If you didn’t already know, the “Best of Whidbey” awards just came out in the Whidbey News-Times and…Drum roll please…I am a winner!

Best Blog?  Yep, that’s right, you’re reading it.

Can I get a Woot! Woot!?

Anyway, I wanted to thank everyone that voted for me; Mom, Dad, the folks who work for me at the Chamber and all their dependents.  Thank you all.  Your seven votes were enough to sweep the category!!

No seriously, thank you.  This is a very enjoyable experience for me.  I have love having a chance to express myself and give glimpses into life behind the scenes at the Oak Harbor Chamber. I have particularly enjoyed being able to communicate in my own voice. It’s fun and makes me feel just a little famous which each posting.   (Next up my own Bravo TV reality series…Andy, call me!)

Andy Cohen...Bravo TV Producer and future employer

As I gain my footing and become more confident in this process, I am sure we will explore bigger issues together. Soon topics such as the “Top 25 Things to Do before the end of Summer” will be interspersed with…”What is going on with some of those downtown merchants?”

But as of yet, I am not that brave or confident to tackle the tough stuff. We are in a new relationship and I like to take things slow.

Baby steps.

For me, the best part of this blog is that we are taking this journey together, and I appreciate it.  It’s nice to be able to share perspectives and engage in discussion.

I want to thank Marcia VanDyke, publisher of the Whidbey News-Times, who lobbied me for months to write this blog.  You were right.  I also want to thank Marcus Carney, my committed proof-reader and editor and who taught me how to Hyperlink and insert video (as demonstrated needlessly above) into these posts,  and Terri Tinker ,also of the Whidbey News-Times, who at my suggestion (begging) added the “Best Blog” category to the “Best of Whidbey” line up.

Yes it’s true; I had to create a whole new category just so I could win. But so what?  I’m not proud and I really do love a good plaque!

I’m going to be honest here…this winning thing is FUN!  I like it. And it this very moment I think for the first time in my life I have a true understanding of what it must have been like to Sally Field.

Thank you!

I didn’t see the movie “The Bucket List,” but I know a lot of people who did, as evidenced by the fact that this expression keeps popping up everywhere I go…and from the fact that everyone I know is making one.

And as we know, if something involves everyone and is everywhere….well then it’s a foregone conclusion that I am going to want in on that action!

Yes, ever the one to follow a trend, I am making a bucket list too and this is it.

The top 28 things I WILL do before summer (or at least summer as we know it) comes to an end.

And, because I like to be successful at everything I do…I am going to extend my “summer” through to the end of October…just to make sure I have enough time. Sure, that might be a little questionable weather wise…but I can’t believe that October will be any more unseasonable than let’s just say, oh I don’t know…June!

So here it is the official 2010 Summer on Whidbey Bucket List:

1. Walk across Deception Pass Bridge (preferably at sunset…although sunrise is amazing too!)

Photo by PacificPhotoArt.com

2. Buy an Ice Cream Cone from Popsies and eat it as I stroll the two-way streets of Pioneer Way.

3. Go to the Drive-In

Photo by Charlie M.

4. Camp at Deception Pass State Park (or at least donate to the Park Foundation)

5. Check out the vertical garden at a Knot in Thyme

6. Pack a picnic lunch from the bayleaf and eat it at the top of the bluff at Ebey’s landing

Photo by Casey McSpadden

7. Walk the entire waterfront trail

Photo by Barb Lyter

8. Go to a Friday night crab boil at Seabolts Smokehouse (on host my own while I am waiting for theirs to start in early fall!)

Photo by Casey McSpadden

9. Try the new Tulip Cottage Cafe for breakfast

10. Kayak

Photo by Casey McSpadden

11. Buy everything I need to make dinner from the Farmer’s Market (this does not mean buying Hot Rock Pizza….again!)

12. Play a round of golf (or a least get to the driving range)

13. Buy a new pair of shoes from the Casual House summer shoe sale (I know I already did this…but just in case they have another sale, I wanted to keep it on my list).

