Vote for Ammon!

He’s one talented guy, and this is your chance to vote for him! Aaron D’Errico has entered a contest with the Stan Lee (yeah, that one – Spiderman & Iron Man, those guys are his) Foundation, and you can vote for his creation. Here’s more from Aaron:

I wanted to let you know I have officially submitted my entry for The Stan Lee Foundation Super Hero Contest to create a super hero for Stan Lee, the legendary creator of Spider-Man, Ironman, Hulk, and many others! 😀

This contest means a lot to me, especially after Stan took the time to encourage me personally! Here’s where you can view my submission and vote for the official world debut of Ammon: The World’s First Soccerhero!  Inspired by a true story. Click here!

Voting goes through February 17th, so vote today! Anyone can vote.  I appreciate you spreading the word far, wide, and fast to your friends too! Thank you for being a part of this, for spreading the word, and for your encouragement on this amazing journey, onward and upward to realizing my dreams!

In gratitude,
Aaron

P.S.  If you’d like to read them I’ve included the link to the article that my mentor wrote about how I got to meet Stan “The Man” Lee” and some links to articles about my previous artistic endeavors:D

This is a fellow that Kate Schuman told me about named Paul Thorn, who I’m finding I like – see what you think: This is his song “What Have You Done To Lift Somebody Up”…

The banks are alive...with the sound of music....

Carrie Brooks at Islanders Bank says Tony got a surprise:

Tony was surprised!

Tony Fyrqvist, vice president at Islanders Bank, was surprised by a rose and the Island Chordsmen Plus all decked out in their red vests for a “Let Me Call You Sweetheart” message from Tony’s wife, Lisa.  It was a real treat this morning at the bank!

That's a gull I caught last week who found a starfish....

It’s a windy morning as the Valentine’s Day gusts may get up to 60mph later today…hold onto your hat & duck when the branches shake – let’s see what’s up:

Former FHMS teacher Molly Walker and former Journal editor Richard Walker were visiting the island this weekend - Richard says he's enjoying working with the Kitsap paper as editor, and mentioned that former islander Tad Souter is a writer there.

• It started up last week – Noodle Bowl Monday is back at the Backdoor Kitchen today from 11:30am to 2:30pm. The restaurant will re-open for the season in early March.

• At regionals this weekend, the Friday Harbor High wrestling team sent nearly everyone on the team, but emerged with only one representative to State – heavyweight Willy Dunn returns to Tacoma this weekend, while senior first-year wrestler Cody West (189) will go as an alternate. Congrats to the team & coaches for a good season!

• Another empty storefront: The surf shop above San Juan Cellars at Cannery Landing is now empty…I hear Skip has moved to Hawaii to manage a store there.

I was standing in Island Studios last night when Debbie Pigman came along & told me she had just seen "Black Swan" at the movies. As she said it, this light right above her head went out. It's that kind of movie.

• Remember I mentioned to you last week that Bob Benz’s two golden retrievers were missing? When I bumped into him yesterday, he says they still haven’t come home. If you see a couple of dogs around, please call Bob…it’s been a while now.

• Just heard from Amy Traxler at the Golden Triangle:

Now that Avon is back from Laos, she wanted me to let your readers know that we’re once again having cultural night specials at the Golden Triangle.  Monday is Japanese night; Tuesday is Vietnamese night; and Wednesday is Laotian night.  She’s starting tonight (2/14) and running them through the end of March – thanks!

• I like the sign at The Doctor’s Office coffeehouse that says, “Wi Fi – Why not?”

Emily, in Lesotho

• Lenore Bayuk tells me her girl Emily (right) has just finished four months of work in Lesotho, South Africa & is now headed for Peru…here’s more, from Emily’s blog.

• Yesterday Jeannie Hyde was out on the water shooting photos of the killer whales – check her blog to see who he saw.

• It was nice to see Gail & Randy at Cotton Cotton Cotton yesterday – I checked, and both they and Island Studios are open today for Valentine’s Day.

