This weekend there was in interesting "skim board" event at Double Bluff beach. Live music, food, and a skim board pool with ramps and judged competition. We braved the 'Whidbey Sunshine' (overcast with light showers), and got some photos and a short video.
Local company Jack'd Skimboards hosted the event, and it seemed to be a great success.
Never Bored on Whidbey Island.
Well, since we decided to really start promoting our blog again and I again have my "eye on the prize" (so to speak) we have gotten significantly busier on the island. This weekend found us hosting a softball tournament at Dan Porter Park.
So let me explain how this event began....Mikkel and I are working at the church on our outreach project for St. Peters. We get hungry and decide to go to have lunch so...trallaldedooo... we go to Speedboat Cafe. It's hot and we are just talking and lo and behold we come to talking about having a water fight. Well we decide it would be really fun to have a spontenious water fight at the church but then we realize there just are not enough kids around the church for it to turn into any big thing..so we move the water fight to Dan Porter park..but there still are not enough kids or adults at any given time so we should advertise... We COULD GET THE FIRE DEPARTMENT TO EMPTY THIER TRUCKS FOR WATER!! Wow!! and with advertising I bet it could be a really big event...wait! Would the park let us do this..UMMM NO! and what about LIABILITY? Ok so that wont work but we could stay with the old time theme and do old fashioned rootbeer floats and softball games! Make a tournament and we could name it after Jim Harwell...YEAH.. All in agreement? It's a go! Rene will start advertising and well we will go from there.
So Rene prints posters, and sends them out to all the businesses she can get to along with talking to all managers, owners ect. and explaining that this is an event for the whole community and we want to get the shops to get customers to sign up for the games so we can have several games and it can become a tournament.
Then...Mikkel went on vacation...Jeff got busy with July 4th events at his shop and then running his cafe and ...Rene was here, busy with life and the softball tourney. Needless to say the event went off ok but it did have it's glitches. All in all though it was decided that next year we would do this again and this time some of the players even volunteered to help organize this wonderful event.
As for the event itself.. We had two teams. One of the teams was officially organized and represented Island Drug. The other was called the Stragglers and it was comprized of members of the community that just wanted to play and have fun. The umpire was me when I wasnt talking to people, and Mikkel when I was. The catcher for both teams was Mikkel and Jason Kalk from Lincoln Computers was the pitcher. The competition was great and as you can see everyone got into the fun! So next year plan on joining in if you can. We promise you will hear more about this event come next summer and something may develop in the next couple of months with some of the same characters... Can anyone say kickball?
Softball on Whidbey Island.
Well we have had our time! We bought our house over 8 years ago. Our house was built in 1931 and of course our driveway was also built during that time. About two years ago the lot next to us was purchased by very "Entitled" man who decided that our driveway (which bisected his property) was an inconvienence. He first introduced himself by walking up to our door and shaking hands with my husband then stating his name and saying that "I guess I will be taking your driveway away tomorrow." Now either this was a poor choice of wording or whatever but to make things short... We hired a lawyer who felt we could probably keep our driveway considering it was eminent domain...DUH!! but then $5000 later, the state stepped in and said they would close our driveway anyway because we had an easement of "Mr. Entitled's" property. He had to make his easement a driveway for us and just like that we were out a driveway.
It took a year to get the grime out of our mouths from dealing with this and I guess you can tell this is kind of a sore subject for us to this day! However, we finally have a new address and now we have a new address sign post! This is the good part of this post and I have to admit I rather like the post and had a lot of fun making it. My grandson helped me paint it and my wonderful hubby designed it. As with all things in my life, my very best friend/sister and her hubby Randy helped us dig the hole and bury the post. So here is the end result.
new addy on Whidbey Island.
Hi all. I have to say this week has flown by. Actually this year has! It is May already and well we are almost half way through 2009. May is the month we all get excited about. The tourists are on their way if we are lucky and well we all hope we can get busier here. This month we have a lot of things on our plate. This week we will welcome Quinn Fitzpatrick. Quinn is a local who has a new CD and is holding a CD release party here on Friday from 7:00PM to 9:00PM.
We follow up that with a wonderful night of jazz on Saturday. The South Whidbey Small Jazz orchestra with special guest Troy Chapman will be playing at 8:00PM. The music will follow a dinner of Salmon and onion souffle. This will be a wonderful night and if you get a chance to join us please do... Reservations for dinner are required.