14. Pick berries and make Jam

Photo by Casey McSpadden

15. Tour the Whidbey Island wineries….and sample as I go!

16. Eat dinner at Zorbas when it opens in its new location

Photo by Matt Brown

17. Join in the fun at Driftwood Days (August 21)

Photo by Debbie Skinner

18. Take a Deception Pass Tours Boat Ride (again…I know, I know but I can’t get enough!)

Photo by Casey McSpadden

19. Attend the first at the first ever OH-ster Fest on September 25

Visit www.OakHarborChamber.com for more info

20. Make it to 6:30am Yoga and Lotus Tea Bar and Studio….just once!

21. Feed the birds

22. Splash in a few puddles (look, it’s a Whidbey Island summer list…I need to be realistic!)

23. See Chicago at Whidbey Playhouse

24. Turn in my ballot (ok, not really a summer activity per se…but I need to remember to put my primary ballot in the mail...TODAY!)

25. Fly a kite

26. Tour local artist studios on the Whidbey Island Open Studio Tour (September 25)

27. Enjoy a bowl of Penn Cove Mussels at Toby’s’ Tavern

28. Sit on my deck and do nothing….it’s summer after all, and I need a break!

So there you have it…my list of summer “must dos.” And, just because I really want to see what’s on your bucket list (and because this blog lacks a little locker-room humor) I will end with this ever popular saying:

I showed you mine, now you show me yours. (But really…show me yours…I would love to know what’s on your list!)

Here’s the problem with trying to keep a blog going during the beautiful days of summer…there is so much going on I don’t have time to stop and tell you about what’s happening. On the positive side, you probably don’t have time to read about it either.

So there you have it.  We’re even.

But if you happen to be one of the faithful few who check back to see if there have been any recent updates to this blog,  (yes, Chicago Johnson’s, I’m talking to you) then I apologize.  And I commit, here-to-forth, to do better.

My lack of focus started with Whidbey Island Race Week.  I am now, officially, a member of the Oak Harbor Yacht Club and this was my first experience with unadulterated access to the sailing scene. I wont’ lie, it was fun. In fact, I was enjoying myself so much; I didn’t realize that the rest of the town wasn’t having fun right along with me.

Apparently as I was off sipping Mount Gay Rum and Diet Coke, we developed a few Race Week malcontents around town.  These folks found themselves feeling left out, unloved, and like a lone buoy bobbing up and down aimlessly in the ocean.

POP! (Yep, you guessed it, that’s the sound of my Race Week bubble bursting.)

Now that some time has passed, and I have regained the firm footing that comes from being on dry land. My deck  shoes have been replaced with a very (very) cute pair of summer sandals (purchased at the Casual House summer shoes sale.)  I have had some time to do a little investigating in order to better to ascertain what exactly is going on with all these race week dissidents.

Here is what I have come up with:

1.  Fellow Whidbey Islanders… Race Week isn’t about us, or for us.  It just isn’t.

Sure there are always a select few Oak Harborites can wrangle their way into the event, but in general, this activity is for the racers and their crews. They come to our fine town one week a summer to hoist their sails and compete. It’s their event and we are outsiders.

As my mother likes to say, “It’s not always about you Jill!”

Disappointing, but true.

But I totally get it, you are feeling left out.  And nobody likes to be left out of a party…especially a good one.

2.  We aren’t getting rich off this thing. We really, really, really aren’t.

You know that line in Jerry McGuire?  “Show me the Money!”

Well that’s one of the problems with this event, there’s just no money to show.Yes, that’s right, you heard it here first…nobody is getting rich off Whidbey Island Race Week.

But, we aren’t going broke on it either.

Look, I don’t mean to deflate your sails, but those “economic impact” numbers of 1-2 million dollars that organizers claim blow into town as soon as the first boat arrives aren’t anything other than a big huge gust of (hot) wind.The days of $100 bills flying fast and loose around town are long, long, long gone. Sorry.

If you are a local Oak Harbor or Coupeville business owner, you are one of the lead Negative-Nellies when it comes to bad-mouthing this event.  And again, I understand why…you are all (wisely) looking for your piece of the pie.

However, you are also expecting your slice to come warm, filled with gooey goodness, surrounded by a light, flaky, buttery crust and heaped with a slowly melting scoop of vanilla ice cream…maybe even with a little warm caramel sauce slowly dripped over the top….(sorry, I know I lingered a little too long on this analogy…but I am sooo hungry! I just lost myself in the moment).

But it’s not just about the pie (yep, still hungry, analogy continues!) some of you are expecting all this warm and flavorful goodness to be served right on up to you…without even taking the time to order it. In other word, the expectations are too high and we are getting lazy.  (See how I brought that back around ? Yep, just like that…back on point my friends, back on point!!)

