard so I could finish my schooling at Seattle University.

Q: What were you doing before moving to the island?

A: Immediately out of college, I got a job as a research scientist at the University of Washington in the Department of Microbiology, where I worked for ten years. I still do some part time work for a lab in the Department of Allergies and Infectious disease.

Q: How did you choose the islands to move your family to?

A: Rebekah and I have been visiting the San Juan Islands for the past twelve years and we spent our honeymoon in Friday Harbor (and our favorite store on all those visits was The Mystical Mermaid! We never would’ve imagined we would someday be the owners!)

Q: How are the kids doing with the move? It looks like you’re getting involved in the community pretty quickly….

A: We have four children: Wyatt (9), Chloe (7), Landon (2 and a half) and Owen, who will be one in July.  We moved to Friday Harbor at the end of May and took over at The Mystical Mermaid June first.

Rebekah and I are both very active in our kids’ lives. I have coached both Wyatt and Chloe in soccer and Rebekah has been team mom for the past six years. I recently became certified in Washington for coaching kids up to U9 in soccer.  Rebekah has always volunteered in the kids’ classrooms and has helped organize various events and recently took classes to be a certified Girl Scout Leader.

Currently she is busy taking the kids to swimming lessons and an awesome pottery program called Club Mud.  One of the most amazing things we have noticed about the island is how kid friendly it is here –  there is so much for kids to do! After two weeks living on the island, Wyatt came up to me and said, “Dad, people are so nice here!” and I told him I couldn’t agree more.

Rebekah and I have met so many wonderful and interesting people and we look forward to meeting many more.  We’re getting involved already: Just a couple of weeks into coming to the Mermaid, we have helped sponsor The Bits and Spurs Summer Horse Show (gaming class)  and Rebekah is putting together a nice gift to auction for The Animal Protection Society here in Friday Harbor.  It is our opinion that every little bit helps no matter how small or large a gift is, or if it is just volunteering (every little bit helps).

My dad and stepmom live in Friday Harbor (Pat Moore and Claudia Fullerton – owner of Island Studios) and have been instrumental to Rebekah and I in providing support and advice to get The Mystical Mermaid up and running.

It’s great to be here!

The Mystical Mermaid has a wide variety of gifts & things - and some mermaids, too, like you'd expect. Drop by & say hey & to the new owners!

Sunday morning's sunrise brought gold to the harbor after I dropped some friends off to catch the red-eye, and the wake of the just-arrived ferry caught the rest of it....click on the picture for a larger version!

It was a Baby Bear weekend – not too cold, not too hot…just right, with the sun out & pleasant weather for gardening & running & going to the beach & the horse show & getting out on the water.

All of which, as far as I can tell, is what islanders did…hope you did, too!

The 190-foot Sy Ethereal from the Cayman Islands visited the harbor yesterday...photo by Kevin Holmes.

The sun sets over Roche Harbor...photo by Kevin Holmes (click for a bigger version!)

Dr. Marla Holt

Jenny at The Whale Museum tells me this is going to be fascinating – drop by on Wednesday:

The Whale Museum will host a research talk as part of its Lecture Series on Wednesday, June 29 at 7:00 pm.  Dr. Marla Holt will discuss the use of suction-cup DTAGS to study acoustics and behavior of Southern Resident Killer Whales. Dr. Holt, along with other researchers at the NOAA Northwest Fisheries Science Center, Cascadia Research Collective and UC Davis, is conducting a study using digital acoustic recording tags (DTAGs) to examine sound exposure, sound use and behavior of Southern Resident killer whales (SRKWs). She will describe the research objectives, experimental approach, and preliminary results of this study which aims to address key research questions related to risk factors that are potentially affecting the recovery of SRKWs.

Dr. Holt earned her Ph.D. from the University of California, Santa Cruz in Ocean Sciences.  She is a Research Wildlife Biologist for the Marine Mammal Ecology Team.  She joined the Northwest Fisheries Science Center as a National Research Council (NRC) Postdoctoral Associate for the Marine Mammal Program in October of 2006.  Her postdoctoral research was an investigation on the effects of vessel noise on the acoustic signals of Southern Resident killer whales.  She also wrote a review paper which focused on sound exposure in Southern Resident killer whales.

