Meeting of the Minds

Meeting of the Minds continues in February with “Air Quality Monitoring in San Juan County,” a presentation by San Juan County’s Environmental Health Division manager, Kyle Dodd

Over the last several years San Juan County has experienced episodes of poor air quality due to smoke from wildfires hundreds of miles away. Join Kyle as he covers recent work to study particulate matter 2.5 levels in the County which inform health-related messages to the public. He will also talk about low-cost sensors installed around the County. Kyle, who has been with San Juan County since 2014, now has 22 years of experience working with Washington State health jurisdictions.

To attend, go to the Orcas Senior Center website at www.orcasseniors.org just before 1 p.m. on Wednesday, Feb. 17, click on the Zoom link, and enter the provided passcode.

Virtual Vineyard

Join Orcas Senior Center, Doe Bay Wine Company’s Cole Sisson and sake expert from Seattle, Julie Shizukuishi on Sunday, Feb. 21 at 5 p.m. for “the virtual vineyard”! This month, in place of wine, we are enhancing your knowledge and tastebuds with sake. Although sake is sometimes referred to as “sake wine,” we will learn why it is fundamentally different.

The tasting kit will feature three small bottles of sake from Kizakura Sake Brewery, along with Dutch cheese from Cheeseland Inc., and crackers for $30.

In addition to sake, sushi will be available to order from Rolling Sushi! For more details visit www.orcasseniors.org. Next, purchase and pick up your sake tasting kit at Doe Bay Wine Company by Feb. 20.

Extraordinary Talent on Orcas

Seniors Have Talent went virtual, if not viral, on Saturday, Jan. 30, thanks to the heartfelt collaboration of Orcas Senior Center, Orcas Center, and our incredibly talented community! We were reminded not only how much talent resides on this small island we call home, but how important art, music and culture are especially important during these winter days where one day blends into another.

Orcas Senior Center would like to express our deepest gratitude to Didier Gincig and Jake Perrine for their expert collaboration bringing together an evening of entertainment for Seniors Have Talent. Thank you for your continued appreciation for the joy our community shares

If you missed Seniors Have Talent, you can view it at www.orcasseniors.org.

Gigantic thank you

A great, big, gigantic thank you to YMCA Camp Orkila, Funhouse Commons, and all of the fabulous volunteers who helped nine seniors on MLK Day of Service! Volunteers across Orcas helped clean up storm debris, clean gutters, and stack firewood. Terri Crowell, an MLK Day of Service recipient said, “We had so much fun! At the end of the day, we roasted marshmallows and made s’mores!”