• Remember I told you that you could vote for Jim & Cathy Cole so they could win a trip from that radio station (can’t remember exactly – I think it was the state’s cutest couple or something.) Anyway, the Praise 106.5 people called ’em this morning & said they won! Wahoo!

Captain Deb Fritz

• Richard Rodriguez knows what’s going on, on the water, so he has this to report:

Continuing in a tradition of outstanding customer service, Towline Marine Assist is pleased to announce that it has become the Vessel Assist franchisee in the San Juan Islands.

Vessel Assist works much like an Auto Club on the water, providing tows, jump starts, and soft un-groundings at very reasonable annual fee. With the ability to reach most of its 600 square mile service area within an hour, Vessel Assist-Towline can respond to most calls within an hour.

Vessel Assist – Towline will stage vessels in Friday Harbor and Roche Harbor in the 2011 season. Their captains have responded over 1,400 distressed vessels in the San Juans. You can find out more about a towing package by contacting Vessel Assist Towline by contacting at Capt. Deb Fritz at debfritz (at) yahoo.com or 360-378-1111.

Proud mama Martha and proud papa Reyes say hi with baby Jessie yesterday after luch at Haley's....

Within the artists’ community of the island is a good number of writers, and this month there are three new books for you to look over. Let’s take a look & see what’s new:

John's new book

You Can’t Fix Everything:  A Husband’s Perspective On Dealing With Breast Cancer, by John Boyd

I know John as the irrepressible naturalist from the Western Prince whose regular reports to the Orca Network and his Facebook postings provide well-thought out & good-hearted views of this place we call home. In his book, he tackles another issue. Here’s more from John:

That fateful day at the alter, you are looking at your wife with a loving heart and the future is full of promise and hope.  And then comes the day when you are faced with a terrible diagnosis of breast cancer in your spouse.  What does this mean and how do you “fix” it?  This book is a chronicle of our journey, a journey with lows and highs, laughter and tears, and help from many unexpected places and people.

Description:  While there are many guide books for women who have to face a diagnosis of cancer, there are few that are written for the husbands.  This book was written with husbands in mind, to let them know what the process is, and that they can indeed be a large part of the treatment and recovery process!

We have pledged 50% of all profits will be given to cancer-related charities.  Ian, this book originally started out as a journal for me to keep track of what happened so when Sharon became cancer-free, we could look back on it and reflect on our journey.  Well, 10 pages became 20 became 135 and I realized I had something I could share with everyone just starting out their treatments too.  At first, I was so confused as to what my role in all this would be.  Cancer is a private thing, and that I would just be tagging along.  But as Sharon and I quickly discovered, a husband’s role is more than just the guy who takes out the trash.  And we also found that our faith and our friends were more important to us than we realized.

The book is available online at amazon.com or barnesandnoble.com, or can be purchased at Griffin Bay Bookstore (autographed copies available there), and Ernie’s Cafe.  An e-book version will be available soon.

I got someone to hold up a copy of the book at Griffin Bay Bookstore, so you could see it. Thanks, Vanna!

Flora’s Wreath, by Jane Dill

You’ve seen Jane around town becasue she’s pretty involved, whether it’s volunteering around the island or reading kids’ books for story hour – you get a chance to see & hear her this week:

You are invited to the launching of  Flora’s Wreath, a new novel written by San Juan Island resident Jane Dill.

The author will read from, and sign her books at Griffin Bay Book Store on Friday, February 18th at 7 pm.

Flora’s Wreath involves the daring mission of four remarkable Victorian era women, all dedicated gardeners, and the stories of the people they assisted.

Although their work took place over one hundred years ago, their message is even timelier today. It is a book of our era as well.

Juno's Daughters is set on the island....

Juno’s Daughters, by Lise Saffran

Lise grew up in the Pacific Northwest and currently lives in Missouri, but her novel is placed on San Juan Island. This is her first novel, and it centers on stories she heard from a friend who participated in a staging of The Tempest by Island Stage Left here.

She just had a reading at Powell’s Books in Portland last week, and was interviewed by Reading Local there…this is a good chance to read what she has to say about the book, and growing up in the Pacific Northwest, and letting that grow into a book. Read the interview here.

