Hydroplane Museum and Lunch
Saturday, February 18, 2012
The OCTC February 2012 event was held on a stormy February 18th at the Hydroplane and Raceboat Museum in the Kent Valley followed by lunch at Billy Baroo’s. Turnout was good considering the weather and competition from the Puyallup Swap Meet. Bill and Doris Hummel and Jeannie and Jim Denton brought their little birds, despite the weather, to the appreciation of the attendees and the guys working at the museum. And, this is a ”Working Museum” as a growing collection of incredible parts and pieces and complete original and restored racing hydroplanes from the ‘50s, as are our T-birds, up to recent times. Many of us could relate to the displays, as stories could be overheard “I was there…” or “I remember when…”. These boats and the people who owned them, raced them, and sponsored them – their stories of triumph and tragedy are parts of our lives here in the unique Pacific Northwest.
The museum volunteers provided snacks and talks in the crowded main gallery, and we were free to wander wide-eyed through the engine shop and the hull restoration shop where Bill Muncey’s Atlas Van Lines hull and the first sponsored Miss Bardahl are in the restoration process. We saw a crew working on a small hydro for kids to use to start their hydro racing futures. “Keep the doors closed so that the wood dust stays out of the main gallery!” The hour and a half went by very fast, and seemed more of an introduction to the museum, to be visited later for a more detailed examination.
The group moved up the road to Billy Baroo’s on Foster Golf Course for lunch at about 12:30. Those attending were Chuck and Julie Birch, Bill and Doris Hummel, Dean and Carmen Allstrom, Doug and Patty Wanamaker, Jeannie and Jim Denton, Tony Dilores, Bruce Eardley and Vickie Willson, Ron Karr and Barb Collins, Clarke Hamm; Frank, Cathy and Kyle Stubbs and guest, and Van Victor. We were treated to our own private area with window seats overlooking the lush, green grass of the golf course and the rain showers that keep them that way. President Chuck Birch presided over a short business meeting while our orders were being prepared. The service, food, and camaraderie were great, and we felt no hurry to leave.
Thanks to the staff at the Hydroplane Museum, to the folks and facility of Billy Baroo’s, and to the members who participated in this rewarding winter event.
Ron Karr
Click on a picture to enlarge:
The museum volunteers provided snacks and talks in the crowded main gallery, and we were free to wander wide-eyed through the engine shop and the hull restoration shop where Bill Muncey’s Atlas Van Lines hull and the first sponsored Miss Bardahl are in the restoration process. We saw a crew working on a small hydro for kids to use to start their hydro racing futures. “Keep the doors closed so that the wood dust stays out of the main gallery!” The hour and a half went by very fast, and seemed more of an introduction to the museum, to be visited later for a more detailed examination.
The group moved up the road to Billy Baroo’s on Foster Golf Course for lunch at about 12:30. Those attending were Chuck and Julie Birch, Bill and Doris Hummel, Dean and Carmen Allstrom, Doug and Patty Wanamaker, Jeannie and Jim Denton, Tony Dilores, Bruce Eardley and Vickie Willson, Ron Karr and Barb Collins, Clarke Hamm; Frank, Cathy and Kyle Stubbs and guest, and Van Victor. We were treated to our own private area with window seats overlooking the lush, green grass of the golf course and the rain showers that keep them that way. President Chuck Birch presided over a short business meeting while our orders were being prepared. The service, food, and camaraderie were great, and we felt no hurry to leave.
Thanks to the staff at the Hydroplane Museum, to the folks and facility of Billy Baroo’s, and to the members who participated in this rewarding winter event.
Ron Karr
Click on a picture to enlarge:
JANUARY 2012 BUSINESS MEETING -
ELECTION SELECTION
Sunday January 22, 2012
Welcome everyone to 2012? After a week’s postponement due to severe weather, our “Election of Officers” General Meeting was held on Sunday, January 22, at Johnny’s Restaurant in Fife. Unaware it had been postponed; Ron and Helen Bartlett made the trip from Beaverton, Oregon, on the original date. With the snowy conditions, that shows true Olympic Club spirit. Then again, they do have an unfair advantage with Rudolph guiding their sleigh. Way to go, Santa!
Our meeting place at Johnny’s is an ideal spot, conveniently located along I-5 with good service and tasty food. Thank you to Morris and Gayle for making the arrangements. Maybe because of lingering weather problems, the turnout wasn’t huge, but those who attended made it a lively and productive event. The minutes of what was covered are available on our club’s website.
Sincere appreciation to the following members who volunteered and were elected to serve as this year’s officers: Chuck Birch, President; Van Victor, Vice President; Wilma Hamm, Secretary; Ron Karr, Treasurer; Bruce Eardley, Newsletter/Membership/Webmaster; Frank Stubbs, Historian; and Clarke Hamm, Jon Hanson, Bill Hummel, and Morris Krause as Trustees. This is an experienced, dedicated group, committed to promoting our club’s purpose and best interests. I note that the four Trustees alone have a combined 137 years invested in our club. Amazing! It’s wonderful that we have this small group of champions who continue to serve time and again, yet it’s also unfortunate that we don’t see many fresh faces stepping up to share in some of the responsibilities. For those who remain on the sideline, we urge you to become more involved. We need representation from a greater number if we are to remain strong and successful. Showing up and taking part in our monthly events is a great way to start.
Thank you to the out-going officers for their service to the club: Frank Stubbs, President; Vickie Willson, Secretary; Cathy Stubbs, Treasurer; and Barry Birch, Ron Karr, John Veer and Doug Wanamaker as Trustees.
Van
Our meeting place at Johnny’s is an ideal spot, conveniently located along I-5 with good service and tasty food. Thank you to Morris and Gayle for making the arrangements. Maybe because of lingering weather problems, the turnout wasn’t huge, but those who attended made it a lively and productive event. The minutes of what was covered are available on our club’s website.
Sincere appreciation to the following members who volunteered and were elected to serve as this year’s officers: Chuck Birch, President; Van Victor, Vice President; Wilma Hamm, Secretary; Ron Karr, Treasurer; Bruce Eardley, Newsletter/Membership/Webmaster; Frank Stubbs, Historian; and Clarke Hamm, Jon Hanson, Bill Hummel, and Morris Krause as Trustees. This is an experienced, dedicated group, committed to promoting our club’s purpose and best interests. I note that the four Trustees alone have a combined 137 years invested in our club. Amazing! It’s wonderful that we have this small group of champions who continue to serve time and again, yet it’s also unfortunate that we don’t see many fresh faces stepping up to share in some of the responsibilities. For those who remain on the sideline, we urge you to become more involved. We need representation from a greater number if we are to remain strong and successful. Showing up and taking part in our monthly events is a great way to start.
Thank you to the out-going officers for their service to the club: Frank Stubbs, President; Vickie Willson, Secretary; Cathy Stubbs, Treasurer; and Barry Birch, Ron Karr, John Veer and Doug Wanamaker as Trustees.
Van
OCTC HOLIDAY & CHRISTMAS PARTY
Sunday, December 4, 2011
Another great OCTC Christmas party!!! The food was great, the location easy to find, the room looked great, and had Christmas music going.... The only thing that could have made it better would be if more of you were there...We miss your company and hope that you attend this, and other events in the coming year.
We had 35 people attended our Christmas party at Billy Baroo’s in Tukwila, The room was decked out with Bears every place that later were donated to Toys for Tots. We enjoyed a delicious meal again this year with a scrumptious dessert.
Our white elephant gift exchange never seems to get boring, poor Frank, I wondered if he got tired of being picked on and opening gift after gift only to have it stolen again. Wilma looked very fashionable in her new hat. This was all in great fun!
A full Subaru Forester (or was it Santa sleigh?), was stuffed to the rim with toys, cash, and checks collected and delivered to Toys for Tots. Everyone should be very proud of the donations that were made by our club to support this great charity and provide a Christmas for kids who may not have had one otherwise.
Vickie also collected car themed t-shirts for a service organization she works with, named Altrusa, that provides Christmas gifts each year for one of the wards at Fairfax Hospital. Fairfax is a psychiatric facility for problem teens and children who must be in a lock-down facility because they’re in danger of harming themselves or others. Most of these kids have little or no contact with their families, and definitely nothing to celebrate at Christmas time. The youngest there last year was seven! With our help she was able to offer
2 T-shirts to each child.
Click on picture to enlarge:
We had 35 people attended our Christmas party at Billy Baroo’s in Tukwila, The room was decked out with Bears every place that later were donated to Toys for Tots. We enjoyed a delicious meal again this year with a scrumptious dessert.
