(Airdate: December 10, 2024) Maryanne interviews Craig Dotson, the owner of Bonita’s 4-legged friends pet store. Craig was a foster child in California but ultimately the siren call of Port Townsend lured him here. Actually, his wife had spent summers here as a child. He had some experience with pet stores so it was natural for him to end up at Bonita’s. After her death he purchased the shop and hasn’t looked back. There are now Bonita’s stores in both PT and Sequim. He’s regularly expanding his wares. He’s a big proponent of the mantra “no corn, wheat or soy” in your pet food. So all the pet food they sell is made without corn, wheat, or soy.

(Airdate: November 26, 2024) Maryanne interviews Josh Thompson, a successful young PT entrepreneur. His company – Josh’s Window Cleaning – is growing briskly. Bookings are up 20% from a year ago. He started at the proverbial bottom when he was in high school. Josh worked for a window and gutter company for about seven years before deciding to strike out on his own. They don’t exactly teach you how to run a company in high school. So he turned to mentors to help him with business licenses, accounting and invoicing –  all the behind the scenes organizational stuff. Now he’s about to turn 30-years-old and is a married homeowner. Hard work and gumption can pay off!

(Airdate: November 12, 2024) Maryanne interviews Robert Wittenberg, the Community Risk Manager for the East Jefferson Fire Department. Robert’s role is to help stop fires even before they start. Businesses are all governed by codes to make sure they are trained to handle emergencies such as fire. There are mandatory inspections annually or every two years. Of course, if there are complaints – such as complaints about cleanliness and potential fire hazards in a restaurant – inspections can happen at any time. There’s also a push to educate the general public about what they need to do to prevent and perhaps stop a small home fire. Robert’s key role is to teach. The lessons are wide-ranging – from teaching CPR to 8th Graders to how to administer Narcan, which can help reverse drug overdose, and how to stop major bleeding. More info at www.ejfr.org.

(Airdate: October 29, 2024) Maryanne interviews Sara Ybarra Lopez and Mark Stevenson, the artists who helped save Port Townsend’s iconic Haller Fountain. As unbelievable as it may seem, our iconic fountain was actually originally ordered out of a plumbing catalog. Dozens – perhaps hundreds – of identical statues were sold across the country. Over the decades the fountains all suffered from damages, whether from weather, playful climbing, or even vandalism. Few remain. PT’s statue was literally in pieces when concerned citizens decided to do something about it. The artists were commissioned to recreate it. Recasting the statue in bronze was no simple matter. Sara even wrote a book about it – Galatea: The Heart of Port Townsend. More about their work is at website: carapacearts.net.

(Airdate: October 15, 2024) Maryanne interviews Nathan Barnett, the creative force behind the upcoming “return of the Haunted Bordello.” The Halloween adjacent event is on October 25 and 26. It riffs on PT’s scandalous and blood-soaked history of bordellos and sailors. Nathan describes it as “a titillating tour of a time that never was.” Part burlesque and part horror show — participants start off at a villainous “spookeasy” called “The Billy Club” (aka Bridget’s Loft). The actors skimpy costumes are R rated — not X rated. Pre-covid there was a version of The Haunted Bordello at the Old Consulate Inn, which is owned by Nathan and wife Cindy. He’s also the mastermind of PT’s Steampunk Festival, For more info go to hauntedbordello.com.

(Airdate: October 1, 2024) Maryanne interviews Ann Rabb, owner of architectural design firm Greenpod. For over 20 years Ann has been studying how to design and build healthy homes. Her passion is how to make homes green and healthy. The construction field has changed dramatically over the past two decades. For example, it’s now possible to do away with concrete foundations by using 6-feet-long screws to attach the building. “SIPs” construction is also becoming popular – that stands for “structurally insulated panels.” Forget what you think you know about modular homes – a lot has changed. Ann is looking for “solutions for singles and seniors.” Port Townsend has newer regulations allowing two ADUs (Accessory Dwelling Units) on each property and has also approved tiny homes on wheels. Ann predicts both measures will help create more affordable housing. Her website — greenpod.design —showcases some possibilities.

(Airdate: September 17, 2024) Maryanne interviews Karyn Stillwater, a veteran yoga instructor who is now leading groups who are routinely jumping in the Salish Sea. It’s called “cold plunging” and Karyn is a proponent of the medical benefits of regularly dipping into icy water. There’s no set temperature for your submersion but it has to be cold enough to be downright “uncomfortable.” Her group meets down in the water off Fort Worden three times a week. Karyn’s training is with Dutch master Wim Hof. She’s about to do additional training in Poland with Wim Hof and will soon be offering more foreign-based workshops. She’s already offering some foreign wellness workshops (website: karynstillwell.com).

(Airdate: September 3, 2024) Maryanne interviews Neil Nelson, the newest member of the Port Townsend City Council. A Council member is moving so Neil was selected to fill out the remaining 18 months of that term. Neil is founder of the residential construction firm Piece Wurx. As a General Contractor he is acutely aware of the housing shortcomings in our community. For the past three years he’s been on the Planning Commission, learning the ins and outs of zoning and other building regulations. He wants to help streamline the process and hopes to accelerate the addition of multi-family buildings in PT. He describes himself as an “eternal optimist”. He wants to work with the Council to “find ways to say yes” to thoughtful development. Right now, he’s coming up to speed on all city issues, including our growing pothole epidemic.

(Airdate: August 20, 2024) Maryanne interviews Ellen Falconer, massage therapist and mindfulness coach. Ellen hopped through several careers before ending up here. She worked in radio for a while then studied marine technology and became an “ordinary seaman” for Arco Marine. Those four-months-long voyages at sea became rather long and somewhat tedious. She was then an EMT, worked in bakeries, and vet’s offices. She spent years as a sail maker culminating in a stint as director of the Wooden Boat Festival. She studied massage and became licensed. But along the way she discovered mindfulness training. She now teaches “mindfulness-based stress reduction” through Olympic Peninsula Mindfulness (olympicpeninsulamindulness.com). One lesson: “zebras don’t get ulcers.”

(Airdate: August 6, 2024) Maryanne interviews Mary Irwin, Senior Mediator & Interim Executive Director of the Peninsula Dispute Resolution Center (CDRC). Getting a divorce? Have a nasty landlord/tenant problem? Dozens of such reasons might send you to the non-profit CDRC. It can be quite affordable and they don’t turn anyone away for lack of funds. Even after years of mediating case after case, Mary still finds the work immensely rewarding. Every childcare plan is unique and every dispute can raise new twists on fairly old situations. Most people think their divorce or their wrongful termination tops most other conflicts. Perhaps — but the basic theme is the same. Still, conflicts evolve. For example, mediation wasn’t really necessary for vaccination decisions until the pandemic. Mediation continues to be quite common.