Spring Street International School

Spring Street International School‘s annual “Spring Fling” auction and community celebration is held at the San Juan Island Yacht Club. This year’s event will be May 8th, 2010, 5:00 to 8:30 pm. Here’s the scoop, from the San Juan Island Events Calendar.

Here’s more about the auction items – see ya there!

Here’s  a bit about how the “Fling” came to be, from SSIS’s Jerry Riley:

The “Fling,” as Islanders have come to call it, is the annual fundraiser that has grown from a small art auction presenting student work to the community to the five-figure benefit that provides scholarships to 60% of the students who could not otherwise attend.

TeriLyn Brown, the coordinator of this year’s auction, was drafted into the position last year, after having only been on the Island for three months. Little did she know what she was getting herself into!  But it turns out this is exactly how this successful fundraiser has grown by leaps and bounds over the years – new ideas and new people contributing to the mix.

Past coordinators have been some of our best known Island artists – Beth Hetrick, Becky Kilpatrick, Oak Boesky, with help from others such as Tom Small,  Alison Johnston, Bruce Clark, Nancy Best, the list seems endless. While the fundraiser originally was intended to just fund the art program at the school, its success has made it the main fundraising event.  This year’s Auctioneer, Mike Adams, was the first “official” auctioneer in the Fling’s history, but the very first were two of the teachers’ husbands who, according to Hetrick, “didn’t have a clue, which was actually kind of fun.”

Mary Jane Anderson, another past Parent/Coordinator who has been involved from the beginning, remembers someone remarking, “I guess we should put numbers on things, or something.  It was really learn-as-you-go!”

So this year there will be numbers on things, all 150 of them!  And there is still, and always, the wonderful Student Art.  Along with some by established international artists like Roy Fairchild-Woodard and Jason Napier. And there is still the art teacher, Magda Balise, running her feet off trying to get it all ready, and… the original Auctioneer, Mike Adams, is looking for his tux…..if anyone has seen it….

That was the Hyak, about a month ago, as she pulled into the harbor.....

One of the cool things about having both Browne’s Home Center & Ace Hardware in town is they both carry paint…it would help the local economy if WSF bought it here. Looks like there’s a need.

San Juan Bautista, before the earthquake....

Juan & Heidi Lopez and friends are pulling together a dinner to give folks a chance to help people in Chile…here’s the story:

CHILEAN TSUNAMI RELIEF DINNER: May 6th
While the news of the earthquake that recently destroyed life, homes and buildings in Chile is losing significance, Chileans living on San Juan Island continue to be impacted by the call for help. The horrific tsunami that followed the earthquake virtually wiped out hundreds of small fishing villages and towns along 300 miles of Chilean coast. In a country that experiences a massive earthquake every 7-10 years, costal people learn to run to the hills as soon tremors grow strong.

This painful lesson helped reduce the loss of life, particularly considering the huge power of a wave that in some places reached up to 30 feet high, and, that moving at 36 feet per second demolished more than one hundred small villages.

Within hours Chileans of all social levels, as well as the industry, banks, and commerce responded with donations of over 60 million dollars that were soon matched by the government. However, the price of the destruction amount to several billion dollars, and those of us living on the San Juan want to alert your attention to the need for help.

One of the most devastated towns in Chile was San Juan Bautista. It is located in Cumberland Bay on the north coast of the Robinson Crusoe Island which together with three other small island form the Juan Fernandez archipelago. This village of 600 plus inhabitants lives from fishing the large pacific lobster. All but sixteen of them ran to safety.

However, their town was virtually wiped out by the tsunami. Nothing was left. Homes, school, police station, post office, medical clinic, as well as roads, communications, power, and water were all gone. They still need urgent help. The Spanish Cooks Union donated funding to send a prefabricated building to house the school of San Juan Bautista, but there is still much to do. We are negotiating with the University Hospital in Seattle to send minor supplies and used surgical equipment to restock their small rural clinic, but the clinic building needs to be urgently reconstructed before the southern winter kicks in.

