Just heard that Dave’s mom passed away, with services this weekend…our condolences to the family & friends. Here’s more:

Johanna 'Josie' Picinich

Johanna ‘Josie’ Picinich, 82, of Friday Harbor, Washington passed away on Monday, May 2, 2011.

She was born on the island of Susak, Croatia on September 28, 1928 to Jack and Anna (Bussanich) Morin. Josie immigrated to Hoboken, New Jersey when she was two years old. She married John Picinich in 1946 and they later moved to Gig Harbor, WA. In 1951 they moved to West Seattle where Josie resided until 1994 when she moved to Friday Harbor.

Josie was a loving mother, grandmother, and great-grandmother, adored by her family. She entertained all with her humor, singing, and baking. Josie loved taking care of her family and using her computer to stay in touch with everyone. She enjoyed surfing the internet and shopping. Josie was preceded in death by her husband, John in 1982. Continue Reading

Stuck my head in to Roy's Drive-Thru Espresso & Deli to say hey to Jon Hurley & get a BBQ chicken sandwich, which was great - if you haven't visited lately, drop in soon...you'll be glad you did! (You can also get stuff to go - call 378-8822, or text Jon at 360-610-3443!)

Hope you’re staying dry this morning, mostly…look around – what do you see?

• Happy Cinco de Mayo! (What I mean by that is….¡Feliz Cinco de Mayo hoy!) Remember the Community Dinner at the high school tonight at 5:30pm! Bring the fam!

It was good to see Adrienne with Atticus at the Easter Egg Hunt a couple of weeks ago!

• Seattle was ranked #1 as the US city most “walk-worthy” – now, that’s something to be proud of! Here’s the story. Betcha if they had a ranking for not-cities (we’re a town, almost a village) that Friday Harbor would be in the top ten…

• Pam Herber has a reminder that tomorrow is the night for writers:

I hope you join us Friday at this month’s Writers’ Café open mic. Bring your fiction, nonfiction or poetry to read, OR come to relax and listen. The Bean will offer coffee, pastries and such for sale for our enjoyment. Sign-up starts at 5:00 pm. Reading starts at 5:30.

• Sally at Island Rec could use a little help setting up the Children’s Festival – got a moment? Call her at 378-4953:

Thursday May 5: 1:30-3:00pm  we need two people to help hang decorations.  No special skills required. Willingness to climb a ladder helpful.

Friday May 6: 9am-noon we need a minimum of two strong people to move items from storage …  also two other general helpers would be great.

Stand on the dock in the marina. Go to the edge. Look down. This is what you see.

At Wells Fargo Bank, general manager Jessica Johnson welcomes new customer service manager Melissa Posenjack to the bank...Melissa returns to the bank she began with on the island after stints at Whidbey Island Bank and with Tammy Cotten Insurance....

Hope you get out in this sunny morning! Looking around:

• The San Juan Communities Housing Solutions group has a Town Hall meeting planned for May 24th to discuss affordability and other issues. Here’s more.

Grisha played with Enso at Pazzo Vivo last spring...

• If you haven’t heard Grisha play, you’ve missed out on a truly wonderful experience.. The Spring Street International School music teacher has put on several shows on-island in the past few years – with his sister, with his band Enso, playing his own work solo – and he’s simply amazing…I love hearing him play. Don’t miss him this weekend – here’s the press release:

On Saturday, May 7th at 7pm, Grisha Krivchenia will be playing favorite works  by Chopin, Liszt and Schubert on the Presbyterian Church’s Young Chang Concert Grand Piano.

Grisha is a composer and pianist who completed his training at Oberlin Conservatory, where he studied piano with Sedmara Rutstein and composition with Lewis Nielson and Jeffrey Mumford.  Several professional ensembles have performed his works, including Arraymusic (Toronto), The Blue Rose Trio (Los Angeles), and the Cleveland Chamber Symphony.  This year, he is finishing a concerto for piano and string orchestra. Grisha teaches music and philosophy at Spring Street International School, as well as teaching private lessons to adults and teens in Friday Harbor.

The recital is free, and open to all who would like to come, thanks to the  generosity of an anonymous sponsor.
We will be accepting donations for good causes, both local and global. Brickworks will  share the proceeds with the Presbyterian Disaster Assistance for Japan. For more information please call  378-4544.