To be fair to the event however, money IS exchanging hands.  Especially for those who make an effort to go after it.  And that’s the point.

However I hear you and I know where you are coming from, you feel left out…and nobody likes to feel left out. Trust me, I understand. Especially when times are tight and there is a (fictitious or not) perception out there that millions of dollars are exchanging hands and somehow your not getting any of it.

So I agree with you, if this were true, it would be a total bummer!

3.  They don’t want to hang out with us or share their toys.

Race Week snubbed us… or at least that’s how it feels. They  party away from downtown while they hang out at the marina, sleep at the old Navy Train wreck, eat at the Yacht Club, and party behind gates that require an elusive wrist-band to enter.  Then, to top it all off, they added food vendors* to the event this year, giving these folks even more reason to avoid coming into town.  It bugs us!! (and it should.)

However, this is not…I repeat… this is not…a conspiracy (at least I’m pretty sure it’s not but I have a call into Oliver Stone just to make sure!)

*(BTW—these food vendors, they were local guys, so you can’t be mad about that anymore.)

Now (logically) you and I both know that there was not a secret meeting of the cool-kids convention where everyone got together and decided to leave us out.  Yes, I said logically…but that’s sure what this event  feels like, right?

Again, I will be honest with you, until my recent access to the elusive, all-you-can-drink, wrist-band…I felt exactly the same way. Race Week feels exclusive, a little like they want to party amongst themselves and not have any of our Average Joe energy rub off on their turbo-charged “Adult Summer Camp” vibe.  And here is the heart of it.  That’s true….sorta!

Still, I’m sure that if you ask any of these racers, they love Oak Harbor and Whidbey Island. And I’d wager a bet that they are, in fact, some of our best community ambassadors.  I mean honestly, would you spend hundreds of dollars to sleep on the ground – for a week – in a community you didn’t love?

Uh, no.

So it’s doubtful that this feeling of exclusivity is one they try deliberately to create…it’s just something that happens.  They don’t mean to make us feel like outsiders and even if they do; it’s our choice to allow them to make us feel that way.

See the thing is, this is our town, and they are our guests, and we shouldn’t expect them to come to us, we should go to them….even if they do seem a little cooler, and even if they do party behind a fence.  I mean really…get over it,  go say Hi , and then for crying out loud SELL THEM SOMETHING! (As you can see, my Chamber hat is now fully on my head!)

This crowd isn’t snubbing us…(in fact after two days of partying; they don’t have the wherewithalll to do that.)  So quit sitting at home crying because you weren’t invited to play… if we as a community aren’t capitalizing on this opportunity, well then it’s our own fault!

I mean really, it’s time to brush that chip off our shoulder and join in on the fun!  After all it’s better to be Tardy for the Party then to not party at all!  (I didn’t really need that last line, but I really, really wanted to link to Tardy for the Party so badly that I just couldn’t help myself!)

In summary (for those of you who are still with me…yes Chicago Johnson’s I am again still talking to you!) Here’s what I have surmised:

So what if Race Week is not all about us?  So what if it’s not bringing in tons of money?  And so what if for one week a year we all feel like we are one table away from where all the cool kids sit? (Most of us have spent an entire lifetime at this table anyway.)

Race Week for all its “faults” really is still a really great event.

It’s beautiful.  The participants are loyal. Our hotels fill up. The tourists buy some stuff.  And we don’t have to close any streets for it!

Plus, the imagery and branding that is created from this event is far reaching and may have the biggest economic impact of it all.

And look on the bright side, if you are still upset that you were left out the action, you can always buy a Whidbey Island Race Week t-shirt. That way, no one will know that you weren’t there.

Photo by Casey McSpadden

Photo by Casey McSpadden

Photo by Casey McSpadden

Photo by Casey McSpadden

Photo by Casey McSpadden

Someone asked me once why I avoid answering the phone at the office.  There are a variety of reasons for this well-cultivated dodging skill ranging from my a) inability to say no (thus costing the organization thousands of dollars in ill-advised advertising opportunities and filling my schedule with babysitting jobs for my friends who will be out-of-town “just for the weekend”); b) I don’t switch gears quickly…so each new caller has the potential to experience what can only be described as an abrupt gear shift…and much like a car engine, it’s not always a pretty sound; and c) well….C has a lot to do with the potential caller on the other end…so I will let “C” speak for itself.