Kathleen Kaska

On Saturday this coming weekend, Keith at Harbor Bookstore welcomes Kathleen Kaska to a book signing from 2-4pm. Here’s more about her work.

Joe will be playing in Friday Harbor for Valentine's Day....

You know, there are a bunch of places you might know Joe Bongiorno from…

Maybe you remember him when he was in a band back in 1987 when he graduated from Friday Harbor High School. Maybe you remember him from the Ale House, or from hearing him play piano at weddings at Roche Harbor, or recording musical artists on the island before he left for Seattle in 1997.

In the years since he left, he’s become very well-known nationally, with his gentle, melodic, and evocative solo piano music on playlists from Sirius radio & Pandora to internet radio stations like Whisperings. He’s operating out of north Seattle these days, with pianists from all over the USA coming to record in his Piano Haven recording studio.

His music is a big seller at Island Studios & Griffin Bay here on San Juan Island – I’ve heard customers at Island Studios say, “Who IS that?” when Joe’s CDs are playing, and then come to the counter to buy them. I have his whole collection, and I gotta say – I love his music. (You can hear him on his website.)

Amy Janelle will join Joe for the show on Monday...

He’s doing great…and you’ll have a chance to hear him as The Rumor Mill hosts him on Valentine’s Day, along with Amy Janelle, who also plays solo piano music.

Peggy & Oren tell me the special Valentine’s Menu includes an a‘la carte menu featuring prime rib, local seafood, island lamb shanks, t-bone steaks, Coq au Vin, with entree prices ranging from $15 -30. They also will feature their five course garlic menu featuring your choice of local ingredients – a special treat for $99 a couple.

Reservations for this special Valentine’s show are recommended, as they anticipate a busy evening.

I was just checking the San Juan Public Schools Foundation website and couldn’t help but note that the Phone-a-thon raised $26,215 this past October, while the Business Promotion added $15,827. The Foundation helps fill in the gap where funding sometimes falls short – check this incredible list which I think shows they make each dollar go a long way.

The Schools Foundation’s other big fundraiser is the 17th annual Knowledge Bowl, which is going to be April 19th this year (instead of February.)

Now, here’s the deal – you don’t have to wait till these events to give – you can donate right now by clicking on the front page, clicking on the Donate Now! button, and giving.

It’s good for the kids, it’s good for the community, and it’s good for your heart.

One program that gets help: The school district's partnership with the Friday Harbor Marine Labs allows students the extra dimension of doing marine science in a research environment.

"Afternoon Stretch"...photo by John Miller (thanks, John!)

Heading into the weekend! Wahoo! Let’s see what’s going on:

• This is cool – you can vote for a couple of islanders to win! Radio station Praise 106.5 has Cathy & Jim Cole as one of five couples who tell their story for a thing they call Valentine Redo…if they win they get a trip to the coast (if they lose, I’ll drive them to Lime Kiln) & a weekend away. I voted for them – hope you will, too! Click here to read about them & vote.

• This is the last weekend of the Playwrights’ Festival – only two shows left!

• Friday Harbor High School is wrestling at Regionals this weekend – we’ll find out who goes to State!

• The Father/Daughter Dance is tonight! Wahoo!

• Lainey Volk at EMS is ofering a First Aid/CPR certification course on Saturday, Feb.12th, at 8am.

Cotton Cotton Cotton

• Just heard from Gail & Randy at Cotton Cotton Cotton, who are re-opening this weekend (today, actually!) Here’s more:

We had a very good and productive time at the trade shows and ready to open our doors today! Would you mind mentioning that we will re-open and our new hours will be Thursday – Monday 10:00am – 4:30pm with Tuesdays & Wednesdays off in February. We are getting in new merchandise every day and lots of great gifts for Valentine’s Day! Also in celebration of starting our second year of business in Friday Harbor, we are offering 10% off merchandise for locals this year, (excluding consignment items and Brighton jewelry).

