Tom

I dropped by the Chamber of Commerce office to meet new Chamber director Tom Kirschner – I sure enjoyed visiting with him, and I know you will, too – drop by and get to know him. I feel the Chamber has picked someone who really cares about the island, and has a strong sense of direction as we face interesting times in the next year. I asked him some questions:

Over the next year, what areas do you see that need to be addressed in the island business community?

Two main issues: Parking and Shopping Locally. Both are vital to a healthy business climate. Without parking for local and visiting shoppers, they may postpone their shopping or not stop to shop at all.

There are over 300 Chamber of Commerce members on the island, yet they seem pretty disconnected sometimes. What do you have planned to bring people together more?

My goal is to get out and meet all the local chamber members, which will hopefully connect or re-connect them to their chamber, and give me a sense of their level of satisfaction with their chamber membership.

We are also in the process of hiring an Event and Communications Coordinator, who will be responsible for coordinating Chamber of Commerce events and festivals.

What role can the Chamber play in helping make Friday Harbor and the island feel friendlier & more welcoming to visitors?

Tourism is vital to our community, and the responsibility to assure that our Island is friendlier and more welcome to all rests with all of us, not just the chamber. A smile and pleasant greeting is easy, and providing assistance to visitors or newer residents can be fun. You never know who you might run into.

John's new site!

John Sinclair has just launched a new site for his wedding photography – it’s called Wed in Washington. He’s got lots of great packages for 2011 and some awesome specials. Check it out!

The clan assembles for Nammie: (from left, around the table): Lisa Guard, Patricia Hobbel, Mary Kingland, Diane Olshefsky, Lynette Guard (Nammie), Linda Howell, Jean Noste, Charlene Wendt, Blake Guard, Rex Guard, Joyce Thompson, Marilyn Bourland, Betty Nash, Margaret McRea, Joyce Jones, and Melissa Guard. Photo by Brandon Guard.

Proud grandson Blake Guard sent this nice picture with the story (thanks, Blake!):

Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year!

I was hoping you might put up a little blurb that my Grandma (we family call her Nammie) Lynette King Guard, turned 88 years old today! She was born December 28, 1922 in Seattle at Providence Hospital.

Friends and close family had a surprise birthday party lunch for her at Downriggers. She has lived on the island all of her life. It was great to see her and all her friends and we got to sit around and listen to some entertaining old memories.

I feel like its kind of a big deal so I thought I’d pass it your way.

Blake Guard

Violet

You’ll remember I mentioned to you three weeks ago that Audrey welcomed Violet – and she’s awesome! Here’s the backstory:

Audrey Espinoza and Gary Malone are happy to announce the birth of their daughter, Violet Eloise.

She was born December 2nd, 2010 at 1:31 a.m. She weighed 7.8 lbs and was 19 inches long. Violet joins a large island family, including half-sister Rylee Paige, VERY proud grandparents Kim and Scott Bell and Great Aunt and Uncle Christine and Frank Beckert. Also many Aunties and Uncles: Cady, Lance, Chelsea and Orion of Friday Harbor, Uncle Paul of San Diego, and Tio Jake and Tia Pamella of Brazil.

Violet is a blessing to us all!

Snow at the San Juan Historical Museum....photo by John Nelson Simon

What a fun day on the island….heavy snow this morning into the early afternoon, then sunny in the afternoon & dripping everywhere. It was great to see the sunlight glistening in the drops from the trees…and, oh yeah – a power outage to remind us to stack the wood.

Here’s a little video of the morning to give you a feeling what it was like:

What’s happening….

• Remember last week that Bill & Colleen have baby bunnies on the way? They want the bunnies to go to happy homes – they haven’t been born yet, but Colleen reports:

Ian, thanks for letting the island know about the soon-to-be bunnies. Bill was complaining how FAT the girl was. So I picked her up, then the boy. HE is FATTER.
Someone save us from the bunnies-to-be.

Val Curtis is pretty proud of baby Kate!

• Music for the New Year…Dennis Willows tells me there’s jazz on New Year’s Day with the San Juan Jazz Quintet from 5:00-7:00 p.m. at the Rumor Mill:

Start 2011 off  with SJJQ!  The band will play jazz standards, Latin jazz, bebop, and holiday tunes with vocals by Jill Urbach at Peggy and Oren Comb’s Rumor Mill. More information  at www.sanjuanjazzquintet.com

• After a two week break, The Market Chef is open again – see ya there for lunch!

• Someone sent me this (below)….I believe she’s blaming the San Juan Update for something… 🙂

Time for a paint job...that's the Yakima, Sunday night...

Well, as it happens, I’ve been on the ferries a bunch this month, what with getting the kids at the airport & all that, and I have a few observations:

1) It was really cool that WSF re-directed an extra ferry on Sunday to handle the overflow parking lot at the Anacortes terminal for folks heading to Friday Harbor…they sent the Evergreen State over to help lighten the load. Thanks, and good move!

