WASHINGTON STATE PATROL ACADEMY Tour
Shelton WA 98584
When: Wednesday, April 18, 2018
WSP ACADEMY TOUR WAS SIMPLY ARRESTING!
On Wednesday, April 18, we had a group of 23 law-abiding Olympic Club members take part in our guided tour of Washington State Patrol’s training academy in Shelton. By all accounts, this was a good turn-out for a rarely scheduled mid-week event. Adding to the success, we had a nice break in the weather, allowing several of us to arrive in classic T’bird style. Our tour was conducted by WSP Sergeant Kent Hitchings who introduced us to the State Patrol’s history, and then led us through various locations and highlights at the facility. His presentation was professional, interesting, and entertaining. We visited their water safety training tank, the outdoor firing range, a firearms judgment simulator, the cadets’ dormitories, their gym for tactical training, and the 2.7 mile long emergency vehicle training course. This was a classroom day for the cadets, so we didn’t get to see any activity on this driving track. However, Sgt. Hitchings did extend an invitation to our club members if we’d like to come back in May so we can experience this track first-hand as passengers being driven by their experienced instructors. Fasten those seat belts, this sounds like a WOW factor! I’ll be contacting him to find out more specifics if enough members are interested.
A couple of our members have personal ties to WSP. Nancy Burress has a son who was recently promoted to sergeant in the State Patrol. He’s been working the Seattle area of Interstate-5. It was nice to see that Nancy drove her beautiful silver-gray ‘57 to this event. Coming all the way from Mt. Vernon, I asked how it happened she just didn’t drive a Brand-X car? She told me she doesn’t own a Brand-X car. She has only this T’bird and a 1962 Corvette. Congrats, Nancy... Nice rides! Ron Karr’s brother-in-law had been a WSP Trooper some years ago. Photographs of all the Academy’s past graduating classes are posted on the wall. Ron was able to get a copy of the photo showing his brother-in-law as part of Class No. 30. A nice momento.
It was great to visit with some folks we haven’t seen for awhile, including Mike and Cathie Ball who just got back from Arizona, Jim Evans, Phil and Cheryl McCurdy, Larry and Emily Muir, and Les Willman.
At the conclusion of our tour we gathered for a group photo that was taken by Academy staff. Bruce Eardley said he would include the photo on our club’s Facebook page and also in this issue of the newsletter. Thanks Bruce. Following the photo, we caravaned to a nearby Denny’s restaurant for lunch. We enjoyed good food, good service, and good conversation. Seated as a group, it was convenient for President Vickie Willson to hold a short meeting. She thanked those attending and highlighted our upcoming events. Lynn and I also want to thank each of you for taking time out of your weekday schedules to join us for this tour. We now look forward to seeing everyone at Mario Pitkin’s super collection next month.
Van
On Wednesday, April 18, we had a group of 23 law-abiding Olympic Club members take part in our guided tour of Washington State Patrol’s training academy in Shelton. By all accounts, this was a good turn-out for a rarely scheduled mid-week event. Adding to the success, we had a nice break in the weather, allowing several of us to arrive in classic T’bird style. Our tour was conducted by WSP Sergeant Kent Hitchings who introduced us to the State Patrol’s history, and then led us through various locations and highlights at the facility. His presentation was professional, interesting, and entertaining. We visited their water safety training tank, the outdoor firing range, a firearms judgment simulator, the cadets’ dormitories, their gym for tactical training, and the 2.7 mile long emergency vehicle training course. This was a classroom day for the cadets, so we didn’t get to see any activity on this driving track. However, Sgt. Hitchings did extend an invitation to our club members if we’d like to come back in May so we can experience this track first-hand as passengers being driven by their experienced instructors. Fasten those seat belts, this sounds like a WOW factor! I’ll be contacting him to find out more specifics if enough members are interested.
A couple of our members have personal ties to WSP. Nancy Burress has a son who was recently promoted to sergeant in the State Patrol. He’s been working the Seattle area of Interstate-5. It was nice to see that Nancy drove her beautiful silver-gray ‘57 to this event. Coming all the way from Mt. Vernon, I asked how it happened she just didn’t drive a Brand-X car? She told me she doesn’t own a Brand-X car. She has only this T’bird and a 1962 Corvette. Congrats, Nancy... Nice rides! Ron Karr’s brother-in-law had been a WSP Trooper some years ago. Photographs of all the Academy’s past graduating classes are posted on the wall. Ron was able to get a copy of the photo showing his brother-in-law as part of Class No. 30. A nice momento.
It was great to visit with some folks we haven’t seen for awhile, including Mike and Cathie Ball who just got back from Arizona, Jim Evans, Phil and Cheryl McCurdy, Larry and Emily Muir, and Les Willman.
At the conclusion of our tour we gathered for a group photo that was taken by Academy staff. Bruce Eardley said he would include the photo on our club’s Facebook page and also in this issue of the newsletter. Thanks Bruce. Following the photo, we caravaned to a nearby Denny’s restaurant for lunch. We enjoyed good food, good service, and good conversation. Seated as a group, it was convenient for President Vickie Willson to hold a short meeting. She thanked those attending and highlighted our upcoming events. Lynn and I also want to thank each of you for taking time out of your weekday schedules to join us for this tour. We now look forward to seeing everyone at Mario Pitkin’s super collection next month.
Van
LeMay Family Collection Tour
Spanaway WA
Sunday 3/18/2018
Cars, Cars, and More Cars
Our March event was a tour of the LeMay Family Collection in Spanaway. The day started with an early lunch at the Black Bear Diner in Lakewood where our crowd of 37 people was so large we almost exceeded the capacity of their private dining room. It was so nice to see several members that aren’t able to attend our events regularly, including the Akers and Luhmans, and Ron Rietman. We hope to see them more often in the coming months. A brief business meeting was held to discuss a requested change to the bylaws. Please read the minutes taken by our Secretary Fran DelDuca for all of the details. The restaurant did a great job of getting our meals to us quickly and correctly despite the fact that our entire group was being handled by only one waitress with no support even to refill coffee cups and water glasses.
After the meal our 9 baby birds, DelDuca’s ’60 bird and several other vehicles caravanned over to the LeMay Family Collection site in Spanaway for our tour of the grounds at Marymount. We split into four groups in order to cover the grounds more easily, and our tour included over 500 cars and automobilia from the 1890’s forward, including the rare 1941 Tucker made famous by a recent movie documenting it’s history. I’ve heard people comment about Hot August Nights, that there’s such a thing as “too many cars to see”, and after over two hours of walking I think many of our group might have agreed to that sentiment about the LeMay collection.
Following our tour of Marymount we had an opportunity to sit amongst the cars while we rested our weary legs and enjoyed cookies provided by the club and ice cold water provided by LeMays. Then it was off to our next set of tours at Nancy LeMay’s private residence, now occupied by son Doug. Nancy’s house is described by those who know it as “a modest 5-bedroom house with a 300 car garage”. This site is where the more valuable and rare cars are kept, along with the muscle cars, fire engines and the salt/pepper shaker, model car, and doll collections. The T-birds were privileged to be able to park on the property while we toured the two-story buildings and climbed stairway after stairway to view even more amazing cars and a few large displays including a country store and a soda shop.
I think we all went home with car-overload, tired legs, and in need of a nice long nap. I sure did! Our thanks to everyone for attending. We hope you all enjoyed the day.
Vickie and Bruce
Our March event was a tour of the LeMay Family Collection in Spanaway. The day started with an early lunch at the Black Bear Diner in Lakewood where our crowd of 37 people was so large we almost exceeded the capacity of their private dining room. It was so nice to see several members that aren’t able to attend our events regularly, including the Akers and Luhmans, and Ron Rietman. We hope to see them more often in the coming months. A brief business meeting was held to discuss a requested change to the bylaws. Please read the minutes taken by our Secretary Fran DelDuca for all of the details. The restaurant did a great job of getting our meals to us quickly and correctly despite the fact that our entire group was being handled by only one waitress with no support even to refill coffee cups and water glasses.
After the meal our 9 baby birds, DelDuca’s ’60 bird and several other vehicles caravanned over to the LeMay Family Collection site in Spanaway for our tour of the grounds at Marymount. We split into four groups in order to cover the grounds more easily, and our tour included over 500 cars and automobilia from the 1890’s forward, including the rare 1941 Tucker made famous by a recent movie documenting it’s history. I’ve heard people comment about Hot August Nights, that there’s such a thing as “too many cars to see”, and after over two hours of walking I think many of our group might have agreed to that sentiment about the LeMay collection.
Following our tour of Marymount we had an opportunity to sit amongst the cars while we rested our weary legs and enjoyed cookies provided by the club and ice cold water provided by LeMays. Then it was off to our next set of tours at Nancy LeMay’s private residence, now occupied by son Doug. Nancy’s house is described by those who know it as “a modest 5-bedroom house with a 300 car garage”. This site is where the more valuable and rare cars are kept, along with the muscle cars, fire engines and the salt/pepper shaker, model car, and doll collections. The T-birds were privileged to be able to park on the property while we toured the two-story buildings and climbed stairway after stairway to view even more amazing cars and a few large displays including a country store and a soda shop.
I think we all went home with car-overload, tired legs, and in need of a nice long nap. I sure did! Our thanks to everyone for attending. We hope you all enjoyed the day.
Vickie and Bruce
Paul Allen’s Flying Heritage & Combat Armor Museum
Paine Field
3407 109th Street SW Everett, WA 98204
Sunday February 18, 2017
Lunch at Jimmy Mac’s Roadhouse
11731 Airport Rd. Everett WA
The planes within the Flying Heritage & Combat Armor Museum were created at a time when aeronautical discovery had evolved to aviation mastery. Finely crafted by distinguished design bureaus with leading technologies of the 1930s and 1940s, the main emphasis of the collection includes combat aircraft from World War II.
Examples include U.S., British, German, Russian and Japanese types, which were often pitted against each other in great air battles. These rare survivors were researched, hunted down and sometimes recovered from former battlegrounds and airfields. While a few specimens were rebuilt by previous owners, the majority on display have received restoration of the highest authenticity.
In 1998, Paul G. Allen began acquiring and preserving these iconic warriors and workhorses, many of which are the last of their kind. Allen's passion for aviation and history, and his awareness of the increasing rarity of original WWII aircraft, motivated him to restore these artifacts to the highest standard of authenticity and share them with the public.
Waking up to no power and 5 inches of snow on the Sunday we were to head out for a T-bird event to the Paul Allen Museum was not exactly in the plans. By the time we were to leave for south Everett the roads were clear and the power was back on.
A total of 23 t-birders braved the elements to enjoy a 2 ½ hour tour with a very knowledgeable docent at this marvelous museum. Two buildings full of World War II planes, tanks, vehicles, missiles, cannons and rockets were on display. Most all either flew or at least ran, and a few were the only ones still in existence. A very interesting event.
Off to lunch at Jimmy Mac’s Roadhouse. No complaints as the food came out fast with no one wondering if they had been forgotten. Oh yes, plenty of peanuts.
Clarke & Wilma
Examples include U.S., British, German, Russian and Japanese types, which were often pitted against each other in great air battles. These rare survivors were researched, hunted down and sometimes recovered from former battlegrounds and airfields. While a few specimens were rebuilt by previous owners, the majority on display have received restoration of the highest authenticity.
In 1998, Paul G. Allen began acquiring and preserving these iconic warriors and workhorses, many of which are the last of their kind. Allen's passion for aviation and history, and his awareness of the increasing rarity of original WWII aircraft, motivated him to restore these artifacts to the highest standard of authenticity and share them with the public.
Waking up to no power and 5 inches of snow on the Sunday we were to head out for a T-bird event to the Paul Allen Museum was not exactly in the plans. By the time we were to leave for south Everett the roads were clear and the power was back on.
A total of 23 t-birders braved the elements to enjoy a 2 ½ hour tour with a very knowledgeable docent at this marvelous museum. Two buildings full of World War II planes, tanks, vehicles, missiles, cannons and rockets were on display. Most all either flew or at least ran, and a few were the only ones still in existence. A very interesting event.
Off to lunch at Jimmy Mac’s Roadhouse. No complaints as the food came out fast with no one wondering if they had been forgotten. Oh yes, plenty of peanuts.
Clarke & Wilma
BUSINESS MEETING and ELECTION of 2018 OFFICERS
Date: Sunday, January 28, 2018
Place: Johnny’s at Fife Restaurant
Agenda: Election of officers and any other club business
New Year Starts With A Well-Attended Meeting
Thank you to everyone who attended our January 28th business meeting. We met at noon at one of our favorite places, Johnny’s restaurant in Fife. As we’ve come to expect, the meals we ordered were well-prepared and our lone wait-staff person was very efficient. Our appreciation to Morris and Gayle Krause for once again hosting this annual event.
As we finished up our tasty meals, President Clarke Hamm called the meeting to order. Before starting the business agenda, Clarke introduced new member Ron Perrone who recently purchased a beautiful, black ‘56 T’bird from Jon and Susan Hanson. Congratulations on the sale and on the purchase, and we extend an Olympic club welcome. We look forward to seeing you on many of our upcoming events.
The main purpose of this general meeting was to elect our officers for 2018. Clarke presented to the members a slate of candidates who volunteered to fill the open positions. Each, in turn, was elected by acclamation. Our newly-elected executive board is as follows. President: Vickie Willson; Vice President: Mel Lang; Secretary: Fran DelDucca; Treasurer: Barb Collins; and Trustees: Mike Ball, Barry Birch, Chuck Birch, and Nancy Burress. Seems if you want to be a trustee, your last name has to start with a “B.” Offering to remain in their current positions are Bruce Eardley as Newsletter Editor, Webmaster, and Membership Chair; Frank Stubbs as Historian; and Vickie Willson as our Sunshine contact. Well wishes to them all. We thank them for volunteering and for their willingness to serve our club. Sincere appreciation also goes to our outgoing Board members who aren’t filling new positions: Clarke Hamm as President, Cathy Stubbs as Secretary, Ron Karr as Treasurer, and Kyle Stubbs and Tony Dilores as Trustees.
As part of the meeting’s business, Ron Karr provided us with a written Treasurer’s report that included a detailed accounting of our income and expenses for the past year. His report also included a 2018 Proposed Budget, offering best estimates to cover recurring expenses. The accounting and proposed budget were approved as presented. Excellent work, Ron!
As this productive meeting came to a close, Jon Hanson extended well-deserved praise to Clarke for his leadership and for his willingness to take on a variety of club responsibilities. Well said and a nice finishing touch to our meeting. We look forward to seeing everyone next month at the Flying Heritage Museum in Everett.
Van
Minutes if the meeting are in the "Members Only" section
Thank you to everyone who attended our January 28th business meeting. We met at noon at one of our favorite places, Johnny’s restaurant in Fife. As we’ve come to expect, the meals we ordered were well-prepared and our lone wait-staff person was very efficient. Our appreciation to Morris and Gayle Krause for once again hosting this annual event.
As we finished up our tasty meals, President Clarke Hamm called the meeting to order. Before starting the business agenda, Clarke introduced new member Ron Perrone who recently purchased a beautiful, black ‘56 T’bird from Jon and Susan Hanson. Congratulations on the sale and on the purchase, and we extend an Olympic club welcome. We look forward to seeing you on many of our upcoming events.
The main purpose of this general meeting was to elect our officers for 2018. Clarke presented to the members a slate of candidates who volunteered to fill the open positions. Each, in turn, was elected by acclamation. Our newly-elected executive board is as follows. President: Vickie Willson; Vice President: Mel Lang; Secretary: Fran DelDucca; Treasurer: Barb Collins; and Trustees: Mike Ball, Barry Birch, Chuck Birch, and Nancy Burress. Seems if you want to be a trustee, your last name has to start with a “B.” Offering to remain in their current positions are Bruce Eardley as Newsletter Editor, Webmaster, and Membership Chair; Frank Stubbs as Historian; and Vickie Willson as our Sunshine contact. Well wishes to them all. We thank them for volunteering and for their willingness to serve our club. Sincere appreciation also goes to our outgoing Board members who aren’t filling new positions: Clarke Hamm as President, Cathy Stubbs as Secretary, Ron Karr as Treasurer, and Kyle Stubbs and Tony Dilores as Trustees.
