This is a cool way to get out on the water on Saturday AND help the planet – Erin from San Juan Excursions asked me to pass this on to you:

In honor of Earth Day, and in an ongoing effort to heighten the public’s awareness of the issues affecting our local ecosystem, San Juan Island whale watching operators will donate a portion of proceeds from their tours on Saturday, April 24 to Skagit Fisheries Enhancement Group and to People for Puget Sound.

Maya’s Westside Charters, San Juan Excursions, San Juan Outfitters, and Western Prince Whale & Wildlife Tours will each donate 25% of total proceeds for the day to Skagit Fisheries Enhancement Group and San Juan Safaris will donate $300 to People for Puget Sound.

The Skagit Fisheries Enhancement Group (SFEG) is a nonprofit organization formed in 1990 to engage communities in habitat restoration and watershed stewardship in order to enhance salmon populations. As a non-governmental organization, they have unique cooperative relationships with local landowners, conservation groups, government agencies and tribes. Their regional boundaries include not only the Skagit River watershed, but also the Samish River and the watersheds of the San Juan Islands and northern Whidbey Island.

People for Puget Sound is a citizens’ group established in 1991 to protect and restore the health of land and waters in the Puget Sound through education and action. They actively work toward: restoring salmon habitat, removing dams that inhibit salmon migration and cleaning the waters of the Puget Sound area.

For more information on salmon enhancement or to volunteer, please visit www.skagitfisheries.org or www.pugetsound.org

Early morning run through the streets of Friday Harbor.....

Let’s catch up a bit….

• Tonight’s the last night for Pazzo Vivo – drop by when you get a chance!

That was Dick Hieronymus over at Printonyx the other day....

• We have a lot of songwriters around here, but when was the last time you backed it up with a symphony? Here’s what Richard Hieronymus and Devorah have been up to, in a writeup on Bob Sanders’ blog.

• Moving: Here’s a note from Miles Crossen: “Stepping Stones Early Learning Center, located at 54 Marguerite Place in Friday Harbor will be moving to a new location in a few weeks.

“Starting in May the new location will be 720 Park Street (the old King Typesetting building), just a “Stone’s” throw from the Friday Harbor High School Football Field. For what it’s worth, the owner of Stepping Stones is very excited about the move and hopes her students and their parents will be equally excited as well.”

That's a great blue heron Jim Maya saw last weekend when he was out on the water....

• The Kiwanis Club of Friday Harbor is now meeting at Vinny’s Restaurant each Thursday at noon…and you’re welcome to drop by & check it out.

• Remember we talked about Island Sitters, run by Courtney Oldwyn? Here’s the deal for Saturday:

I was wondering if you’d post our Island Sitters Park Play Date & Sitter Meet-n-Greet on the Update? It’s this Saturday, April 24th from 11-1pm at the fairgrounds playground. All of our sitters will be there so local families can bring the kids to play and meet our sitters!

The Library has to do its floor, so they’ll be closed for a week – here’s the scoop from Beth at the library:

Library to close for week of April 25 to repair floors

The San Juan Island Library will be closing from Sunday April 25 through Sunday May 2 to replace worn flooring. The trustees of the library decided at its March 9 meeting to replace the floor with longer lasting materials suited to the heavy use they receive. The current flooring installed in 2005 has simply worn out despite regular maintenance. Funds for the project come the library’s Capital Reserve Fund, money the library has set aside for exactly such purposes.

Items currently on loan will not be due back during the period the library is closed, and library personnel are asking that you do not return library materials while the library is closed. The outdoor book drops will be closed.

Library Director Laura Tretter said, “Some of our regulars are worried about what they’ll do during the closure. I tell them, ‘just stock up on books and movies before we close, and bring everything back after we reopen with durable, safe floors.’”

Come meet the documentary's filmmakers...

Linda & Maureen & the Slow Food Folks have a cool movie showing three times this weekend at Friday Harbor House of the documentary “Good Food,” along with the filmakers Melissa Young and Mark Dworkin – hope you can make it! Click here for a review & synopsis – here’s more about the showings from the group:

Update on FREE showing of “Good Food” documentary and meet the filmmakers event April 23 & 24, Earth Day weekend: Times are 8:30 pm Friday, 2 pm and 8 pm Saturday. The site is the San Juan Room (conference room) at Friday Harbor House (directions).

