Fox on the run...photo by Cyndi Brast (thanks, Cyndi!)

There is a lot going on! Let’s take a look:

• The Islanders Bank Customer Appreciation & Open House is today from 11am-2pm – here’s more.

• Mike Close at Friday Harbor Marine says the ASA has its first grads – here’s more:

Alan & Mark

On Thursday, May 9, 2011, Alan Willis and Mark Islam completed the American Sailing Association’s Basic Keelboat course at Friday Harbor Marine and received certificates from Instructor Rod Kulbach.  Friday Harbor Marine received its ASA Instructional Facility Certification in May of this year, and Alan and Mark are the first graduates of the Basic Keel Boat course. Additional courses offered at Friday Harbor Marine include the ASA Basic Coastal Cruising, and ASA Bareboat Chartering.

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Enso at Pablito's

• On Saturday, ENSO comes out for a rare performance, playing at Pablito’s – here’s more.

• There is a lot of music this weekend, all over town! Glenn Hargrove tells me his band is playing tonight & tomorrow – here’s more:

The Shotgun Messengers would like to welcome all to come and see us play at Herbs Tavern this weekend June 10th and 11th starting at 9:30 pm. The newest local island band will be playing a mixture of rock, blues, and funky old country songs that’ll make you laugh and cry, dance and sing!   T.S.M. consist of Steve Lembke on guitars, Dan Brown on bass, and Glenn Hargrove on drums. Hope to see ya’ll there!

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The CD release party is tonight!

• Meanwhile, Julia & The Dream are at The Rumor Mill tonight with their CD release party & concert (with special guests) – here’s the deal.

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• I know Stacey at Cake Junkies over at Surina Business Park has stuff for gluten-free Fridays…drop by & check it out!

A friend of mine uses the expression “non-gluten-free.” Is the next step “non-gluten-free free”?

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• I love the League of Women Voters – they have meetings & presentations which are always informative & in-touch with what’s going on. They continue that tradition on Monday – here’s more from Susan Dehlendorf:

League of Women Voters To Host State Legislators June 13

The League of Women Voters of the San Juans invites all interested members of the public to hear our Washington state legislators report on their recent work in Olympia at 12 noon, June 13 at the San Juan Island Library.

It was cool to drop by & visit Tookie Sandwith & her daughter Rose Shaw at Tookie's Hair Design on Larson Street yesterday...Tookie's been cutting hair (and much more!) on the island for some 30 years, and Rose has been, too - for the past 20 years. She was located over on Argyle Street near Radio Shack for ages, but has been located on Larson Street off Tucker Avenue for the past seven years or so. Drop by & say hey!

Senator Kevin Ranker and Representatives Kris Lytton and Jeff Morris will update attendees about the recently concluded legislative session. There will also be a short informational presentation on the proposed San Juan Island Library levy lid lift.

The League of Women voters, a non-partisan, political organization, encourages informed and active participation in government, works to increase understanding of public policy issues, and influence public policy through education and advocacy.

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• From John Boyd‘s Facebook posting: “OK, Mr. Raccoon, you have overstayed your welcome. Coming into our house now in broad daylight and dragging an entire bag of catfood out the catdoor is too much.”

My friend Dot wants to remind us to check in, today:

Put it on your calendar!

The SJI Garden Club meeting will be June 14 from 12 noon – 2 p.m. at the Mullis Center.  This is our end-of-season meeting with a potluck provided by the members.  There is no planned speaker; this is a time to enjoy each other and to share plans for the summer gardening season.  Please RSVP to Dot Vandaveer at 378-8306 or to Joyce Harrell 378-6146 no later than June 10 if you plan to attend.  All are welcome. Seating is limited so RSVP is recommended.

Tonight!

Jan at the Community Theatre says this is gonna be great! Here’s more:

Rockin’ Blues Brothers Tribute at SJCT on June 10

A cherry pick of the Northwest’s brightest and most experienced young musicians and performers pays loving tribute to the legendary Blues Brothers at the San Juan Community Theatre on Friday, June 10 at 7:30 pm.

The Portland area’s Gimme Some Lovin’ Band brings together a dynamic range of musical skills and personalities to showcase great music, good times and high energy entertainment.  Calling themselves “a true slice of Americana,” the band pays tribute to Dan Akroyd and John Balushi’s 1980 film, The Blues Brothers, highlighting many songs from that movie, including Gimme Some Lovin’ and Soul Man.