Our white elephant gift exchange never seems to get boring, poor Frank, I wondered if he got tired of being picked on and opening gift after gift only to have it stolen again. Wilma looked very fashionable in her new hat. This was all in great fun!
A full Subaru Forester (or was it Santa sleigh?), was stuffed to the rim with toys, cash, and checks collected and delivered to Toys for Tots. Everyone should be very proud of the donations that were made by our club to support this great charity and provide a Christmas for kids who may not have had one otherwise.
Vickie also collected car themed t-shirts for a service organization she works with, named Altrusa, that provides Christmas gifts each year for one of the wards at Fairfax Hospital. Fairfax is a psychiatric facility for problem teens and children who must be in a lock-down facility because they’re in danger of harming themselves or others. Most of these kids have little or no contact with their families, and definitely nothing to celebrate at Christmas time. The youngest there last year was seven! With our help she was able to offer
2 T-shirts to each child.
Click on picture to enlarge:
BUSINESS AND PLANNING MEETING
FOR OUR 2012 EVENTS
Sunday, November 20, 2011
The November Business Meeting and Planning of 2012 Calendar of Events was held at Frank and Cathy Stubbs, on November 20th with well over 30 members and guests in attendance. After an hour of socializing, President Frank Stubbs called the meeting to order. Guests attending were Ashley Rietman, Meghan Lee, and husband Todd, and son Davis. Ashley is the daughter of longtime members Ron and Debbie Rietman, and is our northwest representative for Hagerty Insurance. Meghan and her family just purchased a 1956 Thunderbird. We are looking forward to having all of the guests join us at future events.
Following the customary Treasurer's and Secretary's reports, and old business, the meeting took on some lively discussion in regards to a proposed By-Law change. After years of the club By-laws requiring the stipulation of Thunderbird ownership as a requirement for new membership it was proposed that the club consider changing the Olympic By-Laws to mirror CTCI's By-Laws by only requiring a new member have an interest in the 1955-57 Thunderbird. It was voted to move ahead with this change, and that the officially worded By-Law change will be published in the Newsletter for review by all members prior to vote at the January business meeting.
Following that lively discussion, the meeting was then turned over to Ron Karr, for the planning of our 2012 Calendar of Events. The ideas for events for 2012 were plentiful, so the planning session went quite quickly. Many thanks to those who submitted ideas for the calendar, and a big thanks to all who stepped up and volunteered to chair the planning of the events.
It appeared the conclusion of the meeting almost didn't come soon enough from the ravenous looks
everyone's faces and they zoomed up the stairs and quickly lined up for another Olympic potluck.
Thanks to everyone who participated by attending this event.
See the CLUB EVENTS page for a complete list of events planned for 2012
Following the customary Treasurer's and Secretary's reports, and old business, the meeting took on some lively discussion in regards to a proposed By-Law change. After years of the club By-laws requiring the stipulation of Thunderbird ownership as a requirement for new membership it was proposed that the club consider changing the Olympic By-Laws to mirror CTCI's By-Laws by only requiring a new member have an interest in the 1955-57 Thunderbird. It was voted to move ahead with this change, and that the officially worded By-Law change will be published in the Newsletter for review by all members prior to vote at the January business meeting.
Following that lively discussion, the meeting was then turned over to Ron Karr, for the planning of our 2012 Calendar of Events. The ideas for events for 2012 were plentiful, so the planning session went quite quickly. Many thanks to those who submitted ideas for the calendar, and a big thanks to all who stepped up and volunteered to chair the planning of the events.
It appeared the conclusion of the meeting almost didn't come soon enough from the ravenous looks
everyone's faces and they zoomed up the stairs and quickly lined up for another Olympic potluck.
Thanks to everyone who participated by attending this event.
See the CLUB EVENTS page for a complete list of events planned for 2012
MYSTERY CRUISE
Sunday October 16, 2011
Mystery solved!!!
It was a bit cool and cloudy (but promising to clear) day as we met at Bob’s Burger & Brew for a wonderful breakfast buffet. There was a private room just for us so we were able to visit and catch up with both old and new friends. Some new friends that joined us for this event were about 10 people from the Legends Car Club, and 4 other friends of OCTC, with about 26 people from OCTC, that’s a total of 40 people – WOW what a great turnout. Everyone enjoyed the breakfast buffet which included Eggs Benedict, fresh made Waffles, and custom made Omelets.
We left Bob’s and headed north, about 37miles to the first stop which was at a Gas Station/Mini-Mart so we could stretch, gas up if needed, use the facilities, and make sure we didn’t lose anyone. Everyone was trying to guess where we were going, but that is part of the mystery.
We left the gas station to continue on the next 25 miles of the tour which took us on the very scenic Chuckanut Dr. This is a very narrow and winding road that follows the coast line of Samish Bay and Bellingham Bay with breath taking views of the water and a scenic tree lined roadway into the town of Bellingham. Once in Bellingham we were headed to our “feature” stop – Bell’s Studebaker Diner and Museum. James and Stephanie Bell were our hosts for our visit to their restored 50’s diner and display of Studebakers in their museum. They had volunteers on hand to direct the parking of our cars, handle the sign in process, take group pictures of the cars and people, and to answer questions about the facility. Once we were parked and gathered as a group, James and Stephanie welcomed us to their facility, gave a brief talk about the museum and the collection and then opened the doors to let us in. Once inside there were snacks and coffee set up for us to enjoy. The snacks were reminiscent of the 50’s – Twinkies, Ding Dongs, Hostess Cup Cakes, etc. James and Stephanie were wonderful hosts and enjoyed us being there as much as we enjoyed them. A big thank you goes them and their volunteers for a great visit and a fun time.
We left Bell’s to our last stop – Boomer’s Drive-In Restaurant in Bellingham for lunch and/or Ice-cream. With the size of our group, we quickly took over the restaurant. The staff at Boomers took great care of us and did a great job of taking our orders and getting the food out to us. Everyone liked the food and service. Just as everyone was finishing their meal, Bruce took a moment to thank everyone for attending the event and everyone thanked Bruce and Vickie for putting the event together.
Again, thanks to all that attended and participated in making this a successful and fun event.
Bruce & Vickie
Click on a picture below for a larger image:
It was a bit cool and cloudy (but promising to clear) day as we met at Bob’s Burger & Brew for a wonderful breakfast buffet. There was a private room just for us so we were able to visit and catch up with both old and new friends. Some new friends that joined us for this event were about 10 people from the Legends Car Club, and 4 other friends of OCTC, with about 26 people from OCTC, that’s a total of 40 people – WOW what a great turnout. Everyone enjoyed the breakfast buffet which included Eggs Benedict, fresh made Waffles, and custom made Omelets.
We left Bob’s and headed north, about 37miles to the first stop which was at a Gas Station/Mini-Mart so we could stretch, gas up if needed, use the facilities, and make sure we didn’t lose anyone. Everyone was trying to guess where we were going, but that is part of the mystery.
We left the gas station to continue on the next 25 miles of the tour which took us on the very scenic Chuckanut Dr. This is a very narrow and winding road that follows the coast line of Samish Bay and Bellingham Bay with breath taking views of the water and a scenic tree lined roadway into the town of Bellingham. Once in Bellingham we were headed to our “feature” stop – Bell’s Studebaker Diner and Museum. James and Stephanie Bell were our hosts for our visit to their restored 50’s diner and display of Studebakers in their museum. They had volunteers on hand to direct the parking of our cars, handle the sign in process, take group pictures of the cars and people, and to answer questions about the facility. Once we were parked and gathered as a group, James and Stephanie welcomed us to their facility, gave a brief talk about the museum and the collection and then opened the doors to let us in. Once inside there were snacks and coffee set up for us to enjoy. The snacks were reminiscent of the 50’s – Twinkies, Ding Dongs, Hostess Cup Cakes, etc. James and Stephanie were wonderful hosts and enjoyed us being there as much as we enjoyed them. A big thank you goes them and their volunteers for a great visit and a fun time.
We left Bell’s to our last stop – Boomer’s Drive-In Restaurant in Bellingham for lunch and/or Ice-cream. With the size of our group, we quickly took over the restaurant. The staff at Boomers took great care of us and did a great job of taking our orders and getting the food out to us. Everyone liked the food and service. Just as everyone was finishing their meal, Bruce took a moment to thank everyone for attending the event and everyone thanked Bruce and Vickie for putting the event together.
Again, thanks to all that attended and participated in making this a successful and fun event.