We are planning to get you, the San Juan families to help the other Juan, the San Juan Bautista families. Roche Harbor Resort has generously made available their Pavilion to hold a dinner on Thursday May 6th at 6pm to collect funds to repair the clinic of San Juan Bautista. Local Chileans will prepare a delicious typical Chilean dinner for you, including salads, empanadas, and “pastel de choclo”. Top it off with outstanding desserts donated by local Friday Harbor chefs that will be auctioned at the end. Please join us to let our northern San Juan town help the south Cumberland’s Juan Bautista families rebuild their rural clinic.

Tickets can be purchased in advance at Griffin Bay Bookstore for 25 dollars or 30 dollars at the door. Questions/Donations please contact Lumi Verdugo (360 472 0955c, 360 378 6422h) or Juan Lopez (360 378 3127).

San Juan Bautista, afterwards....

Couple of weeks ago you might have seen truckloads of baseball & softball players parading through town…Update reporter Sophie Rice did, and shot some photos that we put into a little slideshow for you….here’s the pictures of the kids, and the rest of the story from Kris Brown at Printonyx:

Friday Harbor Baseball & Softball Association has had record registrations this year. With nearly 300 kids, ages 5-14, involved in the program, it takes a lot of volunteer effort and business sponsorship to outfit the 25 teams. A parade through town on April 23 was our way of showing our appreciation for our coaches and sponsors and to invite everyone to come up to the elementary and Hartman field to catch Spring Fever!

Games will be held through mid-June, nearly every weekday after school and all day Saturday. Our annual Hit-A-Thon will be held May 14th starting at 5:30p.m. We have a full concession stand to complete the experience, so come join the fun!

Be sure to say “thanks” to our sponsors and check out our website:

Alphabet Soup Preschool
Chris Lawson Excavation
Diesel America West
Downriggers
Islanders Bank
Islanders Insurance
Kings Marine
Kings Market
Kiwanis
Kurtz Painting
Market Place
Masonic Lodge #175
Mike Carlson Enterprises
Printonyx
Quality Excavating
Roche Harbor Resort
Rocky Bay Cafe
San Juan Fitness
San Juan Lions
Sunset Builder’s Supply
ThisIsSanJuanIsland.com
VanderYacht Propane
Vic’s Drive-In
Wickman Chiropractic

Couldn’t help but think of this song, with all the commotion going on in the Gulf….always loved the line: “To live on the land, we must learn from the sea….” It’s John Denver, with Calypso:

The well-traveled group is coming to Friday Harbor this weekend....

Torrey over at the Presbyterian Church says this will be pretty cool:

King’s High School: Living Faith & Abundant Life
Friday Harbor Presbyterian Church
May 8th, 7 p.m.

King’s High School Living Faith is a select group with student rhythm section that comes out of the King’s High School Concert Choir. They sing all styles of music including jazz, where they have had first place wins at both the Reno Jazz Festival and the Lionel Hampton Jazz Festival. Continue Reading

Serving hotdogs at the Children's Festival last weekend: Dan, Tammy, Dot & Bill for the Kiwanis Club.

Seems like whenever there’s an event – the Fair, the Children’s Festival, the Arts Fair downtown, and more – the Kiwanis Club’s K-Boose is there. Thanks, you guys!

Ryan (left) and Hank join Kate this weekend - wahoo!

It’s always cool to get to perform with your son, and that’s what Kate Schuman gets to do on Saturday night at the Peppermill with Hank, with a little help from everybody’s good friend Ryan Browne.

Here’s the scoop, from the San Juan Calendar.

Ken Serratt as Doolittle (Eliza’s dad) kicks up some fun in My Fair Lady. Photo courtesy of Keith Busha.

Jan Bollwinkel-Smith has the scoop:

My Fair Lady Opens THIS Weekend!

