Anand has posted his new photos from Ladakh and the Himalayas...check 'em out!

You’ve seen the photos on the walls of the Golden Triangle – they are all taken by my friend Anand Khokha, who lives here a chunk of the year, and spends another good chunk traveling & taking wonderful pictures. I love the way he captures the spirit of the people and places he encounters, around the world.

He has just posted a new set on his website, and they are wonderful – check them out! Here’s more from Anand:

I have just posted the photo gallery from my recent trip to “LADAKH AND HIMALAYAS” on my web site. You can view these images by clicking here.

You can double click on each thumbnail to see an enlarged version of that image or you can click on the slide show link. If you want to see images from my past trips, please click here.

Prints of  these photographs are for sale and 100% of the proceeds are sent to  an orphanage in Tamil Nadu, South India. Please e-mail me if you are interested  in helping a worthwhile cause.

You can review the details of the orphanage by clicking on the link below:
www.sjmissionfund.org

The cones at Lime Kiln Park a couple of weekends ago....

Here we go, as we head into a cold weekend….

• Thinking about the weather? Click on the “Weather” link in the masthead above, under her shell.

Jess & Danny

• I heard Jess Oldwyn & her boyfriend Danny are planning a summer wedding for next year – congrats, you guys!

• Tito & Kris Bayas delivered their baby earlier this week – wahoo!

• The Stars Lore show is tonight – and Saturday & Sunday. The kids have worked hard – make plans to come! I updated the cast list (it’s a bit more accurate now!) – check out who is in it here!

• Next week on Thankgiving morning, it’s the Turkey Trot – here’s more from Paul Hopkins:

The sixth annual “Turkey Trot,” a 5K (3.1 mile) run, walk, trot or crawl, will be held on Thanksgiving morning, November 25, at 9:00 am.  Registration will take place beginning at 8:00 am in front of the Best Western Friday Harbor Suites, the location of the start and finish, rain or shine…..or snow.

Registration fees will be $5.00 and two cans of food for adults and $2.00 and two cans of food for kids under 12.  Participants will have the option of providing food for human or animal consumption.  Proceeds and food from the Turkey Trot will go to the Friday Harbor Food Bank and Friday Harbor Animal Protection Society.

The Turkey Trot is produced by Island Athletic Events, LLC with special thanks to Kings Market, Best Western and San Juan Island Fitness.  For more information, contact San Juan Island Fitness, 378-4449.

If you missed the open house she held a couple of weeks ago, you can still drop in & say hey to Tammy Cotton & Farmer's Insurance in that house that Lynn Danaher moved - it's right at the entrance of Surina Business Park. The house (it's from the 1930s) looks great inside, and Tammy has made it a warm & welcoming office.

• Speaking of farmers, the Farmers Market is at the high school this weekend, from 10am-1pm on Saturday.

• OK…one last farm thing – but this is pretty important – here’s more from Anna:

2011 San Juan Island Farm Products Guide

WSU Extension is in now compiling the 2011 Farm Products Guide for San Juan Island.  If you are a local farmer or producer using local products (food, fiber, etc.) and would like to be included in this popular marketing and informational guide, please contact Candice Jagel (370-7664 or candace_jagel (at) wsu.edu) by December 1.

It was a mob at Griffin Bay Bookstore last weekend for their anniversary open house....

• The new Harry Potter film – tonight at the Palace Theatre!!

• Speaking of making plans…Jenny has the scoop on next month’s Whale Museum fundraiser – get your tickets now!

The Whale Museum’s “Black & White Night” Dinner Event

On Thursday, December 16, 2010, The Whale Museum’s 2nd annual “Black and White Night” will be held at Friday Harbor House on San Juan Island. The dinner event will feature Chef Greg Atkinson, noted author and culinary instructor as well as former chef of the Friday Harbor House. Also featured is Kyle Nicholson, the new Chef behind the Bluff Restaurant.

