Amelie is born...

We couldn't be more thrilled to have a new Outlook family member...our tiny boutique, Amelie,  in the historic Inn is finally OPEN!

Here's a preview of some of the special treats in store for you.

 

The beautiful designs of Stephanie Housley of Coral and Tusk and a staple of the shop.  From charming stuffed animals (you'll want to invent a child to buy these for, but don't worry, everyone here wants one for themself), framed embroidery like the deer above, and beautiful canvas baskets, Stephanie's designs have been featured on Martha Stewart Living

 

Moss globe necklace by Heron and Lamb from Chicago.  Heron and Lamb represents original, feminine designs Inspired by the preservation of all things rustic and natural.  Each piece is infused with re-purposed materials and collected elements from nature. Minimalist and understated, the use of dried flowers, mosses, and vintage lace evoke a feeling of nostalgia and delicacy while maintaining a strong sense of preservation.  I love the feel of these pieces!

Have you smelled these candles?  Volupsa Candles made by husband and wife team in Santa Barbara, full of heady fragrances like Mokara, a blend of mokara orchids, white lily and spring moss, and Baltic Amber (shown above) with amber resin, vanilla orchid, and sandlewood, they will leave your special spaces smelling amazing...one step into Amelie and you'll smell what I mean.

I can't wait for you to see what I've chosen!

Warmest,

Rare Running Opportunity - Leave No Trace Race on Turtleback

On April 21, at 10 a.m., The Funhouse Commons Youth and Community Center will present a 15k (nine-mile) trail & road run on and around the Turtleback Mountain Preserve on Orcas Island.

The first organized run on Turtleback, the fundraising event will be called the "Leave No Trace Race" underscoring the importance of protecting the Preserve, and keeping the impact on the trails to a minimum. The race will also be strictly limited to just 60 runners.

A truly challenging and beautiful nine mile run, the course features every type of running terrain. It begins at the south trailhead, with a difficult hill climb that is rewarded with incredible views. From there the course switches to a beautiful forested single track. The trail connects back to the dirt fire-service road and proceeds over the mountain, to the North trailhead, near the old school house on Crow Valley Road. The rest of the race is on the roads, from Crow Valley to Deer Harbor road along the water's edge, and back to the start.  

To sign up click the link below, or visit the Funhouse Commons website, or click here.

Second Annual Orcas Island Shakespeare Festival March 21, 22, 23

Here's a repost of the information about Orcas Island's own Shakespeare Festival from the Orcas Island Chamber of Commerce.  There will be a special appearance by Shakespeare himself, along with jugglers, dancers and performers of all ages, at the New Leaf Cafe on Saturday, May 22 at 1:15.  Come by for a late breakfast and enjoy the show!

You are invited to come enjoy our Shakespeare Festival on Orcas Island, featuring costumed performers, an Eastsound Parade, street theater, and a performance of ‘Julius Caesar’ by The Seattle Shakespeare Company. Clear your schedule for March 21, 22 and 23, 2013.

The Stage on the Green, located in the heart of the island, will be home to numerous festival activities all day Saturday, March 23, including stage performances and music of the period. That evening, a performance of Julius Caesar will be presented at the island’s version of “The Globe” – the 200-seat Orcas Center, the community’s performing arts facility.

If you have any questions, please email or call (360-376-2273) the Chamber of Commerce

Festival Event Schedule

Thursday, March 21

• Dinner at Sazio di Notte with the Seattle Shakespeare Company. Chef Bill Patterson has created a meal fit for The Bard himself! See the Menu. 6 pm – 9:30 pm. $125 per person (wine included). Reservations made at Sazio (360-376-6394), The Office Cupboard (360-376-2378), or at the Chamber of Commerce (360-376-2273).

Friday, March 22

• ‘Combat’ acting class for students. 10 am at Orcas Center. Seattle Shakespeare Company provides instruction to local high school students on ‘combat’ techniques for the stage.
• ‘Julius Caesar’ performance for local students. 1 pm at Orcas Center. Seattle Shakespeare Company in performance.
• ‘Combat’ acting class for adults. 4 pm at Outlook Inn’s Victorian Room. A chance to learn how to theatrically take and give a hit! Seattle Shakespeare Company. Cost: $30. Class size: 30. Reservations made through the Chamber of Commerce (376-2273).