More artist information is available at gimmesomelovinband.com

The graduates (in red) included Candace Richter, Kimberly Mapstead, Tyler Schubert, Blythe Danica Parker, and (right) Elizabeth Alison Herbert, surrounded by (and photographed by) the San Juan Center faculty and staff, including retiring SVC president Gary Tollefson (in the back, with light blue regalia.) Click to see a larger photo!

Yesterday the San Juan Center graduated its sixteenth class since it opened in 1996 as five graduates stepped up to receive their diplomas for their AAUCT degree (that’s an Associate of Arts, with university transfer credit).

Cheered on by fans, family & friends, as well as faculty & SVC administrators, the grads all came from different roads to walk the same path. Way to go!

After the ceremony, the graduates celebrate with friends & family: (Top left) Blythe with her daughter; (top right) Candace with her family; (middle left) Kim with her mom & dad; (middle right) Tyler with math instructor Michael Balise; and Lizzy with her folks. Congrats to all the graduates!

It was that big: A wall-sized portrait of FHHS principal Fred Woods in the commons by the art students caught Tom & Lauren's eye when they entered.

The Community Dinner last night was was awesome! The area behind the high school/middle school was shoulder-to-shoulder with families & kids & teachers & community friends eating the dinner prepped by the Food for Thought classes & the Culinary Arts Classes – that was a great way to pull together folks, but that wasn’t all.

The Jazz Band (directed by outgoing band teacher Janet Olsen - her last gig is when the band plays at graduation this weekend) sounded great playing for the crowd during the dinner in the afternoon sun.

Andy Anderson’s art classes’ works at FHHS were on display in the halls at school, with art from the elementary school & middle school available as well. Meanwhile, out in the middle school courtyard, FHHS music teacher & band director Janet Olsen and the Jazz Band entertained, while people looked over science projects & tech exhibits.

Jenny Wilson & the FHHS Community Service Projects students did an awesome job last night!

In classrooms all over FHHS, students (mostly juniors) explained their community projects (that program is run by coordinator Jenny Wilson). Here’s a list of the projects this year (I’m listing them all, ’cause I think this is so cool) – which is a huge part of making the island a better place:

Bluebird House Landscaping
English Lessons at the Library
Youth Philanthropy
Blankets for Orphans
Island Music
Dolls for Charity
Jackson Beach CleanUp
Roche Harbor Quarry CleanUp
Financial Advice for Students
The Virtual Club
Beaverton Marsh Restoration
Building a Greenhouse
Worm Composting
Skate Park Improvement
Environmental Club
Improving the Basketball Court
Working on the Garden Walkway
The Save Our Schools Program

All in all, this kind of event is what makes living here great – celebrating what the kids are doing, and visiting with friends on a sunny day. Way to go, FHHS!

Monday night's sunset at Lime Kiln...photo by Kevin Holmes (thanks, Kevin!) - click to see a larger version & get ready to say "Wow!"

A beautiful shot on a beautiful evening….

Three islanders are remembered….

• I haven’t heard memorial plans, but it was sad to hear Debbie Rasmussen passed away this past weekend. Condolences to Keith in this difficult time….

• A Memorial Mass for Johanna “Josie” Picinich will be held at Saint Francis Catholic Church at 1pm on Saturday, June 11, 2011.

• There will be a celebration of life for George Goff this Saturday at the American Legion from 1-4pm. Friends & family are invited.

Mildred & Skip

It was good to catch up with Skip & Mildred from Cattle Point Rock & Topsoil last night (they were at Haley’s watching the Canucks in the Stanley Cup finals) – they mentioned that they almost never close for the weekend, but this weekend will be away on Saturday to visit Mildred’s 98-year-old mom off-island…so plan accordingly!

Meanwhile, their Thursday special continues – delivery is half-off on Thursdays for three yards or more…check it out!

Cattle Point Rock & Topsoil, from the air....

Brad

This Friday there’s a meet & greet at Islanders Bank so you can meet new CEO & President Brad Williamson – it’s also Customer Appreciation Day, so from 11am-2pm there will be  free hot dogs, water & pop, and ice cream sandwiches & popsicles.

I know when I’m doing MY deposit this week…. 🙂

Two days ago at American Camp, Kevin Holmes came across this mom & her kits...click on the picture to see an enlarged version!

Hope your day is off to a sunny start – let’s look around:

• The graduation for Friday Harbor High is at 5pm this year on Saturday – see you there! And… tomorrow is graduation at Skagit Valley College – San Juan Center at 2pm, and Griffin Bay High is on Sunday.

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• Give blood today at the Mullis Center! Noon till six!

