O N T H E B L O G
Tips, Resources, & More
The Week Ahead
This is going to be a fun week! Support our wonderful Island by attending one or more of these events, starting with Dine and Discover at IslandWood on Thursday evening. The evening begins with a Docent-led Hike around the Trails, followed by a delicious dinner prepared by Chef Jim White, which is accompanied by beer and wine. Indulge your passion for art and adventure at two amazing events in support of Bainbridge Island Museum of Art - BIMA Bash! Silent and Live Auctions on Friday and Saturday Nights; pick your preferred event or night or attend both. On Saturday afternoon, get creative and have fun dressing up your dog(s). All proceeds from the admission and raffle support Bainbridge Boys & Girls Club.
Featured Events:
Dine and Discover at IslandWood - Thursday, June 8
BIMA Bash Auction - Friday & Saturday, June 9-10
Dogs UnLeashed - A Dog Fashion Show - Saturday, June 9
Best indoor plants – 10 top plants to grow at home
Discover the best 10 indoor plants to add color and interest to every room with our easy-to-follow guide. Full of expert tips as to which house plants will survive best in your home, you can banish any worries of green fingered failures for good. Get expert tips from homesandgarden.com in this article.
The Week Ahead
The first of 2023’s Classic Car Cruise-In starts this week and runs until the end of August. Spend Tuesday evenings admiring classic cars (or showcasing your own!), while enjoying a hotdog and helping local kids by making a donation to Project BackPack. This weekend you have a pick of live performances for all ages. Bainbridge Ballet’s Sleeping Beauty is on both Saturday and Sunday (including a Saturday matinee); enjoy this shortened version performed by children of all ages. On Saturday evening dust off your dancing shoes for WEAVE’s last 2022-2023 season performance featuring Foleada, a Seattle-based high energy Brazilian band. Enjoy a drink at the bar before the performance and during the interval and support WEAVE’s non-profit community organization bringing great musicians to Bainbridge Island.
Featured Events:
Classic Car Cruise-In - Tuesday, May 30
Sleeping Beauty - Saturday & Sunday, June 3-4
Foleada at WEAVE - Saturday, June 3
May 2023 Top 3
May so far has been full of evolution in my orbit. Kids are changing, career is evolving and growth abounds.
All of these recommendations this month found me by the bountiful people in my world. I am inspired daily by the greatness around me and am deeply grateful for the many teachers in my life. GAH - I am a lucky duck.
The Week Ahead
There is something for everyone this week. On Wednesday 24th book a date night with Dinner & A Duo at Heyday Farm - a great 3-course dinner accompanied by an intimate unplugged mini-concert with Ben Doerr and Lydia Ramsey of St. Paul de Vence. Get the kids prepared for Friday’s Bike to School Day on the 26th - make sure those bikes tires, gears and brakes are checked! And if you feel up to it, Squeaky Wheels are still looking for volunteer Bike Train chaperones! Summer must really now be here because The Pool at Pleasant Beach opens on Saturday. As well as the pool there is a fitness center, full bar and more - if you are not already a member get signed up now!
Featured Events:
Dinner and a Duo - Wednesday, May 24
Bike to School Day - Friday, May 26
The Pool at Pleasant Beach Opens for Summer - Saturday, May 27
4 Excellent Ways to Exercise for a Strong, Healthy Heart
Exercise is essential for helping to prevent cardiovascular issues, both now and later in life. The American Heart Association lists exercise as one of Life’s Essential 8: the eight most important, healthy lifestyle strategies for keeping your ticker in optimal condition. Along with getting active, this list includes eating a balanced diet, logging adequate sleep, managing blood sugar, and kicking tobacco to the curb.
The Week Ahead
This week on Bainbridge Island we are encouraging you to embrace our ecosystems and preserve the environment. Start your weekend by discovering how species composition and diversity promotes healthy ecosystems at the Springbrook Creek Preserve, enjoying good food and live music while learning more about energy efficient vehicles at the Kitsap Electric Vehicle and Bike Expo, and reducing waste by buying yourself something new to wear at Refashion Bainbridge. It's time to give back to mother nature!
