Ned Luce

Friends, the options for participating are exceeding any reasonable ability to participate. Last week was full of those options for us. 

The so called “Opportunity Fair” was a singular success, at least that is what I heard. 

I went over to the Bay Club to stop in and make a “bird call” at the Rotary booth and at least give moral support to Rick Smith and Pat Cooper as they showcased the good work Rotary does for the community and the world. (A “bird call” is when you make a short stop someplace and leave something behind.) 

The Bay Club parking lot was full so I drove over to the Beach Club to pick up the CSA, (Community Supported Agriculture from Red Dog Farm), and there were 20 cars whose occupants had been shuttled over to the Bay Club. It was more evidence of the attendance at the fair. 

Sunday’s free concert provided by the Port Ludlow Performing Arts at the old conference center experienced warm weather and a large crowd enjoying the great music. My report is provided second-hand since I was unable to attend this event in person also!

So, Ned, what did you do besides watch reruns of “Gunsmoke” on FreeVee? 

Well, I played a profitable game of poker on Thursday evening, a nice kickoff for the weekend. Whilst I was playing poker, BJ and some friends went to the Valley Tavern to celebrate her and Anne Burrell-Smith’s birthdays. She brought home leftover quesadilla and I suspect my poker winnings were not substantial enough to cover the bar bill. 

On Saturday we headed to Seattle for some family activity. And, yes, we did not attend Seafair with all the hydroplanes and Blue Angels or the Mariners games or the Reign game. 

However, we did go to our son’s 50th birthday party with about 30 folks born from 1970 to 2012. It seemed strange that they were playing music from the 1990s instead of the 1970s since our son was born in 1972, in case you haven’t done the math yet for a 50 year old. No matter, we did our part to keep the average age above 40.  

As I noted, BJ’s birthday was early last week and one of the things she wanted to do to celebrate was attend the Seattle Storm WNBA game on Sunday which highlighted the career of longtime player Sue Bird. There were pre-game and post-game ceremonies featuring her achievements over the past 21 years with the team providing entertainment for the Climate Pledge Arena sold-out crowd of more than 18,000 cheering fans. 

Unfortunately, the Storm lost, but it did not seem to dampen the crowd’s appreciation for Sue. 

Another unfortunate part of the game was that BJ and I needed something to eat, so we spent most of halftime and the third quarter looking for and then standing in line for food. 

I say that as if a suspicious hot dog and cheeseburger justified waiting in line. Did I note there were more than 18,000 folks there? At least they have enough women’s bathrooms. 

I do plan to attend the “Squeezin’ for a Reason” accordion festival at Finn River on Sept. 24-25. Port Hadlock musician Paul Rogers has brought this festival to the area for several years and experienced enthusiastic crowds while raising thousands of dollars for various local and international charities. I suggest you consider putting the event on your calendar. 

Inflation hit me pretty hard as I got a $5 ice cream cone whilst waiting for the ferry on the way back from Seattle. 

It reminded me of a quote attributed to Sam Ewing. “Inflation is when you pay $15 for the $10 haircut you used to get for $5 when you had hair.” Wow, that hits home.

Love a curmudgeon and have a great week. 

(Ned Luce is a retired IBM executive and Port Ludlow resident. And please don’t get him started on the price of peanuts at the ballgame — that’s just nuts! Contact Ned at ned@ptleader.com.)