ALL 3 SHOWS ARE FREE TO THE PUBLIC. Seating is limited, with 70 seats per show.

NO PURCHASES ARE REQUIRED. We plan to offer free popcorn at the shows.

(We also hope to show  “Food, Inc” and “Where is Tomorrow’s Farmer?” throughout the day Friday and Saturday.)

Our thanks to Friday Harbor House for making this event possible.

Dinner and lunch featuring local foods are available at the Bluff restaurant next door, and rooms are available to travelers.

For other establishments serving local, go to: http://www.sjcarc.org/certified.asp
Special Offer: Mention “Slow Food” at Friday Harbor House for coupons good for 10% off bottled wine at the Bluff Restaurant and 10% off Friday Harbor House room rates. Coupons also available 4/19 at Compost It, Nichols St.

Carolyn & Judy are back from their trip...wow! The talk is next Wednesday.

Just got a note from my good friend Judy about what I think is going to be an amazing presentation next week:

Modern Journey along the Silk Road

On Tuesday, April 27, at 7:00 pm at the Mullis Center, Carolyn Haugen and Judy Chovan will present a slide show on their recent trip to five of the ‘Stans.  Entitled, ‘Modern Journey along the Silk Road,’ the show will cover their trip to Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Uzbekistan and Turkmenistan.

The slideshow will help you meet the folks they met along the way....

Realm of Genghis Khan, Tamarlane, and Babur, as well as algebra, apples, tulips, and the poet Rumi; Central Asia has had a long and fascinating history.  Once the venue for nomads and travelers along the vast Silk Road, these countries spent most of the 20th century under Soviet rule. Judy and Carolyn will present a brief look at the current economic, political and cultural environment in each of the countries as they forge their independent paths into the 21st century.

Dana Lyons of "Cows With Guns" fame brings his new album to the island on May 3rd.

It’s too good to pass up – Dana Lyons is dropping by our island in a couple of weeks as part of his tour around the state to promote the release of his new album, Three Legged Coyote.

I was lucky to connect with him about it, and we were able to set it so that he’ll play on Monday the 3rd at Friday Harbor House’s San Juan Room (perfect! it has about 100 seats! nice, warm, comfortable place with good acoustics! and they’ll have drinks & stuff for the show! perfect!) with the show as a benefit for our friends at The Whale Museum (perfect! they do good work!)

This is a kid-friendly show, which I know kids’ll love. (perfect! kids love getting out!)

You already know him because of his song Cows With Guns – here’s a chance for you to hear it:

“Cows With Guns” was named #1 For The Year on Dr. Demento, #2 on Australian Country Charts, 10 months on Seattle’s Top 40 and 6 months on Ireland’s Top 40. He has been called a current-day Pete Seeger by the Bellingham Weekly, and and out-of-control Johnny Cash by The Western Front.

On tour....

I was listening to Dana’s new CD online (you can hear the whole thing here, which is also a fine place to buy it), and I love what he’s doing with his music, with the words, and with his sense of good things in the world. Sure is fun to listen to – check it out & see if you agree.

Pretty sure tickets’ll sell well for this (I’ve already sold ten, and we hadn’t even announced anything….), so get yours this week, instead of waiting like you usually do.

Dana will be playing at the Friday Harbor House’s San Juan Room at 7pm on May 3, 2010. Tickets are available at the Whale Museum’s Gift Shop for $15/adult and $5/folks 18 & under. Warmup act: local singer/songwriter Ian Byington (I’ll play a couple of songs, for you). The evening is sponsored by Friday Harbor House & The San Juan Update, with proceeds going to the educational mission of the Whale Museum.

See you there!

Ace drew a mob to its Grand Opening....

Couple of weekends ago it was awesome & well-attended – the new version of Ace Hardware opened to great crowds, great reviews, and good weather to boot.

The part I liked best (besides all the smiling people) was the guy doing chainsaw sculpting…that’s a bear he made, the first day. Wahoo!

Once mere wood...now, a bear.

Brian crosses the finish line first...photo by Rachel Goodremont.

