WEDNESDAY

Oct. 4

Honeymoon at Sea: Sailing in Baja on a 26-foot boat

7 p.m. to 8 p.m.

This talk and slideshow will be held in the Carnegie Reading room of the Port Townsend Library. Jennifer Redmond was a newlywed when she and her new husband decided to spend their honeymoon at sea, sailing in Mexico — they had no idea it was the beginning of 35 years together aboard sailboats. That first voyage tested their new relationship, not just through rocky waters and unexpected weather, but in all the ways that living on a 26-foot sailboat make one reconsider what’s truly important. The couple sailed Watchfire to Baja California’s Sea of Cortez, where they spent twelve months before sailing south along Mexico and Central America and through the Panama Canal. In her talk, Jennifer will recount that fateful first year, moving back and forth from her past to taking her first step onto Watchfire — from her bohemian 1960s childhood in Southern California to the years she spent as a struggling actor in New York.

For more information, contact Freda Watson at fredaw56@hotmail.com or 360-531-0030.

THURSDAY
OCT. 5

Author Jacqueline Winspear: Huntingford Humanities Lecture

7 p.m. to 8:30 p.m.

Join us for an evening with award-winning author Jacqueline Winspear, whose work encompasses fiction, non-fiction, essays, and journalism covering a wide range of subjects, from women working in wildfire management to articles on international education.

Jacqueline is the author of seventeen novels in the award-winning New York Times and National and International bestselling series featuring psychologist-investigator Maisie Dobbs. In addition, Jacqueline’s 2023 non-series novel, The White Lady, was a New York Times and National bestseller, and her 2014 WW1 novel, The Care and Management of Lies, was again a New York Times and National bestseller, as well as a Dayton Literary Peace Prize finalist.

Jacqueline has also published two non-fiction books, What Would Maisie Do? and an Edgar-nominated memoir, This Time Next Year We’ll Be Laughing. Originally from the United Kingdom, Jacqueline now divides her time between California and the Pacific Northwest.

Learn more about Jacqueline Winspear.

FRIDAY

Oct. 6 & 7

Humane Society of Jefferson County Shelter

All kittens, including Karynna (pictured below), and cats for those two days will be on sale for $20. The Humane Society is located at 112 Critter Lane in Port Townsend. Telephone 385-3292.

SATURDAY

Oct. 7

Surreal Show

5:00 p.m. - 7 p.m.

Aurora Loop Gallery presents Surreal, curated by local artist, Julie Read. The 14 artists are a combination of professional artists, and students from Read’s painting classes. Read taught different aspects of surrealism to her students one the summer, and, for some, it will be the first time they have shown in a gallery. The opening will have a Surreal Soundscape created by Lola Lazer. Dressing up is recommended.

& BEYOND

through Oct. 27

Cybersecurity 101: Introduction to cybersecurity

2:30 p.m. to 4 p.m.

Join us at the Library in Port Hadlock for an eight-week series about cybersecurity. These in-person workshops will cover critical information about online security concerns such as phishing, malware, ransomware, and losing data. Learn how to keep yourself and your family members safe online. Visit jclibrary.info for complete details.

through Oct. 29

“Companions,” a Northwind Art exhibition

Noon to 5 p.m.

The 24 showcase artists were invited to interpret the theme of companions. They’ve brought in more than 70 new works, all of which are on view at Northwind Art’s Jeanette Best Gallery, which is open noon to 5 p.m. Thursdays through Mondays. Diptychs, triptychs, series and other companion-themed art awaits in the gallery’s second room. Featured work includes “Time for Friends” by PT artist Corinne Humphrey.

Oct. 9 through
Oct. 23

Natural landscaping course

4 p.m. to 5:30 p.m.

Registration is open for the Jefferson County Conservation District fall Natural Landscaping course. Course participants will learn how to design a low-maintenance sustainable landscape that benefits wildlife. The course includes three classroom sessions and two field trips. Classroom sessions will be at the WSU Extension classroom facility in Port Hadlock. Registration is online at the conservation district website: www.jeffersoncd.org/news-events/. The course is taught by conservation district manager Joe Holtrop who has been teaching about sustainable landscaping on the Olympic peninsula for over 30 years.

Oct. 14 through Oct. 15

Cider saloon — Apple and Cider Festival

Celebrate the season with tastes of the region at the Seventh Annual Olympic Peninsula Apple and Cider Festival! Appreciate the traditions and culture of growing apples and brewing cider with a truly authentic Pacific Northwest, tree-to-glass weekend experience. Start at Saturday’s Cider Saloon tasting event at the beautiful Eaglemount Cidery, and end your night at the Fall Fire Party at Propolis Brewing. Sunday will kick off with an Orchard Brunch at Alpenfire Cidery, and end the weekend with a family friendly Apple Day celebration at Finnriver! Visit our website for more detailed information and locations of the events.

Shy Acre focuses on BIPOC and multi-use programs

By Thais Oliveira

for the leader

Community resilience, cooperative farming and education are at the very core of Shy Acre Farms. Located in the heart of Port Townsend, on San Juan and Discovery roads, the multi-use demonstration farm sits on the legendary Peace Hill in a permaculture village with a vision of an intergenerational tiny house development. It is part of the belief that growing community resilience is integral to the holistic vision for housing developments. An eco villa of sorts, with its focus on the BIPOC and immigrant communities, simplicity and resourcefulness.

Making its debut on Farm Tour this year, the collective opened its doors to show its accomplishments and future plans. Mark Jacobs, a fifth-generation farmer from Guyana and a US Army veteran, is at the trenches of the farming program.  When owner Celine Santiago was ready to pass the torch and grow the farm, she reached out through Farm to Farmer WA, a national Farmland Trust. She was seeking a grower who would be interested in helping with maintenance and establishing an education program, as well as planting the greenhouses and fields for local food access. Jacobs was looking to expand his farming in Pierce County and the connection was made.

“My goal is to produce food for local resilience and to teach about farming. I focused initially on veterans and would love to engage more young black people in the farming business," explains Jacobs. He sells produce to the King County food banks and donates to the Jefferson County food banks, in addition to providing organic vegetables to a couple of catering companies, including Nadine’s, a culinary endeavor by local musician and chef Grace Love.

Working on one acre and two green houses at Shy Acre twice a week, he also has a dedicated space for growing tropical heritage crops from Africa, the Caribbean and Central/South America. Under Mark’s wing, Prince Henry IV joined through the VA Conservation Corps and has been an intern, learning how to farm from zero. At Farm Tour, he presented his graduation demonstration project, an experimental dive into electroculture in the climate battery greenhouse, an agricultural method that uses electrical currents to spur plant growth. Shy Acre climate battery greenhouses use the earth beneath for storing excess heat generated by the structure. The excess heat is transferred to the floor beneath the greenhouse where it is stored for later use. The storage and transfer are typically accomplished by burying tubing beneath the greenhouse structure and running a fan to push air through it. During the day, warm air is pushed underground, where it condenses and releases heat, coming out the other end of the tube cooled and possibly at a lower humidity. At night, when heating may be needed, fans push colder air underground to pick up heat and release it into the structure.

The greenhouses not only provide greater capabilities for food production but also serve as shelter for the outdoor farm-based preschool, the Heartberries. Started as a parent cooperative during the pandemic, the educational-caregiving community-led organization transitioned to a teacher cooperative business in 2023. Chasity Sade and Sonia Gomez provide care for young farmers ages 2 to 5 in a growing program that contributes to the community's intergenerational care.