Saturday, March 23:  

All-day Shakespeare Festival on Orcas Island, featuring street performances, a parade, farmers market & much more!

• 11 am: Parade through Eastsound (North Beach Road – Rose Street – Prune Alley – A Street) ending on the Village Green). Orcas Island’s William Shakespeare will be feted as he arrives
• Vendors on Village Green (11 am – 4 pm)
• ‘Julius Caesar’ performance at Orcas Center
• 7 pm: Wine reception at Orcas Center for ticket holders
• 8 pm: Performance by Seattle Shakespeare Company

‘Julius Caesar’ Performance at Orcas Center

Tickets for the March 23 performance of ‘Julius Caesar’ are on sale now, and are available through the Orcas Center Box Office (360-376-2281) or its website. Tickets are also available at the Brown Paper Tickets website.

Shakespeare’s great political thriller portrays the life-and-death struggle for power in Rome. Envious of the charismatic Caesar and his ambitions, a faction of politicians plot his assassination. After Caesar is killed, chaos consumes Rome. Julius Caesar investigates the turbulent nature of power and the ethics of those who wield it.

Orcas Island, one of the San Juan Islands, is famous for its natural beauty, and is often referred to as the “Gem of the San Juans.”

“The Chamber of Commerce is working with our business community to take part in the fun,” said Orcas Island Chamber Board President Michell Marshall. “Restaurants and shops will feature ‘Shakespearean Specials’ that weekend, transforming the island into a Salish Sea version of Stratford-upon-Avon. With an amazing variety of talented local artists, Orcas has earned the reputation as an ‘Island for the Arts,’ and this year’s Shakespeare Festival will only add to that reputation. And it doesn’t hurt we have our own William Shakespeare for the event,” Marshall said.

davidjj comes to teach at the Inn - May 17

I always think of the Inn as a grand lady.  But it wasn't always like that.  She has a wild past, full of color and controversy.

She was an outcast.  They called her a commune, full of freaks. 

That's right.  It wasn't always the Outlook Inn, full of friendly people, although the freaks were never accused of being unfriendly, just weird.  In 1968 when the Inn was purchased for a song and a prayer, the buyer was the renowned mystic, Louis Gittner, and the Outlook Inn was the spiritual center he created to live and share his teachings.  It was the 60's, but Orcas Island was a rural island flush with loggers, farmers and folks who had never heard of a chakra, crystal therapy or Buddha (I know it's hard to  imagine but follow me here). 

People here lived a simple, country life, revolving like many small communities around church and tradition.  The Outlook Inn was about to shake things up.  In looking through old newspaper clippings from 1969 I came across a quote in the local paper by the pastor of a local church.

"God lives on this side of the street and the devil lives over there". 

This new spiritual community at the Outlook Inn was not welcomed.  Tourists had not yet discovered the Emerald Isle, but the spiritual seekers had and they were putting down roots.  There was a school, admittedly having only 3 students.  There was a chapel, with regular Sunday services and daily meditation for the entire staff.  There was a community of people.  The Inn sat on a log foundation, didn't have indoor plumbing, kept a few goats and chickens in the back yard.  Everybody worked for free "in service of humankind".  To support the community food was served, at owners whim, in the little water view dining room.  Menus appeared on pieces of driftwood.  Louis gave readings, sold books, and traveled the country as a speaker, in places where all there was were chakras.

Despite the controversy, the power of the place, this view down the bay, could not be denied.  It was a powerful place.  For people to come who needed help.  Who sought peace.  Who imagined a different world. 

And that hasn't changed today.  I'm excited to share a modern day teacher with you and the opportunity to study with him at the Outlook Inn, May 17-19, 2013.  As the Lead Educator of the Chopra Center for Wellbeing, davidji apprenticed under Deepak Chopra for nearly a decade learning and ultimately teaching the profound timeless wisdom of meditation, Ayurveda, emotional healing, and conscious choice making.

With more than 200 guided meditations to his credit and more than 100,000 students around the world, davidji has made the ancient science of meditation practical, easy, fun, and rewarding.  (More information on this event here).

Gone is the controversy. 

