It’s easy, it’ll help the County Fair’s Budget, and it’s the right thing to do – here’s more from Helen as we all come together to lighten our step on the island….and the planet:

The recycling rate for the 2009 County Fair was 11.2%.  Could we do even better this year to pump up that recycling rate?  We’re looking for some bold and adventurous volunteers to be “Trash Monitors.”   These good folks (young and old) will be stationed at major trash collection areas at the Fair (for 1 to 2 hour shifts) to help Fairgoers decide on just what can be recycled; we’ll also provide instruction about eliminating contamination, like liquids and food,  in the recycling bins.   Please, call the county’s waste hotline at 370-0503 to sign up early for the Trash Monitoring team …to get your shift of choice.

With all the fun, food, and festivities at the Fair comes the typically unsavory by-product of trash…TONS of it!  The 2006 County Fair generated 8.8 tons of garbage; 5.51 tons of 2009 Fair trash went to the dump (i.e. landfill in eastern Oregon).  This waste reduction by Fair-going island residents and visitors was mostly due to better-than-“fair” recycling at the Fairgrounds.  The effort saved on transportation to the mainland, landfill space, AND saved the Fair $$$$!

A re-energized community focus on waste reduction seems particularly on target this year since this will be the lst polystyrene-free San Juan County Fair!  All Fair vendors have been advised of the county-wide ban on food containers made from polystyrene (most commonly known as Styrofoam) that went into effect this past April.

Speaking of waste reduction, don’t forget to start making your TRASHION FASHION outfit contrived of items that would usually become garbage without your excellent imagination and creativity.

Exhibitors, could you find some reuse value in all of those cardboard boxes generated at the Fair?  Sure, they can easily be recycled but reusing them 3, 4, 5 times saves a lot more energy than recycling them.  You can also save money by reusing excellent quality white paper, in large format or not, that’s been printed on one side; call 370-0503 to get yours.

How about BYOB’s…bringing your own (shopping) bags…this year?  You could even put together a kit with your own washable/reusable plates, cups and utensils before hitting the Food Court.  Reusable steel water bottles would save on a mountain of used-once plastic bottles that need to be trucked to the mainland recycler.  After you’ve read those informational fliers that get handed out, please save them as a resource or share them with others…recycling them is a last resort.

You get the picture.  Reducing waste begins with thinking ahead about new ways to PREVENT waste.  Let’s keep the good stuff here by reusing as much as possible, littering less, recycling all that we can, and diverting more from landfill burial than ever!

Helen Venada
SJC Waste Reduction and Hazardous Waste Coordinator
370-0503

This weekend...don't miss it!

Port of Friday Harbor Airport Manager Dave Ryan and his crew are pretty excited about this one – here’s more:

Get ready for the first ever Fly-In in Friday Harbor Airport!  On Saturday, July 24, the airport won’t just be the place you go to get to the Island, it will be the place to be on the Island.

The day starts at 8:00 with a two-hour Pancake Breakfast at the Experimental Aircraft Association hangar.  At 11:00, the popular Blackjack Squadron will do a flyover and arrival.

At noon, Naval Air Station Whidbey Island will do a search and rescue demonstration.  At 1:00 the Henry James Blues Band fires up at Island Air’s hangar, and at 3:00 there’s a paper airplane contest for kids of all ages.

Mid-day fare includes Fish Tacos and Bratwurst in front of the tower.

Pilots have the option of two FAA seminars (10:00am and 2:00pm) at Westwind Aviation.

All-day events include classic aircraft, aviation videos, a working flight simulator, model airplane displays, paper airplane making, aviation organizations and authors, and an Experimental Aviation Association exhibit.

Fans of classic aircraft will see a 1940’s era Howard DGA15P, a 1929 Travel Air biplane, 1942 Piper J-5, 1951 De Havilland HDC-1 Chipmunk, early 40’ DH82 Tiger Moth, a Great Lakes biplane, a Hatz home-built, a twin-engine ultralight AirCam, and others.

Airport manager David Ryan is encouraging aircraft from around the Northwest, as well as Island visitors and local residents to celebrate the airport’s 25th birthday.

The only way for visitors to spend money will be food and memorabilia.  Everything else is free, including parking, shuttle, admission and entertainment.