Also we have a new website – www.cottoncottoncotton.com! Check it out, we are very excited about how bright and cheery it is! We feel like it really conveys how we want our store to be represented. Kudos to Tim Dustrude of Dustrude Design LLC for a great job in putting it all together!

• Liz from the food program at the high school says there’s a reason to watch TV this weekend – to see our chef, Andy! Here’s more:

Hi Ian!

Our amazing Chef Andy Radzialowski will be appearing on the Travel Channel this Sunday the 13th. His good friend, Steve Rinella, has a hunting and gathering show titled “The Wild Within” that follows Steve around as he travels to different parts of the world practicing sustainable use of the land and connecting us to where our food comes from.

Our Chef Andy was invited to San Francisco to help Steve with the Urban Foraging episode. Andy was flown to the city and put to work cooking monkey-faced eel, pigeon eggs, and even racoon roadkill. It was then served to unsuspecting dinner party guests….

Check out the episode on Sunday at 6pm and 9pm on the Travel Channel!

• Next Thursday, February 24. 7 p.m. in The Commons, Friday Harbor Labs – it’s the San Juan Nature Institute’s fourth Arthur Whiteley Lecture: Decision-making in Blackbirds, by Gordon Orians, Professor Emeritus, UW. All are welcome. Admission is free though donations are gratefully received.

"Foggy Glow" by Matt Dollahite...Gallery San Juan's Matt has a show on the Oregon Coast this spring.

• It’s cool to know his good work his being recognized! Matt Dollahite from Gallery San Juan has recently been accepted into the show “Expressions West 2011” at the Coos Art Museum in Coos Bay Oregon, April 8th – May 28th 2011. Matt will be attending opening night April 8th from 5-7 p.m.

• The Library is gearing up for its long range plan, and they want to hear from you! I took the survey below – just takes a moment, and it’ll help! Here’s more from Adrienne:

What do you want? We need your ideas!

As part of the 2011-2016 long range planning process, the Library wants to know what you think about current services & want you want in the Library’s future.

Please click here to complete our survey!

Every five years, the library puts together a long range plan in order to serve the current needs of our community and keep up with changes in technology. We would like to have your input into this plan so that we can find out what our library patrons need in the coming years. Please take this short survey; it should take just five to seven minutes of your time. Thank you very much for your contribution to our long range plan.

Questions? Contact the Library at 378-2798

• You were gonna get outside anyway – just as well get under the surface. Here’s more from Peggy  at Naknek Charters & Diving:

February’s Featured Dive
We have found a new wall and you can be one of the first to dive it. Join us Saturday February 19th as we explore this new site. There are lots of nooks and crannies to explore as well as vertical sections. The tides are perfect and hopefully the weather will be good. We will be leaving the dock at 11:00am so you will need to catch the 9:05am ferry from Anacortes. This is a two tank trip, the second dive will be on the somewhere in Griffin Bay, also an awesome dive.

The cost for the day is $95.00 which includes the two dives and lunch. We only do this site a few times a year so don’t miss this chance. We are limited to 14 divers so call today!

Fall and Winter Stellar Sea Lion Cruise
The Stellar Sea Lions are back in our waters for the fall and winter. Join us for an up close look at these magnificent animals. In addition, you may also see any number of other wildlife common to the area.

The 3-hour wild life tour includes hot beverages and cookies. You are also welcome to bring your own snacks. We leave the dock at 1:00pm and return around 4:00pm. The cost for the trip is $65.00 for adults and $35.00 for children 12 and under. Call us today to book your adventure.

We ask that you call ahead for availability. 360-378-9297
or peggy (at) naknekcharters.com .

"Lakmé" is at 5pm this Saturday at the Presbyterian Church

My friend Regina tells me this is going to be great…you can hear the Flower Duet here (it’s a YouTube vid with 2 million views – that’ll give you the idea). Here’s more:

Puget Sound Concert Opera: Up Close And Affordable!