The June 29th lecture is free and open to the public, although donations are encouraged.

For more information, call (360) 378-4710 ext. 23.  The Whale Museum is located in Friday Harbor at 62 First St. N.  Founded in 1976, The Whale Museum’s mission is to promote stewardship of whales and the Salish Sea ecosystem through education and research.  In addition to providing exhibits, the Museum also provides programs including the Marine Naturalist Training, Orca Adoption Program, Soundwatch Boater Education, San Juan Islands Marine Mammal Stranding Network, and the Whale Hotline.  The Whale Museum can be found on-line at www.whalemuseum.org.

Come see Keith & Kate!

Yep, they’re playing on Sunday – here’s more from Kate Schuman…

Summer’s here!  Remember, never judge a season by its weather!

Keith Busha and I will be playing at The Rumor Mill Sunday evening, June 26th, 6:30 – 9:30.  A little jazz, a little Patsy Cline, some faves from the 60’s, and so much more!  We’d love to see you!

Kate

Sunset on solstice at Lime Kiln...photo by Cyndi Brast (www.cynthiabrast.smugmug.com)

Let’s see what’s going on:

• Shann Weston reported she found a familiar book as she travels north: “Wandering around in Barnes and Noble (Fairbanks), I come across Feathers by Thor Hanson. Yeah. That’s right, big smile. A feeling of home.”

Thor will be reading from Feathers next Thursday at Griffin Bay Books – here’s more.

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Tonight & Saturday! Wahoo!

• Someone told me: “”Flying is learning how to throw yourself at the ground and miss.” A local pilot laughed when he herd that, and said, “Not too far from the truth! Especially on windy days at FH!”

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• Derek Sivers has a little essay on the way we assign meaning to all kinds of stuff.

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• Do you have a friend or mom or dad or anyone who has a tough time getting comfortable at the parade? Torrey at the Presbyterian Church (a great place to watch from) has an idea for you:

The Friday Harbor Presbyterian Church deacons will set up reserved seating in front of the church for seniors and those with special needs.  The restroom facilities inside the church and at 395 Spring St. (house next door to the church) are handicapped accessible and will be available.  Chairs with “Reserved” written on them will be placed along the sidewalk. Spaces will be available for wheelchairs also.  Please call the church office with your name and number of guests needing reserved seating for the Fourth of July Parade.   Call 378-4544.

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• There’s an Open Studio on Saturday night at 698 Airport Center Road (turn off Spring Street at M&W Auto – down that way) – here’s more from Leah:

Open Studio from 5-8pm at Dreaming Season Studio with Becky Kilpatrick, Beth Hetrick and Leah Altman (Pin Pin Apparel). Join us and see what’s new…Enjoy wine and cheese and good music, too. There will be original art, cards, prints and clothing for purchase.

Travel, by Jaime Ellsworth (48x48, oil on canvas)

• Speaking of great art, don’t miss the opening at waterworks gallery on Saturday from 4-8pm (the gallery is open all day, of course!) for Tales from Africa:  Work Inspired by African Animals featuring the work of Barbara Duzan (beaded & bronze sculpture), Jaime Ellsworth (paintings), and four painters & one jeweler from Kenya.

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• Cindy at the Whale Museum has Karyn on the schedule tonight – here’s more:

The Whale Museum’s Artist and Author Series:
Karyn King:  “What Photography Has Taught Me”

Please join us at The Whale Museum on Friday, June 24th, 2011 at 7:00pm for a presentation by photographer Karyn King.  Karyn will be sharing her images, the stories behind them, and the lessons that photography can teach us.  She will also be signing copies of her 2012 San Juan Islands Inspirations Calendar, notecards and prints.

Teri & Leasa are the Go2Girls!

A couple of weeks ago, I got the chance to work with Leasa Wangoe & Teri Gentry as they served as the event organizers for a 25th anniversary event at Roche Harbor.

Because I got to sing & play at both the ceremony & reception (with Stevie Keys), I got to see them in action for hours, including all the prep to get the evening ready. It was cool – they have a calm, easy way with the folks they work with, and pulled off a comfortable evening coordinating flowers & photographers & music & food & cakes & dancing…it was a pleasure working with them!

If you have something you’re putting together, keep them on your list – check them out at www.thego2girlseventplanning.com.