Bruce & Vickie
Click on a picture below for a larger image:
The Thunder Run in the September Sun, Sequim, WA
September 16th to Sept. 18 2011
Many thanks to the Rose City Thunderbird Club for bringing back our "annual" multi-club weekend gathering after about a three year hiatus. This year's event took us to the Sequim, WA area over the weekend of Sept. 16-18th. About ten T-birds arrived at the Holiday Inn Express Thursday afternoon and into the evening to enjoy a relaxing head start to the weekend activities. For those arriving early enough, a casual gathering was enjoyed prior to dinner where some enjoyed an extremely long dining experience at the Three Crabs while others took the complimentary bus to the local casino for dinner and some gaming.
For those arriving early, Friday was an opportunity to explore the area on your own. Some enjoyed shopping, others drove to Port Townsend, and a few enjoyed the offerings at the Dungeness Spit Park
(don't think any managed the 5 mile hike to the lighthouse), and then took a leisurely drive through the Sequim Wildlife Park. At about 4:00 PM the doors to the breakfast room were opened, were RCTC members hosted a welcome get together that went on throughout the evening. It was a great opportunity to spend some time visiting with many we haven't seen for a long time and also meeting and making new T-Bird friends.
On Saturday local residents and Thunderbird owners, Dan and Sue Kalinski, were our hosts for the day.
At about 8:30 am Dan arrived at the hotel where T-Birds were beginning to line-up for the day's tour which had been planned and mapped out by Dan. Shortly after 9:00 am about 35 T-Birds and a few miscellaneous cars were strung out along the road heading out Highway 101 toward Port Angeles. Our destination was a scenic drive around Lake Crescent. We enjoyed a nice stop at the Lake Crescent Lodge where we had ample time to view the lodge, shop in the gift store and utilize the photo opportunities. Leaving the lodge we continued on the tour around the lake and back through Port Angeles eventually arriving and the Kalinski's beautiful Dungeness Spit home where the cars were parked on the lawns in front, behind and all around their house. Along with about 40 T-birds (early, retro and big birds), the Kalinski's collection of Corvettes, Porsche, Ferrari, and Ford GT joined the "show N shine" along with member's new Mercedes Gull Wing and Falcon convertible. While enjoying the view of the Straights of Juan De Fuca and also the beautiful cars, we enjoyed a catered box lunch of eye popping sandwiches, chips, cookies, fruit and beverages. As the afternoon went on those spending the night or staying for the banquet headed back to the hotel, while others made their journeys home.
Saturday evening about seventy-five T-Birders gathered in the meeting rooms at the Holiday Inn for a social hour that included hosted beverages provided by RCTC and followed by a catered buffet dinner of beef, chicken and salmon. During the social hour participants were encouraged to try the game of feeling and identifying the T-Bird parts hidden in bags. Following dinner the lucky winner of the game was announced and awarded a gift basket for their efforts. All other guests were encouraged to share in special little gifts and prizes on the dinner table.
Sunday morning everyone was up and about enjoying the complimentary hotel breakfast and saying their goodbyes until our next northwest club's gathering. We are pleased to announce that next June we've all been invited to go north to Vancouver Island where the Island Vintage T-Bird Club will be hosting a weekend celebration to commemorate their 30th Anniversary, June 22-24, 2012.
At this time we would like to thank the Rose City Thunderbird Club for arranging and hosting this fantastic weekend, and especially the efforts of members Barbara and Dave VanWinkle, Cathy and Frank Stubbs for organizing the event, and Diane Noxon for her contributions in securing beverages for the event. Also, we want to thank Dan and Sue Kalinski for volunteering to host this overwhelmingly large group at their home and for planning the wonderful Saturday tour. Of course, we thank all of the members from the Rose City Thunderbird Club, Olympic Classic T-Bird Club, Puget Sound Early Birds, Totem Classic T-Birds and Island Vintage T-Bird Club, who participated in this event, and helped make it another fun and memorable weekend in the great Northwest.
For those arriving early, Friday was an opportunity to explore the area on your own. Some enjoyed shopping, others drove to Port Townsend, and a few enjoyed the offerings at the Dungeness Spit Park
(don't think any managed the 5 mile hike to the lighthouse), and then took a leisurely drive through the Sequim Wildlife Park. At about 4:00 PM the doors to the breakfast room were opened, were RCTC members hosted a welcome get together that went on throughout the evening. It was a great opportunity to spend some time visiting with many we haven't seen for a long time and also meeting and making new T-Bird friends.
On Saturday local residents and Thunderbird owners, Dan and Sue Kalinski, were our hosts for the day.
At about 8:30 am Dan arrived at the hotel where T-Birds were beginning to line-up for the day's tour which had been planned and mapped out by Dan. Shortly after 9:00 am about 35 T-Birds and a few miscellaneous cars were strung out along the road heading out Highway 101 toward Port Angeles. Our destination was a scenic drive around Lake Crescent. We enjoyed a nice stop at the Lake Crescent Lodge where we had ample time to view the lodge, shop in the gift store and utilize the photo opportunities. Leaving the lodge we continued on the tour around the lake and back through Port Angeles eventually arriving and the Kalinski's beautiful Dungeness Spit home where the cars were parked on the lawns in front, behind and all around their house. Along with about 40 T-birds (early, retro and big birds), the Kalinski's collection of Corvettes, Porsche, Ferrari, and Ford GT joined the "show N shine" along with member's new Mercedes Gull Wing and Falcon convertible. While enjoying the view of the Straights of Juan De Fuca and also the beautiful cars, we enjoyed a catered box lunch of eye popping sandwiches, chips, cookies, fruit and beverages. As the afternoon went on those spending the night or staying for the banquet headed back to the hotel, while others made their journeys home.
Saturday evening about seventy-five T-Birders gathered in the meeting rooms at the Holiday Inn for a social hour that included hosted beverages provided by RCTC and followed by a catered buffet dinner of beef, chicken and salmon. During the social hour participants were encouraged to try the game of feeling and identifying the T-Bird parts hidden in bags. Following dinner the lucky winner of the game was announced and awarded a gift basket for their efforts. All other guests were encouraged to share in special little gifts and prizes on the dinner table.
Sunday morning everyone was up and about enjoying the complimentary hotel breakfast and saying their goodbyes until our next northwest club's gathering. We are pleased to announce that next June we've all been invited to go north to Vancouver Island where the Island Vintage T-Bird Club will be hosting a weekend celebration to commemorate their 30th Anniversary, June 22-24, 2012.
At this time we would like to thank the Rose City Thunderbird Club for arranging and hosting this fantastic weekend, and especially the efforts of members Barbara and Dave VanWinkle, Cathy and Frank Stubbs for organizing the event, and Diane Noxon for her contributions in securing beverages for the event. Also, we want to thank Dan and Sue Kalinski for volunteering to host this overwhelmingly large group at their home and for planning the wonderful Saturday tour. Of course, we thank all of the members from the Rose City Thunderbird Club, Olympic Classic T-Bird Club, Puget Sound Early Birds, Totem Classic T-Birds and Island Vintage T-Bird Club, who participated in this event, and helped make it another fun and memorable weekend in the great Northwest.
HISTORIC MEETING OF
T-BIRDS & VETTES ON VASHON ISLAND
SUNDAY AUGUST 21, 2011
IT WAS A TOP DOWN DAY!
HOT, HOT, HOT! And it wasn’t just the cars, it was the hottest day of the summer so far. Homeward bound at day’s end, as we approached the ferry we were gently reminded of that by a sign along the roadway, “Finally summer.” It was way past time for summer to arrive, August 21, a glorious day in all respects.
Vashon Island graciously hosted the Puget Sound Early Birds, the Olympic Classic Thunderbird Club and C-1 Corvette Owners in this first of a kind joint event coordinated through Debbie Richards of the Vashon/Maury Island Chamber of Commerce, Gordon Thorne of PSEB, Bruce Eardley of OCTC, and Jerry Little of the C-1 Corvette group. A group of about a dozen people from OCTC and PSEB caught an early ferry and had a wonderful breakfast at “The Hardware Store Restaurant” on Vashon Island prior to meeting up at the Park-N-Ride. As we pulled into the parking lot, only one word can describe what we saw, WOW!! A larger than expected turnout, actually a huge turnout, 19 Corvettes and 26 Thunderbirds, gathered in the Vashon Island Park-N-Ride lot to receive information packets and instructions for the driving tour via winding, sometimes narrow roads, one of which, Burma Road SW, remains in its original configuration from the 1920’s and early 30’s. The drive took us to Engle’s Gas Station, Repair & Towing for their Annual Car Show where we enjoyed the cars, each other, the music and humor of the Doily Brothers Band and the barbeque benefiting Vashon High School wrestling and football teams. From there it was on to the Point Robinson Lighthouse.