As part of the meeting’s business, Ron Karr provided us with a written Treasurer’s report that included a detailed accounting of our income and expenses for the past year. His report also included a 2018 Proposed Budget, offering best estimates to cover recurring expenses. The accounting and proposed budget were approved as presented. Excellent work, Ron!
As this productive meeting came to a close, Jon Hanson extended well-deserved praise to Clarke for his leadership and for his willingness to take on a variety of club responsibilities. Well said and a nice finishing touch to our meeting. We look forward to seeing everyone next month at the Flying Heritage Museum in Everett.
Van
Minutes if the meeting are in the "Members Only" section
ANNUAL HOLIDAY CHRISTMAS PARTY
Sunday December 10, 2017
SANTA PUTS THE RED LION ON HIS “NAUGHTY” LIST
On Sunday afternoon, December 10th, an enthusiastic group of Olympic Club members attended our annual Christmas party in Jonah’s restaurant at the Red Lion Hotel in Bellevue. This is the same location where we held our holiday event last year. Since it had been a positive experience, we decided to sign on with them again this time. But I’m certain all who attended this year’s function would agree it was a mixed bag of good and bad.
Let’s start with the good. During a social hour of greetings and catching up, it was nice to visit with everyone. It included sharing hugs with Betty Muir and seeing Chuck Birch arrive in mid-winter in a short-sleeve Hawaiian shirt. It was fun to hear about Donna Wisenburg and Carmen Allstrom’s adventures trying to find this location, and Cliff Holland made a big hit wearing a stylish ‘56 T’bird jacket. How neat it was to see the smile on Joanne Hendry’s face when she won the drawing for a $50 Anthony’s restaurant gift card. And the good continued as Vickie Willson tried her best to explain, once again, those pesky Chinese gift-exchange rules. It was a treat to see the number of fun, entertaining, and quality gifts that people brought. Among them were two framed works of art. The first was a classic T’bird print presented by Barry Birch, and the second was an impressive photo collage of FoMoCo vehicles that was hand-crafted by our own Thais Davis-Evans. Another of our members, Jim Hendry, took special interest in this collage because some of the photos are of cars owned by him and Joanne. How neat! Dan DelDuca became the lucky winner of this unique art. And lastly, it was very good and generous of our members who brought a variety of unwrapped toys to provide needy children with some joy, hope, and happiness at Christmas.
Now, let’s talk about the bad. Our contract agreement with Red Lion was very simple. It was to serve us from the same custom menu at the same prices and quality we had enjoyed the previous year. The contract was finalized in January 2017 between our club and their Group Sales Manager. She said she forwarded the information to their Catering Services Manager. In October 2017, I further confirmed our agreement by mailing to Red Lion a copy of our newsletter event notice along with a copy of the agreed custom menu. But then, at Jonah’s on the day of our event, I was dumbfounded to see the arbitrary changes that had been made to the menu without any notification. They had eliminated many of the agreed entrees, totally eliminated appetizer and dessert choices, and completely changed the prices. When I asked the waitstaff for an explanation they had no answer, and they told me no supervisors or managers were on duty because it was Sunday afternoon. Good grief! Adding to the frustration, the meals weren’t of the same quality as last year. Portions were smaller, French fries were limp, burger buns were cold, etc. Many complaints were voiced by our group. When I called Red Lion the next day, the Group Sales Manager appeared sincere in her apologies for all their missteps. She indicated the Catering Services Manager had dropped the ball. She let me know this Catering Manager had just been fired, a result of our valid complaints and prior problem incidents. So many in our club look forward to this year-end festive event. We expected better from Red Lion. As such, the Christmas party committee will be looking for a different location for next December’s event. Any suggestions would be appreciated. Thank you.
Van
On Sunday afternoon, December 10th, an enthusiastic group of Olympic Club members attended our annual Christmas party in Jonah’s restaurant at the Red Lion Hotel in Bellevue. This is the same location where we held our holiday event last year. Since it had been a positive experience, we decided to sign on with them again this time. But I’m certain all who attended this year’s function would agree it was a mixed bag of good and bad.
Let’s start with the good. During a social hour of greetings and catching up, it was nice to visit with everyone. It included sharing hugs with Betty Muir and seeing Chuck Birch arrive in mid-winter in a short-sleeve Hawaiian shirt. It was fun to hear about Donna Wisenburg and Carmen Allstrom’s adventures trying to find this location, and Cliff Holland made a big hit wearing a stylish ‘56 T’bird jacket. How neat it was to see the smile on Joanne Hendry’s face when she won the drawing for a $50 Anthony’s restaurant gift card. And the good continued as Vickie Willson tried her best to explain, once again, those pesky Chinese gift-exchange rules. It was a treat to see the number of fun, entertaining, and quality gifts that people brought. Among them were two framed works of art. The first was a classic T’bird print presented by Barry Birch, and the second was an impressive photo collage of FoMoCo vehicles that was hand-crafted by our own Thais Davis-Evans. Another of our members, Jim Hendry, took special interest in this collage because some of the photos are of cars owned by him and Joanne. How neat! Dan DelDuca became the lucky winner of this unique art. And lastly, it was very good and generous of our members who brought a variety of unwrapped toys to provide needy children with some joy, hope, and happiness at Christmas.
Now, let’s talk about the bad. Our contract agreement with Red Lion was very simple. It was to serve us from the same custom menu at the same prices and quality we had enjoyed the previous year. The contract was finalized in January 2017 between our club and their Group Sales Manager. She said she forwarded the information to their Catering Services Manager. In October 2017, I further confirmed our agreement by mailing to Red Lion a copy of our newsletter event notice along with a copy of the agreed custom menu. But then, at Jonah’s on the day of our event, I was dumbfounded to see the arbitrary changes that had been made to the menu without any notification. They had eliminated many of the agreed entrees, totally eliminated appetizer and dessert choices, and completely changed the prices. When I asked the waitstaff for an explanation they had no answer, and they told me no supervisors or managers were on duty because it was Sunday afternoon. Good grief! Adding to the frustration, the meals weren’t of the same quality as last year. Portions were smaller, French fries were limp, burger buns were cold, etc. Many complaints were voiced by our group. When I called Red Lion the next day, the Group Sales Manager appeared sincere in her apologies for all their missteps. She indicated the Catering Services Manager had dropped the ball. She let me know this Catering Manager had just been fired, a result of our valid complaints and prior problem incidents. So many in our club look forward to this year-end festive event. We expected better from Red Lion. As such, the Christmas party committee will be looking for a different location for next December’s event. Any suggestions would be appreciated. Thank you.
Van
BUSINESS AND PLANNING MEETING FOR OUR 2017 EVENTS
AND AWARDS CEREMONY
Date: Sunday, November 19, 2017
November 2017 Business & Events Planning Meeting
It seems to be a regular tradition to hold the Olympic Club’s annual calendar of events planning meeting at Frank & Cathy’s home. We all very much appreciate having this opportunity and their gracious hospitality. A heart felt “Thank You” from each and every one of us.
All the chairs downstairs were filled when President Clarke Hamm called the meeting to order. There were no guests or new members. In attendance was Julie Birch just 2 weeks ago having her second knee replacement and now looking forward to her rehab. Vickie spoke about Sander Macham who joined our club in 1993 along with his wife Anne. Sandy passed away this month; our condolences to Anne and their family.
The CTCI International Convention will be held in Knoxville, Tennessee this August and the club voted to donate $500 to their committee to help with their start up expenses. Cathy encouraged members to drive their T-Birds in an effort to win the Ford Johnson Memorial Trophy.
Frank awarded Longevity pins to those in attendance who had earned them. The Allstrom All-Star Award, was initiated to recognize a member who has provided some sort of special or outstanding service to our club during the past year and is voted on by the executive board. This plaque was awarded to Jim and Joanne Hendry. We all especially thank them both for having the All Thunderbird Picnic at their home for the past 2 years.
Mel Lang headed up the challenging job of guiding the members through the process of filling up our Calendar of Events for the coming year. The schedule includes 2 overnight trips and a good variety of local events some new and some we have done in the past. There were even some left over ideas that can be used for next year’s calendar. Thanks to all members to submitted and/or volunteered to host an outing.
The meeting was adjourned so we could all enjoy another outstanding Olympic potluck. What a great variety of delicious food we all had to choose from.
Wilma
It seems to be a regular tradition to hold the Olympic Club’s annual calendar of events planning meeting at Frank & Cathy’s home. We all very much appreciate having this opportunity and their gracious hospitality. A heart felt “Thank You” from each and every one of us.
All the chairs downstairs were filled when President Clarke Hamm called the meeting to order. There were no guests or new members. In attendance was Julie Birch just 2 weeks ago having her second knee replacement and now looking forward to her rehab. Vickie spoke about Sander Macham who joined our club in 1993 along with his wife Anne. Sandy passed away this month; our condolences to Anne and their family.
The CTCI International Convention will be held in Knoxville, Tennessee this August and the club voted to donate $500 to their committee to help with their start up expenses. Cathy encouraged members to drive their T-Birds in an effort to win the Ford Johnson Memorial Trophy.
Frank awarded Longevity pins to those in attendance who had earned them. The Allstrom All-Star Award, was initiated to recognize a member who has provided some sort of special or outstanding service to our club during the past year and is voted on by the executive board. This plaque was awarded to Jim and Joanne Hendry. We all especially thank them both for having the All Thunderbird Picnic at their home for the past 2 years.
Mel Lang headed up the challenging job of guiding the members through the process of filling up our Calendar of Events for the coming year. The schedule includes 2 overnight trips and a good variety of local events some new and some we have done in the past. There were even some left over ideas that can be used for next year’s calendar. Thanks to all members to submitted and/or volunteered to host an outing.
The meeting was adjourned so we could all enjoy another outstanding Olympic potluck. What a great variety of delicious food we all had to choose from.
Wilma
OLYMPIC CLASSIC THUNDERBIRD CLUB
Summary of Meeting Minutes
Sunday, November 19, 2017
The meeting was called to order by President Clarke Hamm at the home of Frank and Cathy Stubbs. There were 28 members present, and no guests or new members. A thank you was
extended to Frank and Cathy for hosting this event.
MINUTES – Minutes from the January 22, 2017, meeting were read and approved.
TREASURER’S REPORT – The OCTC bank account is in good shape. At present 2017 income Surpasses expenses, and to date the club is substantially below its 2017 budget.
COMMITTEE REPORTS – Frank Stubbs, Historian, presented the 2017 Longevity Pins as Follows:
5 years Ron and Helen Bartlett
10 years Cliff Holland (present)
Dave and Jeamme Fields
15 years Dave and Barbara VanWinkle
20 years Donna Wisenberg (present)
25 years Linda Ellefson
Jon and Susan Hansen
Ward and Sue Luhman
Brown and Sara Maloney
30 years Jim and Janet Blodgett
SUNSHINE COMMITTEE -Vickie Willson mentioned the passing of member Sandy Mecham on November 3rd and shared some highlights of his life. He served in the Navy from 1962-1992 and was an OCTC member for 24 years.
Cathy Stubbs reported that former member Kathy Cox just had a bone marrow draw and the results showed her bone marrow to be Leukemia free.
Tony and Eve Dilores are now settled in their new home in Buckeye, AZ.
Julie Birch was at the meeting and recovering nicely from her recent knee-replacement.
MEMBERSHIP – Bruce Eardley reported one new membership – Ron and Beth Bunn.
ALLSTROM ALL-STAR AWARD 2017 - Clarke gave a brief summary of the purpose of the award
And who votes on it. Mel Lang then presented to the award to the 2017 recipients, Jim and Joanne Hendry, for taking on the Thunderbird Picnic and hosting it at their home.
NEW BUSINESS – In 2018 the CTCI International Convention will be held in Knoxville, TN. It was asked if the club was going to make a contribution to the hosting club to assist them with seed money for the convention. After some discussion a motion was made and approved to donate $500.00 to the hosting club.
OLD BUSINESS –
Christmas Party – Van Victor reported that the party was good to go on Sunday, December 10th, at Johah’s Restaurant at the Holiday Inn in Bellevue. They are giving us the same generous menu as last year. We will be able to pay separately, and 18% gratuity will be added to the check. Arrival is noon with lunch at 1:00 PM. The Holiday Inn is offering a special $79.00 rate for those wishing to spend the night.
January Business Meeting & Election of Officers – The January meeting is scheduled for Sunday, January 28th, at Johnnies in Fife. OCTC currently needs to fill all the officer positions and three directors.
OTHER BUSINESS – Cliff Holland mentioned that his friend, Mario just purchased a 1960 Thunderbird and was inquiring if he could join our club. Unfortunately, club policy still requires that a person own a 1955, 56 or 57 Thunderbird in order to join OCTC.
Jutta Burks brought two brand new white jackets (never worn) of a past Olympic club jacket Styling, and offered them to anyone interested. They are a unisex style. There is still one Large available. See Cathy if interested.
CALENDAR OF EVENTS – See the updated posting of the events elsewhere in the Newsletter. Following a lengthy discussion and possible events and scheduling, the meeting was adjourned And another outstanding OCTC potluck was consumed.
Cathy Stubbs
Secretary
extended to Frank and Cathy for hosting this event.
MINUTES – Minutes from the January 22, 2017, meeting were read and approved.
TREASURER’S REPORT – The OCTC bank account is in good shape. At present 2017 income Surpasses expenses, and to date the club is substantially below its 2017 budget.
COMMITTEE REPORTS – Frank Stubbs, Historian, presented the 2017 Longevity Pins as Follows:
5 years Ron and Helen Bartlett
10 years Cliff Holland (present)
Dave and Jeamme Fields
15 years Dave and Barbara VanWinkle
20 years Donna Wisenberg (present)
25 years Linda Ellefson
Jon and Susan Hansen
Ward and Sue Luhman
Brown and Sara Maloney
30 years Jim and Janet Blodgett
SUNSHINE COMMITTEE -Vickie Willson mentioned the passing of member Sandy Mecham on November 3rd and shared some highlights of his life. He served in the Navy from 1962-1992 and was an OCTC member for 24 years.
Cathy Stubbs reported that former member Kathy Cox just had a bone marrow draw and the results showed her bone marrow to be Leukemia free.
Tony and Eve Dilores are now settled in their new home in Buckeye, AZ.
Julie Birch was at the meeting and recovering nicely from her recent knee-replacement.
MEMBERSHIP – Bruce Eardley reported one new membership – Ron and Beth Bunn.
ALLSTROM ALL-STAR AWARD 2017 - Clarke gave a brief summary of the purpose of the award
And who votes on it. Mel Lang then presented to the award to the 2017 recipients, Jim and Joanne Hendry, for taking on the Thunderbird Picnic and hosting it at their home.
NEW BUSINESS – In 2018 the CTCI International Convention will be held in Knoxville, TN. It was asked if the club was going to make a contribution to the hosting club to assist them with seed money for the convention. After some discussion a motion was made and approved to donate $500.00 to the hosting club.
OLD BUSINESS –
Christmas Party – Van Victor reported that the party was good to go on Sunday, December 10th, at Johah’s Restaurant at the Holiday Inn in Bellevue. They are giving us the same generous menu as last year. We will be able to pay separately, and 18% gratuity will be added to the check. Arrival is noon with lunch at 1:00 PM. The Holiday Inn is offering a special $79.00 rate for those wishing to spend the night.
January Business Meeting & Election of Officers – The January meeting is scheduled for Sunday, January 28th, at Johnnies in Fife. OCTC currently needs to fill all the officer positions and three directors.
OTHER BUSINESS – Cliff Holland mentioned that his friend, Mario just purchased a 1960 Thunderbird and was inquiring if he could join our club. Unfortunately, club policy still requires that a person own a 1955, 56 or 57 Thunderbird in order to join OCTC.
Jutta Burks brought two brand new white jackets (never worn) of a past Olympic club jacket Styling, and offered them to anyone interested. They are a unisex style. There is still one Large available. See Cathy if interested.
CALENDAR OF EVENTS – See the updated posting of the events elsewhere in the Newsletter. Following a lengthy discussion and possible events and scheduling, the meeting was adjourned And another outstanding OCTC potluck was consumed.
