Dear Friends of Doe Bay,

Change is as inevitable as the rain. The quote in the newsletter headline above reminds us that Spring is how we get paid for the long nights, short days and cold winds of winter. As sure as January at Doe Bay is quiet and cold, March is active and, well cold too, but a little warmer each day. Ms. Bradstreet reminds us that whatever prosperity is in our future is sweeter based on the adversity we may taste today.

General Manager News - At Doe Bay, the weather isn’t the only thing changing. Our General Manager, Harreld Dinkins is moving on to the next phase in his interesting career and will leave Doe Bay in mid-April. We will miss him and we wish him great success. We have begun a national search for a new General Manager and are considering some outstanding applicants. We hope to introduce a new leader to you in our April newsletter.

Summer is the Best (Except) - We are gearing up for a great season at Doe Bay and are excited about welcoming more guests on to our land. It will be a great summer, but those of you who came to Doe Bay in the last few months are now believers; it is a gem in the fall, winter and spring as well. There is still time to squeeze in a db weekend.

Summer Jobs - If you know of a young (college) student looking for a memorable summer experience, suggest that they come work for us this year. We will be hiring for 3 month sessions starting in early May and extending through late September so we can accommodate kids on quarters or semesters.

Weddings this Summer - I just returned from our daughter’s wedding in Costa Rica. I am always enchanted by the weddings at Doe Bay, but I now know first hand the charm of a “destination wedding”. We still have some spots for weddings in May (15th), June, July or September and the new venue and stage in the field is now available.

Until next month,
Wishing you Health Peace and Prosperity… Everything you could need or want,
- Joe
The Proprietor
Joe@DoeBay.com

Post-script – Did you notice the db photo in the masthead looks like db after a toxic spill?

Woodstock happened 40 years ago! Doe Bay Fest Celebrates Again this Year!

If you missed dbFest 08, you missed seeing some Northwest musicians having great fun making great music (Not the NW musician shown above, but some just like him.) Plan Now for the 40th anniversary of Woodstock….

August 14, 15 & 16! Celebrate it appropriately at DBFest 09. If you would like to volunteer to assist with DB Fest or would like your band to perform, please write Joe@DoeBay.com.

Watch for our '09 logo soon!

Save the Earth… Vote for Doe Bay! VOTE HERE Contest open until April 13th!

We spend almost nothing on advertising at Doe Bay, even though, you will hopefully agree that, we have a really cool product. Given that print and magazine ads require chopping down trees combined with the fact that one reason Doe Bay is special is because of the abundance of huge trees, it seems too contradictory to buy news and magazine ads. Our approach has been word of mouth and killing as few trees as possible. Thanks to the internet, the power of your mouth has expanded exponentially. Please write to your friends and send them to Doe Bay. Add folks to our mailing list if you think they would appreciate the news from Doe Bay.

This photo is of Garden Spot before the remodel, but it shows why Doe Bay deserves to win Best Cabins!

More immediately though you can vote for Doe Bay as a great NW escape on King 5’s web site. Vote for Doe Bay by clicking here We are in the running in the Best Cabins category, although you may be able to vote for us in others. As they say in Chicago, vote early and often. Take the time to tell why DB is the best. Thanks so much!

The wildest wildlife will be at dbFest 09, but there is something wild every day!

It has been a surprisingly busy start to the New Year here at the Doe Bay Café. I couldn’t be more grateful, that even as the economy continues its rollercoaster ride, more and more people are discovering our delicious food and gracious service.

Don’t just come for the food though. It’s pretty quiet out here on Orcas Island right now, but we’re trying to liven things up with events in the café every weekend.

We always kick-off the weekend with our open-mic Pizza Night on Thursdays from 5-10 pm. You never know who you’ll find making music when you come to open mic night. We run the gamut from old time fiddlers to funk to Dutch reggae. Carlos’s monthly reading from the Harper’s Index is always my favorite.

On Saturday evenings we have been collaborating with Hollow Earth Radio to bring some fantastic regional performers out to brighten up the dark winter evenings. Recent musicians seen in the Doe Bay Café include June Madrona, Shenandoah Davis, and Karl Blau.

Finally, on Sunday nights we are hosting the Doe Bay Cinecafe! Join us for movies on the big screen starting at 7:00 p.m. We also offer 50% off all bottles of wine, free popcorn, a “Recession Special” in addition to our regular menu and a great time watching a great film with great people.

The cafe remains closed Monday through Wednesday until May but it never hurts to ask about breakfast if you see me around on Monday mornings, as two recent guests found out. Last week I was asked for advice about where to find breakfast on a Monday morning in East Sound. After reviewing the incredibly limited options with our guests, I decided to just open the café and make them breakfast myself. Delicious food, many mimosas and a good time was had by all.

We look forward to seeing you in the café soon for some of Orcas Island’s finest local, organic and seasonal cuisine.

Best wishes,
Abigael Birrell
Executive Chef – Doe Bay Café

Live Music every Thursday and most Saturdays in the Café House of Mirror Hall!

If you are interested in spending from three weeks to three months working as a WWOOF volunteer at Doe Bay in our Organic garden, please contact us now. The calendar is already filling up.

As you now probably know, WWOOF is a worldwide organization of people dedicated to Organic gardening who trade labor for accommodations at farms throughout the world. WWOOF USA Website Doe Bay recently joined WWOOF and has already received a flurry of requests for stays. To Learn more, please see our website >>>

Group Work Retreats

Another volunteer option is to come up for a weekend with a group of able bodied folks. We tailor each visit, but the general idea is that we exchange a two-night / three-day stay for you and your group for a half day of work in the garden or on the grounds. The particular jobs are season dependant as well as a function of what the property needs. They may include pure organic gardening, trail or brush clearing, cleaning or painting or even brainstorming. If you are interested, please contact us by writing to DoeBayVolunteers@Gmail.com. Our volunteer coordinator (who is also a volunteer) will get right back to you.

Doe Bay has several positions open for Seasonal and Possible Year-round employment:

1.) Do you know a College Student looking for the Dream Summer Job? Please forward this to them! Applications will be taken until March 31, but positions will fill as qualified applicants are selected.

Doe Bay will be hiring several housekeepers, maintenance assistants, dishwashers and others for work from May through September. The pay is low and the work is hard. Did I mention that you will live in a tent and that there is NO TV on the property? Now, the bad news. You will spend your summer in one of the most beautiful places in the world. You will go hiking, biking and kayaking. You will learn about organic gardening. You will attend, and probably work at, dbFest 09. You will eat the freshest best food at the café at an employee discount. You will meet people from all over the world. You will probably get a taste of America in the 70’s and might even understand why your parents are the way they are, or not. You should be able to save a little bit of money and you will never forget the experience.

2.) Housekeeping Manager

This is an important job at Doe Bay as every guest will evaluate your work every day. We seek an experienced hospitality housekeeping manager for a job that pays below industry standards but allows a life style to die for. Organizational skills, management skills and housekeeping skills are all needed. The HK Manager will clean as well as manage cleaners, maintain records and systems and respond to guest’s needs. This will be an April through October job with the possibility of becoming year round.

We still want travel photos with Doe Bay gear but since this is our national geographic wildlife issue, we wanted to feature one of our old goats. The picture on the right shows trainer Nick Simmons providing target practice

Send your travel photos in showing you at an exotic location or virtually any Doe Bay related photo and we will consider publishing it here and making you famous. Joe@DoeBay.com.