This month is a month of music and art. We will be doing an open house for the artist co-op over Memorial Day weekend and hope to fill the weekend with history, stories, and music. If you can come by Rockhoppers on this weekend we promise a weekend of fun and the arts.
Until then we promise Saturdays full of music and fun and some other events are even in the planning during the week. Keep us in mind and hope to see you soon.
events at Rockhoppers on Whidbey Island.
Blame it on spring,or the sun or just some much needed sleep but I am up and at it again. First off is the Co-op. Our next meeting will be Saturday April 18th at 4:00PM. We will be discussing the upcoming open house for artists and arrangements of the shop. This will be a business meeting for us and a time to share ideas. If you are interested in beeing a part of this group please plan on being here.
Next is this wacky idea that I should try and do some teaching soon. I miss this activity and I have been working on a variety of projects that I am now getting finished finally! I would love to do a class on altered books. Is there anyone out there that might want to do this? I will be putting up posters at the crafts store and other areas and hope that some people will sign up for it. My other idea is a needle night. I love doing beadwork and crochet and embroidery and am wondering if any of you might like to join me for a needlework group?
I am still looking to put a radio show together for Rockhoppers and I would love an evening a week with a speaker or a small independent movie that elicits a discussion. I need to explore these a little more but know they are in the works.
I do have a book signing coming up later this month and hopefully will be picking up more of these. And as you may have noticed I am picking up musicians from over town as well as on the island. This will provide variety and help fill my calendar for events. I hope you will take up some of the things offered here at Rockhoppers and that we will see you soon.
Text about Whidbey Island.
So we have had some incredible days lately with sunshine and in the 60's, it is starting to feel likes spring around here. I posted this months calendar and I have to say we will be having some GRREAT events for the rest of this month.
First we will be entertained this Saturday with Che'. Che's evening of entertainment is always fun! He has a great sense of humor and his love of robotics and techno stuff gives his event an edge we dont usually have here. For dinner that night we will cook pork tenderloin roast. So be sure and come for an evening of fun.
The 18th we welcome Mike Curley. Mike has never been here before and we are really excited about him coming to Rockhoppers. Here is the write up that will appear in the paper(I hope) about Mike.
Rockhoppers is pleased to welcome Mike Curley Saturday evening May 18 at 8:00PM.The dinner for this event will be Cornish Game Hens and stuffing. There will be limited dinners available so call for reservations. Dinner begins at 6:00PM.
Mike Curley is a SONGWRITER OF CULT STATURE PROGRAMS / ARRANGER / VOCALS / GUITARS / PIANO / DRUMS. HE IS RESPONSIBLE FOR CREATING Music for the film and documentary currently in the works for the Victor Lundin active film script "Whatever Happened To John Wayne".
In 2007 Closed the Czech Grammies singing Imagine, with The Alan White Band, with a live tv audience of 5 million. During that year he also opened for Dolores O'Riodran at Seattle's famous Showbox Theater.
2005 Released "Come Back Too Me", an acoustic cover originally made famous by the Scottish band Big Country, with over 25,000 plays and air-play in europe. During that year he also opened for Reo Speedwagon, Styx, and Foreigner, at The Gorge amphitheater.
He has Written three solo projects: It Took Along Time - So Long Big City - Here For You. He as also recorded two albums with rock band Clever Bastards, with Roger Fisher (Heart), Michael Derosier (Heart), Lynn Sorensen (Bad Company), Rick Knotts (Rail). The Great Unconformity and Dumb It Down.
Mike is also a noted producer having produced & created the concept for "LiveInTheLounge", through the insomnia radio, voted by business week magazine "Top Three Internet Stations" in 2007. with over 80,000 weekly subscribers to the network.
The month will end with Trilogy. Trilogy is a group of local musicians who are getting prepared to be in a Pete Segar concert in May.This group is wonderful to listen to and they always provide a great night of fun!
Text about Whidbey Island.
For the last two weeks we have noticed a sharp decline in our day activities and a steep incline in our evenings. On Wednesday of this week we had a group of people from the Unity church who came and shared a video called "The Power of Forgiveness". What an awesome movie! This movie not only created a wonderful tool for conversation but stirred it's audience into a conversation that truly reflected the type of environment that Rockhopper's would like to see here.