“Wouldn’t it be Loverly” to hear the sweet sounds of “The Rain in Spain” right
“On the Street [okay,Island] Where You Live?”

You’ll get that chance starting this Friday, May 7 at 7:30 p.m. when My Fair Lady opens for ten performances on San Juan Community Theatre’s Whittier stage.

Alan Jay Lerner and Frederick Loewe’s Tony Award-winning musical adaptation of George Bernard Shaw’s play, Pygmalion, is one of the most beloved musicals of all time and this is the FIRST time, it’s been produced at SJCT.

Director and longtime island resident Susan Williams (who played Eliza in an Orcas Center production more than 25 years ago) says she has been “hungry” to direct a musical for years now and is thrilled to be presenting such an uplifting story of friendship and transformation. The show is full of colorful and creative turn-of-the-20th-century London sets, flamboyant costumes (think big, feathery hats) and island acting, vocal and musical talents (the latter two, including a full orchestra, directed by Dorothy Baker), so get ready for My Fair Lady to bring an uplifting spring spirit to the island.

My Fair Lady also plays Saturday at 7:30 pm and Sunday at 2 pm. Then it returns next Thursday through Saturday, May 13-15 and Thursday through Sunday, May 20-23
(the final show features an audience “Sing Along” — the lyrics will be available for folks to join in on those favorite songs).

The Business Partner for My Fair Lady is Kings Market. Ticket prices vary depending on date. More information is available at www.sjctheatre.org or at the Box Office (378-3210).

**My Fair Lady DINNER PACKAGE: SJCT has teamed up with Coho Restaurant for a Dinner & Theatre package. For just $45, you get a ticket to My Fair Lady plus a three-course gourmet meal at Coho…and, in honor of Miss Eliza Doolittle, each dinner guest will receive a gift package of biscuits and tea and freshly baked shortbread! This special package is available for purchase only at the Theatre box office.

My Fair Lady CAST

Desirae Whalen • Eliza
Daniel Finn • Professor Higgins
John Davis •  Colonel Pickering
Ken Serratt • Alfred P. Doolittle
Ellen Roberts •  Mrs. Pearce, Theater Guest, Servant Chorus
Deb Langhans • Mrs. Higgins, Dancer, Chorus
Joseph Paul Adams •  Freddy Eynsford Hill, Dancer, Chorus
Kaitlyn Johnson • Mrs. Eynsford Hill, Dancer, Chorus
Patti Bair • Mrs. Hopkins, Cockney Quartet, Servant Chorus
Kevin Porter • Jamie, Cockney Quartet, Prof. Karpathy, Butler
Dana Rice • Bartender, Policeman, Dr. Stephanous, Chauffeur
Roberta Leed • Mr. Higgins’ Maid, Bystander, Dr. Stephanous’ Wife
Bert Dayton • Lord Boxington, Cockney Quartet, Chorus, Dancer
Charlie O’Kelley • Harry, Cockney Quartet, Chorus, Dancer
Lynda Guernsey • Lady Boxington, Bystander
Shannon Kelley • Queen of Transylvania, Busker, Bystander
Tyla McKay • Flower Girl, Chorus, Dancer
Joy Van Camp • Mr. Higgins’ Maid, Chorus, Dancer, Servant Chorus
Britany Kane • Chorus, Dancer
Judy McManus • Chorus, Dancer
Elizabeth Schubert • Flower Girl, Chorus, Dancer
Annesa Knowles • Chorus, Dancer
Kira Sable • Chorus, Dancer
Susan Williamson • Chorus, Dancer, Queen of Transylvania Escort

The Community Dinner is today – see ya there! I asked Liz what was on the menu – here’s the scoop:

Please come join us on Tuesday, Cuatro de Mayo for a great meal and entertainment! The Chef 1.0 and 2.0 students will be serving up tacos, the Culinary Arts students will be making fresh tortillas and the Spanish classes are festively decorating the High School Dining Hall. We will be entertained by The Elders Dance and Ballet Folklorico. $10 Donations will support our great Food for Thought Program! See you there! It’s Tuesday, May 4th 5:30 – 7:30 High School Dining Hall!