Chamber music comes alive when Pat Kostek directs the evening, and that’s a great way to celebrate twenty years of the program at the Community Theatre – here’s more from Jan Bollwinkel-Smith:

Pianist Françoise Régnat comes from The University of California-Northbridge to perform with Chamber Music San Juan on Saturday.

Music from the Romantic Period starts off Chamber Music San Juans’ 20th season of presenting superb concerts of classical music for string, winds and piano at San Juan Community Theatre on Saturday, June 25 at 7:30 p.m.

Returning to the Whittier stage will be Artistic Director and clarinetist Patricia Kostek, violinists Ron Patterson and Karin Choo, violist Roxanna Patterson, and cellists Rowena Hammill-Davis and Douglas Davis. Joining the ensemble for the concert is pianist Françoise Régnat, a professor of music at California State University, Northridge and a graduate of the Paris Conservatory with first prizes in both piano and chamber music.

The concert program includes Brahms’ “Trio for clarinet, cello and piano, Op. 114,” “String Trio in G major” by Josef Haydn, Schumann’s “Piano Quintet in E-flat Major” and Respighi’s “Two Arias for clarinet, violin, viola and cello.”

“The music from the Romantic Period appeals more to the heart than to the head,” said Kostek.  “It is music of deep personal expression which can be joy, love, passion, patriotism, longing or melancholy.”

Chamber Music San Juans was founded in 1990 by renowned violinist Andor Toth, whose dream was to bring world-class musicians to the San Juan Islands and create concerts in an intimate setting. Continue Reading

You know that Scarborough Fair is a series of impossible tasks that, if you can do them, proves your true love. (It’s an old English folk song…luckily, love is much easier now.) Here’s a go at it:

Breaching! Photo by Jim Maya, this week....

Yesterday made it feel like summer has arrived, with a warm day & the long solstice hours between sunrise & sunset…let’s see what else is going on:

This is why it never seemed to get dark yesterday...Happy Solstice!

• It WAS the longest day… 🙂

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• Remember Tyler Ryan, the FHHS grad who was & is a heckuva actor? He graduated with his degree & masters from Naropa University and moved to Portland, where he and his husband Bobby have set up a production company called Lights Up!

Their first play Feather got good reviews (here’s one from the Oregonian), and they’re working up their new show Beautiful Day to open next year.

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• Through the eyes of a visitor – this is an amazing blog of a visit here (and on Orcas) last week that has amazing pictures by Boulder photographer Adam Johnson (with his partner Jess)…the trip includes a day trip with Jim Maya, a boat trip with Jim from Snug Harbor, a visit with Rob Cuomo, and exploring Orcas (and Seattle).

Take a run through his writeup with his story-telling pictures – he does an awesome job of describing & showing the good time they had here: http://blog.atomjohnson.com/

At Doe Bay on Orcas...photo by Adam Johnson

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• Candace found her dog Doolin & wanted to thank all of you who helped look for him!

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FHHS grads ('09) Jordan Nash (left, with kids) & Austin Scheffer (with kid on neck) are having a great time in the Dominican Republic...

• Vic says it’s great having Austin & Jordan along for the mission in the DR – here’s more:

Greetings, Ian… from Barahona, DR!…..Jordan Nash and Austin Scheffer are here with us in the Dominican Republic working with children in the bateys (villages). They are leading the children in mural painting and pouring some cement floors for villagers…see the blog.

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• There are mass extinctions ahead for our oceans, according to a report to the International Programme on the State of the Oceans, a group of scientists. This is the strongest & most well-documented report yet, and this is the most important story today. Here is the story in the Seattle Post-Intelligencer, and the San Francisco Chronicle, and this video from EuroNews:

From the Chronicle: “The cumulative impact of ‘severe individual stresses,’ ranging from climate warming and sea-water acidification to widespread chemical pollution and overfishing, would threaten the marine environment with a catastrophe ‘unprecedented in human history.'”

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• Have you signed up for Youth Football yet? You have till the 30th…but don’t put it off! Here’s more from Cassie:

Registration for Tiger Youth Football is now taking place. You may download the forms here …paperwork may be mailed to FHAA, Po Box 692, FH, WA 98250 or dropped off at Island Rec Office. There is a $20 discount if postmarked no later than June 30th! Practice begins Monday Aug. 1st.