Times sure have changed.  Alternative spiritual practices like meditation have become mainstream, there benefits and effects scientifically validated.  Orcas Island has changed too.  Astronauts, hippies, farmers and mystics live in peace.  The outcast?  She grew up.  The Outlook Inn is a grand lady with crystals tucked in her garden, truffle oil in the larder, and fine sheets on the bed.  She's loved and respected by her community.  But she's still the same girl at heart.  A seeker imagining a better world.

How about you?  Are you a seeker?  Are you looking for peace?  This event is for you.

Wishing you a wild, beautiful day, celebrating your own colorful history!

Warmst,

A Completely Free No-Fail Valentine's Day Gift

I used to regularly pout on major romantic holidays.  And I don't mean sexy little pout, I mean you're a big baby pout.   I'd find myself subconsciously digesting all the messaging out there about what love was supposed to look like and always, always, coming up short.  And it wasn't Adam's fault.  He presented the flowers, jewelry, trips, decadent meals, you name it, it was given.  But let's face it, romance can be hard. Our expectations get distorted and it's never truer than on Valentine's Day. 

We are bombarded by messages, ideas, tips (No-Fail Gift Ideas),  and over the top plans to profess our love.  We're supposed to wow.  To excite.  And don't get me wrong, I am all for it.  But if the diamond package, complete with real diamonds, helicopter transport, and $20,000 price tag, aren't for you, let me tell you a simple, fail proof way to show your love.  It will make any of the traditional gifts you might give that much more meaningful too.

It's a simple gift: 24 hours with you.

Now these are no ordinary 24 hours.  We are busy people, with jobs, kids, deadlines,  multiple phones ringing, text messages, and emails flying.  In any single day I try to accomplish hundreds of different communications and tasks.

This is no ordinary day and this is no ordinary you. 

You are trying to get a lot done in your day to day life.   You're full of passion, purpose, and a to do list a mile long.  You have people in your life that mean the world to you that sometimes want your attention when you need to be doing something else.  Our big dreams don't create themselves, they require lots of action.  But our husbands, wives, and children make those actions meaningful.  Ordinary you is juggling carpool, meetings, phone calls, cars that need tune-ups, groceries that need buying and cooking, laundry, pets, bosses that want it now, and snacks for your kids soccer team.  I could add more but I feel a panic attack coming on.  Which is why I want to give and get this fail proof gift.

24 hours with you.

I'm talking about 24 hours without phones, without work, without kids, without twitter, facebook, email, cell phones, land lines, or surfing of any kind that doesn't involve actual water.  And no housework or yard work either.  If it has the potentail of taking you away from your loved one, in body or spirit, add it to the list of what you're not going to do.

It's that simple.  And hard.  I know how hard it is because each week I do this with my family.  From 12:00 pm on Saturday to 12:00 pm on Sunday, we disconnect from the world and reconnect with each other.  I'm amazed at how resistent I can be to this way of being.  At 11:45 on Sunday I start staring at the dishes that have piled up and my hands are itching to do something.  But the rewards have been worth the discomfort.  I feel a change in my family and I felt it on the first day.  My daughter has a new sense of her meaning in our family.  When I say no to playdates or activities I can see her chest puff up with pride, she is important enough to set aside this time for just us.  And my husband?  He's happy too.  We both feel a profound sense of commitment and meaning by the decision to spend 24 hours together, focused on connection.

So what are you going to do during that 24 hours? Here are some ideas:

• Get a massage.
• Take a bath together. 
• Read out loud to each other from your favorite book of poetry or the Funny Times.
• Go for a long meandering walk together, the kind you might have taken before obligations made your walks exercise squeezed between meetings and appointments. 
• Choose a recipe not found in "Healthy Dinners in 30 Minutes or Less" and spend the day in the kitchen creating a feast (but only if this feels like play and not work). 
• Have a long drawn out brunch where you read the paper, do the crossword puzzle, and have a mimosa.
• Pack a picnic and head into the wild.

I'm not saying you need to do this every week (although it would be awesome if you could) but give it a try on a special day with someone special.  Without fail, if you are present and committed to giving 24 hours of your precious time to a loved one, they will feel very, very loved.  And that is the gift that we are all yearning for.

Love,

P.S.  It would be completely silly of me not to mention how easy this is to do on Orcas Island!