Tanya at the Community Theatre reports:

Only a Ridgeline Away opens August 26 at San Juan Community Theatre

This locally-written play will run for two weeks...

A story of the incredible bond of friendship forged between comrades-in-arms opens THIS Thursday, August 26 at 8 pm — the second locally written, full-length, adult play produced at San Juan Community Theatre.

Playwright and Friday Harbor resident Miguel Herbert describes Only a Ridgeline Away* as “a cross between Grumpy Old Men and One Flew over the Cuckoo’s Nest.”   The principal characters, Matt Slater (played by Dorian Oliver) and Michael T. Mooney (played by Tony Vivenzio), are Vietnam combat veterans and lifelong best friends.  While in their 50s they made a pact:  when they needed to transition into a care facility, they would be together.  The time has come.

Herbert says the play is full of both drama and plenty of zany antics. “The one thing that kept me from going bonkers in Vietnam was my three close friends.  Two of us were fortunate enough to make it home.  It is my goal, through this stage play, to give audience members a look at the astounding level of friendship experienced among men who have served together in combat.”

Miguel, who is also directing the production, says he wants the play to be both a tribute to those friends as well as to women veterans, especially combat nurses.  The cast also includes Lynda Guernsey as Nurse Karcher and Julie Laidlaw as The General.

Performances continue Friday and Saturday, August 27-28 at 8 pm and Sunday,

August 29 at 5 pm, as well as next Thursday through Sunday, September 2-5.

Mary Champlin

A memorial service for Mrs. Champlin is scheduled for Sunday:

Mary Margaret Gavin Champlin was born April 19, 1918 to Irish immigrants in Chicago, Illinois. She met and married David Champlin in November, 1940.

Mary and Dave moved to California in 1942. She was actively involved with her family at Saint Albins Episcopal Church, Scouting as a Den Mother, Cotillion, PTA, camping, sailing and gardening.

In 1980 Mary and her family moved to San Juan Island where they became involved with Saint David’s, The San Juan Island Yacht Club, and the Jazz Festival. She was a kind and loving person, and will be missed by many.

Mary leaves behind her beloved husband of 70 years, David; their children, David L. (Bev), Janet, and Richard; grandchildren, Andrea and Adam; great granddaughter Alexis; and many nieces and nephews.

A memorial service will be held at 2:00 p.m., Sunday, August 29, 2010 at St. David’s Episcopal Church in Friday Harbor.  In lieu of flowers, contributions can be made to St. David’s Mortgage Elimination Campaign, Friday Harbor EMT’s, or Friday Harbor Animal Shelter.

Arrangements are in the care of Evans Funeral Chapel, Inc., Anacortes, WA and the San Juan Islands.  To share memories of Mary, please sign the online guest register at www.evanschapel.com.

Hey, remember that there’s Open Mike at the Rumor Mill at 7 on Thursday night this week, and that Kate Schuman is playing for Acoustic Night with Steve Keys at the Peppermill on Friday night from 6-9pm.

Just got a note from Ingrid this morning (Wednesday):

Thought you’d want to know if you don’t already that the 8am sailing today (the 25th) is cancelled. A water pump problem is the cause but after your comment on visitors and their schedules (not to mention islanders trying to get off for doctor & business appointments), I thought your readers might want to know.

Ingrid Malone

Update at 9:15am: The WSF says the Hyak will be back in service with the 9:35am sailing from Anacortes to Lopez and the 10:45am sailing from Lopez to Anacortes.

This year’s Fair was a friendly, smiling, laughing reminder of why we live in a small town, why we live in a place where we’re guaranteed to get to know each other, to look after each other, to work & play with each other.

Over the next few days I’ll have more photos and stories (because there are always a lot of stories – that’s another thing we share with each other) about the Fair, so let’s start with this video made by video maven Tabby Talley for the Update, which has a nice feel for last week’s sunny gathering of the tribe.

Yesterday afternoon, Lori Holforty passed away…

To finish one’s time on the planet surrounded by so many friends & so much love is a wonderful thing. Peace be with you, friend….

Checking in…hope your morning is off to a good start. Did you stay up late watching the full moon?