We were greeted at this historic 1915 lighthouse by U.S. Coast Guard Captain Joe Wubble who gave a short history of this structure with its original Fresnel lens. At the time the lighthouse was built, the island was largely undeveloped so all the materials had to be shipped across the Sound. “Captain Joe” led small groups to the top of the lighthouse to see the Fresnel lens up close and enjoy the commanding views from the catwalk in all directions.
To cap off our time at Point Robinson, the Virginia V, the last of the 20th century’s “Mosquito Fleet” that plied the waters of the Puget Sound in days long gone steamed by to capture our attention once again as it steamed by right in front of us on her annual tour around Vashon. Set against majestic Mount Rainier it made for a great photo op!
It was soon time to move on to our next stop, downtown Vashon, where a section of the public parking lot was set aside so visitors to the town could admire these great cars. After a stroll through Vashon to enjoy the annual “Dog Days of Summer” sidewalk sale, it was time to head for the official end of the tour at Vashon Winery, the third oldest in Washington State, for wine tasting. Vashon Winery is a tiny “garagiste” (garage-size winery not owning vineyards) producing less than 600 cases of wine annually. Vashon Winery sells most of its wines locally through wine shops and grocery stores with wine managers.
At this time we bid adieu to our new Corvette friends and fellow T-birders and headed for the ferry docks having had a busy, varied and fun-filled day.
A big “Thank You” to the organizers and to all that attended and made this a fun filled day.
Martha Callard, Bob Callard, & Bruce Eardley
Click on a picture below for a larger image:
HOT, HOT, HOT! And it wasn’t just the cars, it was the hottest day of the summer so far. Homeward bound at day’s end, as we approached the ferry we were gently reminded of that by a sign along the roadway, “Finally summer.” It was way past time for summer to arrive, August 21, a glorious day in all respects.
Vashon Island graciously hosted the Puget Sound Early Birds, the Olympic Classic Thunderbird Club and C-1 Corvette Owners in this first of a kind joint event coordinated through Debbie Richards of the Vashon/Maury Island Chamber of Commerce, Gordon Thorne of PSEB, Bruce Eardley of OCTC, and Jerry Little of the C-1 Corvette group. A group of about a dozen people from OCTC and PSEB caught an early ferry and had a wonderful breakfast at “The Hardware Store Restaurant” on Vashon Island prior to meeting up at the Park-N-Ride. As we pulled into the parking lot, only one word can describe what we saw, WOW!! A larger than expected turnout, actually a huge turnout, 19 Corvettes and 26 Thunderbirds, gathered in the Vashon Island Park-N-Ride lot to receive information packets and instructions for the driving tour via winding, sometimes narrow roads, one of which, Burma Road SW, remains in its original configuration from the 1920’s and early 30’s. The drive took us to Engle’s Gas Station, Repair & Towing for their Annual Car Show where we enjoyed the cars, each other, the music and humor of the Doily Brothers Band and the barbeque benefiting Vashon High School wrestling and football teams. From there it was on to the Point Robinson Lighthouse.
We were greeted at this historic 1915 lighthouse by U.S. Coast Guard Captain Joe Wubble who gave a short history of this structure with its original Fresnel lens. At the time the lighthouse was built, the island was largely undeveloped so all the materials had to be shipped across the Sound. “Captain Joe” led small groups to the top of the lighthouse to see the Fresnel lens up close and enjoy the commanding views from the catwalk in all directions.
To cap off our time at Point Robinson, the Virginia V, the last of the 20th century’s “Mosquito Fleet” that plied the waters of the Puget Sound in days long gone steamed by to capture our attention once again as it steamed by right in front of us on her annual tour around Vashon. Set against majestic Mount Rainier it made for a great photo op!
It was soon time to move on to our next stop, downtown Vashon, where a section of the public parking lot was set aside so visitors to the town could admire these great cars. After a stroll through Vashon to enjoy the annual “Dog Days of Summer” sidewalk sale, it was time to head for the official end of the tour at Vashon Winery, the third oldest in Washington State, for wine tasting. Vashon Winery is a tiny “garagiste” (garage-size winery not owning vineyards) producing less than 600 cases of wine annually. Vashon Winery sells most of its wines locally through wine shops and grocery stores with wine managers.
At this time we bid adieu to our new Corvette friends and fellow T-birders and headed for the ferry docks having had a busy, varied and fun-filled day.
A big “Thank You” to the organizers and to all that attended and made this a fun filled day.
Martha Callard, Bob Callard, & Bruce Eardley
Click on a picture below for a larger image:
Totem Classic Thunderbird Club of BC’s
35th Anniversary POW WOW
August 14th, 2011
The Totem Club Pow Wow was attended by Hamm’s, Hanson’s and Hassenwinkles’. There were only a couple cars in line at the border, so we breezed right through. Glen has a nexus pass so of course he was way out ahead of us. The weather turned out much better than we expected. The picnic to celebrate their club’s 35th anniversary was held in a private park. The Canadians served a wonderful meal: steak, corn on the cob, baked potatoes, rolls, salad, fruit, beverages, and anniversary cake. There was a good mix of old and new t-birds gleaming in the sunshine. They gave away fun car related door prizes; and Wilma won the 50/50 raffle (even though Clarke bought the ticket). Anyway he got the trophy. Our Canadian hosts were wonderful as always and we thank them for inviting us. Before crossing back over the border Clarke, Wilma, Jon and Susan went to Wes & Nancy Stinsons’ to see his collection of cars and a tour of their home. It was only about 25 minutes at the Aldergrove crossing. We all enjoyed a wonderful day with good friends and perfect weather.
Clark & Wilma
Clark & Wilma
“5th Annual Tour dé Picnic” &
32nd Annual All Thunderbird Picnic
Sunday, July 17, 2011
“5th Annual Tour dé Picnic”
Our picnic has always been open to ALL thunderbirds, old and new, big and small. This year, in addition to ALL Thunderbirds, we invited owners of 1954 – 1960 Fords, Lincolns, Edsels, and Mercurys.
Our tour, once again, started at the Starbucks on Grady Way in Renton. This seems to be the favorite place for our tour starting point. The group meeting at Starbucks consisted of; Bruce & Vickie in their 62 Sports Roadster, Tony & Eve in their 57 T-Bird, Jim & Jean in their 56 T-Bird, Clark & Wilma in their 57 T-Bird, Bev & Steve in their newly acquired 56 T-bird and Dennis & Cindy in their 56 T-Bird with no top, this is significant because it was cool, cloudy and raining!!! That is all of the T-Birds, and then there were Frank & Cathy in a 57 Ford wagon (supercharged of course), Todd in a 57 Ford Convertible, Jim & Joanne in a 57 Ford Retractable, and Gerry & Kitty & Charlie in an Edsel. We did draw a bit of attention in the Starbucks parking lot.
We left Renton on time, all hoping the weather would improve, especially Dennis & Cindy, and headed out for our trip to Wally’s in Buckley. The drive was quite scenic and enjoyable as we wound our way through the country back roads.
At Wally’s we met up with Doug and Patty Wanamaker in their 57 T-Bird, and Wayne & Bernie in a Valiant. This is always a very important stop on our tour as we all headed for the restrooms. While waiting and talking to each other in the parking lot, many of Wally’s customers stopped to admire the T-bird gathering and take pictures. Dennis and Cindy were questioning their sanity for driving in the rain with no top but decided to continue the tour and make the best of it. After we gathered ourselves together we headed off to Eatonville for our picnic.
We would like to thank everyone that showed up on such a cool, cloudy, rainy day and we hope everyone enjoyed the tour.
Bruce and Vickie.
32nd Annual All Thunderbird Picnic
On Sunday, July 17th, our club held its annual picnic at Glacier Park in Eatonville. It’s been the site of the Olympic club’s annual picnic for some years, and it’s a wonderful facility…..refrigerators to keep the cold things cold, plug ins to keep hot things hot, and a large covered area with picnic tables. Forty+ folks really appreciated the covered area on Sunday since the grounds were wet and rain threatened all day. As usual, the food was delicious. There was a good variety, and plenty of everything.
