Tucker House Inn and Harrison House Suites
Secret Passage
Harrison House Suites &
Tucker House Inn Newsletter                      May 2013 

Greetings!  

 

We are finishing the last of the preparations here at Inns as we begin our countdown to Memorial Day and the 120 days of summer. There is a palpable buzz in the air; Friday Harbor's downtown core is getting spruced up with banners and hanging flower baskets, the streets are getting re-striped, the public parks are getting weeded and mowed. We are all preparing to welcome the world to our door.          
  
Getting to the cusp of the season is the culmination of 8 months of hard work. We make our winter project list in October as soon as the season slows; it always seems like plenty of time to get everything done, but it never fails that May arrives in the blink of an eye. This winter was a bit more complicated thanks to all of you. We had record visitation so we carefully choreographed our renovation projects so as not interfere with our guests. 
 
So without further ado, the curtain is ready to go up on a brand new season. So let the show begin....
Wenda Shinall Joins the Inns 
   
If you haven't met Wenda, you have seen her handiwork in our chef garden or enjoyed a breakfast she prepared. Wenda has joined our team as our summer innkeeper. In addition to her cooking abilities, she comes from a family of blueberry farmers. She has a passion and knowledge of gardening and made quick work of readying our chef's garden, hanging baskets and flower planters for the growing season. Learn more... 
 
 Island Food News 
Our vegetarian and vegan guests will have more options for dining out when they visit this summer. For lunch, The Green House Cafe & Juice Bar, just a block from the Inns on Web Street, and Mike's Wine Bar and Cafe on Second Street offer organic, fresh-from-scratch menu items. Coho Restaurant  always has one or more vegetarian and vegan options or can adapt other selections on request. Most of their entrees are gluten-free as well. An inside source tells us Gary Gero's new sushi bar going in above Cask & Schooner will have vegan and gluten-free selections as well.  

Being Green
 
The One Bag a Week Challenge Learn how our friends from Outdoor Odysseys take a group of 12 kayaking for almost a week and bring back one bag of trash.
  
  
Great Island Clean-up Round Up Volunteers collected a record amount of trash in this annual event that was the brain child of the Inns' Stephanie Prima-Sarantopulos three short years ago.
Island News
San Juan Island Receives Worldclass Accolades We are a bit proud and love to share the great news.  

 

IOSA Tries New Drill for Orcas Whale Protection Despite our  vulnerability, our community practices regularly to fend off a disaster. Scientists learn best practices from a rural community in Alaska on how they saved the whales. Check out the video.

 

Update on Gateway Pacific Terminal Our community and neighboring communities took a stand in stopping a coal terminal. 

  

Local Author Named in Top Five Finalists This fiction debut is as racy as its title.

 

Beth's Household Tips









 
Try Her Helpful Hints
  
As we put the finishing touches on our winter projects in preparation for the season, there are endless cleaning and painting projects underway. At each turn, Beth is at the ready with a helpful tip to make the job a bit easier or more eco-friendly. We didn't want to keep these household tips to ourselves, so we created a new column in our e-newsletter, Beth's Household Tips. Learn more...
  
May Recipe
 
      







Chef Molly's Pupcakes

We normally share recipes for 2-legged guests, but we had such unbelievable feedback on our Pupcakes and doggie treats, we thought we should pass along a recipe for the four-legged member of your family. What is nice about all of our doggie recipes is that they use human grade ingredients so you can enjoy them too. That's Inn guest Lulu pictured above, enjoying her Pupcake.   Learn more...

Summer Events
 







 
Ten Things To Do
 
There is something for everyone to enjoy on the Island this summer. Lots of culinary events, Holiday Parades and Celebrations, Street Festivals, community theatre, free music, running marathons, golf tournaments and more. Plus, on balmy September Saturday evenings you can now enjoy fee movies in the park, right next to Tucker House Inn. 
 

Was that some of the most amazing footage of the rescue of the killer whales in an Alaska Lake? What intelligent and graceful creatures. We know you agree that LuLu gets the "cute" award. The weekend that she stayed with us all of our guests were sending in photos of their puppies enjoying their Pupcake. LuLu and her furry face of frosting was irresistible.

 

We are sending you our heartiest thanks for visiting us, sharing your photos, thoughts and comments, and referring us to your friends and family. 

 

From our family to yours,       

 

Anna Maria and All the Staff at the Inns
Harrison House Suites & Tucker House Inn
360-378-3587
Visit us on Facebook Follow us on Twitter Harrison House Suites on Pinterest