For a printable complete Daily Schedule, click:

http://portfridayharbor.org/wp-content/uploads/2010/07/KFHR-Fly-In-Event-Schedule.pdf

And for a printable Aerial Photo Site Map, click:

http://portfridayharbor.org/wp-content/uploads/2010/07/KFHR-Site-Plan-Jul-81.pdf

On stage for Island Stage Left: Henry V...photo by John Sinclair

After opening last week, the Island Stage Left performance of Henry V continues this week on Wold Road this coming weekend (Friday-Sunday)…see you there!

What’s happening….

• We couldn’t lose – we had five qualified & involved folks who said they’d be happy to work as a Town Council member, and the TC chose Barbara Starr to serve on Thursday…they swore her in & she got to attend her first meeting as a member that day….congrats, Barb!

• Correction – I said Anna Sakstrup had a baby…oops. She and Scott are due in November! Val Curtis tells me Rita and Justin Miller are also expecting a girl in November.

• Back in the saddle again….and knocking out those awesome cakes! Here’s what’s going on with Felicity:

After a challenging year following the fire that destroyed the kitchen that housed Felicitations, Felicity Milne has established an awesome commercial kitchen.  It is located at 50 Malcolm Street, Unit #320 (Surina Business Park / Star Storage).  This is not a retail store but a new kitchen from which to create all those delicious cakes, chocolate éclairs and scones that you remember so well.  Felicity will gladly take special orders for cakes and cupcakes for all occasions, pastries for company meetings or any other baked goods to satisfy your sweet tooth.  You can expect to see some of Felicitations products in local stores too.

Check out the website at www.cakesbyfelicitations.com or call (360)317-5961 to place your order.

• We need a place called the Music Mill…there’s more & more live music around town – The Rumor Mill is close to a full slate each week, and there’s something cool & new at the Pepper Mill, according to  Steve Keys – here’s the musical scoop:

Starting next Friday, 7/23 and going every other Friday until… I’ll be hosting an acoustic music night at The Pepper Mill 6-9 PM.The format will be that I’ll play the 1st set either solo or with accompaniment. Then a featured guest (solo or group) will play the 2nd set. And then I’ll join in for the 3rd set. That’s the plan for right now anyhow… could change. Please note, this is not an open mic. More later…

Judy Chovan says she & Bob think the latest Island Stage Left show is awesome:

Bob & I went to Henry V last night. Please pass the word – it is brilliant!

“A little touch of Harry in the night.” For all our “we happy few” of islanders – Island Stage Left’s production of Henry V is brilliant and funny! Dan just keeps getting better and better, and all the actors will keep you engaged and enthralled. The production is poignant, funny, and romantic.

And when the cast sings “Non nobis domine” you will be moved to tears. The play itself combines not only history, but romance and comedy. The issues the play addresses are just as important today as they were five centuries ago: leadership, justification for war, love, moral codes, the nation versus the individual and others.

If you like words, you’ll probably like these:

Those who jump off a bridge in Paris are in Seine.

A man’s home is his castle, in a manor of speaking.

Dijon vu – the same mustard as before.

Practice safe eating – always use condiments.

Shotgun wedding – A case of wife or death.

A man needs a mistress just to break the monogamy.

A hangover is the wrath of grapes.

Dancing cheek-to-cheek is really a form of floor play.

Does the name Pavlov ring a bell?

Condoms should be used on every conceivable occasion.

Reading while sunbathing makes you well red.

When two egotists meet, it’s an I for an I.

A bicycle can’t stand on its own because it is two tired.

What’s the definition of a will? (It’s a dead give away.)

Time flies like an arrow. Fruit flies like a banana.

In democracy your vote counts. In feudalism your count votes.

She was engaged to a boyfriend with a wooden leg but broke it off.

A chicken crossing the road is poultry in motion.

If you don’t pay your exorcist, you get repossessed.

With her marriage, she got a new name and a dress.

The man who fell into an upholstery machine is fully recovered.

You feel stuck with your debt if you can’t budge it.

Local Area Network in Australia – the LAN down under.

Every calendar’s days are numbered.

A lot of money is tainted – It taint yours and it taint mine.

A boiled egg in the morning is hard to beat.

He had a photographic memory that was never developed.

A midget fortune-teller who escapes from prison is a small medium at large.

Once you’ve seen one shopping center, you’ve seen a mall.

Bakers trade bread recipes on a knead-to-know basis.