It was fun to see Betsy driving 'round yesterday in her Smart car...she tells me there's just enough room in the front for Les & the dog, and they usually get about 38 mpg, which makes this a smart move with rising gas prices.

• As the events for Historic Friday Harbor continue this month, this Friday you can find out more about the Courthouse:

SAN JUAN COUNTY HISTORIC COURTHOUSE
Enter through the 2nd Street entrance at 2pm. An insiders’ look at the 1906 San Juan County Courthouse, a National Historic Register building with secrets and stories, old and new. Free to the public. For information: 360.378.4017 or co.san-juan.wa.us.

Someone told me I should get my coffee at Friday Harbor Espresso where "those gorgeous sisters" work, so I dropped by to say hey to Mica (left) and Leslie yesterday afternoon as the clouds parted. Not sure which was brighter - the sun or their smiles....

• Here’s more about this weekend’s Children’s Festival (sponsored by Island Rec), from Keri:

Come one, come all!  to the 21st annual Children’s Festival this Saturday at the Fairgrounds.

This years’ theme is Cirque Du San Juan from 10am to 2pm.  Festivities include headliner Rhys Thomas of Juggle Mania!  Combining the quick wit of stand-up comedy with the dextrous feats of the circus, Rhys creates amazing performances. The entire Festival is free, and welcome to all, including all ages!  Many local businesses and organizations participate in this annual event with activities and booths.  Be prepared to be amazed by colors, sounds and experiences with our local creative talent!

Celebrate the holiday!

• It was great to hear from Vince Dauciunas and get this picture he shot:

Driving along Tucker Avenue, I noticed our fine OPALCO crews were busy adding  “Power to the People.”  We’ve known that OPALCO has been offering “Green Power” for some time now, but it looks like we’ll soon be able to purchase Red, Yellow and Blue power too!

A tip of the hat to our forward thinking Power Collective!

Power to the people... photo by Vince Dauciunas (thanks, Vince!)

• My friend Nancy on Lopez has her tractor for sale – here’s the scoop, with her notes:

This could be yours....

Priced to sell! 1989 John Deere #2355 w/loads of implements- $14,440 (Lopez Island, WA). 2625 hours, diesel
w/ loader 6′ bucket. Additional implements included:  grapple and fork plate (fork plate not shown), #2103 Bush Hog post hole digger w/ 12″ auger (shown), #FD2572 Land Pride grooming mower, 6′ disk pull behind.

Contact Nancy Crowell <redtail (at) rockisland.com> for more info!

What would it be like – 21 days without plastic water bottles, plastic grocery bags, or styrofoam containers (which are banned here, anyway)? The earth will be better for it: Olympic medalist Gretchen Bleiler wants you to take the challenge:

Game over! Friday Harbor celebrates their victory over visiting Meridian on Tuesday afternoon...

Not your usual game…

FHHS pitcher Jean Melborne led the team from the mound...

Yesterday afternoon’s softball game was a little different, but won the girls a trip to the postseason anyway…FHHS had played Meridian Saturday and ten-runned ’em (in high school ball, if you’re ahead of someone after four innings, the game’s over), but the Trojans successfully appealed with the league & won a protest over a call in the then-third inning in that game.

That set things up for a continuation of the game from the time of that call, which was played in yesterday’s late afternoon sun.

The Wolverines won 8-2, and now play out the rest of their schedule this week and next before heading to the playoffs late next week. I’ll let you know as soon as I know details about where & when on that – in the meantime, Go Wolverines!

Rick Thompson

San Juan Island Superintendent Rick Thompson says the search committee for an elementary school principal has narrowed the field to two, who will have extended visits to the island next week. Here’s his report:

Here is an update on the FHES principal search.

After screening 28 applications last week, the search committee interviewed 7 semi-finalists this week. Four were interviewed on Monday and three were interviewed today.  The interviews were conducted at the district office.  Each member of the search committee participated in the interviews for each semi-finalist.  Candidates were screened qualitatively as well as quantitatively in order to ensure the most reliable screening.