2) The ferry folks have been pretty cheerful & smiling & helpful (yep, I’m keeping score, ’cause I want people coming to the island to love it, like we do). I saw them on Thanksgiving Day and a bunch between now & then, and the ferry workers are making the ride pretty pleasant. Thanks, and way to go!

3) It is really cool to hear that WSF is gonna paint the Hyak – besides looking better, it also improves the odds she won’t rust & then sink. Now we gotta paint the Yakima – it looks pretty funky.

At the toll booth in Anacortes...and I don't like it.

4) As we welcome people to the island, we need to welcome people, not draw pictures in folks’ heads that they’re coming to the ‘hood & the gangstas gonna get ’em…

The very first sign that people see (with a bigger font than the prices on the sign above, which ya gotta squint to see), says assaults on ferry workers won’t be tolerated. This is what we lead with? Shoot, if someone were going to mess with a ferry worker, they’re going to rush at the toll booth, see the sign & stop? Get real.

I think unwelcoming signs shouldn’t be tolerated.

It was sad to hear that Dave Ross passed away on Christmas Eve…his full lung transplant at the University of Washington’s Hospital gave hope, but he had to return to the hospital when things suddenly turned. Condolences to Judie…I’ll post more later.

Did you get out & explore the island this weekend?

Hope you had a great weekend…and now the countdown to New Year’s begins! Let’s see what’s up:

Randy & Gail have a quiet moment last spring at Haley's, for Randy's birthday...

• I checked in with Randy & Gail at Cotton Cotton Cotton (next to the Rumor Mill) & they have a sale this week before they go on vacation – here’s the scoop:

Now we are buckling down for our last week of the year and throwing a big sale!  We are making room for new inventory coming in February!

60% OFF CLEARANCE ITEMS
50% OFF CHRISTMAS ITEMS
30% OFF BOOTS
20% OFF STOREWIDE
10% OFF SOLEMATE SOCKS AND SCARVES
*not including Brenna Woods jewelry*

We are closing for winter break from January 1st – February 11th.  We will be busy going to trade shows bringing in new merchandise, doing inventory, and updating the store.   We look forward to our second year here and thank everybody for their continuing support and patronage!

Randy and Gail Schnee

• Meanwhile, it’s time for Cynthia’s grand opening tomorrow, which includes the Yoga Path moving in with her! Here’s more from her:

Cynthia

Join us For the Grand Opening of XYZ movement art – X for exercise, Y for Yoga and Z for Zumba® – on Tuesday – 12/28/10. We’ll have an Open House from 5:00 – 8:00pm. Light Appetizers and refreshments will be served. It’ll be an informative night – come & see the new space, meet the instructors & find out about all the wonderful classes being offered in this new space –

For example —–
Cynthia Burke – Zumba®, Yoga, Zumbatomics®  for kids & Yoga for Kids
Paul Barger – Ballroom Dancing
Lisa Duke – Adult Jazz Dance
Christine Miller – Yin Yoga
Chris Ross – Capoiera
Rev Shannon – Yoga
Jeanine Turner from The Yoga Path – various yoga classes
Katerina Wen – Community Yoga and various yoga classes

This is just the beginning – XYZ movement arts is a space dedicated to bringing the community together to gather and move – Writer’s Workshops, Presentations, Artists Workshops, Music Nights – the possibilities are vast!

You saw it right - the Christmas gorilla came by Island Studios last week to say hi to Claudia!

Located on Airport Center road, just past the old Flying Burrito,  San Juan Healthcare and right above Ravenhill Construction – for those of you who remember – above the “OLD THRIFT STORE” and where the “OLD Mark N Pak” used to be. See you there!

Cynthia

• And Rob Simpson says the Sliders are playing this weekend:

The Sliders are back! And we’re playing for you on New Years Eve at The Rumor Mill. They taking reservations already (378-5555), so if you’re staying on-island, come and join us to celebrate the new year with some great food and our mix of danceable, singable classic rock. The music begins at 9:30.

PS.  If you’re feeling cool and mellow, The San Juan Jazz Quintet is playing the next three Sundays at the Rumor Mill from 4 to 6 PM.

(Some of you may know, Jonny and I moonlight with them when we’re not rocking the house with the Sliders.)

Carole & Jack Woolsey show how empty Friday Harbor is on Christmas morning...everyone's home with folks & friends, as it should be.

Closing this week...

I dropped in on Moon & Jules at the Banana Belt last week, and they surprised me by telling me they will be closing this week, and have a sale to help note the occasion. I’ll be sad to see these positive, always-smiling folks move on – here’s the story from them:

Goodbye, Friday Harbor – from Banana Belt Boutique.

Jules & Moon, when they first bought the store...

