He was brought into WAIF in Coupeville and I picked him up this morning:-)

His name is Sam. He was found missing about 2-3 pm on Coles Road near the turnoff to Langley. This is near the end of Coles road before you turn right into Langley. It has been told to me that a couple of women in a green older model SUV may have found him. They spoke to my neighbor and described him as a bulldog.

He means everything to me!!

You can reach me on my cell which is a 702 prefix (702-677-1671)

My name is Mark Clawson

You can also call Ron Kasprisin at 360-221-8160 and leave a message if no one answers.

We live on Coles road near the above turnoff to Langley. There is an orange mailbox.

Please help:)

Mark

Joshua Hill writing for PLANETSAVE talks about the dramatic increase in America’s desire to protect the environment.This comes only a few months after the last such poll which saw a desire for energy production to take priority over environmental conservation by 7 percentage points.

People are beginning to recognize the risks involved in deep sea drilling; it’s too bad that the consequences of such drilling can be so enormous.

The margin has swung back in favor of the environment with a clear 16 percentage point gap in the environments favor.

The article entitled “Oil Spill Renews American Fervour for Environment” can be view in its entirety by clicking here.

The Nature Conservancy has put together an interactive slide show describing how we are all connected to our oceans; just click on the photo above to view that show.

Tina Casey at CleanTechnica has a very contrasting story of what is happening in the Gulf of Mexico

SEADOG Pump Harvests Clean, Renewable Wave Energy from Gulf of Mexico

“The contrast could not be more extreme.  This week, as British Petroleum’s undersea oil gusher continued to flow uncontrolled into the Gulf of Mexico, fouling the Louisiana coast and threatening other states, Independent Natural Resources, Inc. announced that it has passed a critical milestone in constructing a new wave energy installation in the Gulf off the coast of Freeport, Texas.  The installation, engineered by INRI’s wholly owned subsidiary Renew Blue, is designed to use clean, renewable wave energy to power a desalination plant.” You can view how the pump works by clicking on the above photo.

You can view the entire article by clicking here.

Lastly, here is an article by Lloyd Alter that appears on the treehugger blog site.

“It takes guts to make change happen, and some cities have them, others don’t. In Vancouver, they changed the regulations to permit housing in back lanes, calling it EcoDensity; it is a carefully crafted bit of legislation that protects views and privacy.”

The homes are small; a 700 square foot home costs about $190,000 if you have the property to put it on. Just an interesting concept that I wanted to share with you. You can read the article and see video on the project by Lanefab by clicking here.

Good Cheer!

Another great post from the Good Cheer Food Bank blog! Here you go.

America may have talent, but South Whidbey has its share of talent, too!

In the fashion of the popular television show “America’s Got Talent” Good Cheer will present “The Mother of All Talent Shows” Saturday evening, May 8th at 7:30 p.m. in the South Whidbey High School auditorium.

This venue is very special as you can see by the photo. The challenge will be in filling all of the seats to make this truly a special event. An annual talent show would restart a great tradition for the community and will be lots of fun.

With more than 20 acts signed up to perform, the May event is looking like it might just be the reincarnation of South Whidbey’s old-time talent show held annually until three years ago.  The annual talent show was coordinated by Jean Shaw, well known South Whidbey school teacher, and became a community institution.

JoNoah Spratt and State Representative Norma Smith

The idea of a hosting a talent show started when Good Cheer volunteer, JaNoah Spratt was giving State Representative Norma Smith a tour of the Food Bank.  JaNoah is a young man who has done many projects to raise funds for Good Cheer, including his own garden at his house near Langley.  On the tour, he and Norma came up with the idea of having a talent show to earn money to support Good Cheer Programs.

To view the entire post you can click here.

When I moved up to Whidbey Island I brought a young friend named Sam along with me. Sam was only 8 weeks old when I moved into the Kasprisin Ridge Studios near Langley. Ron Kasprisin is an old friend who teaches Urban Design at the University of Washington. He is a renowned watercolor artist and you can visit his site by clicking here.