Lakmé by: Leo Delibes
The tragic tale of the love affair between a British soldier and a Hindu Priestess in Imperialist India. This gorgeous French score includes some of the most beautiful melodies ever written including the exquisite Flower Duet and the amazingly virtuosic Bell Song.
Performed concert style with piano and small ensemble.
Saturday, February 12 at 5pm at
Friday Harbor Presbyterian Church
Suggested Donation: $15 General or $10 Student / Senior

Puget Sound Concert Opera (PSCO) incorporates an innovative concert opera format, allowing audience members to see, hear and feel the music up close and affordable in intimate venues. This personal experience can be lost in the typical large, American opera houses. Within the increasingly popular concert opera format, audiences can see, hear and feel the performance almost as if they were on stage.

Synopsis of the story: Lakme – India under the British Raj
The relationship between the British and Hindus in India has a long and troubling history.   Continue Reading

Showing this weekend....

Linda & Maureen have a movie this weekend you’ll want to catch (here’s the trailer):

FRESH
FILM SCREENING AT SJI LIBRARY FEB. 13, SUNDAY, AT 6pm
– FREE – OPEN TO THE PUBLIC

We are all hearing a lot of things about what’s wrong with our nation’s food production systems. How about hearing the ways we can start to solve the biggest problems?
Attend the screening of the film “Fresh”, a documentary that encourages us to think about the food we are eating and looks at the issues today’s farmers are facing but, most importantly, looks at people who are doing great things,and who have found do-able ways to make healthy food available for everyone. You can walk out of this film feeling … Happy. And powerful.

An informal discussion will follow. For more information on “Fresh” visit the film’s website: http://www.freshthemovie.com/.
This event is co-sponsored by the San Juan Island Library and Land & Sea, a chapter of Slow Food. The showing is made possible throught the generosity of Land & Sea members Michelle and Chad. Thanks, Michelle & Chad!

Questions? Contact:
Linda & Maureen at 317-5890/[email protected] or
Adrienne at [email protected] /378-2798

Synopsis of the movie: http://www.freshthemovie.com/about/synopsis-details/

Debbie

Peggy & Oren tell me it’s gonna be great:

This weekend we’ll have the David George Band (David is Scott George’s brother – you know him from the post office!) on Friday & Saturday the 11th & 12th.

The show features jazz, with Debbie “Delta Diva” Bivens (right).

On Sunday the 13th, the San Juan Jazz Quintet performs from 5-7pm – we’ll have heart-shaped pizzas all weekend!

The San Juan Jazz Quintet plays Sunday at the Rumor Mill

A walk on Mount Finlayson...photo by Cyndi Brast

The sun is out, the sky is blue…it’s beautiful & so are you:

• Who let the dogs out? Arf, oooff, ooof, ooof. God. Now you have that song stuck in your head, see if you can help Bob:

Two Lost Golden Retrievers: Sunny & Buddy went missing on Super Bowl Sunday from the Sunset Point area on the West Side of the island. If you have seen the two dogs please call Bob Benz at 378-4049 or 472-1851. They have been gone for a long time and Buddy does not have his collar on.

• The Schooner Zodiac folks have posted their 2011 sailing schedule – check it out to see the cool places they’re going.

No, the ferry workers aren't glowing in the dark - that's how they light up when I use my flash.

• I love the Knowledge Bowl that the San Juan Island Public Schools Foundation folks put on, and if you’re like me, you noticed it didn’t happen this year – yet. That’s because it’s in April this year instead of the first bit of February. So here’s my quick questions for you:

What is the only two digit number whose product, when multiplied by two, subtracted by one, and then read backwards, equals the original two digit number?

How many miles is a marathon?

Who was president of Egypt before Mubarak?

If Washington is the Huskies & Idaho is the Vandals, what is UC-Santa Cruz?

What element is the next one (to the right, as you’re looking at it) after gold on the periodic table? Hint: also a planet!

[the answers are below, in the story: Answers!]

Meanwhile, here’s the story from Nancy Young:

Mark your calendars! The 17th annual Knowledge Bowl, put on by the San Juan Public Schools Foundation, has been scheduled for Tuesday, April 19th. Historically, this event has been in February, but due to a scheduling conflict with the school calendar and the San Juan Community Theatre, this date has been selected. It will be the same fun event for families to attend, with rigorous competition between local service groups and teams made up of high and middle schoolers. The FHHS Jazz Band will be performing again this year. Tickets will be sold at the door. More information will be released in early April.