Cathy Stubbs
Secretary
BOEING MUSUEM OF FLIGHT
& LUNCH AT RANDY’S RESTRUANT
SUNDAY OCT 15, 2017
This was a new event. The original event, Boeing Field Tour, was not available on weekends.
About the Museum
The Museum of Flight is the largest independent, non-profit air and space museum in the world! With over 175 aircraft and spacecraft, tens of thousands of artifacts, millions of rare photographs, dozen of exhibits and experiences and a world-class library, the Museum and its people bring mankind's incredible history of flight to life.
In 1964 a small group of aviation enthusiasts realized that important and historic artifacts representing the evolution of flight were being lost or destroyed at an incredible rate. To aid in the preservation of these artifacts, the Pacific Northwest Aviation Historical Foundation was established with the goal of saving significant aircraft and related artifacts to educate the public about their importance.
It soon became clear that a place to store and exhibit these artifacts was needed, and in 1965 the first official Museum of Flight exhibits were put on display in a 10,000 square-foot space at the Seattle Center, the location of the 1962 World’s Fair.
The concept for The Museum of Flight complex began to take in 1975 when the Port of Seattle leased the land on which the Boeing Red Barn now sits to the Museum for 99 years. The Red Barn, the birthplace of The Boeing Company, was saved from demolition in its original location on the Duwamish River and floated by river barge to its current location. The Red Barn was restored in 1983 and became the first permanent location for The Museum of Flight.
The Red Barn was eventually joined by the Great Gallery in 1987, the Library and Archives Building in 2002 and the J. Elroy McCaw Personal Courage Wing and Airpark in 2004. The Museum of Flight continues to expand our exhibits, our experiences and our educational programs—paying homage to the history of flight and inspiring the entertainment and education of generations to come.
Our visit to the museum
We had a beautiful fall day on Oct 15 for our T-Bird event. 20 people met at Randy's Diner at 11:30 for brunch or lunch or anything from their 24 hour menu! We had good food and good service and good company. It was nice to see some members who we don’t see very
often such as Eddie Akers and Russell Jones, we hope to see them at more of our events.
We then mounted up, drove one block to the Museum of Flight and spent several hours wandering through the museum checking out all the amazing exhibits! Everyone was free to go and see whatever they wanted and at their own pace. It would take several days to see all the Museum has to offer, but was good fun.
Thanks to all that joined us to make this event a success
Fran & Dan DelDuca
About the Museum
The Museum of Flight is the largest independent, non-profit air and space museum in the world! With over 175 aircraft and spacecraft, tens of thousands of artifacts, millions of rare photographs, dozen of exhibits and experiences and a world-class library, the Museum and its people bring mankind's incredible history of flight to life.
In 1964 a small group of aviation enthusiasts realized that important and historic artifacts representing the evolution of flight were being lost or destroyed at an incredible rate. To aid in the preservation of these artifacts, the Pacific Northwest Aviation Historical Foundation was established with the goal of saving significant aircraft and related artifacts to educate the public about their importance.
It soon became clear that a place to store and exhibit these artifacts was needed, and in 1965 the first official Museum of Flight exhibits were put on display in a 10,000 square-foot space at the Seattle Center, the location of the 1962 World’s Fair.
The concept for The Museum of Flight complex began to take in 1975 when the Port of Seattle leased the land on which the Boeing Red Barn now sits to the Museum for 99 years. The Red Barn, the birthplace of The Boeing Company, was saved from demolition in its original location on the Duwamish River and floated by river barge to its current location. The Red Barn was restored in 1983 and became the first permanent location for The Museum of Flight.
The Red Barn was eventually joined by the Great Gallery in 1987, the Library and Archives Building in 2002 and the J. Elroy McCaw Personal Courage Wing and Airpark in 2004. The Museum of Flight continues to expand our exhibits, our experiences and our educational programs—paying homage to the history of flight and inspiring the entertainment and education of generations to come.
Our visit to the museum
We had a beautiful fall day on Oct 15 for our T-Bird event. 20 people met at Randy's Diner at 11:30 for brunch or lunch or anything from their 24 hour menu! We had good food and good service and good company. It was nice to see some members who we don’t see very
often such as Eddie Akers and Russell Jones, we hope to see them at more of our events.
We then mounted up, drove one block to the Museum of Flight and spent several hours wandering through the museum checking out all the amazing exhibits! Everyone was free to go and see whatever they wanted and at their own pace. It would take several days to see all the Museum has to offer, but was good fun.
Thanks to all that joined us to make this event a success
Fran & Dan DelDuca
LAKE CHELAN WEEKEND
&
CAR SHOW
September 8-10, 2017
On Friday morning it was a small group – Hendry’s, Stubbs’, VanWinkle’s – leaving our meeting place at the Country Pride Restaurant in Northbend. After a rest stop under smoky skies in Cle Elum, we made our way over scenic, but smoky Blewit Pass to our lunch stop at the 59iner Diner in Cashmere. There we met up with the Hamm’s and Hanson’s along with two couples from the Hamm’s club out of Stanwood. The Diner set our group up for lunch in their mock-up fifties kitchen where we dined on our fifties favorites which among other things included a wide variety of flavorful hand-dipped milk shakes. And yes, Jon, Frank and I have made your version of the root beer shakes, and even at home they were ummmm-good.
After lunch some of the group took a quick stroll through Apple Annie’s Antiques, and then it was back on the road to Chelan. We arrived at the Lakeside Lodge and Suites with plenty of time to have a bit of social time on the grass by the pool. Shortly after we all arrived Donna Wisenberg and her friend, Pat pulled in. Our younger, working member, Kyle Stubbs arrived in Mom’s green ’57 later in the evening.
Everyone who was attending the Lake Chelan Car Show on Saturday were invited to
a barbecue Friday evening at the location of Leo Miller’s car and memorabilia collection. The members of the Chelan car club had us collector cars parked in the lot out front and from there up and down the street. They call it a barbecue, but we really dined on slow cooked prime rib with all the trimmings, and various pies and cookies for dessert. While there we were entertained with live music and lots of opportunities to purchase raffle and 50/50 tickets.
Saturday morning following an early breakfast at Lakeside Lodge, we left the hotel together to attend the Chelan Car Show. It was held on grass in a very nice park between the lake and Downtown- a great place for a car show. Even though we are the Olympic Classic Thunderbird Club our group of cars included two T-Birds, ’57 Ford Convertible, ’57 Ford Retractable, and a ’67 Ford seven litre convertible. We were at the park early, but the day seemed to go by fast as there was a lot to do with all the cars to look at, music to listen to, more raffle and 50/50 tickets to buy and downtown
right there for our shopping and dining pleasures. At the end of the day the awards were handed out with the Hendry’s receiving a Sweet 16 Award of which there were sixteen given in no particular order.
While we were all hanging around car show festivities with our cars both Friday and Saturday, Donna and Pat were out having a grand time exploring the all around the Lake Chelan area. They had the good fortune to enjoy goodies at Blue Berry Hill Farm, along with visiting wineries, a Karaoke Bar in Manson, and the casino. When we got back to the hotel on Saturday, they were having a swim.
That evening all of us including our weekend organizer’s and hosts, Jerry and Becky Cline, drove to Manson to enjoy food, beverages and friendship at Buddy’s where the locals hang out away from us tourists – HA!
Sunday morning has us all up for breakfast and homeward bound. We want to thank Jerry and Becky for suggesting and planning this wonderful weekend for us.
Cathy Stubbs
After lunch some of the group took a quick stroll through Apple Annie’s Antiques, and then it was back on the road to Chelan. We arrived at the Lakeside Lodge and Suites with plenty of time to have a bit of social time on the grass by the pool. Shortly after we all arrived Donna Wisenberg and her friend, Pat pulled in. Our younger, working member, Kyle Stubbs arrived in Mom’s green ’57 later in the evening.
Everyone who was attending the Lake Chelan Car Show on Saturday were invited to
a barbecue Friday evening at the location of Leo Miller’s car and memorabilia collection. The members of the Chelan car club had us collector cars parked in the lot out front and from there up and down the street. They call it a barbecue, but we really dined on slow cooked prime rib with all the trimmings, and various pies and cookies for dessert. While there we were entertained with live music and lots of opportunities to purchase raffle and 50/50 tickets.
Saturday morning following an early breakfast at Lakeside Lodge, we left the hotel together to attend the Chelan Car Show. It was held on grass in a very nice park between the lake and Downtown- a great place for a car show. Even though we are the Olympic Classic Thunderbird Club our group of cars included two T-Birds, ’57 Ford Convertible, ’57 Ford Retractable, and a ’67 Ford seven litre convertible. We were at the park early, but the day seemed to go by fast as there was a lot to do with all the cars to look at, music to listen to, more raffle and 50/50 tickets to buy and downtown
right there for our shopping and dining pleasures. At the end of the day the awards were handed out with the Hendry’s receiving a Sweet 16 Award of which there were sixteen given in no particular order.
While we were all hanging around car show festivities with our cars both Friday and Saturday, Donna and Pat were out having a grand time exploring the all around the Lake Chelan area. They had the good fortune to enjoy goodies at Blue Berry Hill Farm, along with visiting wineries, a Karaoke Bar in Manson, and the casino. When we got back to the hotel on Saturday, they were having a swim.
That evening all of us including our weekend organizer’s and hosts, Jerry and Becky Cline, drove to Manson to enjoy food, beverages and friendship at Buddy’s where the locals hang out away from us tourists – HA!
Sunday morning has us all up for breakfast and homeward bound. We want to thank Jerry and Becky for suggesting and planning this wonderful weekend for us.
Cathy Stubbs
ANNUAL PICNIC (POT LUCK)
&
GARAGE TOUR
JIM & JOANNE HENDRY & TODD GUNDMUNDSON
SUNDAY AUGUST 20, 2017
Our 38th annual Olympic Club picnic on Sunday, August 20, was held on the spacious grounds at Jim and Joanne Hendry’s home in Issaquah. It was an absolutely perfect setting with a great mix of beautiful cars, super people, delicious food, and nice weather. It truly made for a fun gathering among fellow car enthusiasts. Members from our Olympic Club were joined by folks from the Ford Retractable Club and a number of Ford-connected classic car owners. Thirty + cars were on display that included classic ‘birds, square ‘birds, Skyliner retractable, Rancheros, Mercuries, Mustangs, and a ‘55 Crown Victoria. . In addition to these, we had the opportunity to look at two neat “garage tour” collections of cars. One collection belongs to Jim and Joanne, while the second is owned by Todd Gundmundson who lives just a short distance away. Wow! Talk about a feast for the eyes getting to see all these cool cars at our event.
Now let’s talk about another type of feast. A wonderful potluck that included salads, desserts, and all the trimmings. An Olympic Club thank you also goes to Vickie Willson who provided us with a number of tasty fruit pies to enjoy for dessert. It was a great treat, with or without alamode. Yum!
This was a very well-attended event with over 50 people taking part. A special appreciation to our hosts, Jim and Joanne, for all the work they put in to make this outing such a success. It was also nice to visit with folks we haven’t seen at a club event for some time, including Betty Muir with Larry & Emily, Morris and Gayle Krause, Todd Gundmundson, Dan and Fran DelDuca and Phil & Cheryl McCurdy.
Thanks to everyone,
Jim & Joanne
Looking forward to next month’s event, Lake Chelan Weekend & Car Show on
September 8 - 10, 2017.
Also we wish safe travels to the group doing Route 66 for the month of September. The group consists of Tony & Eve Dilores, Bruce Eardley & Vickie Willson, Michael & Cathie Ball, Les & Cynthia Willman, Ron Karr & Barb Collins, Chuck Birch, and Larry & Emily Muir.
Now let’s talk about another type of feast. A wonderful potluck that included salads, desserts, and all the trimmings. An Olympic Club thank you also goes to Vickie Willson who provided us with a number of tasty fruit pies to enjoy for dessert. It was a great treat, with or without alamode. Yum!
This was a very well-attended event with over 50 people taking part. A special appreciation to our hosts, Jim and Joanne, for all the work they put in to make this outing such a success. It was also nice to visit with folks we haven’t seen at a club event for some time, including Betty Muir with Larry & Emily, Morris and Gayle Krause, Todd Gundmundson, Dan and Fran DelDuca and Phil & Cheryl McCurdy.
Thanks to everyone,
Jim & Joanne
Looking forward to next month’s event, Lake Chelan Weekend & Car Show on
September 8 - 10, 2017.
Also we wish safe travels to the group doing Route 66 for the month of September. The group consists of Tony & Eve Dilores, Bruce Eardley & Vickie Willson, Michael & Cathie Ball, Les & Cynthia Willman, Ron Karr & Barb Collins, Chuck Birch, and Larry & Emily Muir.
CTCI REGION 1 CONVENTION
AUGUST 2 - 6 2017
CTCI REGION 1 CONVENTION WAS AN EAST COAST TREAT
Congratulations to the New Jersey Open Road Thunderbird Club for hosting a truly wonderful regional event. It was held August 2 – 6, 2017, at the Hanover Marriott in Whippany, New Jersey. This is the fifth CTCI convention hosted by this club, and their experience really shows. From the Welcome Party to the farewell good-byes, everything was well planned and well executed. Some of the highlights included a tour of New York City, a narrated boat cruise around Manhattan Island, and a visit to the 9/11 Memorial-Museum. The majestic tribute that now embraces the location of that 2001 horrible tragedy is both emotional and inspiring. If you have the opportunity, it’s a destination not to be missed.
There were over 350 T’bird enthusiasts at the convention, arriving from all parts of the United States, Canada, Sweden, and New Zealand. Our Olympic Club was represented by Bruce Eardley and Vickie Willson, Clarke and Wilma Hamm, Frank and Cathy Stubbs, Kyle Stubbs, Dave and Barb VanWinkle, and Van and Lynn Victor. On Friday morning, the Concours d’Elegance featured over 100 classic Thunderbirds for judging in Concours and Touring classes, and in Display. My gosh, the heart still thumps as I walk through and admire the beauty of these absolutely exceptional motorcars.
Clarke and Wilma drove their gleaming black ‘55 all the way from Camano Island, but were edged out of the longest driven award by folks from Oregon and even California. Wow! However, they did win Second Place among all entered in their Touring class. Good job! After the convention, their trip back to Washington will take them on a Canadian driving tour of all 10 Provincial capitals. Quite the ride. Frank and Cathy had their rare Phase 1 F-bird on display at the convention, but it was the result of an interesting path to get here. Back in May, they had driven this car cross-country for an “E” and “F” Code re-union that was held at the Ford Nationals in Carlisle, Pennsylvania. Then they stored the car back east to have it for the New Jersey convention. After that, would come the return trip back home to Newcastle. Kudos to the Hamm's and to the Stubbs’s. They are among OCTC’s longest standing members and yet remain so dedicated to promoting our Thunderbird hobby. Ford and Nell Johnson would be proud.
A planned driving tour to locations of interest around the greater Whippany area also included a “Poker Run” in which participants received a playing card at five different sites. “Mr. Lucky,” Bruce Eardley and Vickie Willson had the second best hand and received a nice prize. Congrats, you two!
The theme for this convention was titled, “Follow the Open Road.” I’m not disputing that New Jersey likely has its share of open roads, but the rental car Lynn and I used sure didn’t find many of them. Instead, we found more than our share of traffic jams, confusing clover-leaf off-ramps, and congested roundabout intersections. Whew! We offer this advice to out-of-state drivers without GPS... “Forget aboudit!” But the convention was well worth a little traffic frustration. Hats off to the New Jersey Open Road Thunderbird Club for hosting such a successful event. A good time with good people.
Van
Congratulations to the New Jersey Open Road Thunderbird Club for hosting a truly wonderful regional event. It was held August 2 – 6, 2017, at the Hanover Marriott in Whippany, New Jersey. This is the fifth CTCI convention hosted by this club, and their experience really shows. From the Welcome Party to the farewell good-byes, everything was well planned and well executed. Some of the highlights included a tour of New York City, a narrated boat cruise around Manhattan Island, and a visit to the 9/11 Memorial-Museum. The majestic tribute that now embraces the location of that 2001 horrible tragedy is both emotional and inspiring. If you have the opportunity, it’s a destination not to be missed.