MENU:
Pulled Pork, Chicken, or Vegetarian Tacos
Chili Lime Cilantro Slaw
Spanish Rice and Beans
Garden Salad
Chips and Salsa
Churros – yummy!

Liz Varvaro
Kitchen Supervisor
Food for Thought Program
San Juan Island School Dist
360-370-7106

It's the principal of the thing: Former & present school district principals over the past couple of decades collected at Michael & Krissy Soltman's wedding this weekend: Marilyn Luckman (FHHS), Court Bell (FHES & FHMS), Carolyn Haugan (FHES & mother of the bride), Ralph Hahn (FHHS), Jodi Metzger (FHES, and on Vashon this fall), and present FHES principal Gary Pflueger. Ann Spratt (FHMS) and Fred Woods (FHHS) were around, too....

There was a lot going on, and it was great to get out! Did you know:

• Back to the island:

Michael & Krissy

They’ve been living on Vashon Island the last year, but Krissy Haugan & Michael Soltman came back to the island to get married this past weekend, with a ceremony at the bluff at Friday Harbor House & a reception at Vinny’s.

The reception was packed with relatives from around the country & friends & relatives from around the island, and it was great to see the glow these two have when they’re together.

• This next weekend: Island Stage Left’s “The Clean House” has its last weekend over at the Fairgrounds on Thursday thru Sunday…I went to see it for the second time last weekend, and saw people with tears in their eyes from laughing (and a little crying, perhaps). You’ll be glad you went – don’t miss it! (Review from me: I loved it.)

Meanwhile, the Community Theatre’s much-anticipated My Fair Lady begins its three week run on Friday. Director Susan Williams (she played Eliza once, you know) has put together a stellar cast…get your tickets on this one. Ya snooze, ya lose.

• Happy 50th birthday to Post San Juan’s Hamid! His day is on Wednesday – wahoo!

Matt Roethlisberger wrapped up his junior year in baseball at Claremont-Mudd-Scripps in California this past weekend.

• In other sports, the baseball team defeated Shoreline Christian 19-1 and it was 17-0 in the second game when I left. The league champs are heading into the playoffs on something of a roll. The game was the last regular season game at Hartman Field; we’ll see if we play some of our playoff games there. St. Francis has plans to do other things with the space where the field is, so the Wolverines are looking for a home….

Wolverine pitcher Shawn Cutting throws strike three for the second out in the second inning of Saturday's second game....

* Meanwhile, the softball girls have their last game this Saturday…they looked good in the game with Lynden Christian last weekend, pulling to 5-4, but the Lyncs unloaded in the last two innings to win 9-4.

Kerri Goff throwing smoke in the last inning against Lynden Christian; that's Hannah Starr at shortstop. LC beat FHHS 9-4 on a late rally.

* The soccer team went high & low in their Friday/Saturday set.

Oliver nailed three in the 5-1 win over Anacortes

They drove past the Anacortes Seahawks 5-1, powered by Oliver Strasser’s three goals (the first one was his first career goal, but why stop there?) and a couple of power shots by José Charupe & Brett Paul.

The team looked fluid and a season’s worth of chemistry-building came together for the afternoon – it was a delight to see. FHHS then traveled to Lynden Christian Saturday, where we lost 11-0.

The Wolverines head to the playoffs on Wednesday…we’ll keep you posted.

Freshman midfielder Brett Paul splits the defense....

• The lacrosse team carried a 5-3 halftime lead to victory in their important 8-4 win Saturday over Stanwood…coach Rob Cuomo told me this was a key piece of the Dragons’ drive to the playoffs. They have two regular season games left….

Tate Brumsickle brings the ball around for the Dragons in their 8-4 victory Saturday.

Island Rec's Children Festival was great!