This movie was very thought provoking and timely. While I have been to Manhattan since the twin towers came down, I have to admit the impact was not quite as great as seeing the towers collapse in this movie. There was some coverage of the jet hitting the towers that was not covered in news because of the rawness of it and I found that the coverage of this left me with very exposed nerve endings. It hurt all over again. Still this movie made me think and all in all I am a happy person who can forgive. I choose not to forget but vengence is not mine... ever.
Still this movie brought up some very interesting discussions and I am greatful I saw it with these people.
If you have something like this that you would like to put on the table for a group to discuss.. how about giving us a call and let's start sharing!! Rockhopper's is for discussions about politics, religion, finances and ideas. We want to be the place to come and share opinions and ideas over a glass of wine, a bottle of beer or a cup of coffee.
In the meantime check out this movie. The Power of Forgiveness.
Discussions on and about Whidbey Island.
Are we so jaded that we just will accept anything? Have we forgotten what good taste and Fun really is? Do we really need to have Toilets and food done together?
Rockhoppers SAYS NO to this!! and Prays this is just a fad and that people aren't really this stupid!~!
"There's poop everywhere! Y-u-c-k," says 6-year-old Jordan Lien as he and his family dine at the Modern Toilet, a popular Taiwanese restaurant chain that's expanding into China and other parts of Asia. The boy was looking at the poop-shaped lights and dish covers and the curry on toilet-shaped plates.
Diarrhea for dinner? That's the point. "It's supposed to shock and confuse the senses," says Modern Toilet manager Chen Min-kuang. But as Jennifer Finch, an American who was dining there, described it, "They do it tastefully. It's all very clean."
Every customer sits on a stylish acrylic toilet (lid down) designed with images of roses, seashells or Renaissance paintings. Everyone dines at a glass table with a sink underneath. The servers bring your meal atop a mini toilet bowl (quite convenient, as it brings the food closer to your mouth), you sip drinks from your own plastic urinal (a souvenir), and soft-swirl ice cream arrives for dessert atop a dish shaped like a squat toilet.
I went there on a Wednesday evening, and the place was packed with students and families who were having a jolly time eating out of the john. "It's very progressive and irreverent, like a practical joke," says junior high school teacher Chen Kin-hsiang, who went because her students raved about it. "It's a little gross when you see other people eat," she says, "but when you're eating, you don't notice it, 'cause you're hungry and the aroma is appetizing." Smell is one poop-like quality the chef does without.
The reasonably priced food includes curries, pasta, fried chicken and Mongolian hot pot, as well as elaborate shaved-ice desserts with names like "diarrhea with dried droppings" (chocolate), "bloody poop" (strawberry) and "green dysentery" (kiwi). Despite the disturbing descriptions, the desserts were great. But after seeing curry drip down a mini-toilet, I may never have that sauce again.
The Chinese can take this, Finch muses, because they are more nonchalant about bodily functions, such as burping, farting or even going to the bathroom — an act performed squatting sans doors in some places in China. But many Westerners enjoy the novelty of toilet dining too. Chris and Julia Harris took their visiting mother, who they say is obsessive-compulsive about cleanliness, to "freak her out," but she had a great time (though she refused to drink out of a urinal). The only people who have a hard time, says Chen, are the elderly who have exclaimed, "I will not eat on the toilet!" (Folding chairs and normal dishware are available for the faint of heart.)
Toilet creations aren't new to China. The ancient Chinese may have been the first to use the throne — a flush toilet was found in a tomb of a Western Han Dynasty (206 B.C. to A.D. 24) king — and they invented toilet paper in the 6th century. Modern Toilet owner Wang Zi-wei, 29, an ex-banker, got his idea from the Japanese robot cartoon character Jichiwawa, who loves to play with poop and swirl it on a stick. Inspired by that image, Wang began selling chocolate ice cream swirls on paper squat toilets. Customers loved them and wanted more edible excretion experiences, so he opened Modern Toilet in 2004. The theme-restaurant chain now has seven outlets in Taiwan, one in Hong Kong and one opening in Shenzhen, China, this week. Plans for other cities in China, Macau, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia are also under way. Dinner à la latrine, anyone?
Find this article at: http://www.time.com/time/arts/article/0,8599,1882569,00.html
No Toilet Restaurants on Whidbey Island.