There were over 350 T’bird enthusiasts at the convention, arriving from all parts of the United States, Canada, Sweden, and New Zealand. Our Olympic Club was represented by Bruce Eardley and Vickie Willson, Clarke and Wilma Hamm, Frank and Cathy Stubbs, Kyle Stubbs, Dave and Barb VanWinkle, and Van and Lynn Victor. On Friday morning, the Concours d’Elegance featured over 100 classic Thunderbirds for judging in Concours and Touring classes, and in Display. My gosh, the heart still thumps as I walk through and admire the beauty of these absolutely exceptional motorcars.
Clarke and Wilma drove their gleaming black ‘55 all the way from Camano Island, but were edged out of the longest driven award by folks from Oregon and even California. Wow! However, they did win Second Place among all entered in their Touring class. Good job! After the convention, their trip back to Washington will take them on a Canadian driving tour of all 10 Provincial capitals. Quite the ride. Frank and Cathy had their rare Phase 1 F-bird on display at the convention, but it was the result of an interesting path to get here. Back in May, they had driven this car cross-country for an “E” and “F” Code re-union that was held at the Ford Nationals in Carlisle, Pennsylvania. Then they stored the car back east to have it for the New Jersey convention. After that, would come the return trip back home to Newcastle. Kudos to the Hamm's and to the Stubbs’s. They are among OCTC’s longest standing members and yet remain so dedicated to promoting our Thunderbird hobby. Ford and Nell Johnson would be proud.
A planned driving tour to locations of interest around the greater Whippany area also included a “Poker Run” in which participants received a playing card at five different sites. “Mr. Lucky,” Bruce Eardley and Vickie Willson had the second best hand and received a nice prize. Congrats, you two!
The theme for this convention was titled, “Follow the Open Road.” I’m not disputing that New Jersey likely has its share of open roads, but the rental car Lynn and I used sure didn’t find many of them. Instead, we found more than our share of traffic jams, confusing clover-leaf off-ramps, and congested roundabout intersections. Whew! We offer this advice to out-of-state drivers without GPS... “Forget aboudit!” But the convention was well worth a little traffic frustration. Hats off to the New Jersey Open Road Thunderbird Club for hosting such a successful event. A good time with good people.
Van
BIRDS & PONIES
ROAD TRIP TO RAYMOND WA
SUNDAY JULY 16, 2017
On Sunday July 16th, a bit over five years since our prior visit, Vickie Willson and Bruce Eardley hosted our July event to the Northwest Carriage Museum in Raymond, Washington. This was a joint event between Olympic Classic Thunderbird Club and Mustangs West. From our tally, which may be a bit off because we were so overwhelmed looking at the cars that we forgot to count them, we had 44 people attend including 6 T-birds, 10 newer Mustangs, 3 classic Mustangs, a Ford Retractable, a newer Mercedes and Ron Karr and Barb Collins heading south to visit family after the event in Barb’s truck.
The morning started for the T-bird club at a well-used meeting place of Starbucks in Renton. From there it was about an hours’ drive to Tumwater Falls Park where we met up with the Mustang West club, who were already waiting for our arrival. The entire group had an hour to check out the other club’s vehicles and wander about the park admiring the waterfalls and rapids in this beautiful 15 acres country-like setting in Tumwater. The weather was beautiful – warm and sunny. Many of the cars, both T-birds and Mustangs, spent the day with their tops down enjoying the feel of the wind creating a cooling draft of air.
From there we drove about 40 minutes through the tree-lined roadway to Montesano for a quick opportunity to top off the gas tanks and spend a bit more time talking with each other, then another half hour to Slaters Diner in Raymond. Slater’s is a wonderful 50’s style dinner with walls covered by old signs and even a menu from the 50’s. We all agreed that the prices on the old menu were great, but Slaters was a bit reluctant to give us our meals at that pricing. Jim Hendry, a connoisseur of clam chowder, declared his bowl was one of the best he’s had.
Lunch was followed by our feature event, a tour of the Northwest Carriage Museum. This wonderful facility, a best kept secret, is filled with a variety of beautifully restored horse drawn carriages that range from coaches to Hansom cabs. They’ve expanded the museum with an additional room since the T-bird club’s last visit five years ago and now includes a fully recreated 1890’s chuck wagon that has won many awards for its authenticity. As beautiful as the vehicles are, the experience was truly brought to life by our tour
guide who offered informative explanations about each of the displays. Recognizing our keen interest in cars, he even brought to our attention that such terms as “Landau top” and “Brougham” were originally applied to carriages and then carried forward to our modern day cars. His knowledge of the vehicles and their history was impressive. Also on sight was the farmer’s market filled with a wide variety of hand-made craft items and the maritime museum. The maritime museum was initially closed when we tested the doors but we were able to locate the owner with keys and a great docent who opened it up for our viewing and gave a personal tour to several of our group members. Unfortunately many people had already headed home so weren’t able to partake of this fascinating place.
Following a longtime tradition for Olympic club members, Vickie and Bruce made sure our last stop of the day was to the Dairy Queen in Raymond for a quick treat of ice cream before beginning the long trek home. For those heading north, the drive home included heavy traffic and the construction on I-5 in the Tacoma area which I can only describe as torturous. Good thing we had stopped for a snack before heading out, as many of us didn’t reach home until long after dinner.
Everyone agreed that the event was something different and fun - getting our two clubs together. There were several who spoke about arranging another joint event next year, possibly the originally discussed over-night trip around the Olympic Peninsula.
Our thanks to everyone who came. Without you the trip just wouldn’t have been as much fun, and especially to the Mustangs West club for joining us. We enjoyed checking out your cars and sharing many conversations with your wonderful members.
Vickie and Bruce
The morning started for the T-bird club at a well-used meeting place of Starbucks in Renton. From there it was about an hours’ drive to Tumwater Falls Park where we met up with the Mustang West club, who were already waiting for our arrival. The entire group had an hour to check out the other club’s vehicles and wander about the park admiring the waterfalls and rapids in this beautiful 15 acres country-like setting in Tumwater. The weather was beautiful – warm and sunny. Many of the cars, both T-birds and Mustangs, spent the day with their tops down enjoying the feel of the wind creating a cooling draft of air.
From there we drove about 40 minutes through the tree-lined roadway to Montesano for a quick opportunity to top off the gas tanks and spend a bit more time talking with each other, then another half hour to Slaters Diner in Raymond. Slater’s is a wonderful 50’s style dinner with walls covered by old signs and even a menu from the 50’s. We all agreed that the prices on the old menu were great, but Slaters was a bit reluctant to give us our meals at that pricing. Jim Hendry, a connoisseur of clam chowder, declared his bowl was one of the best he’s had.
Lunch was followed by our feature event, a tour of the Northwest Carriage Museum. This wonderful facility, a best kept secret, is filled with a variety of beautifully restored horse drawn carriages that range from coaches to Hansom cabs. They’ve expanded the museum with an additional room since the T-bird club’s last visit five years ago and now includes a fully recreated 1890’s chuck wagon that has won many awards for its authenticity. As beautiful as the vehicles are, the experience was truly brought to life by our tour
guide who offered informative explanations about each of the displays. Recognizing our keen interest in cars, he even brought to our attention that such terms as “Landau top” and “Brougham” were originally applied to carriages and then carried forward to our modern day cars. His knowledge of the vehicles and their history was impressive. Also on sight was the farmer’s market filled with a wide variety of hand-made craft items and the maritime museum. The maritime museum was initially closed when we tested the doors but we were able to locate the owner with keys and a great docent who opened it up for our viewing and gave a personal tour to several of our group members. Unfortunately many people had already headed home so weren’t able to partake of this fascinating place.
Following a longtime tradition for Olympic club members, Vickie and Bruce made sure our last stop of the day was to the Dairy Queen in Raymond for a quick treat of ice cream before beginning the long trek home. For those heading north, the drive home included heavy traffic and the construction on I-5 in the Tacoma area which I can only describe as torturous. Good thing we had stopped for a snack before heading out, as many of us didn’t reach home until long after dinner.
Everyone agreed that the event was something different and fun - getting our two clubs together. There were several who spoke about arranging another joint event next year, possibly the originally discussed over-night trip around the Olympic Peninsula.
Our thanks to everyone who came. Without you the trip just wouldn’t have been as much fun, and especially to the Mustangs West club for joining us. We enjoyed checking out your cars and sharing many conversations with your wonderful members.
Vickie and Bruce
Anacortes Waterfront Festival
June 2-4, 2017
Friday evening 6 T-birds with 11 of us headed to Cathie & Michael Ball’s beautiful place on Whidbey Island. The vote was unanimous….the Ball’s ribs were the BEST we’ve ever eaten! It was a lovely potluck dinner outside in beautiful weather. Then we got to see Michael’s car collection and Model A project.
Saturday 20 of us in 10 cars visited John Norman's shop to see his build of the "Spirit of St. Louis" Airplane. This airplane is an exact replica of the one flown across the Atlantic Ocean by Charles Lindberg. John has done all of the special parts building and assembly which has taken him five years to date. He intends to fly it next year on tour around the USA visiting many museums along the way. The test flight will be behind his shop in fields and pastures. John has other interesting cars and motorcycles throughout his shop which were enjoyed by all...hope you noticed the "Norman" motorcycle he built using two cylinders from a radial airplane engine. John is an amazing person and very talented builder of airplanes, motorcycles and cars.
Saturday evening we meandered our way to LaConner for a private buffet at La Conner Prime Rib and Seafood house after, of course, shopping a bit in that fun town. It was a great dinner with our own private deck overlooking the Swinomish Channel.
Sunday we met at the Anacortes Waterfront Festival Car Show and the birds got an incredible spot all to ourselves in front of the Cap Sante Marina.
We headed out a little early to catch the ferry back to Lopez, so we never heard if anyone got a trophy.
Thanks to all who attended. We certainly enjoyed ourselves and hoped you all did as well.
Chris & Dick Bangsund
Saturday 20 of us in 10 cars visited John Norman's shop to see his build of the "Spirit of St. Louis" Airplane. This airplane is an exact replica of the one flown across the Atlantic Ocean by Charles Lindberg. John has done all of the special parts building and assembly which has taken him five years to date. He intends to fly it next year on tour around the USA visiting many museums along the way. The test flight will be behind his shop in fields and pastures. John has other interesting cars and motorcycles throughout his shop which were enjoyed by all...hope you noticed the "Norman" motorcycle he built using two cylinders from a radial airplane engine. John is an amazing person and very talented builder of airplanes, motorcycles and cars.
Saturday evening we meandered our way to LaConner for a private buffet at La Conner Prime Rib and Seafood house after, of course, shopping a bit in that fun town. It was a great dinner with our own private deck overlooking the Swinomish Channel.
Sunday we met at the Anacortes Waterfront Festival Car Show and the birds got an incredible spot all to ourselves in front of the Cap Sante Marina.
We headed out a little early to catch the ferry back to Lopez, so we never heard if anyone got a trophy.
Thanks to all who attended. We certainly enjoyed ourselves and hoped you all did as well.
Chris & Dick Bangsund
Tour of WA. State Fire Training Academy
North Bend WA
Sunday 5/21/2017
THUNDERBIRDS BECOME “FIRE-BIRDS” FOR A DAY
(No, Not Pontiacs)
(No, Not Pontiacs)
Thank you to everyone who attended our tour of the Washington State Fire Training Academy near North Bend. We had 30 people and at least 15 T’birds taking part on Sunday, May 21, a date that was also designated as national “Thunderbird Appreciation Day.” Our appreciation extended to the weather, as well, which favored us with sunny warm temperatures. Our exclusive guided tour was conducted by Shane, a 22-year veteran at the Academy. This training base is located in a remote isolated area and is under the control of the Washington State Patrol. The Academy trains about 6500 student-recruits a year, with costs per student ranging up to $9000, depending on the type and length of training. We watched from a distance as students were being taught methods to extinguish fires in buildings. We also saw students marching in cadence to the commands of their squad leader. This brought back vivid memories for me, thinking back to my boot camp days.
Shane offered a lot of information about the Academy and its mission, and he provided clear answers to the many questions we asked. At the conclusion of the tour, Shane asked if we could arrange our T’birds in a way for a group photo so they could keep it as a momento of our club’s visit. The staff there was obviously impressed with our beautiful cars, and we left with positive impressions of the Academy. It was an interesting and informative experience. It was also nice to visit with some members we haven’t seen in awhile including Glen Hassenwinkle, Keith McCamish and Linda McCoy, and Dan and Fran DelDuca. Glen now lives mostly in Arizona, and that climate seems to treat him well.
Following the tour, we cruised a fair distance to Fall City near Snoqualmie Falls where we enjoyed lunch at the Roadhouse restaurant. The food was very good, and it was a great way to spend time with friends and catch up on news. A special thank you to Bruce, Vickie, Frank, and Cathy for picking this location.
As you read this, our Anacortes event is right around the corner. Dick and Chris Bangsund, along with Mike and Cathie Ball, have planned out a wonderful agenda for us. Hope to see many of you there.
Van
Shane offered a lot of information about the Academy and its mission, and he provided clear answers to the many questions we asked. At the conclusion of the tour, Shane asked if we could arrange our T’birds in a way for a group photo so they could keep it as a momento of our club’s visit. The staff there was obviously impressed with our beautiful cars, and we left with positive impressions of the Academy. It was an interesting and informative experience. It was also nice to visit with some members we haven’t seen in awhile including Glen Hassenwinkle, Keith McCamish and Linda McCoy, and Dan and Fran DelDuca. Glen now lives mostly in Arizona, and that climate seems to treat him well.
Following the tour, we cruised a fair distance to Fall City near Snoqualmie Falls where we enjoyed lunch at the Roadhouse restaurant. The food was very good, and it was a great way to spend time with friends and catch up on news. A special thank you to Bruce, Vickie, Frank, and Cathy for picking this location.
As you read this, our Anacortes event is right around the corner. Dick and Chris Bangsund, along with Mike and Cathie Ball, have planned out a wonderful agenda for us. Hope to see many of you there.
Van
Tour of Padilla Bay Estuary
Mt. Vernon WA
Saturday 4/15/2017
April 15 2017 - It was another beautiful day in the Skagit Valley so it was a nice drive over to Flyers Restaurant and Brewery at the Skagit Regional Airport for an early lunch.
After a great lunch, another nice drive on the secondary roads (to stay away from the Tulip traffic) 9 Classic Birds and 20 people went to The Padilla Bay Reserve research center for a 20 minute presentation on the importance of an estuary.
After the presentation we walked to the overlook of the estuary that covers around 8000 acres and is the largest contiguous eelgrass bed in the lower 48 states. Eelgrass is used as a nursery for salmon, crab, and herring. And is critical habitat for waterfowl and marine birds.
The Padilla Bay Reserve is nestled just north of the quiet community of Bay View, Washington - 15 minutes west of I-5 in Skagit County. Here in the heart of the Salish Sea is a massive eelgrass meadow. This is why Padilla Bay is one of 29 sites in the National Estuarine Research Reserve System (NERRS) established to protect coastal areas for long-term research, monitoring and education, and stewardship.
When you enter the Breazeale Interpretive Center, you're invited to browse through the exhibits and observe sea stars, urchins, and other marine life in the aquarium room. Nearby trails and an overlook will give you the opportunity to see eagles, herons, ducks, and other birds that live here year round or pass through on their migratory paths.
After the overlook we returned to the center to view the aquariums and static displays. The aquariums showed the many types of life in the estuary.
Then another nice drive on secondary roads to Mt. Vernon for a OCTC tradition to the Big Scoop for our ice cream treats. Everyone was on their own to get home.
Thanks to all that turned out to make this another great OCTC event.
Mel & Linda Lang
After a great lunch, another nice drive on the secondary roads (to stay away from the Tulip traffic) 9 Classic Birds and 20 people went to The Padilla Bay Reserve research center for a 20 minute presentation on the importance of an estuary.
After the presentation we walked to the overlook of the estuary that covers around 8000 acres and is the largest contiguous eelgrass bed in the lower 48 states. Eelgrass is used as a nursery for salmon, crab, and herring. And is critical habitat for waterfowl and marine birds.
