From dinner Wednesday night - after the soup & before dessert. try it - you'll like it.

Hey, it’s my job to let you know something is great around here, and I was glad that meant I had to check out what’s going on at the Golden Triangle. So last Tuesday (which is the night that Avon is featuring Vietnamese dishes) and Wednesday (the night for Laotian food) I dropped by & checked it out…and it WAS great. Josie & I got two different things both nights, and shared.

So, drop by this week – Avon has this Tuesday/Wednesday thing going on through the end of the year. You’ll be glad you did!

From dinner Wednesday night - after the soup & before dessert. try it - you'll like it.

Hey, it’s my job to let you know something is great around here, and I was glad that meant I had to check out what’s going on at the Golden Triangle. So last Tuesday (which is the night that Avon is featuring Vietnamese dishes) and Wednesday (the night for Laotian food) I dropped by & checked it out…and it WAS great. Josie & I got two different things both nights, and shared.

So, drop by this week – Avon has this Tuesday/Wednesday thing going on through the end of the year. You’ll be glad you did!

New council member Felix is ready for the job....

When I saw newly-elected Town Council member Felix Menjivar at the grocery store on Thursday last week, he had just come from Thursday’s meetings, and is carrying his budget briefing papers along with his trademark grin.

Junior Tiger Quarterback Jerray Napier hands off to Willy Blackman while a strong offensive line holds back the Anacortes Seahawks.

In 2008, Sedro Woolley beat Friday Harbor’s sixth and seventh grade Junior team in the championship. 2009 split up the Junior and Senior teams, with the now seventh and eighth graders hoped to counter the defeat by playing in the championships again. Here’s the report from special football correspondent Kris Brown (drop by Printonyx for more details – she’ll tell ya):

Juniors come up short in valiant effort, lose 12-8 to Anacortes
The number two ranked Friday Harbor Juniors faced the number three ranked Anacortes Seahawks Saturday at Nugent Field in Oak Harbor. Outnumbered 2 to 1 in players, fans and cheerleaders, the Juniors were on the same field where the Seniors came from behind to win last Saturday.

Nothing went as usual: Tiger defense allowed two touchdowns while their  offense was intercepted twice and fumbled twice on scoring attempts. Trailing 12-0 at the half, the Friday Harbor offensive line fought hard to finally open a hole for Willy Blackman to run in a touchdown late in the third quarter. Gabe Lawson scored two points to bring the score to 12-8.

Tiger defense held Anacortes scoreless in the second half but needed a touchdown to win. With less than a minute left in the game, the Tigers couldn’t convert on 4th and 1. They handed the ball over to the Seahawks who ran out the clock for the win.

Juniors ended the 2009 season one game short of the championship with a 6-3 record under head coach Brock Hauck, defensive coach Rick Morris and assistant coaches Dan McKay, Hogan Rishel and Terry Ormond. They outscored their opponents by an impressive 176-83 in conference play.

Senior Tiger quarterback CJ Woods (2) gets ready to hand off to Nate Steenkolk (far right) in the first drive against the Sedro Woolley Cubs.

Seniors avenge 2008 loss to Sedro, advance to championship with 46-22 win
At Memorial Stadium in Oak Harbor, under the lights, the fifth ranked Senior Tigers met the number one ranked Sedro Woolley Cubs. Friday Harbor was outnumbered in every way: 17 Tigers faced 30 Cubs, with two-thirds fewer fans and three-quarter fewer cheerleaders.

Sedro Woolley scored first with a touchdown run. Friday Harbor answered with a touchdown pass, scored two, followed by a touchdown run. The Cubs tied the game at 14-14 with a touchdown run in the second quarter.

With the overwhelming support of the just-defeated Tiger Juniors, the Friday Harbor cheerleaders and fans roared in the stands as the Tiger seniors scored twice before the half. Linebacker Carson Brown chased down a Cub runner for twenty yards for a key tackle which dashed Sedro’s hopes of scoring again in the first half.