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Yesterday about 20 excited kids descended on the IMA (Islands Museum of Art) to explore the art of Steve Harrold (his exhibit runs till July 10th & it's pretty cool, if you haven't seen it)...the kids had an hour of activities, including a scavenger hunt. That's Lucy & her buddies figuring it all out...the afternoon was set up by IMA director Jennifer Elise & art teacher Leisha Holmes, with the help of a bunch of parents.

• All over the island this month, it’s time for getting out  – here’s a camp that’ll be fun. Here’s more from Courtney Oldwyn:

Join the fun this summer at Dirt Stompers Horse Camp at Blazing Tree Ranch!

Our campers will learn all the basics of horsemanship from feeding and care to grooming and handling. They’ll also participate in daily riding activities, arts and crafts, games, nature activities and a visit to Krystal Acres Alpaca Farm.

During the week of June 27 – July 1 we are offering local island children the chance to come to camp at half price!

Camp runs Mon-Fri 9:00am – 1:00pm during all of July and August. Open to children ages 5 yrs and older. No horse experience necessary, though we can definitely accommodate kids with prior horse experience.  Call us at (360) 378-1364 or blazingtreeranch (at) gmail.com today!

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That's Mark & Sharon at a graduation party last night - congrats, Mark!

• Karie from San Juan Healthcare reports that Dr. Fishaut has been honored – here’s more:

Dr. Mark Fishaut, pediatrician at San Juan Healthcare since 2004, has earned the American Medical Association’s Physician Recognition Award with Distinction for the years 2011-2014. The AMA requires at least 270 hours of continuing medical education in order to qualify for this honor. Dr. Fishaut has concentrated his educational efforts in areas that are relevant to pediatric practice on our Island. This includes general pediatrics, adolescent medicine, sports medicine, orthopedics, behavioral medicine and child and adolescent psychiatry. The certificate recognizes a personal commitment to career-long continuing professional development for the benefit of our community.

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This puppy is ready to drive onto the ferry on Sunday at midday, after her owner gets back with coffee from The Doctor's Office coffeehouse.

• Kirk Fuhrmeister has another cool show set for tomorrow – here’s the scoop:

TIMES ARE A’CHANGING BENEFIT CONCERT
featuring Boundless State and Spring Street Performance Troupe.

Isle be Jammin’ is proud to present the third in a series of “in house concerts” featuring superb local and regional talent. Thursday June 9th from 7-9:30pm we will be entertained and amazed by a group of young musicians and their maestro Grisha Krivchenia. The group of 8 performers will be featured as soloists, and combinations of shared talent. The band “Boundless State” features graduating seniors and are truly a dynamic prodigy band with amazing talents and terrific ensemble sound!  Proceeds  from this concert will benefit college-bound members of the troup.

Tickets are on sale at Isle be Jammin’ for $10 each. We can seat 50 people comfortably, so it is highly recommended to purchase tickets before the day of the show!

Please call 378 5151 for further details. We accept credit cards over the phone for “will call” pick up.

Thanks in advance for supporting local live music!  And  please remember Isle be Jammin’  Performer’s Showcase will be hosting  talented/accomplished musicians/ poets/ spoken word artists regularly. If you or someone you know would like to be a featured performer, contact Kirk soon. Share your talent! People will love you for it!

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I love the way Tom Shultz has raised his monitor in his office....

• Robin at the Vistors Bureau says the islands are in the news (kinda) again – here’s more:

Friday Harbor is featured in the current issue of Every Day with Rachael Ray magazine.

The popular magazine Every Day with Rachael Ray features Friday Harbor and the Pig War Picnic in a feature article entitled “Happy Birthday America: The Best Red, White & Boom(!) Celebrations.” The article appears in the June/July issue on newsstands now and includes a photo of the Kiwanis Club’s picnic banner in the 4th of July parade. The San Juan Historical Museum and Friday Harbor House are also mentioned in the article.

Destinations from around the country were considered for the article and eight were chosen.  Friday Harbor is #4 on a list that also includes Juneau (AK), Bristol (RI), Roswell (NM), Atlanta (GA), Napa (CA), Savannah (GA) and Naperville (IL)

Through the course of the day, people have been telling me that FHES principal Gary Pflueger has been selected by the Bonners Ferry, Idaho school district to work there.

He leaves behind a school that’s a good & safe place to learn because he was here. For many, he will be much missed. Wishing him & Annie all the best….

Last night's sunset lit up the trees beyond the road coming out of the Friday Harbor Marine Labs....

This may be the day things cool off a little, but things are still happening:

Teddy, tonight with new tunes

• Teddy Deane plays tonight at the Rumor Mill & says he has songs from his upcoming CD Goin’ Home to Friday Harbor Vol II. It’s always fun with Teddy – drop by & say hey!