In addition to those that took part in the driving tour, joining us at the picnic grounds were Jutta Burks with her Mustang, Kristie Van Cleve with her Mustang, Steve Van Cleve with a 57 T-bird, Rosemarie Van Cleve with her 05 T-bird, Morris & Gayle Krause with their 57 T-Bird, Jerry Campbell with his 59 Ford Retact, Dean & Carmen Allstrom with their 2011 Mercedes Gull Wing, Jean Cournoyer & Doug with her 57 T-Bird, Roger & Ruth Kelley with their 57 T-bird and Dave & Barb Van Winkle with their truck. It was great to see and meet the non-members that attended with their other Ford products; we will have to be sure to invite them next year!
Thank you to everyone who came and made the picnic a success.
The OCTC Picnic Team
Click on a picture below for a larger image:
Our picnic has always been open to ALL thunderbirds, old and new, big and small. This year, in addition to ALL Thunderbirds, we invited owners of 1954 – 1960 Fords, Lincolns, Edsels, and Mercurys.
Our tour, once again, started at the Starbucks on Grady Way in Renton. This seems to be the favorite place for our tour starting point. The group meeting at Starbucks consisted of; Bruce & Vickie in their 62 Sports Roadster, Tony & Eve in their 57 T-Bird, Jim & Jean in their 56 T-Bird, Clark & Wilma in their 57 T-Bird, Bev & Steve in their newly acquired 56 T-bird and Dennis & Cindy in their 56 T-Bird with no top, this is significant because it was cool, cloudy and raining!!! That is all of the T-Birds, and then there were Frank & Cathy in a 57 Ford wagon (supercharged of course), Todd in a 57 Ford Convertible, Jim & Joanne in a 57 Ford Retractable, and Gerry & Kitty & Charlie in an Edsel. We did draw a bit of attention in the Starbucks parking lot.
We left Renton on time, all hoping the weather would improve, especially Dennis & Cindy, and headed out for our trip to Wally’s in Buckley. The drive was quite scenic and enjoyable as we wound our way through the country back roads.
At Wally’s we met up with Doug and Patty Wanamaker in their 57 T-Bird, and Wayne & Bernie in a Valiant. This is always a very important stop on our tour as we all headed for the restrooms. While waiting and talking to each other in the parking lot, many of Wally’s customers stopped to admire the T-bird gathering and take pictures. Dennis and Cindy were questioning their sanity for driving in the rain with no top but decided to continue the tour and make the best of it. After we gathered ourselves together we headed off to Eatonville for our picnic.
We would like to thank everyone that showed up on such a cool, cloudy, rainy day and we hope everyone enjoyed the tour.
Bruce and Vickie.
32nd Annual All Thunderbird Picnic
On Sunday, July 17th, our club held its annual picnic at Glacier Park in Eatonville. It’s been the site of the Olympic club’s annual picnic for some years, and it’s a wonderful facility…..refrigerators to keep the cold things cold, plug ins to keep hot things hot, and a large covered area with picnic tables. Forty+ folks really appreciated the covered area on Sunday since the grounds were wet and rain threatened all day. As usual, the food was delicious. There was a good variety, and plenty of everything.
In addition to those that took part in the driving tour, joining us at the picnic grounds were Jutta Burks with her Mustang, Kristie Van Cleve with her Mustang, Steve Van Cleve with a 57 T-bird, Rosemarie Van Cleve with her 05 T-bird, Morris & Gayle Krause with their 57 T-Bird, Jerry Campbell with his 59 Ford Retact, Dean & Carmen Allstrom with their 2011 Mercedes Gull Wing, Jean Cournoyer & Doug with her 57 T-Bird, Roger & Ruth Kelley with their 57 T-bird and Dave & Barb Van Winkle with their truck. It was great to see and meet the non-members that attended with their other Ford products; we will have to be sure to invite them next year!
Thank you to everyone who came and made the picnic a success.
The OCTC Picnic Team
Click on a picture below for a larger image:
THUNDERBIRDS VISIT MARITIME MUSEUM
Portholes by Land and Portholes by Sea
Sunday June 26, 2011
The smile on Jean Cournoyer’s face said it all. In making plans for our club’s June event to Gig Harbor and its maritime museum, Jean had a short wish list: 1. Good weather; 2. A good turnout, and 3. Having her prized ‘57 bronze T’bird repaired in time to take part. She achieved success--and then some--with all three.
On that Sunday morning, June 26, a group from the north side arrived at the Starbucks in Renton. Included were Dean & Carmen Allstrom, Tony Dilores, Bruce Eardley & Vickie Willson, Ron Karr and Barb Collins, and Frank, Cathy, & Kyle Stubbs. From here, they caravanned to the restaurant at Madrona Links in Gig Harbor where they met up with Jamie & Dee Joswick, Morris & Gayle Krause, Van Victor, Dick & Donna Wisenburg, and our host, Jean. Great tasting food and lively conversation took place at the restaurant, along with an unexpected door prize drawing initiated by Donna Wisenburg. Gayle Krause was the lucky winner of this gift coupon from a local ice creamery. Thank you to Donna for this added treat.
As we left the restaurant, it offered a beautiful view of the grounds where our cars were basking in the sun. It was neat to see that everyone who attended this tour arrived in classic Thunderbirds. Everyone that is, except for the Allstroms. Shame! Shame! But Dean and Carmen were quickly forgiven when we saw what they drove. It’s the new 6.3 L gull wing Mercedes, designed and engineered by their AMG racing division. Absolutely stunning! How nice is it? If we were making a classic T’bird sundae, this Mercedes would be the cherry on top. It’s that nice. Congratulations, you two.
From Madrona Links, the Wisenburgs led our parade of ’birds through the city of Gig Harbor as all the locals gave admiring smiles of approval. The attention our cars receive never gets old. We then arrived at our destination, the city’s Maritime History Museum. This site is filled with displays, memorabilia, artifacts, and artwork that provide a descriptive view of the pioneering efforts to settle Gig Harbor and its surroundings. Definitely worth a visit if you’re in the area.
Thank you to Jean for making the arrangements in hosting this event, and to Donna for her helpful hand. Cars, weather, food, and friends. It was all good.
Van
Click on a picture below for a larger image:
On that Sunday morning, June 26, a group from the north side arrived at the Starbucks in Renton. Included were Dean & Carmen Allstrom, Tony Dilores, Bruce Eardley & Vickie Willson, Ron Karr and Barb Collins, and Frank, Cathy, & Kyle Stubbs. From here, they caravanned to the restaurant at Madrona Links in Gig Harbor where they met up with Jamie & Dee Joswick, Morris & Gayle Krause, Van Victor, Dick & Donna Wisenburg, and our host, Jean. Great tasting food and lively conversation took place at the restaurant, along with an unexpected door prize drawing initiated by Donna Wisenburg. Gayle Krause was the lucky winner of this gift coupon from a local ice creamery. Thank you to Donna for this added treat.
As we left the restaurant, it offered a beautiful view of the grounds where our cars were basking in the sun. It was neat to see that everyone who attended this tour arrived in classic Thunderbirds. Everyone that is, except for the Allstroms. Shame! Shame! But Dean and Carmen were quickly forgiven when we saw what they drove. It’s the new 6.3 L gull wing Mercedes, designed and engineered by their AMG racing division. Absolutely stunning! How nice is it? If we were making a classic T’bird sundae, this Mercedes would be the cherry on top. It’s that nice. Congratulations, you two.
From Madrona Links, the Wisenburgs led our parade of ’birds through the city of Gig Harbor as all the locals gave admiring smiles of approval. The attention our cars receive never gets old. We then arrived at our destination, the city’s Maritime History Museum. This site is filled with displays, memorabilia, artifacts, and artwork that provide a descriptive view of the pioneering efforts to settle Gig Harbor and its surroundings. Definitely worth a visit if you’re in the area.
Thank you to Jean for making the arrangements in hosting this event, and to Donna for her helpful hand. Cars, weather, food, and friends. It was all good.
Van
Click on a picture below for a larger image:
T’BIRDS ARE CHICK-MAGNETS
AT WILCOX FARM
Saturday May 7, 2011
On Saturday, May 7, eighteen Olympic Club members and friends enjoyed an informative tour at Wilcox Farm, a 1500-acre enterprise located near Harts Lake in southeast Pierce County. The 16 of us who initially met and ventured on from the Denny’s restaurant in Parkland included Chuck Birch, Jutta Burks, Tony Dilores, Bruce Eardley and Vickie Willson, Morris and Gayle Krause, Dave and DeeDee Olmer, Frank and Cathy Stubbs, John and Marion Veer, Van Victor, and Dick and Donna Wisenburg. Along the way near McKenna, we were joined by Rosemarie VanCleve and one of her friends. The group was led by four classic T’birds, a vintage ‘bird, and a retro. Not a bad showing for a day in which rain was predicted and realized. (I’ve decided I wouldn’t mind the rain so much if it wasn’t wet!)