Featured Events:
Birds and Blooms Walk at Springbrook Creek Preserve
May 20 Kitsap Electric Vehicle and Bike Expo - May 20
Refashion Bainbridge Show 2023 - May 21
The Week Ahead
This week is dedicated to all Mothers! Mother's Day is Sunday May 14 but why not celebrate Mothers all week? Venture out to the City with the whole family for Shrek 2 in Concert with Seattle Symphony at Benaroya Hall - choose from various times on Thursday, Friday or Saturday. Bainbridge Island celebrates "Wine on the Rock” so treat yourself or your mom to Wine & Cheese at four participating Wineries on Friday thru’ Sunday. For the finale, have Brunch on Mother’s Day at Islandwood after enjoying learning about Nature’s Nurturers: a Celebration of Mothers.
Featured Events:
Shrek 2 in Concert with Seattle Symphony - May 11-13
Wine on the Rock: Wines & Cheese - May 12-14
Nature's Nurturers: A Celebration of Mothers - May 14, 10am-2pm
The Week Ahead
As summer approaches, the number of events is increasing and this week’s events highlight three that showcase the diversity of things to do on Bainbridge Island. Attend an award-winning play, dine in the woods for dinner (or stay the night and grab breakfast too!), and attend the final “First Sunday” concert series until September. You won’t want to miss any of these events – get the details below and block out your calendars!
Featured Events:
The Humours of Bandon - May 5, 7.30pm-9.30pm
Dinner in the Wood - May 6, 4.30pm-10pm
Violin, Harpsichord & Cello - May 7, 4pm-5.30pm
Americans Need to Be Richer Than Ever to Buy Their First Home
The US housing market has softened a bit after years of soaring prices and frantic bidding wars, but there’s little reprieve for buyers trying to crack into the market. First-time buyers made up the smallest share of sales on record last year, at 26%, even as home values started to cool, according to the National Association of Realtors. And rising borrowing costs and still-high prices have pushed housing to the most unaffordable levels in records going back almost four decades.
April 2023 Top 3
We have flowers, people! Birds are chirping, the sun is out longer… and it’s still pouring buckets. Well we can’t have it all right? That said, my feelings of optimism grow stronger day by day.
This month, we’re talking about The Maritime Northwest Garden Guide by Tilth Alliance, how to let your kids roam social media safely, and Glen Weldon, NPR.
The Week Ahead
Music and Arts is the theme for this week with lots of opportunities for you to expand your enjoyment and exposure to different styles of live music. Spend Thursday evening at The Manor House where Bainbridge Arts and Crafts host “Shine Live Auction” celebrating live music and art while raising money for the SHINE Art Academy, an Arts Education school. On Friday at the Marketplace, listen to Vince Bigos performing original material, as well as covers by Hank Williams, The Beatles, and Bob Dylan. And Saturday brings an amazing opportunity for kids to learn to appreciate Jazz; take them along to a Matinee at Weave, hosted by the Dmitri Matheny Group. This will be a lively and interactive introduction to jazz for families and young audiences featuring a variety of entertaining musical styles from jump swing, to samba, calypso, and more. And later that evening adults can return to WEAVE to attend Dmitri’s full concert!
Featured Events:
Shine Live! Early Bird Dinner and Auction Ticket, April 27, 6pm-9pm
Live Music at The Marketplace with Vince Bigos, April 28, 7pm-9pm
Jazz for Kids - April 29, 5.30pm-6:30pm
The Week Ahead
This week encompasses Earth Day so we are focusing on events that get you closer to Mother Earth! And to make you feel extra special you can start the week by enjoying chocolate at the same time as donating to the West Sound Wildlife Shelter. On Wednesday, become more sustainable by learning or improving your kitting skills. And for the finale, volunteer or participate in all things green at Battle Point Park on Saturday. Get your green on!
Featured Events:
West Sound Wildlife Shelter Chocolate Take-Over, April 17-18, 10am-6pm
The Lamb & Kid - Various Knitting Classes, April 19th
Earth Day Expo, April 22, 10am-2pm
The Week Ahead
So many more new events are starting to pop up on the Island - which are good indications we are into Spring and beginning to get ready for Summer! Learn how to confidently identify wild spring plants that are edible and medicinal at IslandWood, feast on delicious grubs and a glass of wine with Southern BBQ at Eleven Winery, or enjoy a handpicked flight + a 4-course meal farmhouse style in Heyday Farm’s festive barn.
