By popular demand, ELEMENTS hotel & spa room service is now provided by Backdoor Kitchen, San Juan Island’s multi-ethnic gem.

Backdoor is one of those rare, authentic places where diners discover a perfect marriage between setting, service and quality.  Somewhat hidden in Friday Harbor, tucked in among the plants and landscaping of Green Man nursery just a few blocks from ELEMENTS hotel & spa, Backdoor Kitchen has nevertheless risen to the top of the San Juan Island food chain by providing consistently excellent and creative meals and drinks in a setting that is quintessentially San Juan Island.  Ask almost any islander where to find the best food, appetizers, drinks, deserts, setting, service…Backdoor Kitchen is a virtually unanimous choice.

Dinners are available for delivery to your door during Backdoor Kitchen’s normal hours of operation, which vary seasonally; or walk just a few blocks to experience the full effect.  Visit the Backdoor Kitchen website for hours and menus.

Ho! It looks like a month off left Chef Madden rested and inspired for the new year. The new menu is out, at long last. You can view it HERE, but take heed: viewing this link can cause hunger pangs insatiable anywhere but Friday Harbor on San Juan Island. Steps exquisite cuisine is available for in-room dining at ELEMENTS San Juan Island hotel & spa, or just three blocks away at the cutting-edge Cafe. Reservations at 800-793-4756 or ONLINE.

This month’s report begins with a wonderful announcement: Samish (J-14) had her 5th calf, designated by the Center for Whale Research as J-43. This calf was first seen November 6th by National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), Fisheries research team. If you haven’t seen the video of mom and J-43 go to www.whalemuseum.org and click on **News Updates** then click on 11/9/07 King 5 Cameras Film J Pod With New Calf Near Alki Beach (video follows ad). In the beginning of the video you can see Samish with Riptide on her right and new baby J-43 surfacing between them. Keep watching and see if you can find when the calf surfaces again. It’s a great short video of this new calf and of J Pod. Toward the end you will see Blackberry (J-27) and Mike (J-26) too!….

The full report is available to members of the San Juan Island Whale Museum’s Orca Adoption program.  Visit the Whale Museum Online to join today and receive full reports monthly via email.

ELEMENTS hotel & spa room service from Steps Wine Bar and Cafe is on hiatus all December while the crew takes a well-deserved vacation. You won’t go hungry, though, because there are nearly 2 dozen other dining options within a four block radius of ELEMENTS. Our knowledgeable, friendly front-desk staff are dying to turn you on to some exquisite cuisine. Steps will re-open with a bang for a fantastic New Year’s Eve champagne dinner. Space is limited, so reserve today at (800) 793-4756 or ONLINE. View the Menu.

I got online today and offset a years worth of hotel emissions at Carbonfund.org. It’s always best to eliminate your impact first, but carbon offsetting is a great way to get a jump on shrinking your carbon footprint, and it’s easy. Essentially, you estimate the carbon impact of any endeavor you have not yet learned to eliminate, then make a tax-deductible contribution to fund an equal amount of some carbon-reducing endeavor like reforestation or zero-emission energy projects.

I hope to work with Carbonfund to create an interface that will allow you to accurately estimate the carbon impact of your specific travels and help you discover ways to first minimize your travel emissions, then offset the balance and create a 100% carbon-neutral vacation.  At ELEMENTS hotel & spa we believe that the low-impact sharing of pristine places with visitors from all over the world fosters a preservation instinct that can help save the world.  Offsetting your travel carbons is just another way of expressing this instinct. Peace.