On arriving at the Farm, our tour guide, Lee, invited us into the original Harts Lake one-room schoolhouse where he provided us with a historical overview of this egg business, developed over four generations of Wilcox family dating back to 1909. We also walked through the first firehouse built in this southeast area of Pierce County, and then through a large red barn. Each building offered period photos, farm equipment, and related memorabilia from times past. Our group then loaded onto a bus, traveling the grounds to learn about the egg business, starting from incubator chicks to packaging the eggs for market. Very enlightening stuff. Wilcox is gradually evolving into an all-organic, free-range chicken farm. They currently have about one million chickens and a production capacity per day of 64,000 dozen eggs. That’s a fair sized omelet! One interesting bit of trivia we learned is what determines the color of the eggshell. To learn the answer, you can ask any of us who were on the tour. See what you miss when you’re absent.
Following the Wilcox experience, we caravanned to the town of Roy where we enjoyed a variety of lunch treats at The Old General Store Steakhouse. They even offered a “T’bird Special” as a gesture for our visit. That was a nice touch. This place has true rustic charm and great food.
On behalf of the club, a sincere thank you goes to John and Marion for hosting this successful event… a job well done. Because we drive classic T’birds, we already know we’re smart. But now after the Wilcox tour, we are true eggheads!
As part of this gathering among T’bird friends, we learned good news about some of our members. Rosemarie VanCleve is making wonderful progress following a recent heart valve repair. Dick Wisenburg looked the picture of health just six short weeks following heart bypass surgery. Also, a very healthy Kyle Stubbs is to be commended for completing a rigorous course of study at the Coast Guard Academy in New London, Connecticut, where he graduated with a Bachelor of Science degree in Naval Architecture and Marine Engineering. Wow!
Van
Click on a picture below for a larger image:
On arriving at the Farm, our tour guide, Lee, invited us into the original Harts Lake one-room schoolhouse where he provided us with a historical overview of this egg business, developed over four generations of Wilcox family dating back to 1909. We also walked through the first firehouse built in this southeast area of Pierce County, and then through a large red barn. Each building offered period photos, farm equipment, and related memorabilia from times past. Our group then loaded onto a bus, traveling the grounds to learn about the egg business, starting from incubator chicks to packaging the eggs for market. Very enlightening stuff. Wilcox is gradually evolving into an all-organic, free-range chicken farm. They currently have about one million chickens and a production capacity per day of 64,000 dozen eggs. That’s a fair sized omelet! One interesting bit of trivia we learned is what determines the color of the eggshell. To learn the answer, you can ask any of us who were on the tour. See what you miss when you’re absent.
Following the Wilcox experience, we caravanned to the town of Roy where we enjoyed a variety of lunch treats at The Old General Store Steakhouse. They even offered a “T’bird Special” as a gesture for our visit. That was a nice touch. This place has true rustic charm and great food.
On behalf of the club, a sincere thank you goes to John and Marion for hosting this successful event… a job well done. Because we drive classic T’birds, we already know we’re smart. But now after the Wilcox tour, we are true eggheads!
As part of this gathering among T’bird friends, we learned good news about some of our members. Rosemarie VanCleve is making wonderful progress following a recent heart valve repair. Dick Wisenburg looked the picture of health just six short weeks following heart bypass surgery. Also, a very healthy Kyle Stubbs is to be commended for completing a rigorous course of study at the Coast Guard Academy in New London, Connecticut, where he graduated with a Bachelor of Science degree in Naval Architecture and Marine Engineering. Wow!
Van
Click on a picture below for a larger image:
SURF AND SAND
CANNON BEACH HERE WE COME
April 15 – 17 2011
We left Hawks Prairie Restaurant at 10:30 on a full stomach; our leader was Clarke and Wilma Ham in their red 2003 Thunderbird. We stopped at the Dairy Queen for ice cream. Mind you this was just an hour after having breakfast. We all arrived at the Tolovana Inn around 2:30PM. The Tolovana Inn Staff had coned off a parking area for our Thunderbirds. Hospitality Hour began at 5:00 Am in Linda and Barry's room where the Rose City Club joined us. We want to thank Len and Nancy Simmons for driving 7 hours from Brookings, what dedication, and Ruth and Roger Kelly for braving the elements Friday, and driving their 56 Thunderbird! Ron and Helen brought their 2004 Thunderbird. No one went to bed hungry Friday night with wine, meatballs, carmel onion & crackers, Jack Daniels pull apart Barbie Q'd chicken, apples, grapes, a variety of cheeses, we all thought we had died and went to heaven! Attending this event were: Carmen & Dean Allstrom, Clarke & Wilma Hamm, Doug & Patty Wanamaker, Ron Karr & Barb Collins, Barry & Linda Birch, Ruth & Roger Kelly, Ron & Helen Bartlett, Len & Nancy Simmons.
With a sunny Saturday morning, Roger and Ruth Kelly led the group in their 56 Thunderbird to Tillamook Cheese Factory. A few went through the self guided tour, others went for ice cream, and some were in the gift store. We had some cute couples posing in the VW Love Loaf (a restored front end of a VW Bus), Dean and Carmen Allstrom and Doug and Patty Wanamaker. We had an excellent lunch at the Blue Heron French Cheese Factory; there were a few barn yard animals outside. After lunch some drove back to Canon Beach and some chose to visit the Tillamook Air Museum. Volunteers were working on an old 1920's steam locomotive inside the blimp hanger.
We had a fantastic dinner at Morris Fireside Restaurant – Dean Allstrom and Ron and Helen Bartlett had Bloody Mary's which looked like a complete vegetable garden in their glasses! Linda was able to convince these folks to give up their green olives! Saturday evening the Wanamaker’s celebrated their 5th Anniversary with us. They served us champagne and a gorgeous anniversary cake to toast and celebrate, while there was a beautiful sunset. A sunny Sunday morning walk on the beach completed the fun weekend.
Surf and Sand, Full moon, Great Friends, Laughter, Sunsets, Delicious Food, Love of T-Birds, it doesn't get any better than this. Barry & Linda
Click on a picture for a larger view:
With a sunny Saturday morning, Roger and Ruth Kelly led the group in their 56 Thunderbird to Tillamook Cheese Factory. A few went through the self guided tour, others went for ice cream, and some were in the gift store. We had some cute couples posing in the VW Love Loaf (a restored front end of a VW Bus), Dean and Carmen Allstrom and Doug and Patty Wanamaker. We had an excellent lunch at the Blue Heron French Cheese Factory; there were a few barn yard animals outside. After lunch some drove back to Canon Beach and some chose to visit the Tillamook Air Museum. Volunteers were working on an old 1920's steam locomotive inside the blimp hanger.
We had a fantastic dinner at Morris Fireside Restaurant – Dean Allstrom and Ron and Helen Bartlett had Bloody Mary's which looked like a complete vegetable garden in their glasses! Linda was able to convince these folks to give up their green olives! Saturday evening the Wanamaker’s celebrated their 5th Anniversary with us. They served us champagne and a gorgeous anniversary cake to toast and celebrate, while there was a beautiful sunset. A sunny Sunday morning walk on the beach completed the fun weekend.
Surf and Sand, Full moon, Great Friends, Laughter, Sunsets, Delicious Food, Love of T-Birds, it doesn't get any better than this. Barry & Linda
Click on a picture for a larger view:
Sunday March 20, 2011
Bainbridge Organic Distillers Tour
Bainbridge Island WA
On Sunday March 20th we embarked on our tour of the Bainbridge Organic Distillers.
Everyone enjoyed their own way to Bainbridge Island, meeting at the distillery at 9:30am. We looked over Keith Barnes ’54 Chevy 5 window PU that was parked in front, and then, went inside.
Keith greeted us as he was getting everything set up for us. Keith had made coffee and had some great pastries for us to start our day. We had Frank and Cathy Stubbs, Morris and Gayle Krause, Barry and Linda Birch, and Julie and I. With the low turnout we asked our sons Chad and Corey to come along to make sure we had enough workers (we were happy to have the help).