The Tigers pulled together offensively in the third quarter and never looked back. Nate Steenkolk ran 55 yards for a touchdown despite losing his shoe to a Cub defender at the 20 yard line. Wide receiver Caleb Warner caught two touchdown passes. Tight end/quarterback Alex Kurtz threw a touchdown pass and caught another. Wide receiver Levi Demaris caught a touchdown pass from CJ Woods. Steenkolk helped score 40 points as he threw two touchdowns, ran in three (including an interception), kicked a point after, passed for two conversions and lost a shoe on more than one occasion.

Other defensive highlights included Nelson Wynn’s sack for a loss, Dusty West’s fumble recovery and Vinny Carter’s interception for a touchback. “The boys did great,” was the simple wrap-up from head coach Glen Hargrove after the 46-22 win.

The Senior Tigers will meet seventh-ranked Burlington Tigers next weekend for the championship.  Burlington pulled a surprise victory over second-ranked Bellingham last week before beating sixth-ranked Lakewood this week.

This group of Tigers players has advanced three consecutive years to the NCYFL championship game and was part of the “Perfect Season” in 2007.  The championship game will be their last as Tigers before they head to high school. It promises to be memorable.

For game time and location, check out the Friday Harbor Athletic Association website at: fridayharbortigers.blogware.com.

Simon & Garfunkel in 2003....after changes upon changes...

I love it that this version of “The Boxer” has the verse that S&G always sing live that wasn’t on the recorded version:

The years are rolling by me, they are rocking evenly
I am older than I once was, but younger than I’ll be
That’s not unusual
It isn’t strange – after changes upon changes we are more or less the same…
After changes we are more or less the same.

Adoption - is it for you?

Sandy Strelou reports:

The long awaited community discussion on adoption is taking place on Sunday, November 15th, 6-8pm at the library.

Prospective adoptive parents and adoptive parents are warmly invited to attend. We have a great panel of speakers including adoptive parents who have adopted through the state foster system, internationally, and through private adoption in the U.S. We have a speaker who can address adopting medically fragile children, and another to address fostering and adopting Native American children.

We will have a therapist and a representative from the local Social Services office. There will be at least an hour of Q&A and discussion between the panelists and the audience. The library has put together a fabulous list of books on adoption and fostering, as well as other in-house resources, and there is a sweet exhibit on the subject in the display case as you walk in.

Roger and the steering committee invite you to come:

The San Juan Island Chapter of the American Civil Liberties Union of Washington is pleased to present a free, public forum entitled, “Freedom and Safety: Civil Liberties and Homeland Security”.  The educational forum will be held at the Friday Harbor Middle School on Thursday evening, November 12, from 7 to 9 p.m.  The participants will include Mr. Harry Williams, a Staff Attorney with the ACLU of Washington, and two officers with the United States Customs and Border Protection; Mr. Barry Clement, Friday Harbor Port Director, CBP Office of Field Operations and Mr. Michael Luna, Assistant Chief Patrol Agent-Blaine, CBP Office of Border Patrol. Continue Reading

Roger and the steering committee invite you to come:

The San Juan Island Chapter of the American Civil Liberties Union of Washington is pleased to present a free, public forum entitled, “Freedom and Safety: Civil Liberties and Homeland Security”.  The educational forum will be held at the Friday Harbor Middle School on Thursday evening, November 12, from 7 to 9 p.m.  The participants will include Mr. Harry Williams, a Staff Attorney with the ACLU of Washington, and two officers with the United States Customs and Border Protection; Mr. Barry Clement, Friday Harbor Port Director, CBP Office of Field Operations and Mr. Michael Luna, Assistant Chief Patrol Agent-Blaine, CBP Office of Border Patrol. Continue Reading

The cast of "Rabbit Hole": In back, from left: Ann Cozzalio, Will Tranfo, Carolyn Marie Monroe. In front: Dan Mayes and Krista Strutz.

Let’s get it straight right now…whatever else you thought you were doing this weekend, ditch it. You need to go see Island Stage Left’s “Rabbit Hole” by David Lindsay-Abaire this weekend. You’ll be glad you did.

The show revolves around a grieving couple who have lost their greatest joy, and are faced with coming to terms with the continuing reminders of their loss (and chances for denial) that everyday life brings their way. Although the little boy who passed away is never forgotten by any of the characters (or the script), the play is neither sentimental or sappy.