So this month's events are posted. This weekend we welcome Beverly Graham. Beverly is the founder of Operation Sack Lunch and is a truly remarkable woman with an incredible voice. It is always wonderful to have her here to sing and I truly am honored that she will come sing here at Rockhoppers for us.
We did have our first meeting of our artist's co-op and this was resulted from that meeting.
First organizational Meeting of Rockhopper’s Artist Co-op Friday February 27th at 5:30PM
After some discussion for this group it was decided that the following would be the criteria for belonging to The Rockhopper Artist Co-op. The standard ‘dues’ for belonging to the Co-op would be: $50.00 per month per artist, 20% commission, and a minimum of 8 hours of work in the gallery. Each artist would also be expected work on at least one of four committees.
Each of these standards serve the same value so if you are unable to spend 8 hours working in the shop then you can substitute the value by increasing the cost per month and the commission so the value would be as follows:0 hours working in the gallery $75.00 monthly payment and 30% commission 16 hours working in the shop $0.00 monthly payment and 20% commission It was decided that only those with food handler’s permit and liquor license could substitute time working in shop for monthly payments.
10% of the commission for art sold goes to Rockhoppers with the other 10% going to the artist that is working on the floor at the time of sale or the artist that facilitated the sale. It was also decided that if a piece was purchased from a site other than Rockhopper’s site on the internet or through outside sales, that no commission would be expected by either Rockhoppers or the artists working the floor.
Committee work is divided into 4 committees who will often be working with another committee to get their work done.
Jurors committee: This group will be responsible for selecting new members who want to display in the Co-op. This group’s task will be to make sure that items coming into the gallery meet certain quality criteria and that they fit into the atmosphere of Rockhoppers. Those artists that are just starting will not be discouraged from participating in the Co-op since one of the main purposes of Rockhoppers is to encourage new artists however, we also recognize the importance of having established artists displaying their work as well so quality of work will be a determining factor. ( 3-5 members)
Display committee: This group will do setting up and taking down of monthly displays and rearranging of all art. They will also be responsible for pricing and making sure each item is marked for sale. They will not have control over the chairs and furniture in the shop unless that furniture is used for display purposes only. They will be able to close off shelves, arrange decorations on walls and move display areas as needed. This group will probably use all of their hours per month in the shop doing this committees work. (as many as possible)
Marketing committee: This group will be responsible for helping to establish marketing and advertising campaigns working with Rockhoppers to ensure that both establishments benefit from this endeavor without conflict. They would also be responsible for write ups and promotions of events and artists displays in the papers. (2-3 members)
Event Committee: This group would help schedule and establish artist receptions, boutiques, art shows, and events that will promote The Co-op. This group would work closely with Rockhoppers to ensure there would be no scheduling conflicts and that Rockhoppers would be able to provide for the catering that would need done for that event. This committee would also be expected to make a presence at all events held by the Co-op. (as many as possible)
Rockhoppers Co-op is hoping to have 20 artists who will be participating in this Co-op. Our core group that met last night did decide that we would try and extend our efforts to do more than just run a Co-op at Rockhoppers. We saw the Co-op as a place to promote art and artists through one man shows, boutiques, art shows outside and working artist studio times as well. So if you cannot obligate yourself to be in the Co-op at this time then you may want to consider doing a show in the future. This would require a one time payment for the rent of the space and you would assist the display committee in setting up and taking down your pieces. The rent for the space for one weekend would be $150.00. If longer than a weekend then the price would be slightly more. The co-op has temporarily set the rent for this amount however the amount may change at a later time.
Rockhoppers feels that this is the place that promotes all forms of art from music, to writing, to Art in all forms. Rockhoppers also feels that the community of friends and family that have become its foundation makes this opportunity to be a place of creativity that knows no boundaries. We are excited to be able to offer this to all our artists and we hope that through work, laughter and living that our art will grow along with us!
So with everything that is happening here at Rockhoppers we are asking you to be patient with our posting. We will be doing more very soon but we have some fairly large projects planned in our little space and a lot of our time will be spent making sure they happen. Still we will try to keep you up to date as things progress. Thanks.
Rockhoppers is getting ready for spring on Whidbey Island.
First let me apologize for not having recordings of the last two bands. Something is wrong with our recordings and they are coming out really bad so we have just streamed the bands and hoped people were listening.