Paul Hopkins reports the first one was a great one:

Goodremont/Hoffman Take Inaugural Title

Brian Goodremont and Meghan Hoffman took the male and female top spots at the San Juan Island Fitness inaugural Spring Sprint Triathlon held Saturday, April 17. The event included a 500 yard pool swim, 12.5 mile bike ride and 3 mile run.

Here are the full results.

Meghan comes in first for the women...photo by Rachel Goodremont.

Goodremont, training for IronMan Coeur d’Alene, finished the course in a scorching 1:07:25. Hoffman, a veteran of the sport, finished in 1:18:57. Hoffman’s closest challenge was Kaitlyn Johnson who took 2nd female and 3rd overall, in 1:20:26. Taking 2nd male and 4th overall was Timothy Dwyer in 1:22:20.

Of the 32 registered for the race, only 3 were from off-island – two from Orcas and one from Mt. Vernon. “It was a real local race, like it was intended” said Paul Hopkins, Race Director for the event. “Probably 65% of the people had never done a triathlon and it’s great to have them get exposure to the sport in the ‘friendly confines’ of the Island.” The race will happen again in 2011.

For complete results and photos, please visit www.sanjuanislandfitness.com

Bunko Players Peggy Long, Gretchen Staehlin, Janice Blaylock and Robin Wadleigh at the last Bunko event

One of the truly cool things the Soroptimist Club does is raising money so they can offer folks tickets to ride the ferry to their cancer-related doctor appointments & treatments – here’s the next one, as detailed by the Club:

Bunko Party Fiesta Fundraiser to support Soroptimist Ferry Tickets for Cancer Patients Project

Join the fun at the Soroptimists Bunko Party fundraiser. Come to the fiesta Friday April 30th at the Mullis Center from 6-9 pm. Proceeds will help with the Soroptimist Cancer Treatment Support Mission that has been providing ferry tickets for cancer patients here on San Juan Island since May 2005. The need is now greater than ever before. Soroptimist are looking at spending over $18,000 annually for the purchase of ferry tickets for island cancer patients with funds being raised through event and raffle ticket sales. You may even know someone who has been helped with this project. Please lend your support with your tax-deductible donation. You can help in three ways:

1) Attend the Fiesta Bunko Party fundraiser on Friday, April 30, 2010 at the Mullis Center 6-9 pm. You do not need to know how to play the Bunko dice game. It is very easy and lots of fun. Event tickets are $20 and include appetizers and 3 Bunko games. Beverages are available. Event tickets can be purchased at The Toy Box, Spa d Bune, Kings Market on April 18 and 25th and the Marketplace on April 19, 23 and 26th. Dress for the fiesta and have a great time! Seating is limited so get your tickets early.

2) Purchase Raffle Tickets for an opportunity to receive a great gift. Your donations will help cancer patients receive transportation to the mainland for treatments. Event tickets and raffle tickets are available from the Toy Box, Spa d Bune and also from Soroptimists at Kings Market on April 18 and 25th and the Marketplace on April 19, 23 and 26th.

3) Sponsor the event by mailing a tax-deductible donation to Soroptimist – Cancer Mission, P. O. Box 2856, Friday Harbor, WA 98250.

For more info please call Katie Loring 378-1123 or Mary Ellen Courtney 378-7594 or visit www.SiFri.org

Locally grown & locally owned....and locally eaten. See you at the Market!

You know, it was cozy & warm & friendly having the Market at the high school in the dining hall/commons there, but the weather’s good enough to get out now…market manager Rosa Blair tells me the outdoor markets for Saturdays (10am-1pm) begin this weekend and run till October.

See you Saturday at the Courthouse parking lot! Come enjoy the first outdoor farmers’ market of the season with lots of fresh veggies, eggs, meat, cheese, baked goods, tacos, body products, art and more!

He’s the best, and this is your best chance to catch him – here’s more:

Bob Schwartzberg Presents Advanced Fund Raising Class

Bob will help you get your fundraising plan together....

Bob Schwartzberg is offering a follow-up class for nonprofit fund raisers entitled “Hands on Fund Raising in The Real World: Next Steps” on Tuesday April 27, 2010 8:30am – 4:30am at Skagit Valley College, on San Juan Island.