The Padilla Bay Reserve is nestled just north of the quiet community of Bay View, Washington - 15 minutes west of I-5 in Skagit County. Here in the heart of the Salish Sea is a massive eelgrass meadow. This is why Padilla Bay is one of 29 sites in the National Estuarine Research Reserve System (NERRS) established to protect coastal areas for long-term research, monitoring and education, and stewardship.
When you enter the Breazeale Interpretive Center, you're invited to browse through the exhibits and observe sea stars, urchins, and other marine life in the aquarium room. Nearby trails and an overlook will give you the opportunity to see eagles, herons, ducks, and other birds that live here year round or pass through on their migratory paths.
After the overlook we returned to the center to view the aquariums and static displays. The aquariums showed the many types of life in the estuary.
Then another nice drive on secondary roads to Mt. Vernon for a OCTC tradition to the Big Scoop for our ice cream treats. Everyone was on their own to get home.
Thanks to all that turned out to make this another great OCTC event.
Mel & Linda Lang
Wade James Theatre in Edmonds
Sunday March 26, 2017
11:00am - Brunch at Arnie’s, a wonderful waterfront restaurant
300 Admiral Way, Edmonds, WA 98020 (425) 771-5688
2:00pm - Matinee show of the play is “Leaving Iowa.”
LET’S EAT AND “PLAY” IN EDMONDS
Sunday, March 26, 2017
EDMONDS PLAY WAS A REAL “TRIP!”
What a fitting live performance our Olympic Club enjoyed for our event on Sunday, March 26. Held at the Wade James Theatre in Edmonds, it was a play telling the story of a man reminiscing about his family’s road trips back when he was growing up in Iowa. Though not a Thunderbird, the front end of a Chrysler played a prominent role in most of the the scenes as the family experienced car problems, getting lost, and looking for sight-seeing adventures through highway advertising signs. It was a funny and touching comedy that likely brought back similar childhood memories to many of us. It was well-acted and the theater has comfortable seats with clear views of the stage. There were 29 from our Olympic family who took part, including a few folks we haven’t seen in awhile. Among these were Carmen Allstrom, Donna Wisenburg, and Larry and Emily Muir. It was nice to see and visit with everyone.
Before the play, we met for brunch/lunch at Arnie’s, a wonderful waterfront restaurant in Edmonds. A semi-private area had been set aside for our group. Awaiting us as we sat were trays of fresh fruit and yogurt, along with our choice of orange juice or champagne. We ordered on our own from the varied menu, and everyone’s order included a large, delicious cinnamon sticky bun. (Remind me, dear, to do an extra 10 minutes on the treadmill tomorrow. And by the way... Don’t you dare remind me!) The food was great and the water views were spectacular, even on this really rainy day.
In the background, making all the initial arrangements and recommendations for this event were Barry and Linda Birch. Their attention to detail and preparation work helped to make this a truly successful event. They were a pleasure to work with.
Thank you to all who attended and for all the nice comments we’ve received.
Van and Lynn
Sunday, March 26, 2017
EDMONDS PLAY WAS A REAL “TRIP!”
What a fitting live performance our Olympic Club enjoyed for our event on Sunday, March 26. Held at the Wade James Theatre in Edmonds, it was a play telling the story of a man reminiscing about his family’s road trips back when he was growing up in Iowa. Though not a Thunderbird, the front end of a Chrysler played a prominent role in most of the the scenes as the family experienced car problems, getting lost, and looking for sight-seeing adventures through highway advertising signs. It was a funny and touching comedy that likely brought back similar childhood memories to many of us. It was well-acted and the theater has comfortable seats with clear views of the stage. There were 29 from our Olympic family who took part, including a few folks we haven’t seen in awhile. Among these were Carmen Allstrom, Donna Wisenburg, and Larry and Emily Muir. It was nice to see and visit with everyone.
Before the play, we met for brunch/lunch at Arnie’s, a wonderful waterfront restaurant in Edmonds. A semi-private area had been set aside for our group. Awaiting us as we sat were trays of fresh fruit and yogurt, along with our choice of orange juice or champagne. We ordered on our own from the varied menu, and everyone’s order included a large, delicious cinnamon sticky bun. (Remind me, dear, to do an extra 10 minutes on the treadmill tomorrow. And by the way... Don’t you dare remind me!) The food was great and the water views were spectacular, even on this really rainy day.
In the background, making all the initial arrangements and recommendations for this event were Barry and Linda Birch. Their attention to detail and preparation work helped to make this a truly successful event. They were a pleasure to work with.
Thank you to all who attended and for all the nice comments we’ve received.
Van and Lynn
HISTORIC STEAM PLANT TOUR
Date: Saturday Feb 11, 2017
Place: Georgetown Steam Plant
It was a cloudy and cool day, no rain, when about 22 of us (including a few from the Retractable Club) met up at the Steam Plant in Seattle at the north end of Boeing Field. As we arrived we were surprised by the amount of people wandering around the plant, even the large group of people dressed in some weird and colorful costumes. We learned that there was a “photo shoot” going on in and around the plant.
We planned on taking the 11am guided tour and waited for our group to gather up and the tour guide to get us started. The guide had us get together outside the plant to start the tour. He was very knowledgeable about the plant and the surrounding area. After the initial talk outside the plant we were led inside to see and hear more of the plants history, design and equipment.
The Georgetown Steam Plant, a National Historic Landmark, stands today as a reminder of the era of electrification of America's cities and a time when industry was first attracted to Seattle by its inexpensive hydroelectric power and electric trolley car system. Built in 1906-1907 by the Seattle Electric Company on 18 acres of land along the Duwamish River, the plant was once at the center of the bustling residential and industrial activity in the rapidly growing Georgetown neighborhood of Seattle
The plant represents an important development in the early history of electrical engineering in the United States, marking the beginning of the end of the reciprocating steam engine's domination of the growing field of electrical power generation. The plant's two vertical Curtis turbines, manufactured by General Electric in 1907, helped establish the steam turbine as a practical and compact prime mover, capable of producing large amounts of power more cheaply and efficiently than other generators of the time. Rated at capacities of 3,000 kw and 8,000 kw, these two turbines are among the last of their kind left in service in the United States. A horizontal Curtis turbine, rated at 10,000 kw, was added in 1919 and also remains in service. Most of the original ancillary equipment is still in place today.
After the tour we headed to Randy’s Restaurant, 10016 E Marginal Way S, at the South end of Boeing Field for lunch at about 12:30pm. The restaurant is like a museum of the aerospace industry and Boeing, with many airplane models hanging from the ceiling and memorabilia all around the restaurant. The food and service were great and many said they would return.
Thanks to Kyle and Cliff for putting this event together.
We planned on taking the 11am guided tour and waited for our group to gather up and the tour guide to get us started. The guide had us get together outside the plant to start the tour. He was very knowledgeable about the plant and the surrounding area. After the initial talk outside the plant we were led inside to see and hear more of the plants history, design and equipment.
The Georgetown Steam Plant, a National Historic Landmark, stands today as a reminder of the era of electrification of America's cities and a time when industry was first attracted to Seattle by its inexpensive hydroelectric power and electric trolley car system. Built in 1906-1907 by the Seattle Electric Company on 18 acres of land along the Duwamish River, the plant was once at the center of the bustling residential and industrial activity in the rapidly growing Georgetown neighborhood of Seattle
The plant represents an important development in the early history of electrical engineering in the United States, marking the beginning of the end of the reciprocating steam engine's domination of the growing field of electrical power generation. The plant's two vertical Curtis turbines, manufactured by General Electric in 1907, helped establish the steam turbine as a practical and compact prime mover, capable of producing large amounts of power more cheaply and efficiently than other generators of the time. Rated at capacities of 3,000 kw and 8,000 kw, these two turbines are among the last of their kind left in service in the United States. A horizontal Curtis turbine, rated at 10,000 kw, was added in 1919 and also remains in service. Most of the original ancillary equipment is still in place today.
After the tour we headed to Randy’s Restaurant, 10016 E Marginal Way S, at the South end of Boeing Field for lunch at about 12:30pm. The restaurant is like a museum of the aerospace industry and Boeing, with many airplane models hanging from the ceiling and memorabilia all around the restaurant. The food and service were great and many said they would return.
Thanks to Kyle and Cliff for putting this event together.
BUSINESS MEETING and ELECTION of 2017 OFFICERS
Date: Sunday, January 22, 2017
Place: Johnny’s at Fife Restaurant
Agenda: Election of officers and any other club business
Well-Attended Meeting a Great Start to 2017
Thank you to everyone who attended the January 22nd business meeting and election of officers, held once again at Johnny’s restaurant in Fife. Sincere appreciation to Morris and Gayle Krause for making the arrangements with the restaurant and for hosting this event. It was good to see a blend of newer members and long-time members at the meeting, and it was nice to visit with members we haven’t seen in awhile, including Mike and Cathie Ball and Doug and Patty Wanamaker. Also noticed were Frank and Cathy Stubbs sporting tans from a recent two-week vacation in Hawaii. They had taken the trip with Dave and Barb VanWinkle to help celebrate Dave and Barb’s 50th wedding anniversary. Wow... 50 years! Congrats, you two, on achieving this neat milestone.
As we finished up our tasty meals, President Clarke Hamm called the meeting to order. A purpose for this meeting was to elect club officers. Everyone who was eligible to serve for another year in their respective positions agreed to do so. It turned out there were only two vacancies, both of them Trustee positions that had been held by Jon Hanson and me. Volunteering to fill the vacancies were Mike Ball and Tony Dilores who were elected by acclamation. Thank you to Mike and Tony for their willingness to serve the club. And a note of thanks to Jon, as well, for the great job he’s done the past two years.
As part of the meeting’s business, Ron Karr provided us with a written Treasurer’s report that offered a clear, detailed accounting of our income and expenses for the past year. His report also included a 2017 Proposed Budget, offering best-estimates to cover recurring expenses. The accounting and the proposed budget were approved as presented. Ron does a super job as Treasurer, keeping a watchful eye on our club’s purse strings.
A day filled with good food, a productive meeting, and a fun gathering made for a wonderful start to our Olympic Club year. Let’s keep it going. I look forward to seeing many of you at our upcoming event, a tour of the historic Georgetown (Seattle) Steam Plant hosted by Cliff Holland and Kyle Stubbs on Saturday, February 11.
Van
Minutes are posted in the "Members Only" section.
As we finished up our tasty meals, President Clarke Hamm called the meeting to order. A purpose for this meeting was to elect club officers. Everyone who was eligible to serve for another year in their respective positions agreed to do so. It turned out there were only two vacancies, both of them Trustee positions that had been held by Jon Hanson and me. Volunteering to fill the vacancies were Mike Ball and Tony Dilores who were elected by acclamation. Thank you to Mike and Tony for their willingness to serve the club. And a note of thanks to Jon, as well, for the great job he’s done the past two years.
As part of the meeting’s business, Ron Karr provided us with a written Treasurer’s report that offered a clear, detailed accounting of our income and expenses for the past year. His report also included a 2017 Proposed Budget, offering best-estimates to cover recurring expenses. The accounting and the proposed budget were approved as presented. Ron does a super job as Treasurer, keeping a watchful eye on our club’s purse strings.
A day filled with good food, a productive meeting, and a fun gathering made for a wonderful start to our Olympic Club year. Let’s keep it going. I look forward to seeing many of you at our upcoming event, a tour of the historic Georgetown (Seattle) Steam Plant hosted by Cliff Holland and Kyle Stubbs on Saturday, February 11.
Van
Minutes are posted in the "Members Only" section.
Annual Holiday Christmas Party
Sunday December 4, 2016
Jonah’s Restaurant
at
Red Lion Hotel Bellevue Wa.
HOLIDAY FUN EXTENDS FROM LOPEZ TO CHELAN
On Sunday afternoon, December 4, a nice group of 44 members from the Olympic club enjoyed a wonderful Christmas party in Jonah’s restaurant at the Red Lion Hotel in Bellevue. We had exclusive use of the restaurant for our event and we were able to order on our own from Jonah’s custom lunch menu. Positive comments have been received about the event, including the location and the quality of the food. A comment for improvement was to try to have our food orders served around the same time. Folks at some tables waited quite a bit longer for their food than others. It’s worth asking about.
During a social hour of greetings and catching up, it was nice to visit with everyone, including some members we haven’t seen for awhile. Among these were Marty and Diana Antrim, Dick and Chris Bangsund, Jim and Jeanie Denton, and Jutta Burks. The trip for Dick and Chris coming from Lopez Island is an experience all on its own so we truly appreciated their efforts to attend. And speaking of long trips, special recognition goes to new members Jerry and Becky Cline who braved the snowy conditions over the pass to attend from their east-of-the-mountains home in Chelan. But the story of the Clines doesn’t end there. The following week they did it again to attend the annual Ford retractable club Christmas party that was held in Fife. What great enthusiasm for club activities; we extend to them a warm welcome to OCTC! (Instead of a warm welcome, I’ll bet they’d rather have us extend a set of snow tires.)
While waiting for our food orders to arrive, the group was asked to take part in a T’bird quiz, with the winner receiving a $25 gift certificate. The quiz ended in a tie between Fran DelDuca and Gayle Krause, but Fran was declared the winner with her answer to a tie-breaking question. Kudos to Fran!
As we finished our meals, the rules for the gift exchange were reviewed. This exchange is always filled with fun, frustration, and surprises as we look to see what’s inside those neatly-wrapped packages. There were a number of quality items this year including a framed classic T’bird print, a crystal-glass ‘56 T’bird, musical stuffed animals, chocolates, wines, and Starbucks gift cards. Wow... a lot of smiles to go around.
Our request asking for contributions to the Marine Corps’ Toys for Tots campaign was answered in a big way. A large area set aside became filled with unwrapped toys for the kids that this campaign supports. This was a heart-felt gesture by the members of our club, and it will bring hope and happiness to the needy children who receive them.
A special thank you to our co-hosts, Michael and Bonnie, for the extra time and effort they put in with all their planning, set-up, and decorations. They have a knack for knowing how to get our holiday season off to a great start. May the laughter and joy we shared at this event continue throughout the coming year.
Van and Lynn
During a social hour of greetings and catching up, it was nice to visit with everyone, including some members we haven’t seen for awhile. Among these were Marty and Diana Antrim, Dick and Chris Bangsund, Jim and Jeanie Denton, and Jutta Burks. The trip for Dick and Chris coming from Lopez Island is an experience all on its own so we truly appreciated their efforts to attend. And speaking of long trips, special recognition goes to new members Jerry and Becky Cline who braved the snowy conditions over the pass to attend from their east-of-the-mountains home in Chelan. But the story of the Clines doesn’t end there. The following week they did it again to attend the annual Ford retractable club Christmas party that was held in Fife. What great enthusiasm for club activities; we extend to them a warm welcome to OCTC! (Instead of a warm welcome, I’ll bet they’d rather have us extend a set of snow tires.)
While waiting for our food orders to arrive, the group was asked to take part in a T’bird quiz, with the winner receiving a $25 gift certificate. The quiz ended in a tie between Fran DelDuca and Gayle Krause, but Fran was declared the winner with her answer to a tie-breaking question. Kudos to Fran!
As we finished our meals, the rules for the gift exchange were reviewed. This exchange is always filled with fun, frustration, and surprises as we look to see what’s inside those neatly-wrapped packages. There were a number of quality items this year including a framed classic T’bird print, a crystal-glass ‘56 T’bird, musical stuffed animals, chocolates, wines, and Starbucks gift cards. Wow... a lot of smiles to go around.
Our request asking for contributions to the Marine Corps’ Toys for Tots campaign was answered in a big way. A large area set aside became filled with unwrapped toys for the kids that this campaign supports. This was a heart-felt gesture by the members of our club, and it will bring hope and happiness to the needy children who receive them.
A special thank you to our co-hosts, Michael and Bonnie, for the extra time and effort they put in with all their planning, set-up, and decorations. They have a knack for knowing how to get our holiday season off to a great start. May the laughter and joy we shared at this event continue throughout the coming year.