Featured Events:
Spring Skills of a Naturalist April 13, 9.30am-11.30am
Double D’s BBQ & Smokery Food Truck at Eleven Winery, April 15, 12pm-5pm
Frichette Winery Winemaker Dinner, April 15, 6pm-9pm
The One Parenting Decision That Really Matters
In this article from The Atlantic, an excerpt from a new book challenges the idea of trusting your gut when it comes to parenting decisions. Drawing on research and personal experiences, the author argues that relying on intuition can be misleading and instead offers a different approach to making important choices for your children.
The Week Ahead
This coming week is Spring Break and it’s time to get those creative vibes flowing. Whether you have children that need to be kept amused, or you want to channel that creative adult spirit, there is something for everyone. Register for inspirational self-guided tours or live demonstrations, sign-up for a 3-day art camp and participate in a variety of mixed-media experiences, and learn tried and true methods of how to master drawing portraits.
Featured Events:
BARN Tour Registration for Spring Sampler (April 30) - April 3, 1pm-3pm
Spring Break One-Day Art Camps Ages 5-12 - April 4-7, 10.30am-1.30pm
Drawing and Painting People, April 8, 10am-4pm
The Week Ahead
Wow, that winter seemed to go by quickly because we’ve got Spring events starting back up! Join the Bainbridge Island Farmers’ Market x April Fools’ Day this Saturday; get your bellies rolling at the Seattle International Comedy Competition taking place at Bainbridge Cinemas, The Pavilion on Friday night; and come together with your community to remember the lives impacted by the forced removal of Japanese Americans from Bainbridge Island on Thursday morning.
Featured Events:
Farmers’ Market - Saturday, April 1, 10am-2pm
Commemoration of the 81st Anniversary of the Exclusion - Thursday, March 30, 11am-12pm
Best of the Seattle International Comedy Competition - Friday, March 31, 7.30 pm-9.30pm
March 2023 Top 3
March is home to two of my favorite holidays— St. Patrick’s Day and the Oscars.
When the kids were younger they would routinely ask if all families have their now holidays— so St. “Fitz” Patricks day was always a thing for us. As a child with a maiden name of Kelly, my family was also all in. We ate green eggs, green pancakes, green mashed potatoes (less appealing as an adult) and celebrated when the leprechaun would slip through our traps and leave rainbow candy in the form of skittles. I am overjoyed that this is now a tradition celebrated in schools.
The Week Ahead
It’s time to start planning this year’s garden and that is our focus for next week’s featured events. Whether you want to nurture beautiful flowering shrubs or grow plants you can eat, Bainbridge Island has experts who will teach you how to have a healthy flourishing garden and a rewarding growing experience.
Learn how to buy the right type of plants to preserve water and maximize your productivity in the garden, graft your own fruit trees, and impress your family and friends with home-grown healthy vegetables.
Featured Events:
Drought-Tolerant Gems for the Low Maintenance Garden at Bainbridge Gardens - Saturday, March 25
Graft an Apple Tree at Bainbridge Gardens - Sunday, March 26
Veg Club: Gardening Classes at the Library - 1st Tuesdays ‘thru October.
The Week Ahead
Spring is coming, the clocks have sprung forward giving us lighter evenings and it’s time to embrace this new season on Bainbridge Island. Start by discovering the natural beauty that is Bainbridge Island by signing up for one of Bainbridge Gardens’ Spring Events or Classes. Bainbridge Gardens is a family-owned garden center located on a historic site and their events encourage you to learn how to become more self-sufficient in growing your own vegetables and maintaining a healthy garden. IslandWood is excited to launch their 2023 quarterly Dinner Series, starting with their March Dinner. To fill one of those Spring rainy days, book to see Bainbridge Performing Arts’ latest production The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time
Featured Events:
Plant What You Eat at Bainbridge Gardens - Sunday, March 19
Dine & Discover Dinner at IslandWood - Saturday, March 18
Curious Incident of Dog in the Night Time - Various Days, March 16-26