Santa’s helpers are subordinate clauses.

Acupuncture is a jab well done.

Lime Kiln Light house at sunset...photo by Michele Wassell

This beautiful photo was taken a couple of weeks ago by photographer Michele Wassell when she was visiting the islands & out on a whale watching trip with Jim Maya.

She has beautiful photos, and she has a beautiful thing going on with her daughter, Kayla. It’s a great story of the great love a mom has for her girl…

Island Stage Left gets its outdoor season for Shakespeare Under the Stars underway with Henry V this Friday....photo by John Sinclair

Yep, it starts this Friday at Wold Road…here’s the scoop! See you there!

Keith is getting interviewed on the radio this week....

Hey, remember I told you about islander Keith Busha‘s film Dreams of Damanhur? (you’ll remember in my review of it, I reported it was freakin’ awesome, or something to that effect.)

Well, tomorrow (Thursday), Keith will be interviewed on KKNW (AM1150 – they say they are  Seattle’s #1 alternative talk radio)….he’ll be interviewed about Damanhur on the Dr. Pat Show at 11am. The show is syndicated & is also available on her website at http://TheDrPatShow.com

The word is getting around. Everyone I know who has told me they’ve seen the film says one thing: “Wow!”

You will, too.

I love this - saw it on the counter at Paradise Lanes. Way to take care of the visitors, Scott! That's the kind of thing that makes people know how friendly we are, here. Way to go!

Let’s see what’s up ’round here…

Marilyn not only runs the Port, she runs the Loop Run in August with her son, WSU junior Kevin.

• This summer marks Port of Friday Harbor Port Director Marilyn O’Connor‘s 25th year with the Port…she told me last night how lucky she is to be here, and I would add that we’re lucky to have her, both as bookkeeper/accountant for so many years & now as Director. Congrats, Marilyn!

And speaking of anniversaries…this is the sixtieth anniversary of the Port, which was established in 1950.

• Longtime NFL & college coach Don Coryell passed away a couple of weeks ago…he passed his last years as a resident here in the islands he loved. Among his many achievements was accomplishing what he did with dyslexia, especially at a time when it wasn’t well understood. Gonna miss you, Coach….

• Babies on the island: Last week Anna Sakstup & her partner Scott had a boy, and last Friday Missy & Randy Martin welcomed baby Milo. Someone told me Neil & Val Curtis are expecting a girl in November.

• It’s time for pancakes! John Miller says:

Firefighters of San Juan Island (Friday Harbor and District 3) invite the public to their annual pancake breakfast at the town station. Time – 7:30 to noon. Date –  Saturday, July 17 and Sunday, July 18.

That reminds me of one of my favorite bits in Shrek:

•  You know, Sally Browne’s store is open & happening….have you dropped by? It faces right out over the marina, next to the old Ale House…here’s more from Sally:

I wanted to remind your readers that I’ve got the best views from my double wide open doors. Along with the great view, I offer great selections and prices. Also offering local crafts and artful items like hanging racks and step stools. Jackets, sweatshirts, custom embroidered vests, baseball hats and denim shirts – all at affordable prices.

Not only do I sell souvenirs, I’m now offering state of the art security systems for boats, planes, businesses and vacation rentals. Still offering daily luggage storage, a computer station and used books. Come on down and check out my ever changing inventory. Friday Harbor Souvenir Company is open 7 days a week beginning 9:30am and stays open to 7pm daily, 8pm on weekends or later if needed.

Sally's place was dressed up for the Fourth of July!

Jess

To know her is to love her – Jessica Oldwyn‘s bright cheerful spirit & light-up-the-room smile made friends here on the island (she’s a 1998 grad of Friday Harbor High) and in her current home on the river in Wenatchee.

Well, friends of hers have put together a fundraiser for Friday, July 23 – an evening’s sunset cruise aboard Erin & Pete’s classic 65-foot yacht, the Odyssey (they own San Juan Excursions), along with food, drink & a silent auction for $100/person. There’s also a fund set up at Islanders Bank in Jess’ name you can contribute to.

Here’s the rest of the story from Jess’ sister-in-law Courtney:

A sunset cruise for a special evening for a special person...

In April of this year, 29-year-old Jessica Oldwyn, long time islander, was diagnosed with a baseball sized tumor in her brain. Within days of her diagnoses she underwent a major surgery to remove the tumor. Even with health insurance Jessica is responsible for thousands of dollars in medical bills and is unable to return to work at this time.