This class is open to those who have taken “Fund Raising for Small Non-Profits” or to those with at least one year of hands on fund raising experience for small nonprofit organizations. Bob’s focus will be in the details of such areas as Major Gifts, Gift Range Charts, Annual Fund Raising Campaigns, Planned Giving, Communications and Capital Campaigns. Cost is $69. Call 360-378-3220 to register.

Bob will be utilizing his 30 years of experience as a successful fund raiser, including 8 plus years as director of development at the University of Washington’s Friday Harbor Laboratories, and 15 years of teaching fund raising for the Indiana University’s Center on Philanthropy where he continues as a faculty member of I.U.’s The Fund Raising School.

The opening of "My Fair Lady" is a month away, but director Susan Williams & the cast (including Desi Whalen, who plays Eliza) & crew are hard at work getting ready...all the reports I've heard say folks are having fun & enjoying the process. Should be a wonderful show! Photo by Keith Busha.

Let’s see what’s going on…

• Last week, proud papa Kenny sent you & me a nice phone pic of his son Wil Christison from Pacific Lutheran, where he & Kasey Rasmussen from FHMS both came within one correct answer of making the final round.  Wait till next year!

• You know Duck Soup Inn is open Friday through Sundays for the month of April, right?

• In other restaurant news, I hear Ernie’s Cafe at the airport is temporarily closed…Chison, the lady who runs Ernie’s Cafe, took a fall and hurt her neck. She’s getting physical therapy and hopes to have Ernie’s open again Monday or Tuesday next week.

Shay at Naropa University in Colorado....a place with island connections.

• Naropa news: Ever since my son Shay headed for Naropa University in Boulder, it seems like there’s Naropa stuff all over the place – a lot of islanders went there.

Teresa in Boulder...

You know that Tyler Ryan graduated from there, and he just opened his first play last month in Portland, which proud mom Mary Karen said was pretty awesome. Jeff Casebolt graduated there, too – he’ setting up a counseling practice down near Olympia. And…famous island artist Teresa Smith is taking classes there next term.

And…Shay’s loving his sophomore year & it’s going great. He’ll be staying there this summer to work & to dj with Shamrock Sound.

Mari drops by Hobbes' table for a moment last Saturday evening at Pazzo Vivo....

Visited with Mari at Pazzo Vivo yesterday, and she tells me she’s planning to close up next Wednesday, the 21st…then Peggy & Oren Combs are taking over, with plans to renovate & re-open in June as The Rumor Mill.

We’ll watch for that…but in the meantime, it’s gotta be said that Mari did an awesome job with the former Bella Luna – improving the food and making the place a dependable (and crowded!) spot for local and visiting musicians to play, and to bring people together. Thanks, Mari, for what you’ve done!

This is cool: talking with experts about practical strategies for rehabbing to save energy, money, and the “character” of our fabulous historic buildings, including existing buildings built 40 or more years ago. Here’s more from Sandy (sign up now!):

Tips for “fixing” your older house or shop...

Rehab Green: Historic Preservation, Weatherization and Sustainable Rehabilitation
This event is going to be great and there is still time to sign up!  Saturday, April 17th Rehab Green seminar being held at the Grange Hall 8:30am-5pm, sponsored by the Town of Friday Harbor.

The event’s speakers will address historic preservation, weatherization and sustainable rehabilitation of residential and commercial buildings 30 or more years old.

Thermal imaging reveals heat loss

Session topics include: case studies on windows, insulation, moisture, air infiltration and heat loss, and lighting strategies; investment payback; Q&A session with an amazing list of building experts; energy audits, blower door and thermal imaging; and weatherization rebate programs.

For more information and to register visit the Historic Friday Harbor site or call Sandy at 360.378.2810.

Rehab Green Presenters—April 17, 2010

René M. Beliveau, San Juan County: René Beliveau is the Director and Chief Building Official Continue Reading

You know how you use Microsoft Word every day (or everybody in your office does) and you could use a little brushup, or maybe even training from the very start? Same with Powerpoint & Excel…

At Skagit Valley College (San Juan Center), I teach three-hour workshops that get you up to speed with the programs you need most. So – here’s the schedule for the next month…if you’d like to sign up, or to get more information, call 378-3220.

See you in class!

Intermediate Word: 4/21 – 6-9pm
Excel: 4/28 – 6-9pm
Powerpoint: 5/5 – 6-9pm
Basic Word: 5/12 – 6-9pm