Candidates were asked to respond to a variety of questions about educational leadership.  Following the team interviews, each candidate was asked to respond to a writing prompt which was also considered in the screening and scoring process.  After careful discussion about candidate strengths in light of the position description, two finalists were asked to interview next week.  Both finalists were described as strong candidates, and were selected among the top three finalists identified by consensus of the committee.

The candidates will spend the whole day in the district, meeting with students, staff, parents, and community members next week.

The candidates and dates are as follows:

Wednesday May 11, 2011.  Denise Wheeler. Denise comes to the district with a wide variety of leadership experiences including that of elementary principal and program director.  She has served in Wyoming and Montana.  Denise’s experience, dedication to students, and personable manner earned her high marks with the search committee.  She will be on campus from 8:00 am to 8:00 pm.  The community forum will be held in the FHES library from 6:00 to 7:00 pm.

Thursday May 12, 2011.  Joseph Landerman. Joe is completing his doctoral work in education.  He has earned a M.Ed. in Educational Leadership and was named Georgia’s distinguished principal in 2009.  Joe has principal experience at the elementary and middle school levels.  He is currently practicing in the state of Georgia.  Joe is scheduled to be on campus from 8:00 am to 8:00 pm on May 12, with the community forum from 6:00 to 7:00 pm again in the FHES library.

Following both interviews, the search committee will reconvene on May 13 to confer about staff and community feedback and to consider offering a position, subject to reference checks and approval by the SJISD Board of Directors.

For further information contact Rick Thompson, Superintendent at (360) 378-4133.

That was the ferry coming into harbor on Wednesday when I was out on the marina docks taking a walk on a sunny spring day. Love it.

Meanwhile, around the island….

The prices at The Big Store early Sunday morning....

• Looks like Jimmy Farrell‘s back on-island & working out at Roche Harbor again…everyone’s favorite Irishman went to Utah to work for the winter, and now he’s back.

• Saw Howard Schonberger in the street Monday with his beard freshly shaved…see if you recognize him.

• Looks like ace FHHS band teacher & music teacher Janet Olsen is retiring…that counts as a major loss for our kids – she’s amazing.

• Marilyn at the Port of Friday Harbor says they’re going to miss Don – here’s more:

Don

Don Nixon retires: For the past twelve years both Port customers and staff alike have enjoyed Don Nixon’s many talents in the maintenance department.  Don started out working at the Fuel dock, then switched to part-time employment for the Port’s maintenance team and shortly thereafter became a full-time employee. He is an excellent rock wall mason, an authority on sewage pump installation, repair and new construction specialist and wood working extraordinaire.

As Don retires, he plans to work on his house and boat “doing the same work as here but changing bosses.” A little known fact about Don:  in his former life he was a petroleum geologist in Denver for 27 years. We will all miss Don, but look forward to his charming smile when he visits his boat in our marina.

You've seen all the markings on the street - that's where the new raingardens are going, later this month. Watch for them on Spring Street...

• There are jobs on the island – here are three people told me about:

– At Luxel, they need both a lab tech – here’s the job description. And…they need on-call contract IT support to support existing and new Windows PC hardware and software, to help define and execute future network design. Experience with Windows and Linux servers, programming experience a plus, must be local, available on short notice. Please send qualifications to careers(at)Luxel(dot)com

– I hear they’re hiring at The Bluff & at Friday Harbor House for the summer….

– The Farmers’ Market is looking for a new manager – check with Bill at Cafe Demeter for details.

Josie says hi to Jane Westmiller (right) on Saturday night at the Rumor Mill, where she's hostessing...days find her at Spa D'Bune doing her makeup magic with incredible facials. The FHHS '08 grad has been working since graduation to make the island a more beautiful face. I mean, a more beautiful place. Actually, both.

• Karie and San Juan Healthcare are offering this program at the Library tonight:

AN ENTERTAINING AND INFORMATIVE MEETING ABOUT ADD IN ADULTS

Fidgeting, interrupting conversations, losing things, forgetting the reason for the trip to the store-everyone acts this way once in a while. However, a long and persistent history of restlessness, impulsive, or inattentive behavior may be a sign of Adult ADD.  This is especially true if these behaviors have existed since childhood and result in problems at work, home, and/or social situations.

