Fall has arrived!

||| FROM HILARY CANTY for ORCAS ISLAND COMMUNITY FOUNDATION |||

It appears we are experiencing yet another round of Covid infections on Orcas. The County is working on plans to provide the new booster. We hope clinic dates will be announced soon. In the meanwhile, the Federal Health Department is restarting their free testing distribution. You can read more about it here.

The ferry situation continues to dissolve somehow. This week, my husband had oral surgery scheduled and the doc required a driver accompany him due to the level of medication he would be given. He had a reservation, the boat was running, they arrived in plenty of time only to be told that because the earlier sailing was canceled, his reservation was moot due to the earlier cancellation. We had not realized that was the case. In addition, medical travel was not being prioritized as the system did not have the capacity to do so. Letters have been written to all representatives to express our frustration about this situation in particular and fear that more serious medical appointments are being missed due to the lack of reliable service.

Meanwhile, Thomas Bridge of Island Water Taxi, continues to work towards starting an official foot ferry service, possibly under the umbrella of an existing nonprofit. Expanding boat service between the islands seems like a logical addition, given the likelihood that WSF will not right their ship for quite some time.  It is a complex issue and Thomas is busily learning about transportation vouchers, funding options and insurance. I wish him success!

OPALCO has a series of planned power outages coming up from the 25th-27th. Always good to remember, especially those sleeping with CPAP or oxygen.

Also, the Orcas Historical Museum is hosting a tour of the Knapp Barn on Saturday. It is a beautiful structure on an amazing farm populated by an interesting array of critters. Certainly worth a visit!

I hope  you all have a great weekend.