Here’s a thought…
“It wasn’t a Blue Wave; it was an American Tsunami!”
Shark Reef spring issue online – submissions open for fall issue
“Idle observations at a ferry landing; thoughts that surface when we try to sleep; a young woman’s unhappy visit to a radiologist’s office; the sensation of floating after a strong dive; a hilarious tale of chickens as weapons; and the musings of a self-described middle-aged woman in the throes of a
New solid waste fees announced
It will cost you a wee bit more, now, to rid your home or business of accumulated garbage. San Juan County today announced new solid waste dumping fees, which became effective on April 1. A self-haul can will now cost you $8.00 to dump. If you drive over the scales,
Don't miss the first tax payment April 30
By Stan Matthews County Communications Program Manager San Juan County Treasurer Jan Sears reminds taxpayers that the deadline for paying County property taxes is April 30. Taxpayers have the option of paying the taxes in two payments without penalty, with the second due no later than October 31; however missing
WASL testing coming – how would you score on third-grade questions?
Following the spring school break from April 6 to 13, Orcas Island students again sit down for Washington Assessment of Student Learning (WASL) testing. The 10th graders have already finished the WASL Reading and Writing tests. Elementary/Middle School Principal Tom Gobeske announced at the March 26 Orcas Island School District
Poem for the Day: Bugs in a Bowl
Han-shan, that great and crazy, wonder-filled Chinese poet of a thousand years ago, said: We're just like bugs in a bowl. All day going around never leaving their bowl. I say: That's right! Every day climbing up the steep sides, sliding back. Over and over again. Around and around. Up
Pigeon Guillemots: Our Resident SeaBirds
On Tuesday April 14 at 7 p.m., Thor Hanson, biologist and writer from Friday Harbo, will give a free public lecture on pigeon guillemots for the Orcas Island Marine Lecture Series. The pigeon guillemot is a black-and-white seabird that spends its entire life in and around the San
"The Immigrant's Table" comes to Orcas
MaryLou Sanelli and Deborah Sparks will appear in The Immigrant’s Table at Orcas Center’s OffCenter Stage on Friday, April 10 at 7:30 pm. Based on Sanelli’s book by the same name, the staged reading is an acclaimed, spoken duet that dramatically and poetically tells a timeless story
Home: a new cafe opens at the Odd Fellows Hall this week
Shoshana Avree and Holly Berman are opening a new cafe on Orcas Island: HOME will make its debut on Thursday, April 9 from 4-8 pm at the Odd Fellows Hall, downstairs. The new restraunteurs will be serving vegetarian" soup for the soul" along with curry-roasted yam bites and gluten-free muffins
Accessory Building Permit policy to be discussed at County Council April 13
By Stan Matthews County Communications Program Manager The San Juan County Council will discuss the County's permitting policy on accessory structures at noon during its meeting on Monday, April 13 - one week later than had been tentatively scheduled. Contractor Tom Nolan initially questioned the policy during the "Citizen Access"
Poem for the Day: When You Are Old
When You Are Old When you are old and gray and full of sleep, And nodding by the fire, take down this book, And slowly read, and dream of the soft look Your eyes had once, and of their shadows deep; How many loved your moments of glad grace, And
Editorial: Poetry and Gardening for all on Orcas
Between the cold and hibernation of winter and spring growth and stimulus programs, here on Orcas, our friends and neighbors are encouraging us to take part in cultivating poetry and our gardens. April is celebrated across the nation as Poetry Month and as Earth Month, when our focus is drawn
Housing discussion moved ahead to 1:30 p.m. Tuesday, April 7
By Stan Matthews County Communications Program Manager The San Juan County Council has moved its "workshop" on updates to the Housing Element of the County Comprehensive Plan up by 30 minutes to 1:30 p.m. Tuesday April 7, so that it can spend more time considering the issues. The 1:30 pm
Training for county food-handling card now available Mon-Weds at Senior Center
By Stan Matthews County Communications Program Manager The San Juan County Health and Community Services Department is now offering a computer-based food handling training program that allows people to do the required coursework and take the test to qualify for a food handling card in less than an hour. The
Deer Harbor parking to be discussed Apr. 17
By Stan Matthews County Communications Program Manager Providing parking on Orcas Island for vehicles used by Waldron Island residents to make transportation connections will be the topic of a public meeting hosted by San Juan County Public Works at the Deer Harbor Community Club on Friday April 17, 2009.
Poem for the Day — Kindness
Contributed by Michelle Reed Kindness Before you know what kindness really is you must lose things, feel the future dissolve in a moment like salt in a weakened broth. What you held in your hand, what you counted and carefully saved, all this must go so you know how desolate
Gypsy circus troubadours inspire Taarka — performing at the Odd Fellows Hall next Saturday
The acoustic band Taarka, from Colorado, will be performing at the Odd Fellows Hall this Saturday evening, April 11. Emerging from a long tradition of gypsy circus troubadours, Taarka performs an engaging mix of Western and Eastern folk traditions of jazz, rock, bluegrass, old-time, gypsy, Indian, and Celtic music. Collectively