Last Friday afternoon I bravely stepped up and answered the office phone…after all, all four lines were ringing and there wasn’t much I could do (without looking like a total slacker) to avoid picking up the line and diving in….head first.  And so it began…

Me: Oak Harbor Chamber of Commerce, can I help you?

Crazy Woman From Issaquah (CWFI):  I would like to plan a trip to come and visit Whidbey Island and see Deception Pass Bridge.

Me: Well that sounds like a good plan, what can I help with?

CWFI: I’m coming from Issaquah and I need to know if passports are required?

Me: From Issaquah? No.  No you don’t need your passport.

CWFI: Are you sure?

Me: (confused and thinking I misunderstood what she said) I’m sorry, where did you say you were from?

CWFI: ISSSS-SAAAAAY-QWAAAAH! (As you can see, she’s getting a little tone-y with me now)

Me: (still calm) Issaquah?  Near Seattle, right?

(Look I know where Issaquah is…but at this point I’m hoping maybe there is an Issaquah in Canada and that this caller’s questions will all of a sudden make more sense.)

CWFI: Yes! (Said just a little too emphatic and in a manner in which is now testing my patience) Do I need a passport to come from Isssss-sssaaay-Qwaaaaaah?

Me: And you want to come to Whidbey Island, right? (Again, I’m still perplexed…and  trying to make sure there is nothing in this story I have overlooked that will make her question a little more logical.)

CWFI: Yes. That’s why I called you. You are on Whidbey Island aren’t you?

(Now she has broken out a self-important tone that I am quite certain would have resulted in a mouth full-of-soap if I ever tried to be that lippy at home when I was growing up!)

Me: (Ignoring the tone) Well no, you don’t need a passport, you can just head on up.

(Yeah, yeah, OK, I’ll admit it, I didn’t totally ignore her self-important tone and there is a slight (albeit high likely) possibility/certainty that I was sounding a bit irritated at this point.)

CWFI: Are you sure? Because I really think you needed a passport to go to Canada?

(We have now introduced a mocking tone into the conversation…a tone that implies that I am stupid and that she, oh-wise-woman from Issaquah, already knows the answer and just needs me for validation!)

Me: Yes, you’re right,  you do need a passport to go to Canada…but you are not coming to Canada, you are coming to Whidbey Island and that’s in the United States.  So you won’t need a passport to come and visit.

CWFI: Hmmpfff….I don’t know. Are you sure?

Me: Yes. (Insert my own mocking tone here!)

CWFI: Well I’m not sure you are correct, is there anyone else I can speak with who might know?

(I kid you not…this conversation is really happening…and at this point I am wondering if I might be starring in an upcoming episode of Punk’d! and begin to scan the room for Ashton!!)

Me: Well, why don’t you try the Langley Chamber of Commerce,  I don’t think you need a passport to get to there either, but here’s their phone number in case you want to check with them.

(Although at this point,  the thought of needing a passport to  get  to South-Whidbey doesn’t seem like such an inane question…I have often wonder if we should require passports to go down there myself!)

(Just teasing…it was a joke,…RELAX!)

CWFI: Thanks, I’ll call and check with them.  (And under her breath before I can even hang up… I hear her say…..IDIOT!)

Funny.  Those were my thoughts exactly!

Ah yes, the tourist season has arrived.

Now truly most of the folks who call here are kind,  intelligent and refrain from calling me names under their breath (I know, I know…but I said “most”). However,  occasionally you get one where the pressures of living in the Seattle suburbs apparently just get to be too much…and although these callers may appear irritating,  they are actually my favorite.  I mean let’s be honest here, after a call like that I just can’t help but feel a little closer to the intellectual side of the Bell Curve!

Yep, I kid you not, this time of year this blog can almost write itself, which might just make answering the phone just a bit more fun!!

I love change…as long as it doesn’t impact me.  And that’s the truth of it.

You may not know this, but every Friday night my family goes out to dinner in Oak Harbor. Typically, my Dad pays (and when I say typically, I mean always) and it’s a mini-tradition that I plan my weekends around.