• Ferry backups…people lining up at 12-1 yesterday to go to Anacortes were already overloaded to the 4:50 ferry. When you hear there’s a ferry meeting about the schedules, we need to let the folks at WSF know what this does to our visitors to the island who need to get home.

• It’s this weekend & it’s fun – here’s the word from Becky Clarke at Island Rec – you can register early of the day of the show:

Skateboard and BMX Freestyle Competition

Island Rec’s Skateboard and BMX Competition will be taking place on Sunday, August 29th at 12:30 pm.  The competition will be held at the Skateboard Park, which is located on the San Juan County Fairgrounds.  There will be music, an emcee and tons of prizes, so come out and skate, bike or cheer on our participants.   There are three divisions; Beginner, Intermediate, and Advanced.  Register online at www.islandrec.org or register the day of the event from 11:00 and noon.  Cost is $10.00 per participant. Parent/Guardian signatures and helmets are required in order to participate.  For more information call 378-4953.

• You know, I visited with Kerwin Johnson about a month ago about the Seattle to Portland (STP) bike race – here’s his report from a month ago, which I had in my “to post” stack & got sidetracked – I wanted to share it ’cause it’s so cool:

Hey Ian,
Good bumping into you at the post office on Sunday evening.  Just wanted to give you an update as to who made the ride from Seattle to Portland with their bicycles (most likely faster than by car with all the traffic jams they had along I-5 this past few days). The one dayers included George Mulligan, his son George Mulligan Jr, Mike Harrington, and Todd Roberts. Those of us who made the trip in two days (Riding 150 miles the first day to Longview and the remaining 57 miles the next morning) were Greg Gerhardstein, Jane Gerhardstein, Dave Grove, and me – Kerwin Johnson.

The weather was perfect – overcast and temperatures in the low 60’s with little or no wind.  We are all gearing up for next year’s event.

Thanks for asking how my weekend was.

Here’s the scoop on this year’s event – see you there!

It's this weekend...

This year’s Concours d’Elegance is on Sunday, August 29th, 2010 at San Juan Vineyards.  The event is from 11:00 am to 3:30 pm.  This is an annual event and is organized by the Sports Car Club of the San Juan Islands in association with the Rotary Club of San Juan Island.   All sports, classic and special interest automobiles are invited to participate.  If someone is interested in registering an automobile for the event, the schedule and registration form may be downloaded athttp://sanjuanconcours.org/ or call 360-370-5531.

The registration cost for the first automobile is $30.00 with additional automobiles at $10.00 each.  For anyone who wishes to register an automobile, they are also invited to participate in an “Island Tour” Saturday August 28, 2010, ending with a casual wine and appetizer function at the home of Bob and Lisa McDowell.

The major sponsors this year will again be Barrier Porsche and Liberty Printing & Design Center.  Their participation in this annual event help to make it a success and along with support from visitors that day, this year’s event will be another successful one.  Last year this event attracted 81 entries, and approximately 800 people.  We hope to surpass those numbers this year, and with everyone’s help we can do it.

This is a major fund raising event, and the net proceeds from the Concours d’Elegance will be distributed by the Rotary Club of San Juan Island, with the majority of the funds going to Hospice of San Juan.  Rotary International’s Polio Eradication Project will also receive $1,000 from the net proceeds.  We encourage everyone to come and view the entries, with admission by donation.  Again the hours to view the entries are from 11:00 AM to 3:30 PM, and the suggested donation is $10 per adult.  A boxed lunch will be available to purchase from the Medical Guild, and the numerous wine offerings from San Juan Vineyard will also be available.

San Juan Rotary and the Sports Car Club of San Juan Island hope to make this year’s event the most successful ever.  We invite all to come and take pleasure in the fabulous automobiles and the pure enjoyment one gets from an event like this one.

Orca at the end of a breach...photo by Christine Swedell

Let’s take a look around….

• Good to hear he’s back on his feet – Kyle Reitan was back on the island this past weekend – he’s been living in Seattle, where he ran into a car on his bike Wednesday. He went over the car, according to his brother, and had a pretty good concussion & is pretty bruised up, but he headed back to the city yesterday.

Wouldn't be the same without 'em...

• I checked in with the elephant ears guys and they said it was true: They were driving up from Shelton to come to the Fair when they broke an axle…a buddy of theirs brought his flatbed, loaded it up with all the elepant ears & curly fries-making stuff, and thus the Fair was saved.

