November 22, 2011
Looks like winter has well and truly arrived in the Pacific Northwest, though many would argue that it never really left. "Nicest winter I ever experienced was summer in the Northwest." Today the monsoons have arrived, the dreaded "Pineapple Express" setting up turn that big Hawaiian fire hose on us and wash away the nice base that had accumulated in the local ski areas. White Pass is to blame. They got a nice dump last week and announced that they were going to open this weekend. So much for early-season skiing.
We are up to our "hips" in yacht club obligations, having already attended three "Junior Officers" balls. As explained previously, Tacoma Yacht Club belongs to an association of clubs known as the "Grand 14." These clubs stretch from Everett in the north to Olympia in the south. Vice- and Rear Commodores are considered "junior" officers and, as such, we attend J.O. balls at each of the 14 clubs--seven this year and seven next year. So far we've been to Port Orchard, Day Island, and Edmonds. We took Dreamtime to Edmonds, on a weekend that featured 25-30 knot southerly winds and a goodly dose of rain. It was one of those trips where we had to admit that the warmth and comfort of a power boat was very nice to have. Next on the calendar, the last week of January, is Meydenbauer Bay YC in the Bellevue/Kirkland area. The plan is to take the boat to that one, too, a trip that involves transiting the Ballard Locks and the Lake Washington Ship Canal.
December will be nuts, but we're not unique when it comes to that. Pretty much every weekend is encumbered by some TYC event, some of which WE are in charge of. Specifically, Charlie is the club's coordinator for the "Holiday Cruise for People With Disabilities" (formerly known as the Special Peoples Cruise) and we are in charge of the club's annual "Tom and Jerry Party." The latter has less to do with Tom & Jerrys and more to do with massive amounts of food. It is an extremely popular event by virtue of the fact that it is free to members. People who never attend a meeting and never lift a finger to help with anything around the club suddenly crawl out of the woodwork to help themselves to the free food. We'll also be helping deliver food and gifts to 15 or so needy families in the Tacoma area and participating in the club's Lighted Ships Parade on December 17.
And, as if all that wasn't enough, Charlie has begun work on a second CD. He finally decided that, if he waited until he made enough money off the first CD to pay for the second, it would never happen. So he's pouring what little money he accumulated from sales of the first one into production of the second. This one will feature 12 songs, 10 of which are his own compositions. You can see more details on his new website, www.capncharlie.com.