The Johnson’s are not really an adventurous bunch. We don’t ski, mountain climb, or do anything that one would define as “risky.” We are more, what’s a good description of it…predictable folk.  And, we are loyal.

So each Friday night we rotate through a list of local establishments that are on the list of family favorites. The list is based on atmosphere, food quality, price (I mentioned Dad pays, right?) location, and the food must not be “spicy” in any way (please once again refer to who pays for further explanation.)  Our list includes: China City, The BBQ Joint, The Jumbo (or as well call it Big Butt) Buffet, Seabolts and the go-to restaurant of choice, Zorbas, which makes it into rotation more than any other.

So not surprisingly last Friday night we went to Zorbas for our farewell meal together at that location. In fact, after last night you won’t be able to get a table there anymore…even if you do know the owners.

Yes, that’s right, Zorbas is on the move.

Now, I am excited for owners Chris and Helen, and I am excited for Oak Harbor because the new Zorbas’ location (right next to the Coachman Inn), might expose new people to what is nothing short of a flavor-packed meal.  But, if I were to be honest, (and that’s what this blog is all about) I am also a little sad.

I love being downtown, and I loved the ambiance of Zorbas.  The big windows that provided the perfect view of people desperately trying to parallel park their supersized SUV between two obviously South-Whidbey Hybrids’, or someone (like me) who, despite nearly30 feet of available parallel parking space, still manages to get at least one wheel onto the curb taking out another decaying piece of sidewalk and nearly one or two pedestrians.

There’s a lot of action going on just outside those windows and I enjoy watching it all.

Zorbas’ new location won’t open again until early August. And although I am sure it will be a fantastic addition to the town (just like the relocated China City), it is still a very long time to go without Spanokopita!  (Fortunately, I also like San Remos so I guess I’m fine…but since they have their own parking lot, the view/entertainment just won’t be quite the same.)

Something new will go into the old downtown location (proving that Pioneer Way is still alive and kicking!) And I am excited to see what emerges.  Hopefully it will be something that will break into the Johnson family top five….although I can assure you, a new restaurant may take Zorbas old “space” but nothing will ever take its place.

Ah, change…I may advocate for it…but I sure don’t love it. It’s just not predictable enough for me.

When I heard Liz Merriman of the Deception Pass State Park Foundation use the word Juneuary to describe this month’s weather, I responded with a look of appreciative joy.  Finally, I thought, someone who understands what I have gone through this past month…a big fat case of the January blahs…and right here in the early days summer!

Now I am not about to give you some tourism bureau rah-rah about how this makes living in the Pacific Northwest unique.  The truth of the matter is, I am not happy, not happy at all.  My Beach Boys tapes are still packed with my capri’s…and my grey wool sweater has yet to be returned to the bin of clothes marked “Fall/Winter.”  Plus, I don’t even want to begin to tell you how this weather has killed my love affair with the spray tan.  I mean really, how is anyone going to believe this thing is real when it’s pouring down rain outside…and part of what I am paying for is the image of being “outdoorsy.”  Darn this rain!!!

But the truth is, this weather has the potential of claiming more casualties than my three-minute spray-on fakeness.

After all, there are a lot of great local businesses that depend on the good weather of our “summer season” to survive. Mystic Sea Charters, Anacortes Kayak Tours, and Deception Pass Tours (to name a few).   Brett and Terica of Deception Pass Tours are  good friends of mine, and I am want can only be described as “a groupie” for their tour.  I love it!  And, I have declared it to be one of the best additions to the Whidbey Island Tourism scene since Deception Pass Bridge itself.

If you haven’t been on the tour, you should go, especially when you consider that despite their fun tour, easy on the pocketbook prices, and solid marketing plan, the thing that matters most to their business is the one thing they can’t control. Weather!

As I type, the sun seems to finally have won the battle with the clouds. And if Steve Pool is to be trusted (and I believe he is…how can anyone that devilishly handsome lead us astray?), this victory should last throughout the weekend.  So let’s all get outside, leave the gardening for another day and support a great local business in what I hope is the tail end of “Juneary.”  And yes…I am angling for customer of the year, if you were at all wondering! (Someone has to get the title after all!)

There is nothing a Wii, WoW, or p0wn n00bz (if I am saying that right…and who reading this blog would know!) can offer that this Island can’t on a beautiful day…well except for the chance to forever brand yourself as a couch potato.  (Yes, that’s judgment in my tone!)