The cost is $80 per person (or $150 per couple) which includes the reception with cash bar, sit down dinner with wine from Northwest Totem Cellars, and a dessert celebration.  Seating is limited. Reservations can be made in The Whale Museum’s store or by calling (360) 378-4710 ext. 30. This year-end celebration dinner is a fundraiser for the Museum’s education and research programs.

Coming for Christmas!

The great thing about this show is …it’s great. Get it on your calendar now, and, if you like, book it . Here’s more from Helen at Island Stage Left:

Island Stage Left is proud to present this unique and lovely holiday production  – suitable for the whole family.

In addition to the public performances, we are offering private performances (45 minutes), either at the Roche Harbor Pavilion or at your own venue. It would be ideal for a party or a family gathering, especially if someone in your family is house-bound. Please call 378 5649 or email us at [email protected] for details.

If you would like to attend one of the Christmas Eve performances, we strongly recommend calling for reservations.

We look forward to celebrating the season with you!

All the best,
Helen

Derek

I was just checking Derek Sivers‘ blog & thought I’d share his new entry…

Why wreck a blank canvas?

At the last apartment I rented, everything was white on white when I arrived.  White walls, counters, table, furniture, and carpet.

So I took it one step further, bought five blank canvases, and hung them around the apartment.

Especially one big one, right at the entrance.

Visitors would get upset, saying, “You’ve got to put something there!  You can’t just leave it blank!  It needs color!”

I’d say, “Good point.  Like what.  What do you imagine?”

They’d say, “Y’know, like some bold splashes of dark red, but not too heavy.  Something with clean lines.”

I’d say, “Hmm….  I’m not sure what you mean.  Can you describe it more?”

They’d stare at the blank canvas a bit, and go into more detail about what should be on it.

Eventually I’d say, “Nah.  Not going to do it.”

“Why not?!?”

“The reason I love the blank canvas is because it makes everyone day-dream.

“The process of imagining what should be there is much more fun than if something was already there.

“There have been a hundred paintings imagined onto that canvas. It’s got unlimited potential.

“It’d be a shame to wreck that with a bunch of paint.”

The blank page starts with unlimited potential.
But each word you add reduces its possibilities.

Same thing with that business idea you’ve had forever.

Or that beautiful person you haven’t spoken with.

So maybe you should just leave them in your imagination, where they’re at their best.

OR…

MAYBE…

The one thing that would be even better is if you

Coolest office ever...photo by Sheri Dusseault

Celebrating his second anniversary as the manger of Friday Harbor Airport, David Ryan reflects on his good fortune. He has, to start with, what must be one of the coolest offices in the world.

Originally a working air traffic control tower in Port Angeles, the Friday Harbor tower was purchased with funds donated by local resident Paul Whitter and moved to its current location in 1990. It was placed on top of the original building housing the office and conference room.

The tower allows David a three hundred and sixty degree view. “I get an amazing view of Griffin Bay,” says David. “And I get to watch airplanes take off and land all day. As a pilot, the only thing better is flying.” He even has his own wraparound porch.

When asked how he enjoys island life, David says, “I love it. I like the people, the setting, my co-workers and the work. And of course, my office.”

It’ll be fun to hear Kate Schuman & Tom & Tami Doenges at the Rumor Mill tonight – here’s a note from Kate:

Tom, Tami, and I are excited to be playing The Rumor Mill this Saturday night starting at 7:30.   We’ve worked up some new tunes, but we promise to play all your old faves too.  Come on down and celebrate surviving this week’s weather while you listen to music that will bring back wonderful memories.

We hope to see you Saturday night!
Kate

2011 San Juan Island Farm Products Guide:

WSU Extension is in now compiling the 2011 Farm Products Guide for San Juan Island.

If you are a local farmer or producer using local products (food, fiber, etc.) and would like to be included in this popular marketing and informational guide, please contact Candice Jagel (370-7664 [email protected]) by December 1st.