In short we had a great Valentine's day with The Lizzards. In case you missed dinner we had homemade manicotti with homemade noodles, homemade marinara sauce, 5 different cheeses, and shrimp, smoked salmon and crab meat. We had spinach salad, French onion soup and tirimisu too. All homemade. It was a wonderful meal with family and friends and a great Valentine Day.
In prep for Mardi Gras and Fat Tuesday we had our own Mardi Gras ceremony. We served jambalaya,made with crab chicken,shrimp, Italian sausage and summer sausage. We also had a Cajun Pineapple Salad and king cake. As a topper we had the Deer Lagoon Jazz Band. What a great group and music was awesome.
This week I am preparing for my mystery meeting.This meeting starts on Wednesday at 7:00PM. Rockhopper's mystery club! "We just wanna have fun..." About two years ago I had an idea and although I could not incorporate it at the time, it stuck in my brain. The idea is to meet once a week.We discuss new mysteries, new writers and we share ideas for our own mystery. We can do a group mystery (just an idea) in book form. Once a month or once every other month we can do a mystery dinner hosted by the mystery group and prepared by Rockhopper. We can have fun playing a variety of mystery games. We can even do some mystery readings (open Mic style). If interested e-mail me at craftyrene@hotmail.com or call 341-4420
Friday is our Artist's Co-op meeting.This meeting will begin at 5:30PM and will include free snacks. Rockhoppers wants to do an artist Co-op. Since the co-op in Langley has closed, Rockhoppers would like to offer its space to a group of artists interested in starting their own co-op. For all you artists out there that might be interested... here is your chance to create your own co-op and to put Clinton on the map for it's art and artists. If you are interested please e-mail Rene at craftyrene@hotmail.com or call me at Rockhoppers 341-4420
It's all happening on Whidbey Island at Rockhoppers!
Balancing money and life is a tough act. Writing about it takes a different set of tools. Tom Trimbath, the author of Dream. Invest. Live. read from his book and talked about the practicalities and implications of writing about personal finance. Here's the video:
Book synopsis: Define your dreams. Invest your money. Live your life. Define your own dream, and you can ignore the trappings most people chase. Invest your money yourself, and you can take advantage of your skills and experiences. Respecting your own knowledge and working to a clear goal that you defined gives you an advantage over the investment titans. America's pioneers understood the rewards available to those who also understood risk and the frontier. They built better lives for themselves. They can be role models for those of us in this modern world. Properly balancing your money, your goals, and your time can let you live a life now while you journey towards your dream. Pioneers had to bounce along in a covered wagon and survive brutal winters. Our journeys don't have to be as risky and can be much more rewarding.
Tom Trimbath is the author of the nature series Twelve Months at Barclay Lake, Twelve Months at Lake Valhalla, and Twelve Months at Merritt Lake, and the cultural essay Just Keep Pedaling (stories learned from bicycling across America). Thanks to frugal parents and some insightful reading, he was able to leave a life as an aerospace engineer before he was 40 and become a writer, photographer, entrepreneur, and cautious adventurer. Autographed copies of all Tom's books are available at Rockhoppers.
Dream, Invest, Live on Whidbey Island.
"We just wanna have fun..." About two years ago I had an idea and although I could not incorporate it at the time, it stuck in my brain. It could be because I love mysteries.. My favorite authors include: Jeffery Deaver (have read all his books except the scout mysteries and I am catching up on them.) Patterson, Kirk Mitchell, PD James, and JA Jance being some of my favorites. I also find myself really enjoying adventures and my fave by far is Janet Evanovich. I have hooked a large number of my customers on these authors especially Janet Evanovich which is fun to read and well makes me laugh histerically!
Okay, so my idea was this... let's do a mystery club! The idea is to meet once a week or once a month or any combination thereof.. we discuss new mysteries, new writers and we share ideas for our own mystery. We can do a group mystery (just an idea) in book form. Once a month or once every other month we can do a mystery dinner hosted by the mystery group and prepared by Rockhopper. We can have fun playing a variety of mystery games and well we can just have some fun. We can even do some mystery readings (open Mic style).
This is something that I think sounds like a lot of fun and I am sure there are enough mystery fans out there that we could have a great group and we could create our own fun with Rockhoppers Mystery group!
