Here’s a thought…
“Old age is no joke, but it can feel like one.”
TAD TOMPKINS
Ever-popular Solstice Mercantile is back
||| FROM TERA ANDAYS for SOLSTICE MERCANTILE ||| The ever-popular SOLSTICE MERCANTILE is back for a compelling third year on December 2nd and 3rd on Orcas Island. The community-driven local holiday craft fair is once again hosted by Orcas Island Winery, a sprawling outdoor event space and indoor farmhouse winery
Community Church will be holding Advent Vespers in December
||| FROM CAROL KULMINSKI for ORCAS ISLAND COMMUNITY CHURCH ||| Orcas Island Community Church invites the community to join them for Advent Vespers on Sundays, December 3rd, 10th, and 17th at 5:00 pm. These gatherings offer a simple and peaceful service of prayer, music, Scripture readings, silence, meditation, and Eucharist. Advent Vespers provides a
Open House on Saturday at Eastsound Museum
||| FROM MICHELLE HASSEBROCK for ORCAS ISLAND MUSEUMS ||| The Eastsound Museum is pleased to host a community open house THIS SATURDAY, December 2nd, 11am-3pm. We will have kid friendly activities, 10% off in our gift shop, and local experts around the museum answering questions about our exhibits and Orcas
A new Solstice Parade is born: Be the Light luminary parade
||| FROM TERA ANDAYA ||| A new island parade is born! On December 21st at 4 PM the first “Be the Light” luminary parade commences. On the longest night of the year, the community will come together for a winter themed event celebrating togetherness, resilience, joy, creativity and community as
Faroe Islands farmers charge a fee to access beauty spots as visitor numbers soar
A tourism boom to the North Atlantic islands, fuelled by social media, has resulted in some landowners taking measures to get a share of the revenues ||| FROM THE GUARDIAN ||| The first snows have fallen on the sharp ridge below the 700-metre summit of Víkartindur. Walking the village path
Time is running out for making Medicare changes for 2024
||| FROM PEGI GROUNDWATER for SHIBA ||| Medicare Open Enrollment ends next week on December 7. If you haven’t checked yet to see if you should make changes for next year, there is still time. Volunteers with the Statewide Health Beneficiary Advisors SHIBA) will be at the Orcas library this
Emmanuel opens on Wednesdays for silent prayer, meditation
||| FROM NANCY REAS for EMMANUEL EPISCOPAL ||| Emmanuel Episcopal Church invites you to come for silent prayer and meditation for the purpose of holding the people of Gaza, Israel, the West Bank, as well as Ukraine and other places of war and conflict, such as South Sudan, in our
Larsen, Smith, DelBene, Kilmer, Jayapal applaud $4.8 Million to refurbish Washington State Ferries
Funding Comes from the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law ||| FROM THE OFFICE OF REP. RICK LARSEN ||| The Federal Transit Administration (FTA) awarded $4.8 million to the Washington State Department of Transportation (WSDOT) to refurbish aging passenger spaces on six Issaquah-class ferries. The funding comes from FTA’s Urbanized Area Passenger Ferry
Guest Opinion | Why is San Juan County not talking about Ecological Overshoot? Part 2
||| FROM ELISABETH ROBSON ||| Ecological overshoot is not a topic I hear the citizens of San Juan County discussing often. So, to help kickstart such conversations, I am hosting three online events about ecological overshoot. The first, was on November 14 with presenter Dr. William (Bill) Rees, introduced the
Port of Orcas working to reduce airplane noise
||| FROM KIM KIMPLE for PORT OF ORCAS ||| Orcas Island Airport plays a vital role in connecting people and supporting the local economy. However, the noise generated by aircraft operations can have a significant impact on the well-being and tranquility of our community. Recognizing this concern, the Port of
School District is seeking applications for Pro and Con statement committees
||| FROM SUZANNA SMITH for ORCAS ISLAND SCHOOL DISTRICT ||| Orcas Island School District is seeking applications from persons interested in being appointed to a committee to write the “for” or “against” statements for the San Juan County Local Voters’ Pamphlets related to the Districts replacement Educational Programs and Operations
Health & Community Services launches new program, growing families
||| FROM SAN JUAN COUNTY COMMUNICATIONS ||| Growing Families San Juan Islands (“Growing Families”) is San Juan County Health & Community Services’ (HCS) local, public health home- and community-visiting service offered to growing families throughout our County. After much planning, the program officially launched this October! Through this program HCS
In Memoriam | Paqo, October 15, 2006 – November 24, 2023
||| FROM DAVID SHINSTROM, M.D. ||| It is with profound sadness that David Shinstrom announces the death of his beloved constant companion, Paqo. Hundreds of Orcas residents got to know Paqo in his integral role of greeter and comforter at Orcas Family Health Center. Countless patients commented on how Paqo’s
Hallelujah! Come hear Handel’s Messiah this weekend
||| FROM LYNN BAKER for ORCAS CHORAL SOCIETY ||| Orcas Choral Society presents the world’s best-beloved choral work, Handel’s Messiah, in three performances, Dec. 1-3, at the Orcas Center. Come and listen. Or, on Sunday, come and sing along. “Why is music for choir and orchestra, written 280 years ago,
Coast Guard partners with local agencies to respond to sinking vessel in West Sound
||| FROM U.S. COAST GUARD SECTOR PUGET SOUND ||| SEATTLE — Crews from Coast Guard Sector Puget Sound, Washington Department of Ecology, and the Islands’ Oil Spill Association (IOSA) responded to the sinking of the 80-foot vessel El Capitan at West Sound Marina on Orcas Island, Saturday, Nov. 18. Watchstanders
My adventures into Tai Chi Land: Fourth in a four-part series
||| FROM STEPHANIE ROSENBLATT ||| Tai Chi offers physical and emotional balance and gifts the practitioner with an inward journey that heals the soul. This unfolding is similar to Dorothy’s adventures in the Wizard of Oz. And like the Yellow Brick Road, Tai Chi is a winding path as it