A transient killer whale takes a dive Monday afternoon near Speiden Island...photo by Jim Maya

There are always things to do & places to go & people to see:

• Remember to plan to go by the Library to meet Margie tomorrow, if you haven’t already. That’s at 4:30-6:30, Thursday night…

• FHHS senior Madi McPadden wanted you to know about a special deal this weekend:

This is on behalf of the Calvary Chapel San Juan Youth Group: On Saturday, November 20th starting at 7:00 pm, there will be a concert starring Picadilly and the New Divide at Calvery Chapel San Juan (previously the location of the Pig War Museum). You can checkout the New Divide at thenewdivide.com and can also get more information by calling the church at 378-7268. All the youth in the community are welcome!

For sale! Check it out!

• Ivan from Western Prince tells me his house is for sale – here’s the writeup. Check it out!

Chetzemoka, in her inaugral week....

• Richard Rodriguez posted his observations after riding on the Washington State Ferries’ latest, newest boat, the Chetzemoka downsound earlier this week.

• It’s a special and important time when a child finds his or her family, and we’ll be celebrating that this week with National Adoption week…here’s more from Jane at the Superior Court:

San Juan County Superior Court will celebrate National Adoption Day on Friday, Nov. 19. The public and media are welcome to join the celebration.

The event begins at 3:30 p.m. at the San Juan County Courthouse, and will include reception,  speakers, information tables, refreshments, face painting. The public and members of the media are welcome to attend this uncommon view into adoption proceedings, to speak with families and court officials and to learn more about foster adoptions.

National Adoption Day was founded in 2000 by a coalition of national child welfare organizations hoping to raise awareness of the thousands of foster children available for adoption and awaiting permanent, “forever” families.

In Washington, more than 9,100 children live in foster care and more than 1,300 are available for adoption. Nationwide, more than 120,000 foster children await adoption.

“I would like to extend a special invitation to the parents and children of adoption families. Please join us and share your stories.” Donald E. Eaton, Superior Court Judge

• There’s a pet First Aid Class this weekend with Patricia – here’s the scoop:

It will be on Saturday, November 20th from 9:00 to 1:00 pm. at the EMS building on Spring Street. The cost is $50/person. People need to call me at 378-6360 or cell 378-7306 or email me at [email protected]. This will be the first time I have ever given a half day class instead of a full day!

Patricia Benton

Time for us to clean up our act...Jeff with only part of the haul....

This is a note I got from my friend Stephanie about what she & her husband Jeff have been finding along the roads….I think it’s a pretty cogent call to clean our act up. Here’s more:

Dear Ian,

A couple weekends ago my husband and I spent close to six hours cleaning up the litter on Wold Road from San Juan Valley Road to Bailer Hill Road.  On that roughly 2.5 mile stretch, we picked up 242 pounds of trash, recyclables separated from garbage, and a 5-gallon bucket of paint.

Is this what we want our island to look like? No!!!

By far, the majority of what we picked up was cans, glass bottles, plastic bottles, plastic bags, and plastic food wrappings.  Supposedly aluminum cans take 80 years to 500 years to break down; glass takes anywhere from 500 years to 1,000,000 years because it doesn’t really decompose – it just erodes, like beach glass.  But it’s the plastics that are the worst.  Plastic NEVER decomposes; it only breaks into smaller, colorful pieces which attract birds, wildlife, and marine life (if it reaches the sea).  They mistake it as food, and of course die quickly with a bellyful of ingested plastic.  They can’t live on it any more than we can.  Like Captain Charles Moore, the discoverer of the Pacific Ocean garbage patch says, “Plastics are like diamonds – Forever!”

I urge everyone – islanders and visitors alike – to cut down on their use of plastics.  Start with the simple things: purchase a stainless bottle and refill it with water, tea, juice as needed.  You’ll save money in the long run, and the beverage will be much better for being free of the chemicals that leach out of the plastic.

Then start cutting back on your use of plastic bags – grocery bags, ziplock bags; there are plenty of reusables on the market, and again, you save money in the long run.  Retailers – can you please discontinue the plastic shopping bags once your current supply is exhausted?  Compost and recycle to cut down on the number of bags needed to dispose of waste.  Buy local produce – it doesn’t have to be transported in plastic containers.  Ask your take-out food supplier to use cardboard or paper, or bring your own reusable container.