Rockhoppers will hold a meeting for this group Saturday January 10 at 10:00AM. If you are unable to make that then please give me a call. There must be at least 6 other people interested in this group for it to form. In the meantime here is a few warmup games you might enjoy.
Mystery club on Whidbey Island.
Attention all artists... Rockhoppers is looking at turning the gallery space it now occupies into an Artist Co-op.
I am looking for artists in local area who would be interested in this endeavor.
Rockhoppers will have a meeting to be held Friday January 9th at 7:00PM to discuss this endeavor. There will be free appetisers and coffee for those artists interested. Please consider this opportunity.Especially if you are an artist from Clinton.
This is your opportunity to help put Clinton on the art map!!
So remember A week from today at 7:00PM at Rockhoppers. Give us a call or e-mail us if you cannot make it or you need information. 341-4420 or craftyrene@hotmail.com.
Artist Co-op on Whidbey Island.
Well there are some Christmases that are just so much better than others and I am pleased to say this was one of those. For those of you who have been following us and our coffeehouse and personal adventures, you know that this year has been a very hard year for us. With all the trials we had just keeping the shop open and then the economy and Dan being without a job for over a year... We had our challenges. (I have included a copy of our Christmas letter for all of you who wish to get caught up on that). Anyway, this Christmas has had it's challenges too. We were really late getting out to do Christmas shopping, Dan was stranded in Wyoming, We had a foot of snow dumped on us and I could not get out of my driveway for several days... so we closed the shop down during the holiday season assuming everyone else was in the same boat we were.. Well... once you are faced with a lot of challenges you either fold or you accept them and work with and inspite of them.. I worked with them. I took the three days we had to close the shop and cleaned our home which needed to be cleaned badly! We lit candles, read and watched movies and in general Dan and I spent some badly needed time together just enjoying the snow and the season. Two days before Christmas we went shopping and what we didnt get then we did without! How wonderful to just be... to relax and to enjoy a white Christmas!!
We spent a lot of time shuffling between our kids and Mary and Randy's home and then on Boxing Day we opened the shop for our 30th Boxing Day dinner. The history of Boxing Day is as follows: Boxing Day takes its name from the ancient practice of opening boxes that contained money given to those who had given their service during the year. It was also the day when alms boxes, placed in churches on Christmas Day, were opened. The money was then given to the priest or used to help the poor and needy. Another name for Boxing Day used to be Offering Day.The earliest boxes of all were not box shaped, as you might imagine, nor were they made of wood. They were, in fact, earthenware containers with a slit in the top (rather like piggy banks.) These earthenware ‘boxes’ were used by the Romans for collecting money to help pay for the festivities at the winter Saturnalia celebrations.During the seventeenth century it became the custom for apprentices to ask their master’s customers for money at Christmas time. They collected this money in earthenware containers, which could be opened only by being smashed, and on Boxing Day the apprentices would eagerly have a ‘smashing time’, hence the expression, seeing how much they had collected. A later tradition, and the one which has survived to this day, was the distribution of Christmas ‘boxes’, gifts of money to people who had provided services throughout the year – the postman, the lamp-lighter, parish beadles, parish watchmen, dustmen and turn-cocks – which happened on the day after Christmas Day.
We had 42 people in attendance and I believe a good time was had by all! After dinner was finished some wonderful musician friends played and sang for us with some of us joining when we knew the songs. I had always wanted music after our dinner and this year for the first time we had a jam session and everyone enjoyed it! How wonderful it was to hear such great music and watch people revel in the fun!
This is also the first time that we had almost no leftovers! It was great! We had roast and scalloped potatoes, my turkey dressing, green beans, vegetarian lasagna, salad, and several desserts. There was plenty for everyone and when we all sat down to eat it was as usual the only time of the evening where we had quiet (for about 10 minutes!) Dan took pictures and I have included them in this post.
We missed a lot of you due to the weather and it is our hope that you had a good Christmas too. We also hope you will come see us and will be able to join us again next year on December 26th when we do this again. In the meantime... Very many Good Wishes go out to you my FRIENDS and ROCKHOPPER FAMILY and we hope that this next year will treat you well and give you many gifts of love, peace and friendship along the way!
Boxing Day Dinner at Rockhoppers on Whidbey Island.
Next year Disneyland celebrates the 40th anniversary of The Haunted Mansion. One of the events they have planned is a reception for the great graphic artist, SHAG. Here is some of SHAG's artwork for the anniversary.
