It's fun...you'll be glad you did!

It’s that time of year! Here’s the scoop, from Amy Wynn:

Are you ready to be a competitive swimmer? If you are between 8 and 18 you are invited to try out for the San Juan Island Fitness Swim Team. In addition to regular practices on Tuesdays and Thursdays, the team is scheduled for an intra-squad meet in November, a meet at the Skagit Valley YMCA on December 12, a dive clinic and/or second meet in January, and a closing meet in Friday Harbor in February.

To sign up for a try-out time, call 378-4449 or stop by San Juan Island Fitness, 435 Argyle, Friday Harbor.

Available try-out times are:  Wednesday, October 21 – 2 p.m.

Friday, October 23 – 2 p.m.

Monday, October 26 – 3:30 p.m.

The Wolverines football team lost at Nooksack Valley last night, 52-0. FHHS plays Meridian this coming Friday for homecoming…

A new way out...

There are doors/gates for tennis at the high school at each end of the courts, but this is a new one in the middle part of the fence. Probably related to the budget cuts.

That's Emma Ytander working the ball into the opposing side's penalty area...Emma scored last night in FHHS's 3-2 win over Orcas (photo from earlier in the season)

• Friday night lights: The football guys head to Nooksack Valley tonight to play the Pioneers…

• The tennis team‘s games today are cancelled (look outside & you’ll see why, rubber ducky), so they’ll leave Saturday morning to head to Coupeville to make it up. Districts are set for here, next Wednesday.

• At Orcas last night, volleyball put on a show, losing only 3-1 with a sickness-depleted team. “I’m proud of them,” says coach Travis Mager afterwards. “We haven’t played with the whole starting lineup except for one game this season because of girls being hurt or sick. I was pleased with their effort tonight.” The Wolverines return to action Saturday at 11:30am (JV) and 1pm (varsity) here with Nooksack Valley.

• The soccer team nipped Orcas in overtime 3-2 last night when Wolverine forward Emma Ytander scored the game-winner. FHHS begins a four-game homestand when they play Nooksack Valley at noon at home on Saturday.

Shows are on the 24th & 25th!

It’s not that often that we have a full opera performed here in town, so this is your chance. It’s extra cool that Robin Lohery, Roberta Leed, Nick Zervas, Michelle Mullin, Sally Browne and a few other local friends will be in the show as well. Here’s the scoop about Carmen, to be performed next weekend (I’m telling ya now so you can get your tix) from Linda Downes:

Come and experience the brilliance and beauty of soaring voices and the passionate story of a Spanish gypsy woman and her soldier when Bizet’s popular opera ‘Carmen’ is presented by professional opera company ‘Opera Pacifica’ of Olympia on October 24, Saturday, at 7:30pm and on October 25, Sunday, at 2pm at the San Juan Community Theatre in Friday Harbor.

These two rare on-island performances Continue Reading

Human trafficking, including selling kids into slavery & young girls into prostitution...it's time to deal with it...

Bringing awareness to problems is the first step for solving ’em…Cathy Cole wanted you & me to know about this, which is happening this weekend:

“Shop affordably and support the fight against human trafficking.”

Who: Carrie Gendron, Blink Handbag, and Aleejoop Handbags
When: Saturday Night, October 17, 6:30 p.m. and
Sunday Morning, October 18, 10:30 a.m.
Where: The home of the Brumsickles,
320 Ross Lane, Friday Harbor
(Spring Street to Lampard, right on Ross)
Info: 360.317.8373
Why: Carrie Gendron has a heart for justice, and we know that you do too! She’s bringing her Heaps of Handbags to the island October 17th and 18th. Please stop in for a fun time shopping, building awareness and supporting People of Purpose, a social advocacy group that fights human trafficking.

Carrie’s gently used bags are priced from around $5-$15. Bring your own handbag donations and receive a raffle ticket for each. The prize is a lovely purse filled with goodies worth over $50! Make your handbag purchase count, and have fun!

It’s all about recycling, a good deal, building
awareness and giving back!

Cause+Deal+Friends+Food=Sure Fire Good Times!

Daughter Sharon escorts beaming director Andrew McLaglen after last night's performance of the Odd Couple....

When you see all those posters & photos at the Palace Theatre while you’re waiting for the movie, it’s pretty cool to see the movies that were directed by islander Andrew McLaglen, with a who’s who of stars from the 1900s under his direction.

So it’s pretty neat to still be able to catch one of his shows – I went to see the Odd Couple at the Community Theatre last night, and I hope you get a chance to see this play tonight or tomorrow before it closes. You’ll be glad you did.

Most of us have had a roommate at some point in our lives who was either as uptight as Felix (“Wow,” says Oscar, “I’ve never seen anybody with clenched hair”) , or as big a slob as Oscar. Something I love about live theater is that the playwright’s words come alive in some kind of new way each time a show begins, and this one is no different.