Every one of the five actors plays a key part in holding this ensemble piece together, and all play off each other well. Ann Cozzalio is the perfect mother to her two daughter-moms, played with airy conviction by Carolyn Marie Monroe and a haunted anguish by Krista Strutz. Working together, and against each other, as their days are colored by their loss, Krista’s connection with her husband (Dan Mayes) frays as they try to solve the problem of the hurt that never goes away. The high school senior who is seeking his own absolution in all this is played by Friday Harbor High senior Will Tranfo, and his polished performance melds seamlessly with this talented, veteran cast.

Wow, I just read over what I just wrote, and it sounds like this play is depressing or something – it’s not. There’s wit, there are clever turns, and there’s honest emotion… It’s the kind of play you’ll find yourself saying, “You know, that part of the play (or that character) reminds of when I….”

Go see it – you’ll find yourself, and people you love, in it.

“Rabbit Hole” is directed by Helen Machin-Smith, and runs this Friday & Saturday night (7:30pm) and Sunday (4pm) at Roche Harbor Pavilion. The show runs Thursday-Sunday till Nov. 29th (excluding Thanksgiving)…make your plans now.

I tried to shoot Tim at the County Fair, but he got me first....

At 2pm on Sunday the 8th, drop by the Naked Bean for the photo club with local photographer Tim Dustrude (here is his site). I asked Tim what the meeting was like:

We’ll meet at the Naked Bean (bring some money and buy a cup of coffee or something since we’ll be using their tables & chairs).  And bring your cameras – we’ll go for a little walk and shoot some photos and have some fun. If the weather’s not good, we’ll shoot photos inside.

See you there!

Dropping in on the island....

It was good to run into Joan White’s daughter Jennifer this past weekend at the Naked Bean – she was in town from California to visit for the weekend.

Get to the tree before it gets to you....

After all the wind yesterday, you have tree limbs all over the yard now…so that makes you look up & wonder – “Should I get these trees trimmed?”

If you’re gonna, I’d like to suggest you call Tawm at Island Skyline Tree Care (here’s his website; here’s his phone – 370-5999 ; here’s his video, trimming a tree) or Casey at Baisch Tree Service (here’s his website; here’s his phone number: 317-5559).

Good folks, who do good work.

Get to the tree before it gets to you....

After all the wind yesterday, you have tree limbs all over the yard now…so that makes you look up & wonder – “Should I get these trees trimmed?”

If you’re gonna, I’d like to suggest you call Tawm at Island Skyline Tree Care (here’s his website; here’s his phone – 370-5999 ; here’s his video, trimming a tree) or Casey at Baisch Tree Service (here’s his website; here’s his phone number: 317-5559).

Good folks, who do good work.

Stan from the County sends out this news for all of us:

More H1N1 Vaccine Available; Priority Group Expanded to Include All Under 25-Years-Old (November 5, 2009)

The San Juan County Health and Community Services Department (HCS) is now urging all County residents under the age of 25 to call for an appointment to be vaccinated against the H1N1 flu. Continue Reading

Saturday both of our teams – the Junior Tigers & the Senior Tigers – play in Oak Harbor as they play towards next week’s championship game. Kris Brown has more:

The Tiger Juniors and Seniors have done their job to make it to the second round of single elimination playoffs. Now the Friday Harbor Athletic Association, sponsors of the Tigers, is asking for an outpouring of fan support. If both teams win this week, they will make Tiger history Continue Reading

Rusty Pollock, with Megan

It was a year ago this weekend that Rusty passed away, but he is still a warm figure alive in the memory of his daughter Megan. Here are her thoughts, a year later:

A Tribute to My Father

November 7th, 2009 will mark the one-year anniversary of the passing of my father Rusty Pollock. Each day that passes becomes harder to comprehend that he is no longer here with us. It is hard not seeing him each day and give him big hugs when he walks through the door. My father was not only an amazing dad, husband but also an amazing person with a heart of gold.

He loved life and loved living it to the fullest each day. Continue Reading