I always loved The Haunted Mansion -- I remember how terrified my sister was when she first went through the tour. I tormented her mercilessly. Now I'd love to go through it again with her. Maybe I'll take her on one of our annual visits (we're going again this spring). Here's more information on the reception, and more artwork.
Haunts of Whidbey Island.
So here we are and our time is rapidly heading toward Christmas and New Years. Wow! So this is what age feels like! I swear it was just here yesterday! Well, Rockhoppers has some things going on this month to help bring in the season (don't we always?).
You will note that tomorrow is the WIWA Open House here and their program will feature Connie Dawson, co-author of How Much Is Enough?: Everything You Need to Know to Steer Clear of Overindulgence and Raise Likeable, Responsible, and Respectful Children. Dawson’s book, co-authored by Jean Illsley Clarke and David Bredehoft, gives parents the insight and advice they need to parent in an effective and loving way and put their children on track for a happy and successful life. The book is based on solid, groundbreaking research involving 1,200 parents and their children, and, as Dawson’s talk will point out, could be useful in helping parents re-think Christmas present buying.
All writers are invited to attend the Holiday Open House from 4:30 to 7:30 p.m. and everyone is asked to bring an unwrapped new children’s book to be donated to the Holiday House project sponsored by the Readiness to Learn Foundation of Island County. Members are reminded that there are many children’s authors in the Association and their books would make excellent presents. Whidbey Island Association membership information is available at the meeting and an on-line calendar of all Association activities can be found at www.writeonwhidbey.org. Contact Donna Hood at 360-341-1860 with questions. Other Tuesdays of the month, writers are invited to meet, write, critique and eat at the Rockhopper. An open mic is available for writers who wish to videotape their work for airing on www.ferryfolk.com.
This Saturday Rockhoppers welcomes back Eddie McGeHee. Eddie is doing a wonderful old fashioned Christmas Song Sing-A-Long. It starts at 7:00 and we would love to have as many voices as can fill our room! Please join us as we welcome in the Christmas Season.
I will be sending more about events as they come up but suffice it to say we are having some great entertainers again this month and their is dinner preceding each event. Reservations are required for the dinner.
I will also be doing some story telling this month. On Wednesday afternoons beginning December 10th and going and each following Wednesday till December 24th at 3:00PM I will be reading some Christmas stories. Cookies will be here for the kids and the adults who wish to participate. Please come join me as it is very hard to read out loud to an empty space.
Perhaps one of the biggest events this month is the Santa Breakfast. Rockhoppers will be hosting Breakfast with Santa on Saturday December 13th. The breakfast will begin at 8:00AM and Santa will arrive for pictures at 10:00AM. Pictures of Santa with pets can be done at 12:00PM. but all pets must remain outside of the restaurant so pics will be done outside. This is Rockhoppers first time doing this breakfast and we are hoping that everyone will enjoy the opportunity to participate in this event. Edit: Santa is moving this event to Saturday, December 20th, due to scheduling conflicts.
Well I guess that is enough for this post. I will catch up to you later.
Getting Ready for Christmas on Whidbey Island.
Well, I finally posted November's calendar. Here is the scoop on this Friday's special guest.
Lisa Marshall is having a CD release party at Rockhoppers on Friday November 14th. Mark your calendars for this event. Lisa will be singing and signing her CD's from 9:00PM to 11:00PM. Lisa Marshall is a Rhythm & Blues singer who is influenced by Motown, Soul, and Rock n’Roll. Vocally inspired by vocalist like Aretha Franklin, Gladys Knight, Mavis Staples and Janis Joplin. Her song-writing is primarily influenced by R&B, rock, and gospel such as Tina Turner, the above mentioned to Led Zeppelin, & the Rolling Stones and The Beatles.