We started our "shift" at 10am with Cathy at the washing station, Corey filling, Julie, Linda, and Gayle rotating topping off the bottles, corking, and putting on the metal seal over the cork. I had the duty to run a roller machine over the bottle to compress the seal, then over to Morris and Barry to put the labels on, Chad boxing and putting them on a pallet, Frank was running everywhere from getting the empty boxes from Cathy, to labeling the boxes, helping Chad, helping Corey with emptying the overflow tank on the filler machine and taking pictures. It was a fun four hrs, but it was also hard work. We bottled 65 cases of Vodka and were ready for a break!
After our shift we sampled Vodka and Whiskey, (they are just getting ready to start making the gin) we learned what went into the products, and about the distilling process. We all learned a lot and I was very surprised that you could really smell the caramel from a burnt piece of oak barrel used for aging the Whiskey. Out of the whole group I think Linda, Gayle and Julie were the smart ones....they rotated their jobs; its funny how doing one simple task for four hrs will make you sore afterwards!
We each received a bottle from the fruits of our labor and a hat or t-shift, not union scale but I was very happy with it! I'm sorry more of you couldn't make it for the bottling or the tour afterwards it was great fun. After lunch we were so full that we all left for the ferry home and forgot all about the ice cream stop!!! Well that will give us something to do later. Shall we bottle some Whiskey next time?
Chuck
Click on an image below for a larger view:
Everyone enjoyed their own way to Bainbridge Island, meeting at the distillery at 9:30am. We looked over Keith Barnes ’54 Chevy 5 window PU that was parked in front, and then, went inside.
Keith greeted us as he was getting everything set up for us. Keith had made coffee and had some great pastries for us to start our day. We had Frank and Cathy Stubbs, Morris and Gayle Krause, Barry and Linda Birch, and Julie and I. With the low turnout we asked our sons Chad and Corey to come along to make sure we had enough workers (we were happy to have the help).
We started our "shift" at 10am with Cathy at the washing station, Corey filling, Julie, Linda, and Gayle rotating topping off the bottles, corking, and putting on the metal seal over the cork. I had the duty to run a roller machine over the bottle to compress the seal, then over to Morris and Barry to put the labels on, Chad boxing and putting them on a pallet, Frank was running everywhere from getting the empty boxes from Cathy, to labeling the boxes, helping Chad, helping Corey with emptying the overflow tank on the filler machine and taking pictures. It was a fun four hrs, but it was also hard work. We bottled 65 cases of Vodka and were ready for a break!
After our shift we sampled Vodka and Whiskey, (they are just getting ready to start making the gin) we learned what went into the products, and about the distilling process. We all learned a lot and I was very surprised that you could really smell the caramel from a burnt piece of oak barrel used for aging the Whiskey. Out of the whole group I think Linda, Gayle and Julie were the smart ones....they rotated their jobs; its funny how doing one simple task for four hrs will make you sore afterwards!
We each received a bottle from the fruits of our labor and a hat or t-shift, not union scale but I was very happy with it! I'm sorry more of you couldn't make it for the bottling or the tour afterwards it was great fun. After lunch we were so full that we all left for the ferry home and forgot all about the ice cream stop!!! Well that will give us something to do later. Shall we bottle some Whiskey next time?
Chuck
Click on an image below for a larger view:
Sunday Feb 13th, 2011
Food – Storing, Distributing, and then some Consuming
Food Services of America Tour and Lunch
It was a day of ever-changing temperatures on our tour of the Food Services of America warehouse. The south end group gathered at one of our favorite gathering spots - the Starbuck’s on Grady Way in Renton. After some brief hellos, we headed north on our one hour drive to Everett where we met up with our north end club members at a McDonald’s restaurant. We had 23 members that day, including five baby-birds, who braved the February cold that day. Shortly after we arrived the manager came dashing out to the cars. I was sure he was going to ask us to move the cars elsewhere, since we had taken up the last of the available parking spaces leaving patrons to park further away from the restaurant. Instead it turns out the staff was shocked to see our baby birds, and desperately wanted to take a few photos when them. As customers walked by seemingly oblivious to the T-birds, staff members posed again and again for shots with Cathy Stubbs’ ’57 sea spray green T-bird.
From there it was a short drive to the FSA Distribution Center, and we hurried inside to be out of the cool February winds. Food Services of America is a full service food distributer, and we were lucky enough to be able to take a tour of the state-of-the-art warehouse and distribution facilities, it’s not open for public tours. Our tour guide, Bob Carpenter, gave us a brief history of Food Services of America in the heated lobby, answered questions, then we shuttled through the doors onto the “chill” shipping/receiving docks, where the temperatures seemed a little colder than they had been outside. From there we made a very quick trip into the freezer section, where the temperatures were a balmy 4 degrees, and the shelves of frozen food were stocked 30 feet high, an impressive and frosty site. To warm up again, we passed through several rooms of produce, each a few degrees different in temperature from the prior room, ensuring that each type of product is stored at the optimum temperature. At last we escaped through a side door into the “dry” section of the warehouse and warmer temperatures. Bob pointed out that in this dry section the cases of product were the largest and heaviest on one end of the room and progressed into the lightest and most fragile on the other end, which allowed for the best possible stacking of orders as the pickers weaved through the aisles with their floor jacks.
Following our tour of the warehouse, Kevin Anderson gave us a tour the computer center for FSA. The room houses the disaster recovery systems for the main data center in Scottsdale, Arizona. This state-of-the-art room includes “floating” platforms for all of the computer systems which are designed to allow the hardware to sway back and forth freely during seismic activity. Electricity is fed to the machines through a dual set of control panels, with power cables feeding from each set of panels redundantly into each rack of hardware. If one power unit fails for any reason all of the hardware can still run flawlessly, being powered by the other unit.
After our tours it was brief trip out into the February cold and to Arnie’s Restaurant in Mukilteo. We all enjoyed the three course Sunday brunch, especially the homemade sticky buns, and watched the ferries come and go from our waterfront view in their greenhouse room.
Click a picture for a larger view:
From there it was a short drive to the FSA Distribution Center, and we hurried inside to be out of the cool February winds. Food Services of America is a full service food distributer, and we were lucky enough to be able to take a tour of the state-of-the-art warehouse and distribution facilities, it’s not open for public tours. Our tour guide, Bob Carpenter, gave us a brief history of Food Services of America in the heated lobby, answered questions, then we shuttled through the doors onto the “chill” shipping/receiving docks, where the temperatures seemed a little colder than they had been outside. From there we made a very quick trip into the freezer section, where the temperatures were a balmy 4 degrees, and the shelves of frozen food were stocked 30 feet high, an impressive and frosty site. To warm up again, we passed through several rooms of produce, each a few degrees different in temperature from the prior room, ensuring that each type of product is stored at the optimum temperature. At last we escaped through a side door into the “dry” section of the warehouse and warmer temperatures. Bob pointed out that in this dry section the cases of product were the largest and heaviest on one end of the room and progressed into the lightest and most fragile on the other end, which allowed for the best possible stacking of orders as the pickers weaved through the aisles with their floor jacks.
Following our tour of the warehouse, Kevin Anderson gave us a tour the computer center for FSA. The room houses the disaster recovery systems for the main data center in Scottsdale, Arizona. This state-of-the-art room includes “floating” platforms for all of the computer systems which are designed to allow the hardware to sway back and forth freely during seismic activity. Electricity is fed to the machines through a dual set of control panels, with power cables feeding from each set of panels redundantly into each rack of hardware. If one power unit fails for any reason all of the hardware can still run flawlessly, being powered by the other unit.
After our tours it was brief trip out into the February cold and to Arnie’s Restaurant in Mukilteo. We all enjoyed the three course Sunday brunch, especially the homemade sticky buns, and watched the ferries come and go from our waterfront view in their greenhouse room.
Click a picture for a larger view:
2010 OCTC CHRISTMAS PARTY
How about that Christmas party!!! The food was great, the location easy to find, the room looked great, and had Christmas music going.... I don't know how it could have been better; well I guess if more of you were there...That would make it better! We had 34 members show up and had a wonderful time. Thanks again to Vickie, Julie and Cathy for all that they did to make this a success. There were lots of toys and stuffed animals donated to Toys for Tots. Our club should be proud to have made this donation for the kids.
The White Elephant Gift exchange was a lot of fun. Seemed as though most people liked the gifts, there was very little stealing of gifts, although there were still a few of those that got took...
Thanks for the blanket Bruce......Chuck
Click on a Picture for larger immage:
The White Elephant Gift exchange was a lot of fun. Seemed as though most people liked the gifts, there was very little stealing of gifts, although there were still a few of those that got took...
