MARTY RODRIGUEZ doesn’t feel one has to slow down just because one is getting older. Cobwebs and moss will never grow on this lady.
In addition to caring for her family her life has been one of giving, as a volunteer in the Gift Shop at Whidbey General Hospital. She also works as a literacy tutor teaching inmates at the county jail to read, helping a special girl who needed help with her reading and has done 21 years of volunteer service at the Oak Harbor Senior Center.
She moved to Oak Harbor in 1985 to be near family. She had just one year as a cancer survivor and now counts 24 years cancer-free.
“I never thought I’d ever be a great-grandmother,” she said, referring to baby HAILEE RENEE MOE. “I thank God for my family.”
She met her husband, MIKE, on an outing sponsored by the Senior Center. “He’s the love of my life,” she said, almost humming. “At 81, he looks like he is 60!”
Hugs are very therapeutic
If you remember those tender Disney scenes we loved as kids, with Bambi wandering serenely through the thicket, birds chirping after her and lots of scampering bunnies, you can understand why JAN DILL loves living here.
Her hobby-turned-business could only thrive in a similarly tranquil setting overlooking the Strait of Juan de Fuca, Victoria, B.C., the Olympic Mountains and San Juan Islands. The place Jan and husband JOHN call home is where her HunniBunni Collectibles are born. “Hunnibunni” is a pet name John has for her.
We met at the Coupeville Arts and Crafts Festival where visitors fawned over her handmade creations. The girl I used to be would have asked permission to hold one of the splendidly dressed bunnies, but would have probably pouted when asked to put it back. These huggable friends range from 14 to 20 inches and are not just for children.
Adults cannot resist their pinched expression from under fancy hats and grand gowns.
They are not as famous as some other bunnies marketed north and east of us, but they are just as pretty and Jan is just getting started.
“I make everything from scratch and would never put anything but the best quality before a client,” she said. “We hope the folks on North Whidbey will visit our Web site to see what the fuss is about.”
She is living proof one is never too old to play with dolls — or bunnies. Visit http://www.hunnibunnicreations.com/ or call 360-914-7700.
Watch Kevin go
SANDI CARROTHERS of Dugualla Bay Heights recently spent a week in New York to see her son, KEVIN, a 1983 graduate of Oak Harbor High School, compete in the Lake Palisades Iron Man.
Nine family members came to support Kevin, who beat his best time by 40 minutes. He completed 2 1/2 miles swimming, 112 miles riding a bicycle and 26 miles running in 12 hours and 37 minutes.
This is his third Iron Man competition and possibly his last, but there is talk of the coming Pensacola event.
Table for five
The crew at TOBY’S TAVERN made owner JOHN RODRIGUEY proud on Aug. 9 and 10. Servers kept their sense of humor and seated people as soon as a table cleared during the crowded festival weekend.
Volunteers HELEN and KENNETH BATES had just worked the morning shift at the Rec Hall where art in this year’s festival competition was on display. They love to go to Toby’s and headed across the street for a lunch break.
“We were ahead of some people in line so when a big booth opened up, we asked if they would like to join us,” Helen said.
And that’s how they got to know Island visitors DR. THOMAS TREBON, his wife SCOTTI, and step-sister MARY SCHNEIDER. Trebon is president of Carroll College in Helena, Mont.; Schneider heads two Montessori schools, one in Bothell and one in Woodinville. They were on the island to attend a family reunion and birthday celebration.
The five strangers quickly became friends over lunch that included Penn Cove mussels. When it was time to leave, they stepped out into a light drizzle but no one seemed to mind. They pledged to repeat their serendipitous adventure on a future visit.
I just love getting your mail and phone calls. See you Aug. 27!