Lisa "belts 'em out like Janis Joplin and can gyrate like master contortionist Joe Cocker," writes Monterey journalist Beth Peerless - Monterey Herald ; Monterey, CA. Marshall lives in Seattle,WA. She performs locally solo with her acoustic guitar and with her band, and is working on an acoustic act with “call and answer” style vocals with her 3 backup singers. She has released her first solo CD called “Simple”. The vocals are true to her style and love for R&B and Soul. The songs encompass a gritty, funky vibe, a departure from her past Southern Rock style. Lyrically she draws from early Blues singers speaking her beliefs, speaking out with a call out to up lift and empower her listeners...” erase from your mind all the bad that’s been done to you, all the good things you are let it shine, shine, shine...drinking cup raise it up, got my voice gonna raise it up!”-Swamp Song by Lisa Marshall. “I don’t like putting myself in a box. It’s difficult to predict what a song may evoke in the listener. ” The CD will be released into the digital world of web radio, college radio, pod-casts, downloadable singles and album from her website and digital distribution sites, and Marshall will begin short touring cycles of cities and festivals. Recently Lisa Marshall, with her band, delivered a high energy performance at The University Street Fair at the University of Washington in Seattle which led to an invitation to headline a Peace Concert, and ongoing summer event, at the Seward Park Amphitheater on August 12 in Seattle, WA. Lisa Marshall’s solo CD “SIMPLE” was released May 12, 2008.
"First time I heard Lisa, I just stopped, stared and was glued to my spot until she finished...I couldn't believe her sound, it was that good and that unique. I've seen some of the best, but she's the kind of talent that raises the bar for us all while never once acting like it." -Susan Apple, Veteran Las Vegas singer of l5 years
“....Lisa sings. She might remind you of ARETHA FRANKLIN or BESSIE SMITH....Lisa has a wonderful voice for this kind of music.” -Jack Little, MetalMaidens.com
So come join us at Rockhoppers on Friday November 14th from 9:00PM to 11:00PM. There will be a $5:00 cover charge.
Dinner will be offerred that evening from 6:00PM to 8:00PM. Reservations required.
rockhoppers will hop this Friday on Whidbey Island.
Okay this month has not exactly started off the right way for me. I hate being home in bed when music is going at Rockhoppers! Then I come back and man did I screw up! I forgot about open mic completely, shut down the shop at 5:00PM and went shopping with my daughter in law. Now granted, I did get some much needed items for the store but ..... to forget open mic completely .... BADDD BADDD RENE!!! My sincere apologies go to Eric and to Che' and to any of you musicians who showed up only to find we were closed. Open mic will be running again next week and I will be here! I promise!
So on to this week at Rockhoppers. Saturday evening Rockhoppers welcomes Che' and his musical experiment/ experiment music. If you are feeling really adventuresome, come check out the music/noise. Che promises robots, boobies and lots of adult humor. (Relax men, the boobies are not live and there will not be any nude dancing!) Dinner will be served at 6:00PM and will be a roast with new potatoes and green beans. Dessert will be a German Apple Cake and soup will be squash chowder. I figure comfort food would be a good way to start off this evening since the music promises to be anything but comfortable. This evening is R rated and not encouraged for children.
So there is the week in a nutshell. I will be posting the calendar on Friday but there are still several openings for music this month and next month. So if you want to schedule yourself or your group for a Saturday.. give me a call and lets get you on the schedule.
For those of you that are interested.. Rockhoppers is planning a great yuletide decoration party. We will be turning Rockhoppers into a Winter wonderland for Christmas and holding a Christmas party where pictures can be taken with Santa in December. So keep us in mind for the holidays.
Also, I want to let you all know that if you do art and are interested in holding your own show (like the shows in the Front Room and Bayview) then we are available for an event like that. This is something I would really love to promote and I am hoping that there are some people out there who would be interested in exploring this idea with me. Give me a call and lets see what we can set up for you.
what is happening at Rockhoppers?
This Saturday we are celebrating Rockhoppers birthday. It is our 3rd birthday to be exact. Dan is going to be offering a wonderful class on blogging. This will be your opportunity to learn how to show off your pictures and tell your story. Dan will show you the ins and outs of blogging and how to get your blog noticed! The cost for this class is only $10.00 and it will start at 10:00AM and last till 2:00PM.
From 2:00PM to 7:00PM Columbia Beach BBQ will set up in the parking lot and start supplying late lunches or dinners. Their food is absolutely yummy and the scent of the wood BBQ will have you salivating for sure! Columbia Beach BBQ will supply the food and we supply the drinks and desserts. So be sure to mark your calendars for this night to eat out at Rockhoppers.
At 8:00PM Eric Christensen and his friends will be here to entertain us! This is great music and great company and should be a really fun night. So come to Rockhoppers on Saturday and help us celebrate!!
Having a Party on Whidbey Island.