Said they couldn’t imagine missing the Fair, anyway….

• They told me I could tell you: Lew & Debbie Dickinson are teaming up with Marc & Mica from Friday Harbor Espresso to open a new restaurant in the spot where the Peppermill is, presently. Debbie tells me they are going to call it the Homestead and hope to open the first part of October.

• This is a great week to swim with the kids – here’s more from Amy:

San Juan Island Fitness is doing it again! To celebrate the last week of summer, we’re offering a $5 lifeguard swim special August 23 – 27. Kids and adults swimming with their child/grandchild are just $5 per person. Swim times are Monday/Wednesday/Friday 3-4:30 and Tuesday/Thursday 5:30-7. Bring a towel and we’ll see you there!

• Eric at the Bean has part of his staff off playing & coaching high school soccer this fall, so he’s looking for a few good baristas. He says he has permanent part or full time positions available – stop by and see Eric.

Saw Jenn doing a "little" shopping at the drug store last week. Kinda like Alice in Wonderland...

• It’s always good to hear from Kathleen Wilson – she needs a little help, and has a story to tell:

Hi, Ian! I am looking for people to help me with German and Latin pronunciation for singing.  If anyone can help me, I can be reached at auntkaky (at) gmail.com.  Any time and/or effort would be greatly appreciated.

I’ll have to tell you about my “summer vacation” to the Victoria Conservatory of Music to study opera.  Two weeks of really great experiences.  The instructors were world class and so very helpful and supportive.  We gave a concert at the end of the academy and Sonja was able to come up for it.  I did a duet, trio, sixtet and solo!  A wonderful, wonderful place to take class if anyone ever asks you about it.

Flying over Lopez, with Mount Baker in the background...

• Swing Dance Lesson & Dance – this Thursday at the Mullis Center, with live music by the One More Time Band. Lesson at 6:15pm, dance from 7-9pm. Lesson & dance $10; dance only $5.

• Looks like the airport’s runway & taxiway will be closed in a couple of weeks – here’s more from Dave Ryan at the Airport:

Dear airport tenants, users and friends,

Attached is a Notice of Construction for the crack sealing, fog seal and painting project beginning September 7, 2010.

As you will notice in addition to the runway and taxiway closure Tuesday night the 7th through Friday morning the 10th, we will be closing the south portion of Taxiway “A” for full-depth asphalt repairs on Tuesday the 7th at 10:00 am which may require back-taxiing by aircraft during the day Tuesday. Continue Reading

Paul Watson

Jenny from the Whale Museum welcomes Paul Watson to this year’s lecture series:

The Whale Museum’s Lecture Series: An Evening with Capt. Paul Watson

The Whale Museum’s 2010 Lecture Series will host a special evening with Capt. Paul Watson on Friday, August 27th at 7:00 pm.

For 30 years, Captain Paul Watson has been at the helm of the world’s most active marine protection non-profit organization – Sea Shepherd Conservation Society. His career as a Master Mariner began in 1968 as a seaman with the merchant marines and with the Canadian Coast Guard. Watson majored in communications and linguistics at Simon Fraser University in British Columbia.

In 1972, Watson co-founded the Greenpeace Foundation (GP) in Vancouver, BC. >From 1971-77, Watson served as First Officer on all GP voyages, and on a campaign against Russian whalers he implemented his idea of putting activists in a zodiac between the harpoon and the whale. From 1976-77, he led all of the GP expeditions to protect harp seals on the ice floes of eastern Canada.  In 1977, Watson left GP because he felt the original goals of the organization were being compromised, and because he saw a specific, global need to continue direct-action, conservation activities on the high seas.

In 1977, Watson founded Sea Shepherd Conservation Society – dedicated to research, investigation, and the enforcement of laws, treaties, resolutions, and regulations established to protect marine wildlife and their habitats worldwide. In between campaigns, Watson travels and lectures extensively at universities and events around the world, including Pasadena College of Design and UCLA. He has authored six books: Shepherds of the Sea (1979); Sea Shepherd: My Fight for Whales and Seals (1982); Cry Wolf (1985); Earthforce! (1993); Ocean Warrior (1994); and Seal Wars (2002). In addition, he has been the subject of numerous magazine articles and profiles including being chosen by Time Magazine as one of the environmental heroes of the 20th Century in the year 2000.