Van and Lynn
BUSINESS AND PLANNING MEETING FOR OUR 2017 EVENTS
AND AWARDS CEREMONY
Date: Sunday, November 20
Place: Frank & Cathy Stubbs
Newcastle WA 98059
WONDERFUL EVENTS FILL 2017 CALENDAR
On Sunday, November 20, the Calendar of Events Planning and Business meeting was held at the home of Frank and Cathy Stubbs in Newcastle. It has become a long-standing Olympic Club tradition to have this annual meeting at Frank and Cathy’s, and we truly appreciate their gracious hospitality.
This well-attended meeting was called to order by President Clarke Hamm shortly after 1:00 pm. Two new member couples introduced themselves: James Evans and Thais Ann Davis-Evans from Auburn own a white ‘57 T’bird, and Eddie and Barbara Akers from Graham have a yellow ‘57 T’bird that was formerly owned by club member Glen Hasenwinkle. Welcome and thank you for coming to our meeting. We’re pleased you decided to join OCTC and we look forward to seeing you at our monthly events. The Akers drove their bright yellow ‘bird with white porthole top to our meeting and it sparkled like a ray of sunshine on a day that was clouded over with showers of rain. How neat is that! The only other member to brave the threatening forecast by arriving in a classic was Todd Gundmundson who drove his red ‘55. Kudos! Some members at the meeting we haven’t seen for awhile included Carmen Allstrom, Chuck and Julie Birch, Nancy Burress, Cliff Holland, and Donna Wisenburg. It was really nice to visit with them. Of note is that Julie is recuperating from a recent knee replacement and she said that re-hab is going well. Our best wishes to her for a speedy and successful recovery.
Part of the meeting included a short awards ceremony to present our club’s annual “Allstrom All-Star Award.” The recipient of this award is voted on by the Executve Board, and it’s meant to recognize a member who has demonstrated special or outstanding service to our club during the past year. It was presented this year to Bruce Eardley who served as our newsletter editor, our web master, and our membership chair, in addition to co-hosting a monthly event. Thank you, Bruce, for your on-going service to the club, and congratulations.
The meeting’s agenda then turned to a discussion about several proposed ideas for next year’s calendar of events. The various proposals were considered and a list of events were approved, including specific dates and host volunteers for most of them. On behalf of the trustees, I offer a sincere thank you to the members who submitted ideas, and to those who stepped forward to serve as hosts for these outings. It’s certainly a group effort in order for our club to maintain it’s level of success. It promises to be an outstanding agenda for 2017 with a unique variety of events.
Please look over the complete monthly schedule that’s on the "Club Events" page. We hope that several will peek your interest, and that you’ll plan to attend as many as you can.
Once the meeting adjourned, we turned our attention to yet another delicious potluck. And this year I limited myself to just one portion of Cathy’s pumpkin dessert. Honest! Well, maybe two... Thank you so much to all who attended. It was a productive meeting and a nice time. Looking forward now to seeing everyone at the Christmas party on Sunday, December 4.
Van
On Sunday, November 20, the Calendar of Events Planning and Business meeting was held at the home of Frank and Cathy Stubbs in Newcastle. It has become a long-standing Olympic Club tradition to have this annual meeting at Frank and Cathy’s, and we truly appreciate their gracious hospitality.
This well-attended meeting was called to order by President Clarke Hamm shortly after 1:00 pm. Two new member couples introduced themselves: James Evans and Thais Ann Davis-Evans from Auburn own a white ‘57 T’bird, and Eddie and Barbara Akers from Graham have a yellow ‘57 T’bird that was formerly owned by club member Glen Hasenwinkle. Welcome and thank you for coming to our meeting. We’re pleased you decided to join OCTC and we look forward to seeing you at our monthly events. The Akers drove their bright yellow ‘bird with white porthole top to our meeting and it sparkled like a ray of sunshine on a day that was clouded over with showers of rain. How neat is that! The only other member to brave the threatening forecast by arriving in a classic was Todd Gundmundson who drove his red ‘55. Kudos! Some members at the meeting we haven’t seen for awhile included Carmen Allstrom, Chuck and Julie Birch, Nancy Burress, Cliff Holland, and Donna Wisenburg. It was really nice to visit with them. Of note is that Julie is recuperating from a recent knee replacement and she said that re-hab is going well. Our best wishes to her for a speedy and successful recovery.
Part of the meeting included a short awards ceremony to present our club’s annual “Allstrom All-Star Award.” The recipient of this award is voted on by the Executve Board, and it’s meant to recognize a member who has demonstrated special or outstanding service to our club during the past year. It was presented this year to Bruce Eardley who served as our newsletter editor, our web master, and our membership chair, in addition to co-hosting a monthly event. Thank you, Bruce, for your on-going service to the club, and congratulations.
The meeting’s agenda then turned to a discussion about several proposed ideas for next year’s calendar of events. The various proposals were considered and a list of events were approved, including specific dates and host volunteers for most of them. On behalf of the trustees, I offer a sincere thank you to the members who submitted ideas, and to those who stepped forward to serve as hosts for these outings. It’s certainly a group effort in order for our club to maintain it’s level of success. It promises to be an outstanding agenda for 2017 with a unique variety of events.
Please look over the complete monthly schedule that’s on the "Club Events" page. We hope that several will peek your interest, and that you’ll plan to attend as many as you can.
Once the meeting adjourned, we turned our attention to yet another delicious potluck. And this year I limited myself to just one portion of Cathy’s pumpkin dessert. Honest! Well, maybe two... Thank you so much to all who attended. It was a productive meeting and a nice time. Looking forward now to seeing everyone at the Christmas party on Sunday, December 4.
Van
OCTC OCTOBER IN CHELAN
Friday - Sunday
October 14-16, 2016
FALL TOUR
On Friday, October, 14th, while many Puget Sounder’s were home preparing for the storm of the ages, a small group of OCTC members met in Northbend to begin our journey to Lake Chelan. Those meeting were Bruce Eardley and Vickie Willson, Hamms, Hendrys, Stubbs and Victors, and with two of us daring to drive our little Birds. Once over Snoqualmie Pass the rains began to subside about the time we made our first stop at the CleElum Bakery where the hot coffee and endless choice of baked goods were a welcome sight. Back on the road again with the skies clearing, we enjoyed the turning leaves traveling over Blewit Pass. We actually picked the perfect weekend to view the fall foliage colors which ranged from light greens to bright yellows, oranges and reds. We even managed to hit it right, also, for seeing bright yellow/gold Larch trees before they lose their needles.
Our lunch stop was at the 59niner Diner in Cashmere where we enjoyed the typical 50’s style décor and lunches including some very large milk shakes. The diner is attached to Apple Annie’s Antique Mall which required a quick tour to walk off lunch. In fact, one of the group fell onto a collection of camels and had to bring a few home. Others of us check marked the mall for a more serious look on the way home.
One of the goals of this trip was to allow everyone a chance to stretch their legs and enjoy some of the “gems” that lay in wait just for groups like ours to tour. Our next stop was at Rocky Reach Dam. Unfortunately, this time of the year the tours of the power house are closed, but we were still able to enjoy our own self-guided tour of the fish ladders, power house viewing and the museum. The museum itself occupies much of one floor of the power house. It is like going back in a time machine with displays of what it was like here in the Columbia River basin years ago. The displays covered such topics as the Native American, settlers, steam boaters and railroaders of the past. Of course, it also covered some of the building of the dam, and also included electric related artifacts of the past.
Our final stop of the day was the Lake Shore Inn and Suites on the southern shore of Lake Chelan. After checking in and settling into our spacious, lake view rooms, we got together for a social hour before heading out to dinner. Local car friends Jerry and Becky Cline just purchased a 1957 Thunderbird and were anxious to get to know OCTC members. Unfortunately, Becky was in Arizona enjoying some sun, but Jerry graciously offered to help us with some of our weekend planning. So with his help we got seating in a local Mexican Restaurant, Marcella’s, in Chelan where we again enjoyed the great food, great friends and ate
way too much.
Saturday morning founds us gathering for breakfast in the spacious hotel breakfast room. Just before we gathered for our tour of the day, Kyle Stubbs, came rolling in. At about 11:00 AM we lined up in the rain for our tour up the north side of the lake through Manson and ending up at Blue Berry Hill Farm Restaurant for lunch. Expecting light crowds for the drizzling day, we were surprised to find the lunch line out the door. Oh well, our lunch orders were placed, eventually delivered and as always worth the wait. Following lunch we continued on a 40 minute drive through some of the backcountry roads above Lake Chelan. In Chelan we met up with Jerry Cline who lead us to our afternoon surprise garage tour. Our hosts were Leo Miller and his wife. They opened two buildings with about 30 cars, and had coffee and cookies for us. Their primary building is decorated with a lot of memorabilia and includes a mockup of part of an Atlantic Richfield Gas Station. Part of the collection also included several muscle cars owned by another local Chelan couple.
Jerry had another recommendation for our Saturday night dinner, so being the small, but adventuresome group, we piled in several of the everyday drivers and drove back up the north side of the lake to My Buddy’s Place. It is your local’s place which many of us know as the kind of place where you get good food and drinks. We definitely weren’t disappointed. The food, drinks, service, and company was outstanding.
Sunday morning had everyone on their own schedule for breakfast and departure times as we all headed back west under fairly clear skies. And, with an added bonus, we arrived home to find YES we had power and the storm of all storms had not blown inland.
Cathy
As a side note: Leo, Jerry and friends belong to the local Chelan Car Club who plan and host
The Lake Chelan Car Show the second weekend of September. They were encouraging us to consider putting their event on our Calendar for 2017. The car show is held in the local park along the lake with a beautiful setting. It is held on Saturday. For those 2016 car show participants who came over on Friday, they hosted a barbecue at Leo Millers garage on Friday night. The question is – would the club like to do this as a September weekend function next year? Please let your Trustees know ASAP as this would require setting up hotel reservations very soon.
It is very discouraging to the planners of OCTC events if they plan events and nobody participates. It is your club and the Trustees need to know what kind of events you are interested in doing.
On Friday, October, 14th, while many Puget Sounder’s were home preparing for the storm of the ages, a small group of OCTC members met in Northbend to begin our journey to Lake Chelan. Those meeting were Bruce Eardley and Vickie Willson, Hamms, Hendrys, Stubbs and Victors, and with two of us daring to drive our little Birds. Once over Snoqualmie Pass the rains began to subside about the time we made our first stop at the CleElum Bakery where the hot coffee and endless choice of baked goods were a welcome sight. Back on the road again with the skies clearing, we enjoyed the turning leaves traveling over Blewit Pass. We actually picked the perfect weekend to view the fall foliage colors which ranged from light greens to bright yellows, oranges and reds. We even managed to hit it right, also, for seeing bright yellow/gold Larch trees before they lose their needles.
Our lunch stop was at the 59niner Diner in Cashmere where we enjoyed the typical 50’s style décor and lunches including some very large milk shakes. The diner is attached to Apple Annie’s Antique Mall which required a quick tour to walk off lunch. In fact, one of the group fell onto a collection of camels and had to bring a few home. Others of us check marked the mall for a more serious look on the way home.
One of the goals of this trip was to allow everyone a chance to stretch their legs and enjoy some of the “gems” that lay in wait just for groups like ours to tour. Our next stop was at Rocky Reach Dam. Unfortunately, this time of the year the tours of the power house are closed, but we were still able to enjoy our own self-guided tour of the fish ladders, power house viewing and the museum. The museum itself occupies much of one floor of the power house. It is like going back in a time machine with displays of what it was like here in the Columbia River basin years ago. The displays covered such topics as the Native American, settlers, steam boaters and railroaders of the past. Of course, it also covered some of the building of the dam, and also included electric related artifacts of the past.
Our final stop of the day was the Lake Shore Inn and Suites on the southern shore of Lake Chelan. After checking in and settling into our spacious, lake view rooms, we got together for a social hour before heading out to dinner. Local car friends Jerry and Becky Cline just purchased a 1957 Thunderbird and were anxious to get to know OCTC members. Unfortunately, Becky was in Arizona enjoying some sun, but Jerry graciously offered to help us with some of our weekend planning. So with his help we got seating in a local Mexican Restaurant, Marcella’s, in Chelan where we again enjoyed the great food, great friends and ate
way too much.
Saturday morning founds us gathering for breakfast in the spacious hotel breakfast room. Just before we gathered for our tour of the day, Kyle Stubbs, came rolling in. At about 11:00 AM we lined up in the rain for our tour up the north side of the lake through Manson and ending up at Blue Berry Hill Farm Restaurant for lunch. Expecting light crowds for the drizzling day, we were surprised to find the lunch line out the door. Oh well, our lunch orders were placed, eventually delivered and as always worth the wait. Following lunch we continued on a 40 minute drive through some of the backcountry roads above Lake Chelan. In Chelan we met up with Jerry Cline who lead us to our afternoon surprise garage tour. Our hosts were Leo Miller and his wife. They opened two buildings with about 30 cars, and had coffee and cookies for us. Their primary building is decorated with a lot of memorabilia and includes a mockup of part of an Atlantic Richfield Gas Station. Part of the collection also included several muscle cars owned by another local Chelan couple.
Jerry had another recommendation for our Saturday night dinner, so being the small, but adventuresome group, we piled in several of the everyday drivers and drove back up the north side of the lake to My Buddy’s Place. It is your local’s place which many of us know as the kind of place where you get good food and drinks. We definitely weren’t disappointed. The food, drinks, service, and company was outstanding.
Sunday morning had everyone on their own schedule for breakfast and departure times as we all headed back west under fairly clear skies. And, with an added bonus, we arrived home to find YES we had power and the storm of all storms had not blown inland.
Cathy
As a side note: Leo, Jerry and friends belong to the local Chelan Car Club who plan and host
The Lake Chelan Car Show the second weekend of September. They were encouraging us to consider putting their event on our Calendar for 2017. The car show is held in the local park along the lake with a beautiful setting. It is held on Saturday. For those 2016 car show participants who came over on Friday, they hosted a barbecue at Leo Millers garage on Friday night. The question is – would the club like to do this as a September weekend function next year? Please let your Trustees know ASAP as this would require setting up hotel reservations very soon.
It is very discouraging to the planners of OCTC events if they plan events and nobody participates. It is your club and the Trustees need to know what kind of events you are interested in doing.
Our last month’s event, Camel Safari, was cancelled.
We did have a group attend the CTCI International Convention
CTCI International Convention
Sept 13 - 18 2016
San Diego CA
On Saturday, Sept. 10th, five OCTC t-bird families gathered at the Country Pride Restaurant in North Bend to begin our four day journey to the CTCI International Convention in San Diego, CA. Those gathering included the Hamm’s (black ’55), Hanson’s (black ’56), Krause’s (yellow) ‘56, Marcello’s (red ’55) and Stubbs’ (white ’57 phase one F). Following breakfast our tour guides, Clarke and Wilma Hamm, led us on our first day’s adventure heading east over Snoqualmie Pass, and then south to our overnight stop in John Day, OR. Here we were joined by the Kelley’s (pearl white ’56) from Vancouver, WA. The next couple of days our 6 birds continued south with overnight stops in Susanville, CA and Lone Pine, CA. Our little birds chugged right along with some vapor locking at the higher altitudes and some evening repairs in Susanville requiring a new starter Bendix in the Stubbs’ ’57 and fuel pump in the Marcello’s ’55. On Tuesday we navigated our way through typical southern California traffic to the Crown Plaza Hotel, our home away from home for the next 5-6 days. McCurdy’s in their willow green ’57 started the trip on Friday, the 9th, and made it as far as White Pass. Unfortunately, the trusty ’57 quit and had to flatbed it back to Poulsbo, so when we arrived we found that Phil and Cheryl had taken the fast trip down I-5 in their everyday car.
Hosted by the Classic Thunderbirds of San Diego and the Earlybirds of Southern California, the 2016 Fun, Fun, Fun in the California Sun! lived up to its slogan with many fun events taking in the local offerings of the San Diego area. The events of the week kicked off with a Hawaiian themed Welcome Party located poolside and complete with Hawaiian music and dancers. The rest of the week we enjoyed events such as a tour of the USS Midway with a hosted lunch on the flight deck, trolley tours to Old Town and around the city area, and Thunderbird/Corvette Challenge at the Corvette Diner. Unfortunately the Corvettes didn’t get the word or maybe they knew the T-Bird participation would blow them out of the water, so they didn’t show. Of course, the Concours was an all-day Friday event with the Awards Banquet on Saturday night.