You may ask if we gathered up all that litter in plastic trash bags.  Unfortunately, yes – we had no alternatives at home.  Now I’m wondering if there are lined gunny sacks to use in the future, but I’m also hoping there won’t be as much to pick up next time!

Stephanie Prima-Sarantopulos

That's from only 2.5 miles of road....

OK, I took a walk around & discovered amazing things – here’s my report:

• Coho Restaurant has their Sushi Wednesdays underway – drop in today 11:30am-2:20pm & check it out! Anna Maria says, “Hope to see you tomorrow for sushi on Wednesday!

“There will be albacore sushimi and ebi along with spicey crab roll, smoked salmon, wild prawns and a yummy vegetarian roll with grilled tofu, daikon, carrots and green onions. The noodle soup is Yakisoba with onions, carrots, broccolini, bok choy, kale, red bells and noodles tossed with a ginger soy reduction….topped with marinated tofu and green onions.”

• I went to Backdoor Kitchen on Monday for Noodle Bowl Monday…it was, as usual, great. Plan for it next week…you’ll be glad you did!

• Week by week, I keep hearing what a super job Christine & Patrick are doing at Ernie’s Cafe…have you dropped by there lately?

• Looks like progress on the new restaurant that will rise in the old Ale House spot…I’ll try & get more info for you on that.

I dropped by the Golden Triangle on Monday night for a Japanese dinner...the food couldn't look/smell/taste better. That's halibut & more with tempura (left) and teriyaki chicken...it was great.

• Avon at the Golden Triangle started her three-day evening specials last week: Monday night features Japanese food, Tuesday night Vietnamese, and Wednesday night Laotian.  There will be 3 specials each night and they all include some type of soup, appetizer, salad, main course, and dessert.

Pies from Felicitations (by Felicity, of course)...order yours now!

• When you check her Facebook page, you see that Felicity‘s skillset throws a wider net than wedding cakes…she has awesome pies! As the site says:

“What’s Thanksgiving without the best pie in town? Felicitations has flaky, rustic apple tart, traditional pumpkin pie, chocolate pecan pie and cranberry spice cake with maple cream cheese to take your Thanksgiving to a whole new level. Place your orders while you can! 317-5961!”

Backstage mom Shannon gets Lucy's costume ready for her entrance...

Penelope and her crew have been working on writing & planning & rehearsing this play since late spring, and when I dropped by dress rehearsal last Sunday the kids and adults were having fun getting it ready for you.

Based on four mythological stories from around the world, the show has music in it this year… I already have my tickets – hope to see you there!

Here’s more from Jan at the Community Theatre, including a complete cast list of the kids & adults in the show:

Island Children Take Over the Whittier Stage!

The stage fills with the sweet sounds of San Juan Island youngsters THIS Friday through Sunday, November 19-21 as SJCT’s Family Theatre presents: Stars Lore: A Mythological Musical.

Grace Willows, tied to a rock in "Psyche & Cupid," one of the four tales....

The play is the Theatre’s third locally-written, full-length play of the year–and this time it’s a musical.  Writer/director Penelope Haskew has been involved in children’s theater almost all her life, starting as a child on Martha’s Vineyard.

Haskew has gathered the songwriting help of island composers, including Teddy Deane, Ian Byington and Richard Hieronymus to tell us the story of Camp Estrella Bonita.  Here, children (more than 50 K-6 grade students from throughout San Juan Island–see youth/adult cast list below), tell us stories from around the world and throughout time about love, courage, generosity and patience.