The Children’s Festival this past weekend was another reminder why this is a great place to raise kids – this free event has been going on since 1991, and brings together the children of the island to play & get painted & dress up & explore & dance with each other & with their parents & aunts & uncles & friends.

Sally Thomsen & Rebecca Clarke and the organizing committee did a super job of setting up dozens of events and booths all around the Fairgrounds with Island Rec – the first twenty years have been awesome!

Here’s a little slideshow of the kids, with photos by Josie & me:

there are so many tictoc
clocks everywhere telling people
what toctic time it is for
tictic instance five toc minutes toc
past six tic

(So,when kiss Spring comes
we’ll kiss each kiss other on kiss the kiss
lips because tic clocks toc don’t make
a toctic difference
to kisskiss you and to
kiss me)

e. e. cummings

Accepting (and presenting!) the award for Valmark, Inc.: (l to r) Vernadel Peterson, Executive Director SJI Chamber; Wes Corey, Manager of King’s Market; John Stimpson, Manager of Market Place; Julie Corey, President SJI Chamber.

Last week the Chamber held its first awards banquet – here’s the scoop:

San Juan Island Chamber Celebrates Business at First Annual Banquet

Across the nation numerous Chambers of Commerce celebrate the success of the businesses in their community with an Annual Awards Ceremony. On April 29 the San Juan Island Chamber of Commerce had its First Annual Banquet to recognize and award businesses.

The evening started at the Friday Harbor House, San Juan Room with hors d’ oeuvres served by Cakes by Felicitations and entertained by Sally Browne playing her Cello.  Cynthia’s of Course served dinner and the Dessert Auction was a fun twist to the evening.  Desserts were provided by Cakes by Felicitations, Cotton Cotton Cotton, Cynthia’s of Course, Hillside House Bed & Breakfast, Vinny’s and Sandy Baird from the Chamber office.

Award to The Whale Museum. (l to r) Vernadel Peterson, Executive Director SJI Chamber; Nan Simpson, Board member of The Whale Museum; Julie Corey, President SJI Chamber.

The 2009 Nonprofit of the Year was awarded to The Whale Museum!  They opened in 1979 and celebrated their 30th anniversary last year!   They are proudly open daily from 10-5 in the winter and 9-6 in the summer.  In 2009 they hosted 25,000 visitors in the Museum gallery.

Don’t forget Thursdays are free days for locals to visit!  The Whale Museum employs 10 full time employees, and there is an increase in that number for summer months.  For two years in a row The Whale Museum placed in the top 5 in Best of the Northwest King 5 contest.  2009 they were First for Best Small Museum and second in 2010!

Award to San Juan Hot Shop & Flavor Emporium. (l to r) Vernadel Peterson, Executive Director SJI Chamber; Eddie and Genie Williams, owners of San Juan Hot Shop & Flavor Emporium; Julie Corey, President SJI Chamber.

San Juan Hot Shop & Flavor Emporium received the 2009 Small Business of the Year Award.  Ed & Genie Williams bought the shop in February 2008 and have continued to see an increase in profits.  Genie attributes all the credit to Eddie.  He has a way with people and they have created an atmosphere where it’s colorful and the music sets the tone when people walk in.  They are on vacation and want to have fun and Ed leads them into the “funzone”.  Each guest is welcomed and encouraged to look around and if they have questions or want to try anything, Eddie and Genie are there to help. They continue to renew their thoughts on the store such as layout, trying new products. Is your picture on their chilehead wall? Eddie has even taken his knowledge of the health benefits of the peppers to the middle school and given 2 classes to the science class.  In 2009 we started the Hot Sauce of the Month Club which has exploded, and as you know they give 10% off to not only locals but their families and guests as well.  They have changed the layout in the store 5 times and have expanded their selections to include a made in Washington section, an Asian section, Cajun Section and added to the other sections. Their website is growing and accounts for about 20% of business.  Their on Facebook, send out a quarterly newsletter which has grown from 100 people to over 2,000 people! Genie creates the newsletter that gets sent out worldwide.