All the proceeds from this fundraiser are being donated directly to Jessica to help cover these costs. We are asking local islanders and businesses to please help us make this benefit successful.

Please contact Courtney Oldwyn at (360) 298-4052 or courtneyoldwyn (at) gmail.com for information about donations or to purchase a ticket for the benefit cruise.

Jessica with boyfriend Danny Carroll, her father Bob Oldwyn and brother Kaal Oldwyn

Janet Thomas

She is one of the island’s quiet but brightest treasures…. author & teacher Janet Thomas wrote the definitive study of the WTO protests in ’99 (The Battle in Seattle) and numerous other pieces. She offering a series of workshops this summer that will change the way you look at things, and the way you write. I haven’t talked to anyone who has taken her classes that doesn’t sing her praises…I know you’ll love it. Here’s more:

The Art, Craft & Meaning of Memoir: Summer Workshops & Fall Classes
with Janet Thomas

The following Friday evening discussions and Saturday workshops are an introduction to the genre of memoir and an exploration of memoir possibilities. They are repeated at different times for scheduling convenience. The Friday evening discussions and the Saturday workshops can be attended independently. Rides from the ferry are available for those coming from Lopez, Orcas or Shaw.

The ten-week fall classes offering ongoing support and guidance for the writing of a memoir will be scheduled later.

What is A Memoir and How Can I Get One?
A Talk & Discussion

Friday evening, July 16
or
Friday evening, August 6
7 p.m. – 9 p.m.
Exploring the form, shape, content and collaboration found within the creative confines of memoir. $10
The Yoga Path / 849 C Spring Street, Friday Harbor

Writing, Red Marks and Rebellion
Exploring Our Lives for Meaning and Memoir: A Workshop

Saturday, July 17
or
Saturday, August 7
9 a.m. – 5 p.m.
$65
The Yoga Path / 849 C Spring Street, Friday Harbor
Minimum 6 people, maximum 12
Registration: 378-3854 / [email protected]

When we reclaim our lives in writing, we make clear who we are, what we mean, where we come from, how we got here, and why. We get to live our lives twice; complete with the grace of hindsight as well as with the honesty that makes each life compelling and true. This memoir workshop is about getting away from these dastardly sound-bite, disposable times and diving into the depths of our lives where our stories save the world. There is nothing to be critical of, nothing to judge, and nothing to correct.

Many people bring to their adult lives a deep mistrust of their ability to write. All the red marks in school, the derision of professors, the impossibly subjective ivory tower of what makes “good” writing, creates a quicksand of judgment that can swallow a writer alive. And everyone who writes is a “writer.” And nobody can write our stories for us. And when we write them, we lay claim to our lives, irrefutably and completely. The only criteria is to tell the truth, to be fierce with reality, and to let the writing lead the way. It leads us into our lives in ways that deepen our appreciation of our own and each others stories. It broadens our relationship to the world within and the world without. It tosses all the red marks into the dustbin of someone else’s “right” and “wrong” and liberates us into the unique and universal power of our own lives.
Registration: 378-3854 / [email protected]

Bio
Janet Thomas was born in Wales and raised in various homes and gardens across Canada and the U.S. Her writing encompasses plays–produced from L.A. to NYC; travel writing–from books about hostels to editor-in-chief of SPA Magazine; non-fiction–from the “Battle in Seattle–The Story Behind and Beyond the WTO Demonstrations” to the recently published memoir, “Day Breaks Over Dharamsala–A Memoir of Life Lost and Found.” She has taught memoir writing for many years.
www.battleinseattlebook.com
www.daybreaksoverdharamsala.com

That's Captain Gunnar with his boat from the 1950s, the M/V Liz B, and Audrey waving in the back. San Juan Water Taxi began operations this summer...

Cynthia Stark-Wickman tells me that her husband Gunnar has a new undertaking underway, with the help & support of Cynthia and their two daughters, Lara & Audrey… here’s the writeup about San Juan Water Taxi, and here’s more from Cynthia:

Hey, Ian!