The Adventuress

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• There’s a public sail of the Adventuress this Saturday from 1-4pm….contact them for more info! (I’ve gone out with them & it’s great fun – you’ll be glad you did!)

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• Have you seen Sue Carnes’ work?

It’s on display in the lobby of the San Juan Community Theatre. The show was hung on Monday and will run until July 22nd. The title: The Illustration and Fine Art of Susan Carnes.

Not sure when the last time you listened to a journalist hold forth on the grace & nature of compassion, but maybe this is the next time – here’s a TED talk with Krista Tippett, who stretches the usual sense of the notion….see what you think.

Our island mud runners last weekend, afterwards. Photo by Peter Wangoe for San Juan Photo Booth.

There’s a new events photographer in town – you can check out the work that Peter Wangoe is turning out with his new biz San Juan Photo Booth. Grad parties & weddings & receptions & more – here’s his page, with portfolio. Lots of people you know, and lots of fun.

Meanwhile, here’s his coverage of the Survivor Mud Run in Seattle (3.3 hellish miles, they promised!) last weekend. You’ll recognize Teri Gentry, Sarah Galt, Mary Grove, Melissa Guard and her sister from Texas, Anna Radecki, Michele Mayer and Leasa Burch-Wangoe in the photos…or maybe you won’t. Here’s the pictures – see who you know!

The Windermere crew....

There are folks around doing a little extra to make the island a little better….this past Friday, the folks at Windermere San Juan Island helped by window washing, weeding, pruning and general clean up at the Mullis Senior Center for Windermere Community Service Day. What a difference! Here’s more from Tawny Martel Galligan:

An early morning crowd, all wearing blue t-shirts, formed with a mission at the Mullis Senior Center in Friday Harbor. The Windermere Real Estate San Juan Island brokers and staff closed their doors on Friday, June 17 from 9am – 1130am to volunteer and help improve the island where they live and work.  As part of Windermere’s Annual Community Service Day, started in 1984, the Windermere volunteers diligently washed windows, weeded, trimmed, swept and shoveled the beds and surroundings of the Mullis Senior Center gardens.

Windermere deployed nearly 20 agents and staff this year. They showed up with gloves, tools and enthusiasm to spruce up the island’s senior center which serves the island’s senior population by providing lunch twice a week on-site as well as home delivery to those housebound. In addition, they provide classes in art and physical conditioning, referral services, health services, and an occasional ear for families making decisions for loved ones.

“At Windermere, commitments extend far beyond real estate transactions. We strive to serve our island through our annual Community Service Day, and our individual participation with many of the island non-profits,” said Gary Franklin, managing broker of Windermere’s San Juan Island office. “Although our brokers donate a portion of their earnings from every sale to a community foundation, they really enjoy getting out on this service day every year.”

The Community Service Day/San Juan was sponsored by Windermere Real Estate, SJI. For more information on next year including suggesting your favorite island non-profit, call Gary Franklin at 360-378-3600.  You may also reach us through our web site, windermeresji.com.

From the ferry...photo by John Miller (click to see a larger version)

John Miller passed Obstruction Island this morning on the early morning ferry…

No such thing as a bad hair day on the ferry when the warm breezes blow....that's the ferry making the Friday Harbor-Sidney run.

Let’s see what’s up, pup…..

• There’s another “Know Your Island Walk” this weekend – here’s the story from Eileen:

A rare look at Beaverton Marsh with both our San Juan Island Land Bank stewards, Eliza Habegger and Doug McCutchen!  This walk takes place this Saturday, June 25th, at 1:00pm.  Learn about this marshland; its history, and the work being done to restore it. Meet behind the Friday Harbor High School on Guard Sreet. Roundtrip, the walk is 2 miles.  Terrain is pasture and wetland/grassland with some uneven footing.  Rating is moderate. Please, no dogs.

The islands, and the areas around us....

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• Those maps! You’ve seen them around & always wanted one!

They’re satellite images of the area, and there are two of them – one of just the San Juans, and the other is of the surrounding Gulf area, including Victoria, Bellingham, Point Roberts, and so on….