You can set aside the Jack Lemmon/Walter Matthau interpretations from the film, or the Tony Randall/Jack Klugman TV rendering, because Bo Turnage (Felix) & George Iliff (Oscar) redefine the roles in a couple of inspired performances, aided & abetted by poker pals Dorian Oliver, Warren Baehr, Chuck Harwood, and Keith Keyser, and a delightful turn by Pigeon Sisters Juliet Flint & Kaitlyn Johnson.

“People always get a kick out of two guys going at each other,” said McLaglen. “But this is also a play about friendship and about the pain of divorce.”

You’ll laugh, a lot. Don’t miss this one.

It was a great day for gathering grapes...photo by Mark Gardner

Couple of weekends ago, Yvonne & the good people of San Juan Vineyards had their annual grape picking, where volunteers & friends come help gather the Siegerrebe grapes, followed by a barbeque and get-together. Mark Gardner was there and shot the picture above, and a great time was had by all.

Picking the grapes....photo by Mark Gardner

Mike Cohen

Located on San Juan Island, Mike Cohen’s Project Nature Connect just added 15 new students to the program. Here’s more from MMD Newswire:

Project NatureConnect (PNC), an online, natural lifestyle degree training program, today announced that fifteen new students have started their courses for learning and teaching lifestyles that walk nature’s path to simple living and greater sanity.

In cooperation with several universities, this progressive health and wellness program recognizes that a sustainable lifestyle is essential and doable through this simple, natural family online study opportunity.

The graduate and undergraduate degree program supports a livelihood or career that teaches the process of educating, counseling and healing with nature.

Here’s more.

There are photos on the Center for Whale Research’s page of apparent new calf L113…click here to check ’em out! The birth brings the number of the Southern Resident Killer Whales to 86. The site reports:

Jami Nagel with Naturalist Island Adventures Cruises took the photographs on Saturday October 10 off Port Townsend. The calf is traveling with L94 (female, 14 yrs.) and L41 (male, 32 yrs.). Until further documentation, the identity of the mother is unsure.

There are photos on the Center for Whale Research’s page of apparent new calf L113…click here to check ’em out! The birth brings the number of the Southern Resident Killer Whales to 86. The site reports:

Jami Nagel with Naturalist Island Adventures Cruises took the photographs on Saturday October 10 off Port Townsend. The calf is traveling with L94 (female, 14 yrs.) and L41 (male, 32 yrs.). Until further documentation, the identity of the mother is unsure.

FHHS tennis players Nick (left), Alex & Matthew take a break between matches last Saturday.

The FHHS tennis boys have their last season match this Friday at Coupeville, a warmup for next Wednesday’s district tourney.

You were there at graduation & you said it too: Valedictorian Albert Strasser’s speech about the Five Step Process of Happiness was not only well-done, but insightful.

Albert’s going to classes this morning at the University of Colorado in Boulder, and he’ll probably get mobbed & have the job offers start rolling in, since I posted this video last night on YouTube, that was shot by Karen & Gerard with Elan Video (click here to find out more about them, and to get them to shoot YOUR graduation!)

You’ll dig it if you weren’t at graduation; if you were, you’ll love seeing it again.

And remember – smile.

Classes begin on Thursday....

Susan over at San Juan Healthcare tells me this class at Village at the Harbour is going to be worthwhile – check it out:

A HEALTHY HEART – WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW

San Juan Healthcare, in collaboration with local and area health care providers, will be presenting a series of classes focused on the promotion of a healthy lifestyle.   Last Spring, San Juan Healthcare organized a series of community classes on the subject of Diabetes Management.  Those classes were so well received that we have decided to continue the classes and move towards cardiovascular disease and the importance of a healthy lifestyle.

A series of classes free and open to the public: What IS a Healthy Heart?

Thursday October 15th
5:30pm – 6:30pm

Dr. Burk Gossom, MD
Knowing the facts can help you improve your heart health and reduce your risk of heart disease

Village at the Harbour
547 Spring Street

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It is a rare day Continue Reading

Gordon Brown

Dennis Willows from the San Juan Island Jazz Quintet says Gordon’s coming (not Great Britain’s prime minister, the other one)….check it out:

This Friday SJ Jazz Quintet will host alto sax player Gordon Brown of the Seattle Jazz Police, and of the Jim Cutler Jazz Orchestra.  He will play with us  at Pazzo Vivo Bistro and Grille, 6-9pm. Come join this fandango if you’re willing and able!

See www.sanjuanjazzquintet.com for more about SJJQ – The band plays every Friday in Mary Beth LaRiviere’s re-decorated, re-menued, Pazzo Vivo Bistro and Grille.

George & Bo are "The Odd Couple"....

This is your week to see it – it’s on Thursday (bargain night) and Friday/Saturday…get your tickets now at the Community Theatre’s website.