Our family started up a new business this summer, San Juan Islands Water Taxi.  My husband Captain Gunnar Wickman is offering a variety of services to get folks about in a unique way, via our converted gill netter wooden boat. We are promoting low key family style adventures such as hiking and gentle walks, biking, or just a slow cruise about the less chartered waters of the islands, or a shuttle over to Lopez or Orcas for lunch on noon-ferry time.

We are also hoping that our fellow islanders will think of us as an alternative means to travel between the islands, or for a day on Yellow Island, Patos, Stuart, Sucia, or Matia….the other islands!

Andrea from the Lighthouse Preschool Board has news:

Amy

Lighthouse Preschool Welcomes Teachers Amy Pauls and Autumn Hallock

Lighthouse Preschool Board and Friday Harbor Presbyterian Church are delighted to introduce their Preschool Co-teachers for the 2010-2011 school year.  The Board has created a co-teaching Team by hiring two women who love to teach preschoolers, have had years of experience in the field, and are both pursuing their Early Childhood Educational certification.

This “dynamic duo” will bring an energized learning environment to Lighthouse students and a long-term stability to the preschool program from which everyone will benefit.

The 2010-2011 school year will be Amy’s second year at Lighthouse Preschool.  Amy worked in the Head Start Program prior to joining Lighthouse.  Amy writes, “My favorite part of my job is having quiet moments with each child during a game or reading a book together, and I love seeing them able to leave Lighthouse Preschool with all the skills they will need for kindergarten.”

Autumn

Prior to joining the Lighthouse Preschool teaching team, Autumn worked as the Lead Teacher for both the toddler and three-year-old programs at Alphabet Soup Childcare in Friday Harbor.  Autumn writes, “I love giving children valuable skills at such a tender and precious age that will carry them through life.”

Lighthouse Preschool offers classes two mornings a week for Toddlers (age 2), three mornings for 3-year-olds and four afternoons a week for 4 year olds. The morning 3-year-old class is full, but the Toddler and 4-year-old classes have several openings for this fall.

Fearless reader of the Update:

It is my hope that you wake every day either looking for poems to read & feel, or looking to share poems like that, or maybe to find the words, ideas & feelings to build poems of your own to share (like flowers from your garden, or cookies you just made, or zucchinis you have too many of….)

It is also my hope that you don’t mind if I share an occasional poem with you, especially on those days I love you so much but can’t find words to say without repeating myself (as if that’s a bad thing.)

And it is my hope you have too many… Love you, Ian xxox

So! Here are two from a current favorite of mine – the first is here (you gotta click it to listen to it. You’ll be glad you did!)

The other is here:

All the Whiskey in Heaven
by Charles Bernstein

Not for all the whiskey in heaven
Not for all the flies in Vermont
Not for all the tears in the basement
Not for a million trips to Mars

Not if you paid me in diamonds
Not if you paid me in pearls
Not if you gave me your pinky ring
Not if you gave me your curls

Not for all the fire in hell
Not for all the blue in the sky
Not for an empire of my own
Not even for peace of mind

No, never, I’ll never stop loving you
Not till my heart beats its last
And even then in my words and my songs
I will love you all over again

Laura in the Fourth of July Parade last week....

Laura‘s taking off after Wednesday, but there’s a going away thing at the Library on Wednesday at 5…be sure & come by! Here’s more in a press release from the Library folks:

Laura Tretter, director of the San Juan Island Library since 2006, announced that she will be leaving to accept a position with the Bayfield Public Library near Durango, Colorado. She will be leaving in mid-July.

The Director position has already been posted both regionally and nationally by the Board of Trustees. “In the meantime Melina and our great library staff will work hard to keep everything going during the transition,” Tretter said.

“I know I will miss this community and library, Tretter added. “My hope is that I have given half as much to the library and community as has been given to me. Outside of work I will miss many of the small, simple things about life here. The beaches, running with friends, fire pits, the lack of fast food restaurants and other big chains, the way the sun glows through the trees. But I’m already lining up new adventures in Colorado and convincing people to visit me out there.”

A reception for well wishers will be hosted at the library on Laura Tretter’s last day of work, Wednesday July 14 from 5:00 to 6:00 p.m. All are welcome to drop in.

During Tretter’s tenure, the library has increased daily visitors, circulation, and computer use while keeping budget increases to a minimum. Tretter emphasized programming to extend the range of people who use the library, launching the Live and Learn series of programs for adults. She has been active in many community organizations on the island, forming partnership opportunities for the library.