• Also today – The San Juan Islands Conservation District & The Friends of the San Juans are offering a free workshop called Bluffs & Beaches today at English Camp from 2-3:30pm.  Learn how to protect the shoreline by attending a free workshop with coastal expert Jim Johannessen.

• Saying thanks: Doug McCutchen is the preserve steward for the Land Bank and he’s glad he got a chance to share the island last week. Here’s more from Doug:

Last week the Land Bank hosted a “Volunteer Vacation” crew from the American Hiking Society.  This type of project enables us to get a lot of work done in a condensed period of time with great benefit to the local community.  While small in number, the experienced and amiable crew helped the Land Bank and County Parks with trail construction and maintenance, restored beach access, constructed split rail fencing, performed prairie habitat restoration and enhancement, and removed noxious weeds.

Cyndi Brast tells me she & the Friday Walkers went spelunking somewhere on the island last Friday (she says where is a secret) - that's Claire Kelm at the entrance. (Photo by Cyndi Brast)

We are grateful to the local farmers, businesses, and partners who donated goods and services to the effort.  San Juan County Park hosted the campers for the week where they helped with a variety of resource protection and enhancement projects.  San Juan Farmers Market vendors contributed meat, beautiful produce, bread and other goods.

Jason from Discovery Sea Kayak led a beautiful sunset paddle from the County Park.  Ivan and the staff of the Western Prince donated a half day tour for the crew’s mid week break which really helped solidify their sense of place.

The donations not only benefited and inspired the crew but also showed the commitment of the local community to ongoing stewardship of our lands.  I think the following sentiments from one of the crew members summed up the group’s experience:  “I have been on other AHS trips and Sierra Club service trips, but hands down, yours was the best!!  The island is so beautiful with all the different wildlife to see. And everyone we met was so friendly.  The whole experience was the best of the best!”

• It’s time for summer hours at Pablito’s! Here’s the scoop from Paul:

Pablito’s is excited to announce their new summer schedule.  We’ll be open Wed-Sun for lunch, and Thu- Sun for dinner.  Dinner should be fun – we’ve gone all classy with waitstaff, complimentary chips & salsa, & the works.  It all starts this week!

Matthew with a new elephant he's working on, and Danielle hosted one of the studios in last weekend's 20th San Juan Island Studio Tour.

• It was great.

Guitarist Amanda Brast played for visitors to Laurie Burns' glass studio at Cape San Juan. (Photo by Cyndi Brast)

The weather was perfect for the Studio Tour last weekend, and every artist I saw in town yesterday said they had a great time with folks visiting the places they create their work all over the island.

This year there were 19 studios with some 40 artists – visiting them was the same as visiting the whole island!

A visitor to Matthew & Danielle‘s place told me she felt bad she couldn’t get around to all the studios, but that that made her look forward to next year’s Tour. Wahoo!

Josie & I ran into Mike & Kathy Chadwick in Sidney last weekend - they were there to get their boat "Bilbo Baggins" back to the island after its nice new paint job...they carefully guided her out of Canoe Cove in the Saturday afternoon sun.

Michelle & Nick & the new family car! It's all-electric!

Maybe it’s not the first on the island, but it’s the first I’d seen – Michelle & Michael Herko are the proud owners of a new Nissan Leaf, which is all-electric. That’s right – no muffler, no exhaust pipe, none of that stuff… Michelle tells me she can get about 100 miles off a charge, which can take from 3-7 hours & which she figures costs about $2.50. Says it’s got plenty of room in the back for sports gear & is heavy enough to feel comfortable on the road.

Have you been by KO's Subs lately? Located just across from the ferry lanes near the Mystical Mermaid, I dropped in & got a sandwich last week - they do a great job! That's owner Ken Oberreit (left) with his daughter Marliese and nephew Joey - stop by and check them out!

A sunny weekend, and a sunny start to the week! Here we go:

New director of the IMA (Island Museum of Art) Jennifer Elise is setting up an ambitious schedule of children's activities for the summer, and much more - check it out at www.sjima.org!

• I hear from different folks that the Cask & Schooner is set to open later this month & that it’s lookin’ good in there!

• This is the week to sign up to run for office this week, with the deadline on Friday. This week, County offices except for the elections office have a furlough day on Friday, so plan accordingly.

• Yep, my new CD is available at both Island Studios (who also has a listening station) and at Griffin Bay Bookstore, or you can download it online. Check it out!