• A couple of weeks ago, islander Kim Bertrand competed in a dog sled race in Leavenworth – wahoo! Here’s a tiny bit of video of her & her dogs at the start of the race:

Just got this notice from Peggy:

The Agricultural Resources Committee (ARC) of San Juan County (SJC) and WSU Extension of SJC are sponsoring a series of meetings about agriculture in SJC. Outreach meetings were already held on Orcas and Lopez Islands in late 2010, with over 60 farmers and others interested in farming in attendance.  The input was extremely helpful.

The San Juan Island outreach meeting is scheduled for Wednesday, February 23rd, 11:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. at the SJI Library

The Waldron Island outreach meeting is scheduled for Thursday, February 24th, from ~10 a.m to 3 p.m. (weather dependent).

We hope to hear from farmers, producers, businesses who support our local agriculture, and others interested in helping to advance and strengthen agriculture in SJC.    Let us hear about priorities, ideas and challenges related to farming in San Juan County.

The ARC would like to share information and get feedback about issues that we are currently working on, including the ARC’s recent work on regulations to support direct sales of farm products, a new current use taxation program for farms, expansion of our locally grown marketing program, the small farm intern program, and a strategic planning project to identify long-term priorities for agriculture in SJC.

WSU Extension would like to hear about priorities for classes and programs that would most benefit farmers and agricultural business.

Public input and ideas are crucial for strengthening agriculture in San Juan County.

Thank you,

Peggy Bill
Agricultural Resources Coordinator
peg (at) sjcarc.org
360-378-6621

The Nature Institute’s presentation will fill in the gaps on what you know about biofuels tonight at 7pm at the Marine Labs, including – how DO algae make oil? – here’s more, from Fiona:

Our speaker on Thursday February 10, is Charley O’Kelly, independent researcher at Friday Harbor Labs and consultant to the biofuel industry. He graduated from UW with Ph.D. in Phycology and has enjoyed a varied career that has taken him to New Zealand and Australia, Maine and Hawaii, and to Montreal where he was Research Associate in the Organelle Genome Megasequencing Program.  Like many who come to study at the Labs, Charley returns as often as he can and is a frequent instructor in Marine Botany at the Labs. He will be teaching this spring and summer.

Charley will introduce us to the varied sources of bio-fuels, but will concentrate on algae.  He will explain how algae make oils and how we can manipulate them to produce oils on a commercial scale and discuss whether this is economically feasible.

Please join us.

37, 26.2, Sadat, The Banana Slugs, mercury

Come browse the gallery this weekend!

This is cool – Ruth at waterworks will re-open the first of April (no foolin’) but she’s open this weekend so you can get that special Valentine’s gift. Here’s the truth, from Ruth:

Gentlemen: this is the place for beautiful jewelry, non-fattening and non-wilting gifts. Of course, we’ll gift wrap. All you’ll need to do is find the card.

The gallery features new artisan jewelry by Tana Acton, Lexi Bec, Dianne Coe, Kathleen Faulkner, James Minson and Tina Finneran. Paintings by many gallery artists, including Jamie Ellsworth, Melinda Hannigan, Lisa Gilley. Sculpture from Tom Small, Georgia Gerber and Robin and John Gumaelius. Glass sculpture by Janis Miltenberger, Karen Buhler and Newman & Ciancibelli.

All these beautiful hand created art works by the artists of Waterworks Gallery are shown at 315 Argyle Street, Friday Harbor, WA.

The gallery hours for this special event are Thursday, February 10 through Monday, February 14 (Valentine’s Day)  from 11am – 5pm. Other hours by request or appointment.

Celebrating 26 years as San Juan Island’s premier gallery, representing contemporary artists from the San Juan Islands,Washington, Oregon and British Columbia. This visual experience is reflected in the work of the gallery painters and sculptors. Unexpectedly unique.