Sunday found the parking lot pretty empty with most T-Birders saying their good-byes and heading home or to other destinations. The Hamm’s, Kelley’s and Stubbs’ took their T-birds over to the Coronado NAS Speed Festival to participate in their event car show. At this event a 1.7 mile race course was set-up on the NAS runway and had continuous racing events all day featuring various classes of vintage racers. After some morning fog the sun came out and we all enjoyed another day of fun in the sun San Diego style. It is our hope by this writing that all six birds are safely back and tucked away in beautiful Washington state. Many thanks to Clarke and Wilma for planning and leading our trip to San Diego. We all look forward to the 2017 CTCI Region 1 event to be held in early August in Whippany, New Jersey.
On a side note the Olympic T-Birders have put in a gallant try driving our little birds to the 2015 and 2016 events, but our combined miles for this cycle of the Ford Johnson Award didn’t compete with several other clubs in the challenge. This year the award was presented to the Dallas Big D Little Birds. The next cycle starts in 2017 currently with the regional in New Jersey and ends with the 2018 International which is rumored to be near Knoxville, TN. So start thinking now about taking the Ford Johnson Award challenge which is presented in honor of our OCTC member Ford (and Nell) Johnson, who drove little birds often crisscrossing across North American to attend many regionals and internationals. OCTC members – we can do it!
Hosted by the Classic Thunderbirds of San Diego and the Earlybirds of Southern California, the 2016 Fun, Fun, Fun in the California Sun! lived up to its slogan with many fun events taking in the local offerings of the San Diego area. The events of the week kicked off with a Hawaiian themed Welcome Party located poolside and complete with Hawaiian music and dancers. The rest of the week we enjoyed events such as a tour of the USS Midway with a hosted lunch on the flight deck, trolley tours to Old Town and around the city area, and Thunderbird/Corvette Challenge at the Corvette Diner. Unfortunately the Corvettes didn’t get the word or maybe they knew the T-Bird participation would blow them out of the water, so they didn’t show. Of course, the Concours was an all-day Friday event with the Awards Banquet on Saturday night.
Sunday found the parking lot pretty empty with most T-Birders saying their good-byes and heading home or to other destinations. The Hamm’s, Kelley’s and Stubbs’ took their T-birds over to the Coronado NAS Speed Festival to participate in their event car show. At this event a 1.7 mile race course was set-up on the NAS runway and had continuous racing events all day featuring various classes of vintage racers. After some morning fog the sun came out and we all enjoyed another day of fun in the sun San Diego style. It is our hope by this writing that all six birds are safely back and tucked away in beautiful Washington state. Many thanks to Clarke and Wilma for planning and leading our trip to San Diego. We all look forward to the 2017 CTCI Region 1 event to be held in early August in Whippany, New Jersey.
On a side note the Olympic T-Birders have put in a gallant try driving our little birds to the 2015 and 2016 events, but our combined miles for this cycle of the Ford Johnson Award didn’t compete with several other clubs in the challenge. This year the award was presented to the Dallas Big D Little Birds. The next cycle starts in 2017 currently with the regional in New Jersey and ends with the 2018 International which is rumored to be near Knoxville, TN. So start thinking now about taking the Ford Johnson Award challenge which is presented in honor of our OCTC member Ford (and Nell) Johnson, who drove little birds often crisscrossing across North American to attend many regionals and internationals. OCTC members – we can do it!
PACIFIC SCIENCE CENTER
ART OF THE BRICK
LEGO EXHIBIT
SATURDAY AUG 20, 2016
HOSTED BY CHUCK & JULIE BIRCH
On Saturday the 20th a few brave soles took up the challenge on a nice summer's day to travel to the middle of Seattle. To my surprise the traffic was very light, no parking issues...Except Bruce having issues with the parking meter! Myself not having been to the Seattle Center in years and never to the Pacific Science Center I had the preconceived notion that I would have to force myself to muddle thru this. Well I was wrong.... Julie likes it when I admit it :)... No long lines, no screaming kids it was great. We went thru the Science Center first, it was geared towards the kid's but still interesting to adults. Noticed I didn't say us "OLD" folks. We observed things that float like a Butterfly and sting like a Bee. Walking around butterflies was cool but you had to be very careful not to step on them ‘cause you were in their house and they sit where they want!
The Art of the Brick was like walking thru the mind of an Adult that had a serious problem with giving up his Lego's as a child. The ability assemble a statue, picture or Any item using only the color and shape of a Lego brick, showed the artist ability to look at things in a truly different light.
I'm sure that as kids ourselves, or our children and grandchildren, we have all enjoyed playing with Legos.
At the very least, we have stepped on or vacuumed up a few Legos.
Named one of CNN’s Top Ten “Global Must-See Exhibitions,” The Art of the Brick exhibit by artist Nathan Sawaya is a critically acclaimed collection of inspiring artworks made exclusively from one of the most recognizable toys in the world: the LEGO® brick. From child’s toy to sophisticated art form and beyond, the world’s largest display of LEGO art ever features original pieces as well as re-imagined versions of the world’s most famous art masterpieces like Van Gogh’s Starry Night and Da Vinci’s Mona Lisa as well as a gallery showcasing an innovative, multimedia collection of LEGO brick infused photography produced in tandem with award-winning photographer Dean West.
We had the opportunity to get an up-close and in-person view of the iconic, pop culture fan favorite, Yellow, a life-size sculpture of a man ripping his chest open with thousands of sunshine yellow LEGO bricks cascading from the cavity. In addition, we were able to walk under a 20-foot-long T-Rex dinosaur skeleton made out of bricks and come face-to-face with a giant LEGO skull.
A lunch at the food court completed the event. And STILL no traffic leaving! It was a great day to spend with friends.
The Art of the Brick was like walking thru the mind of an Adult that had a serious problem with giving up his Lego's as a child. The ability assemble a statue, picture or Any item using only the color and shape of a Lego brick, showed the artist ability to look at things in a truly different light.
I'm sure that as kids ourselves, or our children and grandchildren, we have all enjoyed playing with Legos.
At the very least, we have stepped on or vacuumed up a few Legos.
Named one of CNN’s Top Ten “Global Must-See Exhibitions,” The Art of the Brick exhibit by artist Nathan Sawaya is a critically acclaimed collection of inspiring artworks made exclusively from one of the most recognizable toys in the world: the LEGO® brick. From child’s toy to sophisticated art form and beyond, the world’s largest display of LEGO art ever features original pieces as well as re-imagined versions of the world’s most famous art masterpieces like Van Gogh’s Starry Night and Da Vinci’s Mona Lisa as well as a gallery showcasing an innovative, multimedia collection of LEGO brick infused photography produced in tandem with award-winning photographer Dean West.
We had the opportunity to get an up-close and in-person view of the iconic, pop culture fan favorite, Yellow, a life-size sculpture of a man ripping his chest open with thousands of sunshine yellow LEGO bricks cascading from the cavity. In addition, we were able to walk under a 20-foot-long T-Rex dinosaur skeleton made out of bricks and come face-to-face with a giant LEGO skull.
A lunch at the food court completed the event. And STILL no traffic leaving! It was a great day to spend with friends.
THE TROPICAL BUTTERFLY EXHIBIT
THE ART OF THE BRICK LEGO EXHIBIT
PICNIC (SPAGHETTI FEED)
&
GARAGE TOUR
JIM & JOANNE HENDRY & TODD GUNDMUNDSON
SUNDAY AUGUST 14, 2016
A TASTE OF ITALY AT OUR ANNUAL PICNIC
Our 37th annual Olympic Club picnic on Sunday, August 14, was held on the spacious grounds at Jim and Joanne Hendry’s home in Issaquah. It was an absolutely perfect setting with a great mix of beautiful cars, super people, delicious food, and nice weather. It truly made for a fun gathering among fellow car enthusiasts. Members from our Olympic Club were joined by folks from the Ford Retractable Club and a number of Ford-connected classic car owners. Thirty-five cars were on display that included classic ‘birds, square ‘birds, Skyliner retractable, Rancheros, Mercuries, a Mustang, an Edsel, a Model A, a ‘34 Ford coupe, a ‘55 Crown Victoria, and a ‘56 Continental. In addition to these, we had the opportunity to look at two neat “garage tour” collections of cars. One collection belongs to Jim and Joanne, while the second is owned by Todd Gundmundson who lives just a short distance away. Wow! Talk about a feast for the eyes getting to see all these cool cars at our event.
Now let’s talk about another type of feast. Joanne’s well-prepared spaghetti and sauce were the highlight of a wonderful potluck that included salads, desserts, and all the trimmings. We are indebted to Joanne for all the time and effort she put in to create her home-made recipe of pasta and sauce. Delicious! It’s an Italian meal fit for Roman Gladiators. Our car group isn’t quite that mighty, but we were certainly “Roamin’ Glad-Eaters.” (Sorry for the corny humor, but I couldn’t resist the play on words...) An Olympic Club thank you also goes to Vickie Willson who provided us with a number of tasty fruit pies to enjoy for dessert. It was a great treat, with or without alamode. Yum!
This was a very well-attended event with over 60 people taking part. Our club President, Clarke Hamm, offered words of “thank you” to all who showed up, and expressed special appreciation to our hosts, Jim and Joanne, for all the work they put in to make this outing such a success. Clarke also acknowledged Betty Muir who was spending the day with us on her birthday. Betty is delightful and we wish her all the best. It was also nice to visit with folks we haven’t seen at a club event for some time, including Morris and Gayle Krause, Tony and Eve Dilores, Todd Gundmundson, and Dan and Fran DelDuca.
Looking forward to next month’s event, the Camel Safari experience in Bellingham on Sunday, September 4.
Van
Our 37th annual Olympic Club picnic on Sunday, August 14, was held on the spacious grounds at Jim and Joanne Hendry’s home in Issaquah. It was an absolutely perfect setting with a great mix of beautiful cars, super people, delicious food, and nice weather. It truly made for a fun gathering among fellow car enthusiasts. Members from our Olympic Club were joined by folks from the Ford Retractable Club and a number of Ford-connected classic car owners. Thirty-five cars were on display that included classic ‘birds, square ‘birds, Skyliner retractable, Rancheros, Mercuries, a Mustang, an Edsel, a Model A, a ‘34 Ford coupe, a ‘55 Crown Victoria, and a ‘56 Continental. In addition to these, we had the opportunity to look at two neat “garage tour” collections of cars. One collection belongs to Jim and Joanne, while the second is owned by Todd Gundmundson who lives just a short distance away. Wow! Talk about a feast for the eyes getting to see all these cool cars at our event.
Now let’s talk about another type of feast. Joanne’s well-prepared spaghetti and sauce were the highlight of a wonderful potluck that included salads, desserts, and all the trimmings. We are indebted to Joanne for all the time and effort she put in to create her home-made recipe of pasta and sauce. Delicious! It’s an Italian meal fit for Roman Gladiators. Our car group isn’t quite that mighty, but we were certainly “Roamin’ Glad-Eaters.” (Sorry for the corny humor, but I couldn’t resist the play on words...) An Olympic Club thank you also goes to Vickie Willson who provided us with a number of tasty fruit pies to enjoy for dessert. It was a great treat, with or without alamode. Yum!
This was a very well-attended event with over 60 people taking part. Our club President, Clarke Hamm, offered words of “thank you” to all who showed up, and expressed special appreciation to our hosts, Jim and Joanne, for all the work they put in to make this outing such a success. Clarke also acknowledged Betty Muir who was spending the day with us on her birthday. Betty is delightful and we wish her all the best. It was also nice to visit with folks we haven’t seen at a club event for some time, including Morris and Gayle Krause, Tony and Eve Dilores, Todd Gundmundson, and Dan and Fran DelDuca.
Looking forward to next month’s event, the Camel Safari experience in Bellingham on Sunday, September 4.
Van
Rev-Up for Ribsey's
Saturday July 30, 2016
22128 Paradise Lake RD
Snohomish WA 98296
Time: 1pm to 5pm
Ribsey’s Refugees truly is a lifesaving organization. They have rehabilitated death row dogs and found them forever homes with RCMP officers, brought dogs from New Orleans after Katrina decimated the area, and placed them in new homes, cleaned up a hoarding situation in Snohomish County where 35 dogs had been living in squalor (all but 2 were saved), and rehomed with loving families. The stories and testimonials from people who have adopted dogs from Ribsey’s can be found on our website and our Facebook page.
It was a beautiful day for a drive and a car show. A small group 2 OCTC T-birds met at Starbucks in Renton, and headed north to Maltby/Snohomish, where we joined another group of 6 OCTC T-birds getting staged on the lawn area for the car show. We joined 4 T-birds from PSEB and 5 Corvettes from the Solid Axle Corvette Club.
The location, a private residence, is itself a draw with several period outbuildings and his own collection of classics and street rods, plus collection of transportation and auto memorabilia.
Our clubs T-Birds, plus the PSEB T-birds, and the Corvettes were part of the draw for the general public.
There was a slide show displaying many of the success stories placing dogs into new homes, along with music, and lots of great pictures and stories about the dogs they have helped.
The BBQ was fired up, there were plenty of Burgers, Brats, Veggie Burgers, Potato Salad, Pasta Salad, Beer, Water, Sodas, and Tea.
There were 2 trophies awarded - 1 for Best in Show that went to Cheryl & Phil McCurdy, they are members of both T-bird clubs, and 1 for People’s Choice that went to a very nice 56 Chevy.
This event was a fund raiser for Ribsey’s and will hopefully get bigger and better in the future.
Many of us are proud to support Ribsey’s and the work that they do.
Thank you to all that participated to make this event a success.
It was a beautiful day for a drive and a car show. A small group 2 OCTC T-birds met at Starbucks in Renton, and headed north to Maltby/Snohomish, where we joined another group of 6 OCTC T-birds getting staged on the lawn area for the car show. We joined 4 T-birds from PSEB and 5 Corvettes from the Solid Axle Corvette Club.
The location, a private residence, is itself a draw with several period outbuildings and his own collection of classics and street rods, plus collection of transportation and auto memorabilia.
Our clubs T-Birds, plus the PSEB T-birds, and the Corvettes were part of the draw for the general public.
There was a slide show displaying many of the success stories placing dogs into new homes, along with music, and lots of great pictures and stories about the dogs they have helped.
The BBQ was fired up, there were plenty of Burgers, Brats, Veggie Burgers, Potato Salad, Pasta Salad, Beer, Water, Sodas, and Tea.
There were 2 trophies awarded - 1 for Best in Show that went to Cheryl & Phil McCurdy, they are members of both T-bird clubs, and 1 for People’s Choice that went to a very nice 56 Chevy.
This event was a fund raiser for Ribsey’s and will hopefully get bigger and better in the future.
Many of us are proud to support Ribsey’s and the work that they do.
Thank you to all that participated to make this event a success.
Ballard Locks Tour &
Salmon Barbecue &
Tour of a old Ballard Shipyard
Sunday June 26, 2016
My, what a wonderful day we had at the locks. There were thirty four birders, Six drove their birds, Every one toured the locks at there own pace, enjoying watching all the fish going thru the fish ladder, plenty of pleasure boats were in both the large locks and the small locks, fishing boats and tug boats also passed thru.
After the locks it was a short drive to Pacific Fisherman's Shipyard for the barbecue, But before we had lunch or dinner, (it was enough for both), Doug Dixon the yard superintendent gave a tour of the ship yard, showing the rail system that they use to pull the boats up and out of the water. There was a stern wheeler and a yacht built in England prior to the second world war out of the water.
The yard has collected every imaginal item of any business moving from Ballard or going out of business and has their signs and other memorabilia hanging on their walls or their furniture being used in the eating area.
Then all the food was ready, salmon, split Alaska crab, potato salad, macaroni salad, garlic bread and chips. we even could go for seconds if so desired. It was very good.
After we finished eating, Vickie Willson (filling in for Clarke) conducted a short meeting to thank everyone and talk about up coming events. We also conducted a drawing for the “event thank you gift” (a screwdriver set donated by Snap-on Tools), the winner was Jim Hendry.
Donna, Susan and Jon are pleased that you joined us on a beautiful day.