Sam with a toy racoon

Pets are special creatures they have unique ways of getting into your heart. Perhaps, it takes a little longer when they’re at that puppy stage and always getting into trouble.

Whidbey

Sam at 7 months

I thought it might be fun to share some photos of Sam, his buddy Whidbey (Ron Kasprisin’s dog), and some other pets of friends that I have come to know on the island.

If you want to give your favorite pet his or her moment of internet fame you can email me a photo and a description. Once I receive a few photos I can post a photo of your pet too! My email address is markvclawson@gmail.com.

Two of my closest friends on the island, Tom and Laura, have a stable full of pets.  Let’s start with the sheep from right to left! Lil Izza (the pure black one), her momma Lily, then Smiles (she was born with a smile on her face), Helen (the grandma), Akheem (the enforcer and papa), Peggy (the shy one) and Freckles. There were some thoughts that occasionally one might find the way to the dinner table, however, that is not going to happen:)

Tom with Kodi his Chow Chow.

While Kodi may look a little scary; Sophie the cat will be okay?

Sophie in a quiet moment

This is Gabriella (nice photo effect on the eyes). I seem to have misplaced Henrietta’s photo. I think this is it from Tom and Laura; quite a household!

Pete the carpenters dog Denali.

That’s all folks!

Send me your photos!

I wanted to share this post with the community. I’ve been helping the Good Cheer Food Bank with their blog and this is a post that you should all read!

The South Whidbey Commons grew out of a 1998 Family/Youth Summit. A shared vision and plan for an increasingly healthy and connected South Whidbey community was put forth. It is a vision that has taken roots in our community.

Caitlin Golbaum, an Americorp volunteer, comments on the community, the Island Coffeehouse and Books and the South Whidbey Commons were really on target.

“In my short six months here as an AmeriCorps member, I have been consistently impressed by the way this community cares for its own. There are several incredible non-profit organizations in the community that work tirelessly to ensure that basic needs such as food, clothing, and shelter are available to everyone. However, there is a fourth fundamental need that often gets overlooked: the need to build relationships with other people. The South Whidbey Commons is a non-profit that is dedicated to providing a safe, comfortable place where members of the community of all ages can build connections.”

The HELP Network, which South Whidbey Commons is a member, is truly unique. There is something special about our community and I do think that it is that small town atmosphere that makes it easier to know each other. Having programs that accentuate that belief in sharing and building connections is a way to ensure that we all feel like we are a part of the community.

South Whidbey Commons offers a wide variety of programs that serve as opportunities for interaction with the community. Their free PlayScape program allows children age birth through kindergarten to play together, while caregivers can visit and share experiences.

For the full post click here.

Food Links Whidbey Island starts with a post from We Are Never Full. It is entitled “Carbonnade a la Flamande, or Beer: the New Hangover Cure.” Meats braised in ales of all kinds can be found throughout northern Europe, but nowhere else, perhaps, has the concept been raised to such a culinary pinnacle as in Flanders.  You can click here to read the post.

The Proud Italian Cook has a new recipe for Braised Artichokes. “I know spring is here because I see artichokes popping up all over in the stores. Artichokes happen to be one of my top 5 vegetables that I couldn’t live without! So with that being said, whenever I see them cooked a different way or a new recipe I haven’t tried, I’m all over it”!

This one just begs to be made. Italian Foodies gives us lasagna napoletana; with great instructions as usual.

The Good Cheer Blogspot had a nice piece on Earth Hour 2010. You can read the post below:

Earth Hour 2010 is happening on Whidbey Island! Prima Bistro is moving to candlelight from 8:30 – 9:30 pm for Earth Hour. Maybe, we will have a spontaneous event right here in Langley.

Earth Hour 2010 takes place on Saturday, the 27th  March, at 8:30 pm (local time) and is a global call to action to every individual, every business and every community throughout the world. It is a call to stand up, to take responsibility, to get involved and lead the way towards a sustainable future.

