Nothing to whine about these days | Life in Ludlow

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Nothing but the weather to whine about this week and even that isn’t all that bad. 

Cisco Morris might even recommend pruning some of your landscaping. BJ went outside last week and gave the rose bushes a good haircut, thereby filling several yard bags with clippings. 

We signed up for last Friday’s meeting of the “Port Ludlow Wine Explorers” hosted by Geoff and Cindy Charlton. We went to the first event many months ago at their home and enjoyed tasting the wines they presented. Frankly, however, our abilities to discern and thus appreciate the various nuances in wine have yet to be fully developed. 

No matter, we do enjoy having the occasional glass filled with a nice wine, mostly the red ones. (I read somewhere red wine is good for the heart.) 

As it turns out, the 10 people who attended the first PLWE meeting at the Charlton’s home has expanded to a maximum of 20 at the Beach Club!  

Many years ago we were on a ski trip in Steamboat Springs, Colorado and we were out to dinner with friends. We were at an Italian restaurant and I thought it might be nice to have a nice Chianti with dinner. As it turns out, they were out of the wine I asked for but the server suggested a Valpolicella wine from the Italian region of the same name. We liked the wine and have regularly enjoyed it since then. 

As it turns out, the wine to be investigated at the meeting of the “Port Ludlow Wine Explorers” was to be Valpolicella, so we figured that ought to be educational as well as entertaining. We signed up as the odds of us whining had to be low. The Charlton’s do a nice job of presenting wines as they describe them and pair them with cheese, fruit, and chocolate. The information, consuming, and conversation afterward make for a nice evening. 

I enjoyed spending time talking with Jeannette about Port Ludlow and her time living in Kalispel, Montana. She noted that even though she was working in Kalispel, she and friends could take off after work and go skiing 30 minutes away in Whitefish. Nice. I was going to tell similar stories but decided I needed more wine to conjure them up. 

Don’t think the Valpolicella story is over, though. You see, our son and his family came to visit over the weekend and brought a bottle of wine for us recommended by their local wine shop in Seattle. As you probably guessed, it was Valpolicella. It went very well with the pork ribs BJ had ready for dinner. One might think it was a northern Italy weekend for us. It turned out to be a Northern Jefferson County Saturday as they wanted to tour up in Port Townsend. 

I was anticipating going to the Wine Seller to pick up some Valpolicella. They wanted to tour the book stores and “The Northwest Man” clothing store. 

So, if you are a high school senior in Chimacum or Quilcene, if you are the parent of same, or if you know of one, you need to be aware that college or vocational school scholarships are available from the East Jefferson Rotary Club. 

Applications for the scholarships are available through your high school counselor and should be picked up soon for preparation because the deadline is March 31. 

Neither the application or any whining is accepted after that date. The club has focused most its financial outreach in the scholarship program this year and hopes to be providing significant help to deserving students. Questions can be answered or additional information can be obtained from Nancy McDaniel at nmcdan1975@gmail.com.

This Saturday at 2 p.m. in Port Ludlow’s Bay Club, student musicians from Port Townsend High School will showcase their talents in a free concert featuring classical, jazz, and fiddle ensembles. The live show serves as a fundraiser as well as a chance for the students to play in front of an audience ahead of a four-day trip to Los Angeles. 

This is a great opportunity to enjoy and support local music education!

Love a curmudgeon and have a great week. 

(Ned Luce is a retired IBM executive and Port Ludlow resident. He’s never mentioned having beer goggles, but he certainly has wine glasses. Contact Ned at ned@ptleader.com.)