It has taken a long time for what used to be called “a kid’s problem” that “disappeared” with age to be recognized as real and often disabling.  Many people suffer alone, wondering “what’s wrong with me?”  It has become that many folks, especially girls and women, are either incorrectly diagnosed, or worse, not diagnosed at all.  In addition, unmanaged Adult ADD is often associated with other problems such as depression and substance abuse as well as just feeling lost.

Dr. Mark Fishaut, pediatrician at San Juan HealthCare since 2004, cares for many children with attention deficit and related problems.  Over the years, he has seen a desperate need to fill in the gap of understanding and care of adults who have largely suffered in silence.

On May 3, he will lead an interactive discussion about diagnosis and treatment after screening a terrific documentary: “ADD and Loving IT!”

This is a highly entertaining, informative, and poignant documentary about this common problem.  In this uplifting and entertaining DVD, you will hear from researchers, specialists and doctors about ADD and ADHD, as well as from ordinary people who are directly dealing with the challenges of this common problem.

This gathering is open to the public.
WHEN: May 3, from 7-9pm
WHERE: San Juan Library

If the Little Store looks just a little brighter today, that's becasue it was painted over the weekend....

• The next Community Dinner is finally here! Here’s the word from Liz at Friday Harbor High:

You are invited to our COMMUNITY DINNER Thursday, May 5th to celebrate Cinco de Mayo! It’s 5:30 -7:30 in the High School Commons

The Chef 1.0 Internship Class will be making fresh tortillas for our Mexican feast, The FHHS Baking Class is preparing a tres leches cake (three milk cake) for dessert.

The Hot Shop will provide hot sauce tasting and we will enjoy traditional dancing by Monarca. Senorita Landers’ Spanish class will decorate the Commons.

The Food for Thought Program is excited to prepare a delicious menu:
Slow-cooked Pork Carnita, Chicken or Vegetarian Tacos on homemade tortillas
Chili-lime Cole Slaw
Spanish Rice and Beans
Garden Salad
Chips and Salsa
Tres Lesches Cake

$10 donation for adults, $5 donation for children under 12
Donations support the Chef 1.0/2.0 Internships and Food for Thought Program!

It was cool to go by Islanders Bank & have them treat me like the king for a day...of course, they were all queens & princesses for he day, as they wore their tiaras & more for the royal wedding last Friday.

• Have you seen Peg’s dog? Here’s more:

Astro

Lost Dog – Brittany Spaniel named Astro, about knee-high, white with brown spots went missing on Saturday April 30. Last seen on Beaverton Valley Road near Boyce Road.

He is friendly but 15 years old, doesn’t see or hear well. No collar. If found, please call Peg 370-5509 or Animal Shelter 378-2158.

I still remember in ’84 when my friend Gretchen Black introduced me to Sting & his new album then – this was my favorite song from that collection:

Howard at his old location - he's now in the former Windermere offices on First & Spring Streets...

I dropped by to see Howard in his new spot (he was located over on Tucker Street before), and he’s got a lot of interesting things in there – check it out for yourself! Here’s more in a release from his friend Rebecca:

It’s official…‘Howard’s Sell It Again’ (a fairly new business that has been open since December 1st located at 301 Tucker Rd.) will be moving and re-opening at its new location of 100 First St. on May 3rd.

“Howard’s Sell It Again” has antiques, furniture, new glass wares from France, boating and fishing gear, jewelry, artwork, rugs, lamps, Absinthe Fountains and more. ‘Howard’s’ will be introducing a local photographer/artist and she will have her exquisite items on display and for sale for the first time in Friday Harbor.

Most of you may know Howard Crowell, General Contractor for “Howard Crowell Construction” In the early years, being new to the island, he started “Rent-A-Husband,” a handyman/builder type business. Howard has been on San Juan Island for 21 years.

After sailing the Salish Sea for a decade, he decided to move here full time. He has built twelve homes on the island and continues to work in construction. Howard, being an entrepreneur who enjoys sailing, has his Captain’s license and operates “Capn’ Howard’s Sailing Charters” on his 35’ sailboat.

We asked Howard why he started this store. His response: “I felt there’s a need and a niche for this type of store on the island. It helps recycle reusable goods at reasonable prices and folks can consign their quality goods with me instead of the drudgery of having a yard sale. The store is evolving and changing daily and if you are looking for a certain item I will try to find it for you. I am still in construction and the charter business, so my competent staff can assist you in my absence. Come on in and take a look for yourself!”