Iconic buildings and landmarks from Europe to Asia to the Americas will stand in darkness. People across the world from all walks of life will turn off their lights, for one hour, and join together in celebration and contemplation of the one thing we all have in common –

Our Planet.

For a brief, but significant period of time, we can join the Universe of People on this Planet and have our voices heard. Gary Zukav wrote in his book, The Seat of the Soul, that “millions of individuals are awakening  sometimes to their surprise  to a hunger for harmony, cooperation, sharing, and reverence for Life. Their challenge is to create those things in a world of discord, competition, hoarding, and exploitation, a world in which life is a cheap commodity.”

For the full article click here.

The Whidbey Island Winery began as a dream and a chance for career changes for Gregory and Elizabeth Osenbach. The two lived in Monroe and were making homemade wine. Producing wine in Monroe was a bit of a problem because the climate was too wet.

The biggest part of that dream was moving to Whidbey Island and starting a winery from scratch. As many of you know, Whidbey Island lies in the rain shadow from the Olympic Mountain Range. This makes Whidbey somewhat drier than much of the Puget Sound.

In 1984 Greg and Elizabeth moved to Whidbey Island. They found a 10-acre site that would be perfect for their winery; it was very close to Langley and would be a good location for retailing their wines.

They built a home and started growing grapes. With a maturing crop of grapes it was time to expand. In 1990 they built the winery building and proceeded to get all the licenses that would be required to sell their wines.

1991 was their first production year and by the summer of 1992 they had sold 400 cases of wine. Today that number is between 3000 and 3500 cases of wine.

Currently about one third of the grapes that are used in producing their wines comes from the Whidbey Island vineyard; the rest of the grapes come from the Yakima Valley.

Greg and Elizabeth have developed a strong relationship with the growers in Yakima. They have input on how the grapes are grown. It used to be that the growers were paid by the pound for their grapes. This tended to reduce the quality of the grapes grown since the emphasis was on quantity.

Now grapes are sold by the acre; there is less of a focus on quantity and more on the quality.of the grape. If the crop level is lower you have better quality and the flavors are more intense.

If you click on the wine label above you can view a short video about the winery.

Elizabeth does the important book work that is needed for the enterprise’s success. Leah Waaramaki is the other half of the wine making team, with Greg, and she is also involved in the wineries marketing efforts. Leah comes from the wine growing area of California and has provided a lot of energy and love to the business and it’s wine making.

If you click on the above label there is a video interview with Leah Waaramaki talking about Seattle’s 2009 Wine Awards. The Whidbey Island Winery won a Gold Medal for their White Rh0ne Style  2007 Roussanne.

The Whidbey Island Winery produces both white and red wines. Three of the whites are produced at the vineyard; Madeline Angevine, Island White and Siegerrebe.

To find out more about the winery you can visit their website by clicking here.

The Winery is located on 5237 Langley Road in Langley, Washington, 98260.

You can call them at 360-221-2040

Green Links Whidbey Island starts the week with a story on sustainability and jeans. Did you realize that making one pair of 501’s requires almost 920 gallons of water and 400 megajoules of energy while expelling 32 kilograms of carbon dioxide? Here is the article by Amy Dufault in Ecosalon.

Britt Liggett writing for inhabitat talks about a new green living product. How about a water-filtering “Bobble” Bottle?

With Americans alone buying over $17 billion dollars worth of bottled water every year and using 1.5 million barrels of oil  to make those water bottles, a good alternative is desperately needed. The Bobble is perfect for your, “I drink bottled water because I know it is clean,” friends. The carbon filter on the Bobble is guaranteed to provide 150 liters of impurity-free water — which equates to about 250 bottles of water. Stick that in your Bobble and drink it.

Just click on the photo above; you’ll find out what and how the Deniers work. There is a must see video on the above photo link.