After 17 years of serving “fresh styles to the isles,” Banana Belt is waving farewell to its friends with its biggest sale ever!  The entire store!  Literally!  (If you’d like to buy our store, see below).  This is your last chance to get screaming discounts on Oh Deer! Shoes, Anuschka hand painted wallets, distinguished Johnston Murphy and Deer Staggs shoes for men, Cutter & Buck classic styles for men and women, as well as many other famous brand names that forbid us by contract to tell you how low we have reduced their prices.  Hurry in to say farewell to Moon & Jules and get the deal of the decade on your favorite clothing and accessories.  We will be open 11:30 to 5:30 each day and will close for good sometime this week—unless we can pull a rabbit out of a hat, but it appears we’ve run out of rabbits with big pointy teeth!

And if you have been looking for a new venture, the store is for sale.  Continue Reading

Well, maybe I’m pushing it a bit here, since you’ve been hearing Christmas songs ever since Halloween, but hey, you don’t HAVE to push the play button!

As the season unfolds this next couple of days, I hope you find this a good time to reflect on the work we have before us, and find time to also reflect on the things & people & love we have to be thankful for. Whatever your faith expression, I hope this time helps open your heart to share & to heal each other, and our planet.

Happy Christmas, my friends!

Brother Ian

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This may be my favorite song for the season – The Chieftains & Jackson Browne with The Rebel Jesus:

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There have been a ton of “viral” vids with folks doing the Hallelujah chorus in odd places this season – here’s my fave, from the town of Quinhagak, Alaska …love the kids in this:

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Then there’s the Bare Naked Ladies with God Rest Ye Merry, Gentlemen/We Three Kings:

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Then there is Jars of Clay with their version of the Drummer Boy:

Checkin' on ya....

Looking around, partly to see who’s been nice…

• What do you do when you suddenly have 24 bottles of egg nog? Here’s how Stephanie over at Harrison House Suites handled it…

• The Friday Harbor Wolverines basketball girls & boys play next Tuesday here, against Mount Baker…good chance to see this year’s squads, including the undefeated girls, who will be tested by 2A MB…see ya there!

• Did you know that former islanders Stephanie & Tom Gonser celebrated their 50th anniversary this year? Wahoo!

• Here’s a little review from the Saskatoon newspaper about Lisa’s book (and click here for a review from Book Page):

Got a plan for your Christmas tree, so it doesn’t end up in the landfill? Here’s an idea from Helen Venada at the County:

The County Public Works Department is sponsoring a Christmas tree collection program this year. Trees will be chipped for mulch for use at a public project and not sent to a landfill. Help us reduce the volume of holiday trash by bringing your clean, undecorated natural trees (no flocked or artificial trees) to your island’s solid waste facility during regular open hours.

There will be no charge for trees brought in this year (December 26th and December 31st). There will be a $5 per tree fee for trees brought in between January 1st and January 16th (this fee is in addition to any other applicable fees).

Last year’s chipping program diverted approximately 3 tons of Christmas trees from the landfill.

If you have any questions, please call San Juan County Public Works Department at 370-0503.

You probably already saw this – it’s been viral for a week or two, but it’s fun, for this time of year:

Drop by for a moment – they’re open! Here’s more from Kris:

To celebrate our annual Christmas Closure, Printonyx will be hosting an open house tomorrow, December 24th, from 1p.m. until 4p.m. Enjoy some tasty but healthy snacks, enter a drawing for a $50 gift certificate, save 40% off holiday border paper and 25% off other in-stock paper. All to say thanks for allowing us this time off with our family and for another year of business!

We’ll be closed from 4p.m. Christmas eve until we reopen January 3 for our normal hours, Monday through Friday, from 8:30a.m. to 5:30p.m. Check out our web-site for our new digital photo print partnership (books, cards, mugs, etc) and advertising specialties – all ordered from the comfort of your home!

Merry Christmas & Happy New Year…

Kris Brown
Jeff Fitts
Jonathan Reedy

Fletcher (left) Elliot & Marty (back), Brady (in repose), and Taylor (on table) - all coming home for the holidays on Tuesday's ferry.....

It was fun to have the sun out most of yesterday – a bright reminder of how the island looks in the light…here’s more:

Third year WSU student Kevin O'Connor (FHHS '08) is back on the island during the break...

• Have you seen Island Rec’s new website, put together by Mary Kate at MKate Design? It’s awesome – check it out!

• Just checked with Jack at the Island Guardian…if you’re having trouble seeing his site, it’s a domain name issue which should be corrected soon (like today, maybe tomorrow, probably today). Got some pretty good conspiracy theories going for a while, there…. 🙂

• Heard that Megan Taylor delivered little Zoe this week – welcome to the island!

• Last night, we went by Homesteaders Restaurant & heard they plan to close Friday & take a break till January…Debbie says she’ll let me know more later. Gonna miss ’em…they were slammed last night, with people waiting out the door….

It was fun to see Jenny and Cody on the ferry Sunday - they were heading to California to see his family for Christmas, but stopped in Seattle to see the Nutcracker & to go skating on the way....

Just turned 21...Steve Smith & Linda LoBue headed off-island on Sunday to celebrate their 21st wedding anniversary - congratulations, you two!