Most of us enjoy looking at beautiful forests and lovely fields of wildflowers, but island-bred Ryan Browne views them with a keen eye — not for their beauty, but for the bounty they yield. Ryan is a forager, someone who goes out and searches for provisions — whether they be for food, medicine, soaps, cosmetics, tools or shelter. Where you and I might look out our backyard and see weeds, Ryan sees remarkably abundant gifts of nature.
For tourists and locals alike, the farmers market is a feast for the senses. The brightness of flowers and produce, the sweet and savory scents of food, the fun of local musicians, all contribute to this image of bucolic loveliness. Its loveliness, however, is not the whole story. Indeed, as Friday Harbor Farmers Market manager Rosa Blair said, people don’t realize that the market has been an incubator for some successful local businesses.
The first thing Shari Ashbaugh noticed was the smell. Or rather, the lack of it. After breaking her hip this summer, Ashbaugh was admitted to Life Care Center of the San Juan Islands, formerly Islands Convalescent Center, for rehabilitation. Like many people, Ashbaugh thought of Life Care Center as more of a nursing home — a place associated more with aging than regaining health.
The Whale Museum welcomes the Buffalo Field Campaign on Friday — today — 7 p.m., for an evening of music, storytelling and video presentation. Mike Mease, co-founder of the Buffalo Field Campaign, will be joined by powerful Native voices, including Lakota/Yaqui musician and activist Good Shield Aguilar, as well as Phoenix AfterBuffalo. Good Shield fronts the band 7th Generation Rise, which performs indigenous soul.
Bruce and Pam Wyckoff and Gigi Zakula are delighted to announce the marriage of their children, Amanda Wyckoff and Nathan Smith, on Aug. 28, 2010.
Aspiring illustrator Aaron D’Errico of Friday Harbor has submitted a design in a contest to find a new logo for the Stan Lee Foundation. And you can help him win. The foundation was established by the Marvel Comics legend to support art, education and literacy throughout the world.
The Board of Trustees of the San Juan Island Library has selected Marjorie Harrison of Scottsbluff, Neb., as the new library director. The hire was announced Wednesday. Harrison succeeds Laura Tretter, who resigned to move to the Bayfield Public Library near Durango, Colo.
Tom Waits calls him a “great force of nature.” T. Bone Burnett says he’s “a master … a virtuoso.” And on Sept. 15 at 7:30 p.m., Friday Harbor gets the chance to experience that talent live when John Hammond makes his first appearance at San Juan Community Theatre.
San Juan Island is now host to the next generation of assistance animal. And she is only 24 inches high. You might not think a miniature horse would be a prime candidate for such service. However, local artist Jaime Ellsworth, an assistance-animal trainer, is one of few in the nation proving that supposition wrong.
If you haven’t made it into IMA’s “Green: on the edge” exhibit at the art museum, now is the time to do it. This thought-provoking show closes Sunday, Sept. 12. It’s the final exhibit at that location; IMA moves to temporary offices on Argyle Avenue the second week of October to accommodate the relocation of the Brown House to American Camp.
Lyndsy N. Taylor, daughter of Greg and Judy Taylor of Friday Harbor, graduated cum laude from Western Washington University, summer 2010. She graduated with a double major in Communication/Spanish and minor in psychology.
The San Juan Historical Museum hosts an “old island” historical home tour on Saturday, Sept. 25, from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. This is a unique opportunity to tour four historically significant homes each with wonderful grounds. Each home is over 100 years old. The tour is self-guided and at your own pace.
San Juan County children returned to school Sept. 1. The San Juan County Fire Marshal shares these safety tips from FEMA, the Federal Emergency Management Agency.
