You can now take a look at the San Juan Grange calendar. If you would like to schedule an event, please don't hesitate to call Girl Friday at 378-4600 or by clicking her https://me.vonage.com/hallowedb. I am in the office from 9am- 5pm, Monday thru Friday. 

Click Here To Go To The Calendar

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Take a look at this weeks travel specials.   more »

Check out the specials in winter fun that include the lift tickets!   more »

B & Bs / Hotel / Self-Drive Vacation
GO-AS-YOU-PLEASE IRELAND
From $699 including air
*During January and February 2008!

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Get out of the cold and into the warm with a trip to Cancun.   more »

Well, as it happens the first ride share calendar did not really work as well as I would have liked. So, I changed it. I hope that this one is user friendly. Because the information is on the open web and accessible to anyone that wants to look at it, I have chosen to made it impossible for the general public to modify the calendar. If you have a ride request or produce pickup/delivery  request to put on the calendar, please either call me or email me for the password. Then you can log on as an individual and make changes as you need to. You should only have to do this once and you will be able to log at will. I apologize in advance for the necessity of taking this step, but I don't want just anyone to be able to change our calendar. If you give me your email address I can also send out a message to everyone in the "group" when a new request has been made. So, call 378-4600 for the password or email me at girlfriday@rockisland.com.Click Here To Go To The Calendar

This is not something that I normally do, but I thought it important that people be aware of what is going on off island. I was reading the Seattle Times this morning (as well as several other online newspapers) and came across this article. Take a look at http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/politics/2003849251_bush23.html. It doesn't matter whether or not you approve of Bush, this has wider implications.

Girl Friday has moved from 570B Guard St to 545 Geneste St. See the map for directions. My phone number is still 378-4600.    more »

I'm excited to report that we have our first participant in the ride share calendar!! Cate McKee called a couple of days ago saying that she had heard of the service and was willing to participate. So, she gave me her information for May 3 and I have posted it. She then went on to ask what my success rate was and I had to laugh and tell her that it had just started, but we could hope it would be successful for her.

The key to this calendar working for us is active participation. There has been a fair amount of traffic looking at it, but no one seems to be willing to take the plunge. Well, jump in- the water's fine

I have also had a person call asking if he could put a need for ferry tickets at discounted prices or the offer of ferry tickets at the discounted price on the calendar - that is very much an option.

I've lived in the islands for several years now and have always been aware that there is a need for a central location for people to go to find out who's going to the mainland and when. As in.... "John" is going to Seattle on Thurs, March 25 and has room for 2 people..... "Jane" is going to Seattle on Thurs, March 25 and needs a ride and would be willing to help pay for gas. "Mark" is flying into Seattle on Thurs, March 25 and is willing to split the cost of the charter flight from Orcas/Friday Harbor to Boeing....willing to help pay for gas..... you get the idea. So, I have decided that I will undertake this task. I have posted a "Going off Island Calendar", through Google and it requires you to create an account in order to post an event. If you would rather not create an account, email me or call me and I will post it for you. With any luck this will be useful for all of us. My number at Girl Friday is 378-4600 or email me at girlfriday@rockisland.com.

Clark and I bought  Girl Friday from Tanya Marracci on the first of August 2005. This is an interesting business. I get a kick out of going to the grocery store and meeting new people (face to face) and then realizing that I've been speaking to them on the phone for over a year now. When I finally do meet people in person, I often hear "wow, you must know everything that is going on, on the island", truth be told, I work hard at NOT knowing what's happening in everyone else's life. While I'm happy to talk to a tree stump, I tend to be a somewhat private person, and assume that other's appreciate a certain level of privacy for themselves as well. So, have no fear, the fact that your septic system is backing up the day of your huge dinner party, will go no further than the phone call to have it taken care of. Those near and dear will never hear about it from me!

It never fails to amaze me that for as long as Girl Friday has been on the island, there are still people that have no idea what we do. So, here it goes.....we answer phones and simply take messages, we answer phones and make reservations for B&B's,kayaking trips,whale watching/wildlife tours and of course, the San Juan Grange. We take orders for book sales and mail those books out, we collect mail on a temporary or long term basis for travelers and either hold it here pending their return to the island or mail it to them where ever they are on a regular basis. In addition to collecting said travelers mail, we pay their bills and make deposits in local banks, during their absence. We also do that for islanders on a more regular basis. We both send and receive faxes. We type letters as well as resumes and such. I have also had occasion to type a thesis paper. Hmmmm....have I left anything out???  Well, suffice it to say we are open to suggestions and challenges.

Oh, I didn't mention that I am also a travel agent. I work with one of the largest travel agencies in the Northwest..CM Travel (http://www.cmtravelagent.com/agentpage.asp?agentN=sgilbertl), based in Bellevue. One of the advantages of working for such a large agency is that I get to take advantage of the rates that are offered to large travel agencies. I get to go to seminars, offered to CM Travel agents, that are offered from travel vendors from all over the world. Because CM Travel is so large they have the opportunity to offer "in house" training that may or may not have been available to me were I not affiliated with such a large organization.

You might have noticed that I have a link to At One Service (my other business). At One Service (www.atoneservice.com) is a concierge service for the islands. Not to be confused with San Juan Concierge. San Juan Concierge offers local islanders help in a myriad of ways. I, on the other hand, help those coming to the islands. I help book their lodging, dining and activity reservations. I also help make arrangements for flower and grocery delivery to private houses or boats that have been rented. If a person needs a caterer or an event planner, I put them in contact with that person. Other than that, I just offer information about traveling to the islands.

Various ideas for using Girl Friday Services..... own a restaurant and need someone to take reservations? Writing a book and want someone to edit or type it for you? Need a personal secretary/organizer/assistant? Tired of waiting in line at the Post Office and just want someone to mail things out for you? Have the money, but just can't seem to get those bills paid on time? Offer take out service and want someone other than the already harried counter staff to take the orders?  OOOhhhh the possibilities!!!

I am in the office from 9am- 5pm, Monday thru Friday... give me a call at 360-378-4600 or drop by. If you want to have a conversation, not interrupted by constant phone calls, I am happy to schedule a meeting outside of normal business hours.