The Business Partner for Stars Lore is Kings Market.  Tickets are $14 for adults, $7 for student reserved, with $5 student RUSH one hour before the show, if there are still seats available.  The Box Office is open Tuesdays through Fridays from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. and Saturdays from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. or tickets may be purchased on-line at www.sjctheatre.org

*Cast List for Stars Lore: A Mythological Musical

Abbie Havenar
Aida Sarah
Alex Frampton
Allison Fleming
Amy Harold
Ana Anderson
Ann Marie Ryan
Anne Benedict
Arlo Harold
Ayla Ridwan
Beatrice Grauman
Bion Phelps
Brian Fleming
Cady Wilson
Chiara Power
Cole Hull
Darcy Ayers
Ella Hu
ElseDora Arendt
Emily Atwell
Emily Cain
Eric Sable
Erich Atwell
Eve Hulse
Fallon Taylor
Fela Andrews
Grace Willows
Hannah Larkin
Harmony Rathburn
Hayden Mayer
Inga Harold
Isabella Davis
Jaclyn Domenech
JJ Kasper
Joely Loucks
Joseph Woods
Josiah Wegemer
Katie Holmes
Kiana Woods
Lauren Ayers
Leisha Holmes
Lucy Marinkovich
Macalister Arendt
Maddie Hanson
Madrona Jameson
McKenzie Serratt
Nicholas Power
Olivia Monin
Regan Taylor
Rose Oberreit
Sydney Herda
Sofia Kasper
Stella McCauley
Sydney Benedict
Tawan Challer
Tyler Fleming
Ula Grace
Vida Wight
Yasmin Sarah

Meanwhile, in Alaska...James heard Britt singing....

Over the past year & a half, islanders got used to seeing & hearing Britt Arneson singing around here (here’s her webpage). She returned to Alaska earlier this year…

And…islander James Krall took a teaching job up near Fairbanks for this school year.

So of course they ran into each other when Britt was singing…James tells me, “Pretty funny how the thing happened…I was sitting at the bar surfing the internet and she starts in on this song about a death on Cattle Point Road…and my head whipped around.”

Britt added, “We actually met for the first time, amazingly our paths had never crossed before. That’s why it was such a surprise. Please let folks know I’ll be coming to visit some time this winter, just don’t know when. =) “

Josie found this shell with a barnacle....

Here are some shells we found out on the docks at Roche Harbor a couple of weeks ago…I know that’s a barnacle above…do you know what the stuff is, below?

Shell, with mystery stuff...

Looking over the water...

Hope this finds you well & happy….let’s see what’s going on around the island:

Friends off Roche Harbor Road....

• Leo Michael tells me he saw an interesting sight:

Ian, I was heading out to Roche Harbor last Thursday afternoon and was just passing Westcott Bay Road when I saw a curious sight.

Sitting on a log just off of the road were a beautiful red fox and his buddy, a big fat house cat. I turned around to get a picture which startled them and caused them to move off of the log but I still got a reasonable picture.

Not something you see everyday. At least not something I see everyday.

• Kellie at Lakedale has a deal for you:

Lakedale Resort is offering a holiday special for locals only. Here are the details:

Fred & Pat were out on the town at The Bluff Friday night....

We’ll Take ‘Em
What better place to host your family over the holidays than Lakedale Resort?!  Simply invite your treasured family to reserve with us while visiting you over the holidays and we’ll provide an amazing Lodge guestroom with complimentary breakfast each morning for only $89/night.  Upgrade to a Log Cabin if they have children or puppies for $189/night.

*Offer valid November 21-27, 2010 and December 21-27, 2010 based on availability.  Lodge rates based on two guests; Log Cabin rates based on four guests.  Guests must show proof of island affiliation.

Dick Barnes (left) and John Towson for the Lions Club were hawking tickets for their annual shopping spree last weekend...they'll sell more this weeeknd at Kings & Marketplace, with the supermarket dash (four minutes! everything you can grab!) set for the 23rd.

• The Women’s Opportunity Award applications are due December 1st. Lenore from the Soroptimist Club tells me this is for folks who need some help:

The Women’s Opportunity Awards program is Soroptimist’s major service project. This is an award intended to assist women in overcoming personal difficulties and bettering their lives through education and skills training.  The women who receive the award may use the cash award to offset any costs associated with their efforts to attain higher education, such as tuition, books, childcare, or transportation.  The award is offered to a woman who is primary wage earner in the household pursuing an undergraduate or vocational degree. Here’s more.

The Altmans, all in one place: proud dad Jeff and proud bro Alex met up with Leah Saturday night at Downriggers for a last visit before she left Sunday morning for Thailand....