Enjoy the sun…and what feel like the first weekend of June!

I was feeling rather succinct in my last post, but no worries, I have returned to my hyperbolic self.  Of course  maybe being more concise worked, because the truth is the Oak Harbor Fireworks Celebration costs around $15,000 a year. No small price tag for a community our size.

How do I know?  I pay for them.

Well not me personally. I mean, make no mistake, I am excited when I can afford something from the $1 drive-thru menu at Wendy’s.  But I do feel responsible for their payment since it’s the Oak Harbor Chamber and our local businesses that raise the money for this booming event each year.

I mention this because the topic seems to be confusing to almost everyone I meet (or at least the ones that I discuss the fireworks with, or who write letters to the editor in the Whidbey News-Times.)

First, let’s clear up some confusion.  The City and the Chamber are two different organizations.  One is funded by tax dollars (that would be the City), one is funded by member dues and, well, some lodging tax dollars, (that would be the Chamber.)  I am not trying to be condescending…or give the feeling that this is about to be a civics lecture.  I mean, let’s get real here…I am desperately trying to expand my readership base beyond the staff (whom I pay) and my parents (whom I  force to read!) and there is no way I would even imply that any of my wonderful readers need any sort of education from me.  So please, keep your shorts on!

However, with that said I am continually amazed by the number of people who comment about how they hate seeing the City waste money (or more specifically they hate seeing the City waste their tax dollars) on the fireworks…especially when the City is on a tight budget.

To be honest, I love the fireworks, and I don’t know if I would mind seeing some of our tax money spent that way (I would certainly like it better than some of the things that it IS spent on)….but it’s not. Not a dime of it.

Each year the Chamber of Commerce and the business community begin the process of raising the money for the big extravaganza.  First up we auction off the naming rights.  This always goes to a business that is a combination of extremely generous and marketing savvy.  So this year’s Tradewinds Insurance Grand Fireworks Sponsor is….

(I’ll let you figure this one out on your own.)

Next we give our businesses a chance to be a Fireworks Sponsor of the Day, and for $100 about 40 businesses pay to have a day in their honor.  I actually love this process, because it’s a wonderful demonstration of what can be accomplished when everyone does just a bit!  The fundraising just starts to explode (YES…I will be milking these fireworks puns for all they are worth….did you really even need to ask?)

Speaking of a lot of people doing a little bit….we have extended that opportunity to the community as well.  All you have to do is give what you can.  Just think…if everyone in town gave $1…we would make our goal.  But since that likely won’t happen….we are suggesting you give at least $5…or the price of one Triple Shot Venti Mocha with an Extra Shot of Carmel.

That’s right, not only is this a great opportunity to support a good cause…you can save a few calories as well.

Now is where things get a little tough. Typically after all of this…we still need about $5,000.  We’ve tried car washes, doughnut sales, and auctions.  In fact we’ve tried almost everything….and then this year we stumbled on something new.

A Chamber Board Member Auction (click images below to see who you can bid on!)

If you don’t work for a Board of Directors, you may not realize how funny this is, but the idea of auctioning these folks off so that they can do manual labor is…well…priceless.   The bidding is open to anyone who has a check that will cash, a VISA with an available credit line, or even someone with cash. That’s right folks…we take it all at the Chamber.  So come on out and have a little fun!

All of this effort is made to ensure Oak Harbor has a sparkling 4^th of July.

Plus, it also gives us a wonderful time to pay tribute to our freedoms and take a moment to celebrate the fact that despite everything that is “wrong with America,”  we still live in the greatest Nation on earth!

And to prove it…..we blow stuff up!

OO-RAH

Dear Fireworks Lover,

These things are expensive.

Fondly, Jill

“The best things around that I have ever seen/

Came from small towns and big dreams”

Have you heard that song by Paul Brandt, Small Towns and Big Dreams?

No?

I’m Shocked.   (This is sarcasm for those readers who aren’t quite familiar with me yet.)

But thanks to a Google search for “small town music lyrics” I  stumbled across my good buddy  Paul and his perfect lyrical description of my feelings about this story in the Whidbey News-Times about the revolutionary advancements that promise to make the treatment of cancer more effective, thanks to a group of local investors.