• Dennis & Jerry moved the shop up the street – drop into their new spot & say hey! Here’s the news from the twins:

San Juan Supplements has moved to a new location!!! We’re now located between The Computer Place and Radio Shack. Our phone number is still the same but our address is 335 Argyle Avenue. We’re looking into carrying Boiron homeopathic products by the middle of June. We also have an HCG diet program that has the first month free as long as you follow their requirements. Please visit mystichcg.com for more information.

• It was fun to see Sonny Sixkiller downtown Friday Harbor on Saturday morning…love that Celebrity Golf Classic!

The contest winner - fireworks over Roche Harbor! Photo by Kevin Holmes - way to go, Kevin! (Click on the pic to make it bigger - looks awesome when it's bigger!)

• The San Juan Islands Visitors’ Bureau had a photo contest, and it was cool that regular Update photo contributor Kevin Holmes took first place – he shoots amazing shots, and has a great eye for framing the photo so it tells a story. Congratulations, Kevin! And congrats to Lauren Cohen for taking third place! Here’s more from Robin at the Vistors’ Bureau:

The San Juan Islands Visitors Bureau has announced the winners in their recent photo contest. Submitted photos were judged on their ability to communicate the theme of people enjoying activities on Lopez, Orcas and San Juan Islands, as well as a “sense of place.”

There were 19 entrants from around the state.  Each entrant was allowed a maximum of ten entries. Chosen images will be considered for use in the upcoming redesign of the Visitors Bureau website and other promotional materials.

The top winners are: First Place, Kevin Holmes of Friday Harbor; Second Place, David St. George of Wenatchee; Third Place, Lauren Cohen of Friday Harbor.

The First Place winner will receive a getaway package for two including roundtrip tickets aboard Kenmore Air to/from Seattle, two nights at Earthbox Motel & Spa in Friday Harbor, dinner at Coho Restaurant, and a gift basket from Pelindaba Lavender.  Second and Third Place winners will receive gift baskets from island businesses.

The San Juan Islands Visitors Bureau wishes to thank all photographers who entered the contest and appreciates the sharing of their images of the San Juan Islands.

Sunny on the deck of the Chelan yesterday, with Speiden Island in the background, coming in from Sidney.

Have you been by waterworks gallery lately?

Whoa, there’s a lot going on! You’ve already made plans for it, I know (you are THAT organized!), so let’s check a few things:

• The Writers’ Café is tonight at The Bean Coffeehouse – bring your fiction, nonfiction or poetry to read or just show up to listen. The Bean will provide coffee and pastries and such for sale. 5-6:30pm.

That's T:FLO (from left - Tawm, Dylan, Robin behind Tony_ backing up Neill last night.

• It’s fun to channel your inner rock star – and that’s what was happening last night.

Neill McShea sounded good with the band

Tony Floreno and T:FLO are the band, and instead of singing to a karaoke machine, it’s karaoke with a live band.

He’s got a list of songs, you pick one you actually know, and take your turn in the starlight. I tried three different types of songs – “Me & Julio” by Paul Simon, “I’m A Believer” by the Monkees/ Neil Diamond/ Smashmouth, and an acousticy “Moonshadow” by Cat Stevens….it was great fun.

And…the band (Tawm, Robin, Dylan & Tony) are tight…they make sure you know where to go in the song.

The Rumor Mill is hosting this on Thursdays from 8-11pm – come take your turn!

There’s Open Mike tonight, by the way, if you want to practice… 🙂

Remember the Transfer Station is open this weekend, but closed on Friday next week (the 10th) for a furlough day....

• Tom & Tami & Kate are on at The Place tonight – here’s more, from Kate:

Friday, June 3rd, 7:30pm, at The Place!  Tom, Tami, and I (aka “Rewind”) are delighted to be performing at this local dining treasure.  Delicious food, extensive wine list plus a full bar, ambience galore, an up-close view of the harbor, and friendly professional service.  We would love to sing to you while you enjoy all this.  What a great way to start the busy weekend! Reservations recommended:  378-8707 (The Place)

• Mandy Husmann has a yard sale tomorrow at her place at 520 Linder Street – 9:30am, with lots of baby stuff.

Thor

• If you haven’t read islander Thor Hanson‘s work before, now it’s time. His latest book is Feathers: The Evolution of a Natural Miracle and got a good review in the Economist this past week (here’s the review.)

• Doesn’t matter what you do – just do it this weekend! The Garden Tour, The Studio Tour, The Celebrity Golf Classic, The Marathon, all that singing & storytelling, the fundraiser at the Legion for Carmen, Jazz at the Labs, Farmers’ Market, the contra dance…just don’t tell me you’re bored.

Have a great one!