They are available in several places around the island (hope I don’t forget anyone): Griffin Bay Bookstore, Harbor Bookstore, San Juan Excursions, Crystal Seas Kayaking, Snug Harbor Resort, Roche Harbor Market, The Whale Museum, NakNek Charters, The Trading Company, Kings Marine (upstairs), Western Prince Whalewatching, and a few places on Orcas.

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• Did you see D+A Studio’s Anna Howden‘s post on her blog about a windmill (they’re calling it an Energy Ball Turbine) for generating power at your own home – all you need is a 4mph or better wind. Here’s the story…

She also wrote up the cool things about her choice for green building of the week, last week…including & starting with the problem of sprawl. Check it out on her blog.

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• There’s an election coming up in August to raise the levy for the Library, and there will be a series of presentations to inform folks what this is all about. The first is today (Tuesday) at 5:30pm at the Legion, and you can check the Islanders for the SJ Library’s Facebook group page here.

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• Remember yesterday Helen Wallace mentioned she’d lost a prayer book? She checked in to say it’s been found, and thank you!

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• Got mail going to Canada?

My friend Kevin reports the US won’t be shipping mail to our northerly neighbour during the current rotating strike & lockout – here’s more from Friday’s Seattle P-I.

It's coming along, at Pelindaba

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• Amelia at Pelindaba Lavender Farm says re-construction after the fire two years ago continues – here’s more.

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• Tonight (Tuesday) at the Rumor Mill – it’s Jim Basnight!

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• It’s the Illg Lecture – here’s this year’s (Tuesday night!) with details from the director of the Friday Harbor Marine Labs, Ken Sebens:

Sheila Patek

The Paul Illg Distinguished Lectureship will present another outstanding speaker in 2011. I am pleased to announce the 13th annual Illg Lecturer will be Dr. Sheila Patek who is an assistant professor in the Department of Biology at the University of Massachusetts Amherst.

She received her A.B. with honors in Biology from Harvard University followed by a Ph.D. in Biology from Duke University. She was then awarded a Miller Postdoctoral Fellowship at UC Berkeley. She has received several honors, including the George A. Bartholomew Award for distinguished contributions to comparative physiology and the Brilliant 10 award from Popular Science magazine. Her research has been funded by the National Science Foundation, Hellman Family Foundation and the Radcliffe Institute for Advanced Studies.

Public Lecture: On Tuesday evening, June 21 at 7:00 p.m. at the San Juan Community Theater, Dr. Patek will present a talk entitled, “Evolutionary mechanics of movement and communication in the sea.”

Dr. Patek offered the following description of her work:
“From mantis shrimp hammers to spiny lobster violins, the same underlying principles guide the interplay between evolutionary variation and the rules of physics. Sheila Patek’s research program focuses on the biomechanics, behavior and evolution of fast movements and underwater acoustics. For example, derived from a single mechanical system, the mantis shrimp’s (Stomatopoda) fast predatory appendages have diversified across hundreds of species into tools ranging from hammers to hatchets.

“This morphological and functional diversity provides a rich dataset to examine how the mechanism has been modified to perform these functions and to analyze the historical pathways of these changes. In another focal system, the spiny lobster’s (Palinuridae) sound-producing mechanism also exhibits considerable evolutionary variation, from the scale of frictional surface properties to the overall size of the component parts. Patek’s research probes the evolutionary correlations between morphological and acoustic variation and examines the role of stick-slip friction in the diversification of this system. Through the integration of biomechanical analyses and phylogenetic comparative approaches, these systems offer new insights into the fascinating mechanics of extreme predatory movements and acoustic defenses in the marine environment.”

This endowed lecture series is presented in honor of Professor Paul L. Illg, who made many important contributions as a scientist, teacher, mentor, and friend. Paul excelled as a faculty member of the UW Zoology Department from 1952 – 1982. An expert in the biology of crustaceans, he participated in many summer sessions at Friday Harbor Laboratories. He invited world-renowned scholars to FHL to join him in teaching invertebrate biology and thus greatly enhanced the quality of the graduate program and research at the Laboratories. The lectureship endowment was established through memorial gifts from Paul’s family, friends and colleagues. We thank you for supporting this series of world-class lectures.

Sincerely,
Dr. Kenneth P. Sebens
Director, Friday Harbor Laboratories
Professor of Biology