Store hours will be 10am – 5:30pm Monday – Saturday. Now taking selective consignments and if you have items to consign, please call Howard at 360-317-8421 to make an appointment. Best of luck and congratulations to you, Howard!

Let’s take a look & see how the FHHS spring teams are doing, as they head for the playoffs (thanks to FHHS athletic director & dean of students Rod Turnbull for the details!):

The hard-hitting softball girls went to Lynden Christian & won a 15-14 comeback a couple of Saturdays ago, then came back in time for the prom...today they play Meridian to sort out where they go in the Big Dance as the playoffs get underway next week. That's one of the girls' home run balls, by the way....

• Softball: Due to a protest of a call made during the 3rd inning of our game with Meridian Saturday that was upheld, we will need to resume playing the Meridian game tomorrow from that point forward.  So beginning at 5:00 Tuesday (today), weather permitting, we will resume the game from the top of the 3rd inning with the Wolverines ahead 6-0.

Our girls fastpitch softball team is currently tied for 1st place in the Northwest 1A/2B League and is 1 and 1 against 1A Northwest conference opponents. Both situations are used for seeding into the District 1 tournament. With this one game remaining against Northwest Conference opponent Meridian to be completed, the final seeding into District is still undetermined. The District 1 tournament begins with a play-in game on Thursday, May 12.

• Girls’ Tennis: Our girls tennis team will host the District 1 tournament on May 9. Two singles teams and two doubles teams will be competing for two berths to the Tri-District Tournament that begins on May 16 with a play-in game, with the full tournament beginning on May 19.

The Wolverine league champion baseball team opens postseason play in Blaine this weekend....

• Baseball: Our baseball team is currently tied for first place in the Northwest 1A/2B league and is 2 and 2 vs Northwest Conference seeding opponents. Since they lost to Meridian Saturday, they will enter the tournament as the 3rd seed. The tournament is being held at Blaine’s Pipeline Field Complex against an opponent still to be determined on Saturday May 7.

• Boys’ Soccer: The boys will play a District 1 game on Thursday, May 5 at 4:30pm at Lynden Christian against the Lyncs.

• Boys & Girls Golf: The golf team will begin post season play on Thursday, May 12 at the District 1 Tournament being held at North Bellingham Golf Club.

• Boys & Girls Track – Our track team will head to Lynden Christian on Wednesday, May 11, and Friday, May 13 to compete in the District 1 Track meet.

I mourn the loss of thousands of precious lives, but I will not rejoice in the death of one, not even an enemy.

“Returning hate for hate multiplies hate, adding deeper darkness to a night already devoid of stars. Darkness cannot drive out darkness: only light can do that.

“Hate cannot drive out hate: only love can do that.”

Martin Luther King, Jr.

Reviewing the boat parade: Bruce Hall, San Juan Island Yacht Club Commodore; Fred Bowen, Friday Harbor Power Squadron, Commander; Rebecca Hughes, past Commodore, Friday Harbor Sailing Club; Barbara Marrett, Commisioner, Port of Friday Harbor. Photo by Kevin Holmes.

It happens every year – a celebration of the water around us, and the beauty we’re surrounded by, and we get our boats out & have a parade. This year’s Opening Day was staged in the marina with the nicest weather for an Opening Day in recent memory, with smiles & bright skies & a reminder we’re just happy to be here.

Staying on schedule: A Kenmore Air seaplane arrives during the parade. Photo by Kevin Holmes.

Staging for the parade in front of the Marine Labs...photo by Kevin Holmes

Good to hear Karen’s voice again…

The plaque was dedicated last month to remember the island's friend, who passed away in December 2009 at the age of 62.

He touched so many people…and now, Carla Higginson reports he’ll be remembered at the Courthouse in perpetuity… here’s more:

The lasting memorial to the late Judge John O. Linde is now complete. Judge Linde, who served as San Juan County’s first Superior Court Judge from January 2008 until his untimely death in December 2009, was memorialized by the County Council at the behest of the San Juan County Bar Association in July 2010. Carla J. Higginson, then-current Bar president, designed and arranged for the fabrication and placement of the bronze memorial plaque, which was purchased with Bar Association funds. The plaque reads:

“This courtroom is dedicated by the citizens of this county to the memory of John O. Linde (1947-2009), San Juan County’s first Superior Court Judge. This plaque is presented in grateful acknowledgement of his service by the San Juan County Bar Association on July 2, 2010.”