The 2009 Large Business of the Year Award was received by Valmark Inc. Since 1929, Kings has been the San Juan Islands’ source for quality products, foods, and produce. They are proud to offer the finest service and selection to our customers.  Their locations include Kings Market, Market Place, Kings Marine, Kings Video Rental, and Joe Friday’s Shirt Company in Friday Harbor.  They are a strong contributor to the community and in 2009 Kings Market issued a Challenge Gift of $50,000 in order to partially restore programs cut due to the $1,000,000 reduction made in the San Juan Island School District’s budget for the coming 2009-10 school year.

The event committee included Peggy Long, Jim Carroll, Lisa O’Brien, Randy and Gail Schnee planned the event including a surprise song created by Devorah.

Thank you to the sponsors that helped make the event: Ace Hardware of Friday Harbor, Eagle Home Mortgage, Friday Harbor Marine/Friday Harbor Yachts, Naknek Charter & Diving, Waterworks Gallery and Windermere San Juan Island.

Flying high...photo by Traci Walter

I love it when people send me pictures of how nice it is in this area we live in….thanks for sharing, my friends.

Tulips in Skagit Valley last month, on the way to the ferry...photos by Kevin Holmes.

Tulips in Mount Vernon last month...photo by Kevin Holmes

Let’s catch up a bit:

Presley & McKenna greet Ken Clark at his surprise birthday party at Xtreme Fitness last weekend...photo by Sophie Rice for the Update

• Julie Ochoa tells me that Richie continues to thrive as a pitcher for Washington State this spring – the freshman pitched last weekend and she said the folks at Haley’s tuned all the tvs on to watch last year’s FHHS star & all-league player…love it.

Hope he remembers me when he gets drafted by the Dodgers, and sends me tickets… 🙂

• The Washington State Ferries wrote to ask me to tell you prices go up tomorrow:

The peak season begins Saturday, May 1 at the WSDOT Ferries Division with an additional 25 percent surcharge applied to full fare vehicle/driver tickets. The peak season surcharge does not affect passenger fares or frequent user multi-ride fares, except on the Anacortes/San Juan routes.

Last weekend, volunteers like Gary Roberts helped move the books & movies so the Library could re-do the floor this week...they're making good progress & plan to re-open on Monday, so you can see the new floor!

• Republican candidate for the Senate Paul Akers speaks at a no-host lunch today at The China Pearl at 11:30am.

Town fire chief Vern Long says that new car is working great!

• I love hearing about folks in Town who show what customer service is all about – here’s a story from Robin Jacobson:

I wanted to toot the horn for Griffin Bay Books.  Barry and I forgot to buy a book we needed for a vacation trip in three days, so we called them to see if they had it on the shelf before we resorted to paying Amazon almost $20 extra to ship overnight.  Griffin Bay did not have the book but offered to get it for us overnight, delivered to the store at no extra cost to us.  Naturally, this thrilled us.  We are spreading the word about what a great service this is and how it’s another reason to shop locally and support our own island businesses, like Griffin Bay Books.

Saw this hummingbird at my camellia bush yesterday....

• Speaking of the ferries – they’re not the only ones. The Victoria Clipper, which took last year off, is back in action on the 21st this month, according to Eddie at the Hot Shop.

• Got this nice note from Julie Greene & Ian Walt:

Hi Ian B.!

If you are around town on Saturday, swing by Griffin Bay Bookstore for the book signing 1 to 3 pm May 1.  Ian’s good friend Tomi Marsh co-authored the cookbook “Fishes and Dishes”, and her sister Kiyo is coming to town for a signing.

Dance like no one's lookin'.....

We are so impressed with the quality of this book, and have no idea how these incredibly busy women found the time to create such an entertaining and delicious bite of literature.  Among her many ventures, Tomi buys geoduck and cukes from the divers in Ketchikan so she has a long history with our island divers who head north for the frigid winter dive season.  Her book is a fun and funny snapshot of the life of fisherwomen. And the food looks good, too!