Seriously, you can’t imagine the number of conversations I have had with folks who are actually jumping out of their skin when they talk about a new idea they have or new business they want to start. True, it’s typically over coffee, so I guess in theory I could blame their alert, darting eyes and eagle-eyed focus on the extra shot in their latte…but I choose to believe that their wave of excitement comes from a much less commercial place…the pool of possibility.

As a chronic optimist, I am typically right there with them. Their enthusiasm has nothing, and I mean nothing, on me.  Throughout the conversation, we are going toe-to-toe, sip-to-sip and idea-to-idea.  And before we stand up, shake hands and go our separate — albeit equally caffeinated –ways from the local coffee shop de jour, we have managed to give their business a name and they are well on their way to building a website, developing a Facebook fan page, and designing a multi-colored logo.

Unfortunately, all too often these hopes are dashed on the rocks of reality.  (Look, I probably should have warned you that I am going through some sort of “write with imagery” phase, and these types of cliché expressions are bursting forth faster than green grass through a goose.  Please bear with me.)  Anyway, where was I?  Right, rocks of reality….often the initial enthusiasm of our highly-leaded (that’s what my Grandpa would say for extra strong coffee) meeting flounders.  More often than not, just weeks later I hear, “Well it just won’t work on Whidbey Island,” or “I don’t think the community is quite ready for this idea yet,” or “It’s too mush of a risk, long-shot, or (insert your dream killing word here).”

And yet out of nowhere I read this article about group of local business leaders from Whidbey Island who are dreaming of (and investing in) a new form of treatment for patients with brain tumors.  Talk about big dreams! This is the type of idea that is often shouted down…even in big cities.

Sometimes it’s that small town; big dreamin’ that is just what a progressive idea needs.

Kudos.

Oh, and by the way.  Speaking of dreamers, Paul Brandt (winner of the Canadian Country Music Awards for Best Album in 2002) was the first Male Canadian artist to hit the top 10 on the Billboard Hot Country Songs in the United States since Hank Snow.

Yep, that’s right folks.  Nothing sums up life in an all American small town than Canadian country music!

There are times when, and I’m not going to lie to you here, I absolutely think I am brilliant.  Interestingly enough, these times usually come when I am working in collaboration with someone far more talented than me.  But regardless, I embrace the brilliance and bask in the glory and recognition that comes along with it.

Hello ego…I am Jill.

Normally, life has a way of keeping things, and my self-inflated view of my talents in check.  I typically refer to those moments as the two “M’s” (Monday’s and mornings).  Either “M” is enough to derail any spark of brilliance that might be percolating just under the surface.  Actually I could add a third “M” (mother). She is particularly gifted in bringing me back down to earth as well, in a truly loving way of course, but we can explore that another time.

Recently I had a bout of brilliance that survived an “M.”  On Monday, I opened an e-mail from Abbie Martin, the Chamber’s Graphic Designer and all around “I-get-where-you-are-going-with-this” member of the marketing team. Abbie can take a concept and turn it into  something  that  perfectly (and simply) sums up exactly what it would  take me 1,500 words, a few hundred hand gestures, and one exasperated “why-don’t-people-get-what-I’m-trying-say” sigh to communicate. And it is because of Abbie that I am able to reclaim my belief that even on a day like Monday…my perceived brilliance knows no bounds.

Here’s what happened.  The conversation centered on how to market Oak Harbor as a tourism destination.  What can we say about our town that is intrinsically true? Yes, I know we are a military town, but this is about tourism people, tourism…and loud (albeit cool looking) planes aren’t quite what we’re going for on this one. Sorry.

Not surprisingly we settled on a campaign that targeted young, active families.  More surprising was our second choice…dog owners.  Why not we thought?  People love their dogs, some folks even think of them as their children…minus those pesky pre-teen years!

The ads needed to be simple.  Suggest an experience.  Showcase an activity. Be graphically appealing.  And be clever enough to stick with the reader long after they saw it.  It’s a lot of pressure for one simple ad.  But Abbie and I felt up to the challenge (remember that ego reference I made earlier…yep, I wasn’t kidding about that.)

We hope you enjoy these two new ads. We would love it if you found them brilliant (please feel free to communicate praise at any point!) and if for some reason our “brilliance” eludes you, and you actually hate them or have a lot of suggestions for improvement or even ideas for future ads…please do me one favor…wait until Monday to let me know.