The August 27th lecture is open to the public with a suggested minimum donation of $5 per person.  For more information, call (360) 378-4710 ext. 23.

Moss & Rocks (20 x 20) by Amanda Richardson

Here’s the word from Ruth at the gallery:

Just in, a new group of textile collages by Amanda Richardson. This landscape series depicts the mosses, rocks and flowers of the San Juan Islands.

These custom dyed, silk velvet and brocade scenes are created using a heat activated fusion process, sharp scissors and a backing cloth.

The gallery offers stretching and framing on these textiles to enhance their presence. Because these textiles are best viewed in person, we will ship them on approval.

View the textile collages of Amanda Richardson here.

• Michele Morton asked if I’d let you know that the drive is underway!

Islanders Bank’s
GEAR UP FOR OUR SCHOOLS 2010-2011
Every year teachers are found buying school supplies for their students who can’t afford them. To help eliminate the burden on teachers and help classroom learning, Islanders Bank Teams are sponsoring “Gear Up For Our Schools” 2010-2011 Campaign from August 17th – September 16th. Collections Bins can be found at the Islanders Bank Branches and at the following business locations:
Kings Market, Market Place, Friday Harbor Drug, Office Center

On behalf of our students & teachers ~ THANK YOU!
Here are the kinds of things we need:

#2 Wood Pencils with erasers Erasers, Rulers & 8” Scissors, Three hole college & wide ruled notebook paper, Spiral wide ruled notebooks, Black/Blue pens Graph paper, Glue sticks, Highlighters: green, pink, yellow & blue, Fine tipped colored markers & pencils, Crayons, Pencil/supply boxes & pouches, Water based markers & paints, 3 ring 1” & 2 “ binders, Divider tabs, Pencil sharpeners, White-out, Green & red correcting pens.

Although the fire engulfed the boat, the guy was rescued...photo by Traci Walter

Traci Walter was on the scene yesterday evening when a fire broke out…here’s more from her, with a larger version of the picture above when you click here:

About 7:30pm tonight, my boyfriend and I saw a vessel engulfed in flames from the Jackyl’s Lagoon pull out on San Juan Island. We saw a person in the water swimming towards the shore. It appeared the man was wearing a scuba tank on his back.

We had our marine vhf and police radios with us and were listening to the coordinated efforts. Very soon after, a fishing vessel came into view and proceeded to pick the man up out of the water. We heard on the radio that he was the only one aboard and that he was ok. Attached are the photos showing the engulfed vessel, the man in the water waving for help, and his rescue from the fishing vessel “Sea Wolf.”

The man in the water (bottom right) swam away, and was pulled aboard the Sea Wolf....photo by Traci Walter

When you do your morning stretching today, think about how much more you could do:

Looks like a sunny weekend…think I’ll go take a few pictures….

A few things you’ll want to check out at the San Juan County Fair:

• Most everybody eats at the Food Court, which is a super idea, but don’t forget the BBQ area…today (starting around 4pm) is the salmon dinner the Friday Harbor Little League folks are putting on, while Saturday the Purple & Gold folks have misty isle steaks at 4pm.

• Yep, Friday’s kid day – you can get all the rides you can eat for a $20 pass from noon to 5pm.

• Tammy Anderson says here’s a chance to stock the freezer:

Just wanted to let everyone know that a group of “Locally grown kids, joined in local 4-H, have produced some incredible locally grown market animals.”

So please help us support these hard working kids by attending our annual 4-H Livestock Auction this Saturday at 2pm at the 4-H Arena in the fairgrounds.  You can always get a few other folks to go in with you on your bid to split the cost, or if you’re not interested in the meat itself, you can always “turn back” the animal to be re-bid later in the auction.  If you need, we can provide USDA qualified cuts as well. It’s a “win, win” opportunity.  You support our local kids, and end up with some mighty tasty beef, pork or
lamb.

See you there!

• Time to dance! The Tease are playing at 6 tonight, followed by the Fabulous Rhythmatics…great way to spend the evening! And Saturday night – you’ll love the Clumsy Lovers, visiting from British Columbia. They were here a few years ago, and they’re awesome – see you there!