The plaque hangs just outside the Superior Courtroom door along with the original signed and framed Proclamation, a location selected with the agreement of current Superior Court Judge Donald E. Eaton.

Higginson commented, “It is fitting that the memorial plaque to Judge Linde, whose dedication to justice was legendary, is the first thing our citizens see as they enter the courtroom. It is where Judge Linde dispensed justice both as a Superior Court Judge and as a District Court Judge for many years and is a reminder that just one person can touch many lives in a lasting way.”

Elected officials and colleagues saluted outgoing Public Works Director Jon Shannon at a staff meeting on April 27.

Stan Mathews tells me there are a bunch of changes at the County – here’s the deal:

May Brings Many Changes to County Staff

Retirements and reassignments are changing the face of several county departments. The most visible changes occurred April 29th when Public Works Director Jon Shannon stepped down, and County Engineer John Van Lund and Deputy Prosecutor Karen Vedder retire.

In a move announced last month Shannon assumes the position of County Transportation Planner. He will divide his office hours between County Offices in Friday Harbor and Orcas Island.

Rachel Dietzman is San Juan County's new County Engineer.

While the search for Shannon’s replacement is underway, Public Works Department veteran Russ Harvey will serve as Interim Public Works Director. Harvey joined the department as a land fill operator in 1981 and has risen through the ranks to the position of Road Maintenance Operations Manager.

County Engineer John Van Lund is retiring after serving as County Engineer for nearly seven years. He brought 38 years of structural and civil engineering experience to the department and headed an operation that has been praised for its expertise and efficiency. His successor, Rachel Dietzman, is an engineer that he recruited in 2007. She moves up from her position as Senior Project Engineer within the public works department. Dietzman is quick to praise the job Van Lund has done, “He has his own unique style, he has built a great team and he has my utmost respect.”

Interim Public Works Director Russ Harvey and County Engineer Rachel Dietzman applauded their retiring cohorts as they were honored by the Council on April 26.

Former County Transportation Planner Shannon Wilbur has been promoted to the Project Engineer slot opened by Dietzman’s promotion.

The departure of Karen Vedder as Deputy Prosecutor for civil cases marks the end of an era for more than one reason. Holding a degree in Microbiology with graduate studies in Veterinary Microbiology and Marine Biology, she is among the last attorneys in Washington who won a license to practice law by “reading law” rather than attending law school. She clerked, and studied, under former Prosecutor and subsequently County Council Member Gene Knapp. Before entering the legal field, she worked as a research biologist and as a newspaper reporter.

John Van Lund and Karen Vedder were honored for their service by the County Council on April 26.

Her boss, Prosecutor Randall Gaylord said, “Karen has been a great public lawyer because she has deep roots in the community and an uncompromising loyalty to the public good.”

Vedder is known for her quick wit, expertise on contracts and civil litigation, and athletic prowess. An avid hiker and biker, she says that she is looking forward to “using my bicycle for transportation,” once she is away from the demands of the County Prosecutor’s Office. She is also looking forward to an ambitious trip to China in the fall.

Deputy Prosecutor Jon Cain, will move up to the senior deputy position vacated by Vedder. Cain is a magna cum laude graduate of the Seattle University Law School who joined the San Juan County Prosecutor’s office after working for local governments in California and Washington for eleven years. He has spent the bulk of his time here working on land use issues and litigation, but has also been called upon to handle civil cases.

A search has begun to fill the position left vacant by Cain’s promotion.

Marion Melville joined the County staff in 1982 and has been court administrator since 1997

Two other long-time employees are planning departures within the next several weeks.

Barbara Wright joined the San Juan County staff in 1986

Court Administrator Marion Melville has announced her plans to retire effective June 2nd. Melville joined the County staff in 1982 and has overseen the operation of the District Court since 1997.

And Public Works Administrative Assistant Barbara Wright will retire effective May 23rd. Wright joined the County’s Juvenile Court staff in 1986 and moved to public works two years later.