After the locks it was a short drive to Pacific Fisherman's Shipyard for the barbecue, But before we had lunch or dinner, (it was enough for both), Doug Dixon the yard superintendent gave a tour of the ship yard, showing the rail system that they use to pull the boats up and out of the water. There was a stern wheeler and a yacht built in England prior to the second world war out of the water.
The yard has collected every imaginal item of any business moving from Ballard or going out of business and has their signs and other memorabilia hanging on their walls or their furniture being used in the eating area.
Then all the food was ready, salmon, split Alaska crab, potato salad, macaroni salad, garlic bread and chips. we even could go for seconds if so desired. It was very good.
After we finished eating, Vickie Willson (filling in for Clarke) conducted a short meeting to thank everyone and talk about up coming events. We also conducted a drawing for the “event thank you gift” (a screwdriver set donated by Snap-on Tools), the winner was Jim Hendry.
Donna, Susan and Jon are pleased that you joined us on a beautiful day.
LAST MONTH’S OTHER EVENT
KELOWNA 2016
May 27 - 31 2016
It was a typical drizzly northwest Memorial weekend Friday as we made our trek up I-5 to the group meeting place in Conroy. Meeting up for the continuation of the trip to Kelowna were Dilores’, Hamm’s, Hanson’s and Stubbs’. Along the roadway near Bellingham we were joined by newer club members Ron and Kathie Brown in their little red Miata. A quick stop for gas and currency exchange was made in Sumas prior to our border crossing. By the time we reached Hope, BC, it was time for lunch before heading up the beautiful Coquahalla highway. A rest and ice-cream stop was made at Merrit, and then it was on into Kelowna. Last year they moved the host hotel for the annual show and shine to the Sheraton Four Points a little north of town. This proved to be a great location for the event, and after washing our cars, the underground parking was a much welcomed amenity.
Late Friday afternoon attendees began gathering the lobby near the registration desk and eventually into a nearby banquet room where we enjoyed light snacks, a slide show of past events, meeting new attendees and getting reacquainted with many of our Canadian friends and t-birders from the states. Upon arrival in Kelowna Olympic members welcomed our members from Vancouver, WA, Roger and Ruth Kelley. They also belong to the Rose City Club and were joined by 5 other couples from southwest Washington and Oregon.
Saturday we were up early for breakfast and then headed out in a caravan for the show and shine which is held in the lakeside city park. Here our beautiful birds were displayed by year across the grass. With weather cooperating out came the lawn chairs as we hunkered down to show off our Birds to the locals, and also vote for our favorites. About mid-afternoon many of the group left the park in a caravan to enjoy a tour and samplings at the St. Hubertus Estate Winery before returning to the hotel to prepare for the evening festivities. That evening we enjoyed a wonderful buffet dinner while visiting and enjoying the music of a local couple who entertained us with tunes from the eras of our cars. During this time t-birder’s also kept busy plugging raffle tickets into their preferred and hopeful prizes, and watching another of Dave O’Byrne’s wonderful slide shows highlighting the people, cars and events of the weekend. Following dinner the results of the people’s choice voting was presented with Cathy and Frank Stubbs and Tony and Eve Dilores bringing home 1st and 2nd place 1957’s.
Sunday morning following breakfast and a driver’s meeting 48 cars lined up and headed out on the extended three day tour. At this point Ron and Kathie Brown left our group and headed off in a different direction to visit family. Our first stop on this tour was brunch/lunch at the historic Karr’s Ranch. This is always a popular stop, and be assured no one goes away hungry. The next leg of our trip we continued north toward Revelstoke with a pitstop at a golden spike railroad museum an anticipated cookie stop. Unfortunately, we arrived but the cookies didn’t. Oh well, they had ice cream bars for sale in the gift shop. Continuing our scenic drive we arrived at our destination, The Hillcrest Resort in Revelstoke, where we enjoyed beautiful views of snowcapped peaks from our room windows. Dinner was another great buffet in the resort dining room. We retired from the dining room to the lobby sitting area where the first third of the alphabet participated in a pool table roll-off. Each evening we enjoyed a little similar competition where the winner won $$ (Canadian).
Monday took us south through the western Canadian Rockies where we enjoyed lunch in Golden. Our destination that day was the Copper Point Resort in Invermere. We spent the next two nights at this scenic destination. Here we branched out on Tuesday doing some scenic touring up into the local mountains and then back with a lunch at the local A & W. From there we toured a bit south to Fairmont Hot Springs where many in the group enjoyed a relaxing dip in the inviting hot spring’s large pool. That evening we enjoyed an outstanding farewell dinner at the resort, and on Wednesday we all departed with most going back north toward Kelowna or Kamloops. Many of us from the states headed south to cross back into the states either in Idaho or above Spokane. This was another wonderful tour and we can’t say enough about the Canadian hospitality and their willingness to host such well organized and fun events. We again thank Ken and Marion Carr and all of the Okanagan T-bird Club members for all you do to make the show and shine and the extended tour something we all look forward to from year to year. Many of us look forward to returning next year for the 25th anniversary of the Kelowna Show and Shine.
Cathy Stubbs
Late Friday afternoon attendees began gathering the lobby near the registration desk and eventually into a nearby banquet room where we enjoyed light snacks, a slide show of past events, meeting new attendees and getting reacquainted with many of our Canadian friends and t-birders from the states. Upon arrival in Kelowna Olympic members welcomed our members from Vancouver, WA, Roger and Ruth Kelley. They also belong to the Rose City Club and were joined by 5 other couples from southwest Washington and Oregon.
Saturday we were up early for breakfast and then headed out in a caravan for the show and shine which is held in the lakeside city park. Here our beautiful birds were displayed by year across the grass. With weather cooperating out came the lawn chairs as we hunkered down to show off our Birds to the locals, and also vote for our favorites. About mid-afternoon many of the group left the park in a caravan to enjoy a tour and samplings at the St. Hubertus Estate Winery before returning to the hotel to prepare for the evening festivities. That evening we enjoyed a wonderful buffet dinner while visiting and enjoying the music of a local couple who entertained us with tunes from the eras of our cars. During this time t-birder’s also kept busy plugging raffle tickets into their preferred and hopeful prizes, and watching another of Dave O’Byrne’s wonderful slide shows highlighting the people, cars and events of the weekend. Following dinner the results of the people’s choice voting was presented with Cathy and Frank Stubbs and Tony and Eve Dilores bringing home 1st and 2nd place 1957’s.
Sunday morning following breakfast and a driver’s meeting 48 cars lined up and headed out on the extended three day tour. At this point Ron and Kathie Brown left our group and headed off in a different direction to visit family. Our first stop on this tour was brunch/lunch at the historic Karr’s Ranch. This is always a popular stop, and be assured no one goes away hungry. The next leg of our trip we continued north toward Revelstoke with a pitstop at a golden spike railroad museum an anticipated cookie stop. Unfortunately, we arrived but the cookies didn’t. Oh well, they had ice cream bars for sale in the gift shop. Continuing our scenic drive we arrived at our destination, The Hillcrest Resort in Revelstoke, where we enjoyed beautiful views of snowcapped peaks from our room windows. Dinner was another great buffet in the resort dining room. We retired from the dining room to the lobby sitting area where the first third of the alphabet participated in a pool table roll-off. Each evening we enjoyed a little similar competition where the winner won $$ (Canadian).
Monday took us south through the western Canadian Rockies where we enjoyed lunch in Golden. Our destination that day was the Copper Point Resort in Invermere. We spent the next two nights at this scenic destination. Here we branched out on Tuesday doing some scenic touring up into the local mountains and then back with a lunch at the local A & W. From there we toured a bit south to Fairmont Hot Springs where many in the group enjoyed a relaxing dip in the inviting hot spring’s large pool. That evening we enjoyed an outstanding farewell dinner at the resort, and on Wednesday we all departed with most going back north toward Kelowna or Kamloops. Many of us from the states headed south to cross back into the states either in Idaho or above Spokane. This was another wonderful tour and we can’t say enough about the Canadian hospitality and their willingness to host such well organized and fun events. We again thank Ken and Marion Carr and all of the Okanagan T-bird Club members for all you do to make the show and shine and the extended tour something we all look forward to from year to year. Many of us look forward to returning next year for the 25th anniversary of the Kelowna Show and Shine.
Cathy Stubbs
Surprise Cruise
Saturday May 28, 2016
Our hosts, John & Marion Veer and Jim & Joann Hendry put together a Surprise Cruise. There was a surprise element but more about that later.
We started at 9:30 at the Cougar Mountain Zoo, 19525 SE 54th Street Issaquah, Washington. The Weather was a bit rainy and cold but it improved as the day went on. Our hardy group consisted of John & Marion Veer in their Cadillac, Jim and Joann Hendry in their 57 T-Bird, Van & Lynn Victor in their 57 T-Bird, Kyle Stubbs in the hot rod 55 t-bird, Bruce Eardley & Vickie Willson in Vickie’s yellow Mustang, Les & Cynthia Willman in their daily driver. (A group of about 10 from our club were in Kelowna BC for their annual show and tour)
The Zoo is nestled on the north facing slope of Cougar Mountain with a breathtaking view of the Cascade Mountain range and Lake Sammamish. Established in 1972 the primary focus of the Cougar Mountain Zoo is on endangered species and education. Many of the Zoo animals have been born or raised at the Zoo and have developed a self assured attitude toward humans, enabling visitors to take a deep glimpse into the beauty and mysteries of other life forms. We had a private tour of 'behind the scenes'. Our tour guide did an excellent job guiding the tour and was very knowledgeable of each animal. Everyone brought a lunch and we picnicked at the grounds (there is NO place in the zoo to buy lunch).
We then headed on to the Boehms Chocolate Factory to enjoy some great chocolate, but first, Marion decided we should go to a coffee shop in Gillman Village to have some warm refreshments, this is where the surprise part starts:
Marion said she would lead the caravan to the coffee shop just a few minutes away, SURPRISE, after making a few strange turns and touring parts of Issaquah not seen by many, and driving about 20 minutes, we finally arrived for coffee.
Then we moved on to Boehms, and enjoyed some great chocolate, a tour of the factory was not available due to the Holiday weekend.
Our last stop was the Triple X Drive-in where Jose greeted us and got us seated in the back room and set us up with a great waiter joined in on the fun and took good care of us.
We decided to keep everything close due to the heavy amount of holiday weekend traffic.
Thanks to Jim & Joann and John & Marion for hosting this event and thanks to all who came out in the cold and rainy weather.
We started at 9:30 at the Cougar Mountain Zoo, 19525 SE 54th Street Issaquah, Washington. The Weather was a bit rainy and cold but it improved as the day went on. Our hardy group consisted of John & Marion Veer in their Cadillac, Jim and Joann Hendry in their 57 T-Bird, Van & Lynn Victor in their 57 T-Bird, Kyle Stubbs in the hot rod 55 t-bird, Bruce Eardley & Vickie Willson in Vickie’s yellow Mustang, Les & Cynthia Willman in their daily driver. (A group of about 10 from our club were in Kelowna BC for their annual show and tour)
The Zoo is nestled on the north facing slope of Cougar Mountain with a breathtaking view of the Cascade Mountain range and Lake Sammamish. Established in 1972 the primary focus of the Cougar Mountain Zoo is on endangered species and education. Many of the Zoo animals have been born or raised at the Zoo and have developed a self assured attitude toward humans, enabling visitors to take a deep glimpse into the beauty and mysteries of other life forms. We had a private tour of 'behind the scenes'. Our tour guide did an excellent job guiding the tour and was very knowledgeable of each animal. Everyone brought a lunch and we picnicked at the grounds (there is NO place in the zoo to buy lunch).
We then headed on to the Boehms Chocolate Factory to enjoy some great chocolate, but first, Marion decided we should go to a coffee shop in Gillman Village to have some warm refreshments, this is where the surprise part starts:
Marion said she would lead the caravan to the coffee shop just a few minutes away, SURPRISE, after making a few strange turns and touring parts of Issaquah not seen by many, and driving about 20 minutes, we finally arrived for coffee.
Then we moved on to Boehms, and enjoyed some great chocolate, a tour of the factory was not available due to the Holiday weekend.
Our last stop was the Triple X Drive-in where Jose greeted us and got us seated in the back room and set us up with a great waiter joined in on the fun and took good care of us.
We decided to keep everything close due to the heavy amount of holiday weekend traffic.
Thanks to Jim & Joann and John & Marion for hosting this event and thanks to all who came out in the cold and rainy weather.
PACCAR Technical Center Open House
12479 Farm to Market Road west of Mount Vernon
Saturday, April 9, 2016.
On Saturday morning the 9th of April, 7 club members gathered at Starbucks in Renton, (3 cars and 1 motorcycle), to caravan to the Smokey Point Rest Area on I5 North. There we met up with 4 more club members, (3 cars), to continue the trip north, weaving through the Tulip Festival traffic, to meet up at the Chuckanut park ‘n ride near Burlington. There we met up with several “little birds,” other classics, and daily drivers gathered to begin our trip to Paccar. The sky was blue, and there was an early spring chill in the air. We had a good turnout of about eight little birds, a couple of other classics, four daily drivers and Martin Antrim with his motorcycle.
We traveled to the PACCAR Technical Center west of Mount Vernon and were directed to the show area on the test track to show off for the public. Our cars, of course, looked great along with the classic trucks, classic cars, and a group of Corvettes. It was nice to see Richard and Christine Bangsund there with us from Lopez Island with their immaculate Model A. We mingled with a large crowd touring the PACCAR facility open house held annually during the Tulip Festival at Skagit Valley. PACCAR uses the test facility for testing and improving systems and components used on Kenworth and Peterbilt trucks. We viewed the laboratories with machines shaking and cycling assemblies to test their strength and longevity. One of the most interesting was the large freezer testing a complete truck to below zero temperatures.
After two hours we gathered up and went to the Flyers restaurant at the Skagit Regional airport for lunch. Twenty-six of us enjoyed the boisterous atmosphere and delicious lunch fare. During lunch we were treated to a very special show of the Heritage Flight Museum’s P-51 Mustang fighter named Val-Halla performing a take-off, a high-speed low pass, and landing. Was that just for us? Has anyone seen a fuel bill yet? They weren’t scheduled to fly that day.
During lunch Clarke conducted a short meeting welcoming new members Nancy Burress from Mount Vernon, Steve and Marianne Long from Mount Vernon, and Rick and Linda Watkins from Burlington. Clarke also discussed projected changes and additions to upcoming events.
After lunch, seventeen of us went across the airport to the Heritage Flight Museum for a closer look at the vintage aircraft. They have aircraft and artifacts from WWII, Korea, and Viet Nam eras.
We thank those who attended, and it seemed that a good time was had by all.
We traveled to the PACCAR Technical Center west of Mount Vernon and were directed to the show area on the test track to show off for the public. Our cars, of course, looked great along with the classic trucks, classic cars, and a group of Corvettes. It was nice to see Richard and Christine Bangsund there with us from Lopez Island with their immaculate Model A. We mingled with a large crowd touring the PACCAR facility open house held annually during the Tulip Festival at Skagit Valley. PACCAR uses the test facility for testing and improving systems and components used on Kenworth and Peterbilt trucks. We viewed the laboratories with machines shaking and cycling assemblies to test their strength and longevity. One of the most interesting was the large freezer testing a complete truck to below zero temperatures.
After two hours we gathered up and went to the Flyers restaurant at the Skagit Regional airport for lunch. Twenty-six of us enjoyed the boisterous atmosphere and delicious lunch fare. During lunch we were treated to a very special show of the Heritage Flight Museum’s P-51 Mustang fighter named Val-Halla performing a take-off, a high-speed low pass, and landing. Was that just for us? Has anyone seen a fuel bill yet? They weren’t scheduled to fly that day.
During lunch Clarke conducted a short meeting welcoming new members Nancy Burress from Mount Vernon, Steve and Marianne Long from Mount Vernon, and Rick and Linda Watkins from Burlington. Clarke also discussed projected changes and additions to upcoming events.
After lunch, seventeen of us went across the airport to the Heritage Flight Museum for a closer look at the vintage aircraft. They have aircraft and artifacts from WWII, Korea, and Viet Nam eras.
We thank those who attended, and it seemed that a good time was had by all.
