We love the visitors in the summer | Life in Ludlow

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I don’t really have much sympathy for the horde descending on the Olympic Peninsula almost every weekend from May 1 through Labor Day. 

Hey, even though it must be tough to wait in those Kingston ferry lines, the rest of us are made to wade through the crowds at the various venues. 

OK, I apologize, between the rain this past spring, and the dollars they spend, those folks are keeping Jefferson and Clallam counties GREEN! In addition, not only are the visitors doing their share to “green up” the area, their visits are giving us the opportunity to join in their spending efforts. 

For example, last week we bought a nice-sized salmon at Key City Fish in Port Townsend. BJ also spent the Social Security check at QFC getting the required supplies in anticipation of a couple of grandsons visiting for a few days. We also met the other two grandsons in Kingston for an enjoyable dinner at the Ale House. 

As you probably know, none of this stuff got cheaper over the past year. 

I played poker with a few friends last week including Mike Cavett, known internationally as the proprietor of Fair Winds Winery in Port Townsend. He acknoledged that the price he pays for wine bottles has gone up several times lately. 

I have been unable to do much of the yard work the past few years so I have contracted with a small company that not only helps others in Port Ludlow but apparently has customers from Tacoma to Port Townsend. He tells me he puts $120 worth of fuel in his truck every day. That is EVERY DAY! The price of keeping my lawn mowed and BJ’s wine may see an increase!

We did have fun with the grandsons last week. 

BJ took the two youngest ones down to the Beach Club pool where they invented various games to entertain her and themselves. My hip surgeon has cleared me to go swimming so I went down one day to join in the fun and work on my annual effort to change the pasty appearance of my body into that bronze glow evident on so many TV personalities. Yeah, I know, they and Donald Trump use “bronzer” or some other product to gain that look. 

Last weekend’s nice weather brought out the sports cars, too. I saw some Porsches, Corvettes, Lamborghinis, an Alfa Romeo, and others with tops down enjoying the sunshine and warm winds. 

I was at the corner of Oak Bay and Highway 19 waiting for traffic to clear on Saturday when Bob and Andi Pistay came drifting around the corner in their Porsche 911 Turbo having way too much fun. Did you note that their son, Matt, was a member of the crew of the boat winning the Race to Alaska? They won by a couple of days! 

The clear weather also provided views of Mount Baker, Mount Rainier, and some of those views of the Cascades and the Olympics with snow still on them. It won’t be long before it is gone but it sure looked great. Independence Day is this weekend and we sure deserve the sunshine to come back for another show. I mean we have family coming again!

I have had so many nice folks send me words of wisdom over the years and you know I occasionally share them with you. Someone named Jennifer Yane is supposed to have said the following: “Inside every older person is a younger person wondering what happened.” Yep.

Love a curmudgeon and have a great Fourth of July. 

(Ned Luce is a retired IBM executive and Port Ludlow resident. Attention tourists who may wander across Ned upon one of our sun-soaked shores: Ned is not grimacing at you. It’s a hip thing. Contact Ned at ned@ptleader.com.)