Thanks!  – Julie & Ian

Jess

• Recovering nicely from her surgery on Tuesday, Jess Oldwyn went back in for operation #2 to relieve some pressure in her head…the family reports it went well yesterday & she’ll be out of the ICU & back to her regular room.

• Sandy Roe tells me here’s a chance to help the Dixons, after their loss (I think we’re all still in shock about Bob):

Could you tell people about the fund raiser for Carmen Dixon and family on Sunday May 2, 2010. It is at the American Legion from 1-4:00 p.m. We are still looking for silent auction donations. The plan is for a spaghetti feed and silent auction to help with medical bills and living expenses while Carmen gets back on track after her tragic loss. We would appreciate you getting the word out if you can. Questions can be directed to Abe @ 298-2229 or Sandy Roe @ 378-3052. Thanks for all you do!

The early bird may get the worm, but it's the second mouse that gets the cheese.

• Stephanie has the scoop on the new guy:

John Alexander Hamilton has recently joined Harrison House Suites, Tucker House Inn and Coho Restaurant as Innkeeper, Catering Manager and Pastry Chef.

John

As Innkeeper, Hamilton’s primary focus is creating and executing the three-course breakfast menus, as well as preparing  special-order dinners for Inn guests.   With the Inns expansion into special events, he will develop menus and prepare all foods for private catered events, both on- and off-site.  In addition, he creates all the desserts at Coho Restaurant.

“We are excited to have a chef of John’s caliber managing the meals at the Inns” says Anna Maria de Freitas, the Inns’ Owner and General Manager.  “His experience with catering and kitchen management will help us move to a whole new level of service for our guests.”

Most recently, Hamilton worked as Co-Chef at Circa Alehouse and Gourmondo Catering, both in Seattle.  A stint at Balboa Café in San Francisco brought him to the West Coast, where he fell in love with the commitment to fresh, seasonal, locally-grown products.  A native of Indiana, since moving to the Pacific Northwest, Hamilton has done some competitive sailing and has developed a passion for gardening and sustainable farming practices, and the environmental issues facing the region.  His other interests include reading, history, anthropology/archaeology, and global politics.

The Harrison House and Tucker House Inns, and Coho Restaurant are three historic properties on San Juan Island conveniently located a few steps from the Friday Harbor Ferry Landing.  The properties provide an exemplary guest experience: privacy, beautifully appointed rooms and personalized guest services offered by a friendly staff.  With six guest rooms, seven suites and two cottages to choose from, the Inns have a variety of options to fit the most discerning traveler.  Coho Restaurant serves Island grown Pacific cuisine with an international flair. Coho’s wine list was awarded a 2009 Award of Distinction from Wine Spectator.

• Tess Simendinger says it was fun to take the horses to Turtleback – here’s the scoop:

Equestrians from San Juan and Lopez Islands ferried over to join Orcas Riders and the San Juan County Land Bank on April 11 to celebrate the reopening of some trails in the stunning Turtleback Mountain Preserve. Bicyclists may ride the trails on even-numbered days, and equestrians may ride on odd-numbered days. Hikers have open access.

Many islanders contributed time and money through the San Juan Preservation Trust to obtain the Turtleback Mountain Preserve as public land. Sunday’s ride, hosted by the SJC Land Bank was graciously led by Ruthie Dougherty, Land Bank Orcas Steward, and Orcas equestrian Alicia Miller. Miller commented, “I am just so happy to be riding these trails again. I have been riding here with so many friends since I was a child. About 20 years now.”

The group met at the North Trailhead, pictured here, and rode several trails allocated to equestrians. Dougherty asked the group to suggest improvements. Several riders suggested opening any of the fire roads that provide the amazing views of the water and surrounding islands Turtleback is famous for.

Thirteen riders enjoyed a great ride on the beautiful mountain.

Thirteen riders went to the preserve at Turtleback mountain