Thanks for the blanket Bruce......Chuck
Click on a Picture for larger immage:
MAGNOLIA MOTORS
Patty McBride’s Collection
October 17th 2010
Sunday October 17, Thirty One of us met at Magnolia Motors Patty McBride’s Collection. Nine Thunderbirds were driven, Dave and Dee Dee Olmer drove up in their 55 all bundled up even though the sun was out, but rather chilly.
The collection of cars was spectacular, A Ferrari, several Mercedes, a 57 mercury hardtop station wagon, 32 Ford roaster, several Pontiacs, Oldsmobile hardtop wagon, Chevrolets. The showroom was first class, with neon signs; gas pumps just a lot of memorabilia.
We departed Magnolia Motors for the Bay Café, at Fisherman’s Terminal we had some spare time before our reservation was ready, so we watched the fishermen load their nets onto their boats. We boarded the Mark 1 built in 1967 which fishes out of Dutch Harbor Alaska, I told the group how the nets are payed out, what the doors do and in general just what this boat does.
Lunch at the Bay Café, we used the back door to enter, much easier than trying to move by those that were waiting to be seated, Had the room to ourselves, plenty of food and time to visit. The service was excellent.
We enjoyed having the opportunity to host this event.
Jon and Susan Hanson
Enjoy the slideshow below:
The collection of cars was spectacular, A Ferrari, several Mercedes, a 57 mercury hardtop station wagon, 32 Ford roaster, several Pontiacs, Oldsmobile hardtop wagon, Chevrolets. The showroom was first class, with neon signs; gas pumps just a lot of memorabilia.
We departed Magnolia Motors for the Bay Café, at Fisherman’s Terminal we had some spare time before our reservation was ready, so we watched the fishermen load their nets onto their boats. We boarded the Mark 1 built in 1967 which fishes out of Dutch Harbor Alaska, I told the group how the nets are payed out, what the doors do and in general just what this boat does.
Lunch at the Bay Café, we used the back door to enter, much easier than trying to move by those that were waiting to be seated, Had the room to ourselves, plenty of food and time to visit. The service was excellent.
We enjoyed having the opportunity to host this event.
Jon and Susan Hanson
Enjoy the slideshow below:
Our Ride to the Railroad
Saturday Sept 18th, 2010
We gathered at the Factoria Mall (now called Market Place) in Bellevue in the southeast parking lot (near Ricardo’s Mexican Restaurant) at 11:15am and we were ready to leave at 11:30am to begin our driving tour. The group consisted of Bruce Eardley & Vickie Willson, Barry & Linda Birch and their guests Christine & John, Chuck & Julie Birch, Clark & Wilma Hamm, Ron Karr & Barb Collins, Morris & Gayle Krause, Shelley & Betty Muir with Shelley’s sister, Frank & Cathy Stubbs, and Doug & Patty Wanamaker. Much to our delight, the sky’s were clearing and it was nice enough to put the tops down (thanks to Vickie, she was in charge of the weather). We began our tour by driving through the back roads of Bellevue and Issaquah onto East Lake Sammamish Drive for a scenic drive along Lake Sammamish. The lake glistened in the sunshine and the views were beautiful. We continued into the outskirts of Redmond where we turned onto WA202-Redmond Fall City Rd. and drove this scenic country road to our first stop, a wonderful lunch at the Fall City Roadhouse.
The restaurant had an area in their parking lot set aside for our cars and a staff member outside directing us. They also had an area in the restaurant, over looking our cars, reserved for our lunch. We met up with Tony & Eve Delores, Mel & Linda Lang, and Ward & Sue Luhman at the restaurant. We were able to order off the menu and the staff did an excellent job of getting us served and ready to go on time. As always, the food was great and everyone enjoyed their lunch and the opportunity to relax and chat. As we were leaving, some staff members came out to look and photograph our cars and assist with traffic control so we could all pull out of the lot as a group.
After lunch, we continued along the back roads to our next stop, the town of Snoqualmie. We had time for exploring the Northwest Railway Museum and some shopping in the quaint stores (especially the Hardware store) before we had to board the 3:01pm Snoqualmie Railroad for a scenic train ride to North Bend and back (unfortunately, parts of the track were under repair so we could not go to Snoqualmie Falls). The ride was about 45 min long and even though it was shorter than planned, it was still enjoyable.
After the train ride and shopping we headed to our last stop, in Issaquah, to the famous “XXX Root Beer Drive In” for the best Root Beer Floats in Washington (maybe the World!!) and other ice cream delights. Unfortunately Vickie’s power to control the weather was wearing off, the clouds were rolling in and the rain was starting. We arrived just in time to put the tops up before the rain poured down. The rain did not dampen the enthusiasm for root beer and ice cream and the sights of the auto memorabilia inside the restaurant.
We want to thank everyone that turned out and hope you all enjoyed the day and had a good time.
Bruce & Vickie
Click on a picture for larger size:
The restaurant had an area in their parking lot set aside for our cars and a staff member outside directing us. They also had an area in the restaurant, over looking our cars, reserved for our lunch. We met up with Tony & Eve Delores, Mel & Linda Lang, and Ward & Sue Luhman at the restaurant. We were able to order off the menu and the staff did an excellent job of getting us served and ready to go on time. As always, the food was great and everyone enjoyed their lunch and the opportunity to relax and chat. As we were leaving, some staff members came out to look and photograph our cars and assist with traffic control so we could all pull out of the lot as a group.
After lunch, we continued along the back roads to our next stop, the town of Snoqualmie. We had time for exploring the Northwest Railway Museum and some shopping in the quaint stores (especially the Hardware store) before we had to board the 3:01pm Snoqualmie Railroad for a scenic train ride to North Bend and back (unfortunately, parts of the track were under repair so we could not go to Snoqualmie Falls). The ride was about 45 min long and even though it was shorter than planned, it was still enjoyable.
After the train ride and shopping we headed to our last stop, in Issaquah, to the famous “XXX Root Beer Drive In” for the best Root Beer Floats in Washington (maybe the World!!) and other ice cream delights. Unfortunately Vickie’s power to control the weather was wearing off, the clouds were rolling in and the rain was starting. We arrived just in time to put the tops up before the rain poured down. The rain did not dampen the enthusiasm for root beer and ice cream and the sights of the auto memorabilia inside the restaurant.
We want to thank everyone that turned out and hope you all enjoyed the day and had a good time.
Bruce & Vickie
Click on a picture for larger size:
“4th Annual Tour dé Picnic” & 31st Annual ALL T’Bird Picnic
“4th Annual Tour dé Picnic”
Our tour, once again, started at the Starbucks on Grady Way in Renton. This seems to be the favorite place for our tour starting point. The group from the North consisted of; Bruce Eardley in his 62 Sports Roadster and Vickie Willson in her newly acquired 65 Mustang Convertible, Tony and Eve Dilores in their Retro Bird, Dan and Fran Delduka in his 57, Cliff Holland in his 56, and guests of the club Eric and Cindy Selby and Dennis Christian and his wife in their Retro Birds. Our picnic has always been open to ALL thunderbirds, old and new, big and small.
We left Renton on time, the weather promised to be a “hot one” but was quite pleasant in the morning, so we all put our tops down (those that could) and headed out for our trip to Wally’s in Buckley. The drive was quite scenic and enjoyable as we wound our way through the country back roads. The tree lined streets provided a pleasant shaded drive, a welcome relief from the bright sun.
At Wally’s we met up with Doug and Patty Wanamaker in their 57, Chuck and Julie Birch in their 57, Glenn and Debra Gehrke in their 56, and Frank and Cathy Stubbs caught up with us in a bright Pink 57 (Cathy was driving because Frank refused to drive a “Pink” T-bird). This is always a very important stop on our tour as we all headed for the restrooms. While waiting and talking to each other in the parking lot, many of Wally’s customers stopped to admire the T-bird gathering and take pictures. After we gathered ourselves together we headed off to Eatonville for our picnic.
We would like to thank everyone that showed up and we hope everyone enjoyed the tour.
Bruce and Vickie.
31st Annual ALL T’Bird Picnic
On Sunday, August 15, our club held its annual picnic at Glacier Park in Eatonville. It’s been the site of the Olympic club’s annual picnic for some years, and it’s a wonderful facility…..refrigerators to keep the cold things cold, plug ins to keep hot things hot, and a large covered area with picnic tables. Forty-five folks really appreciated the covered area on Sunday. There was a little less wandering around the grounds looking at cars this year because of the heat. As usual, the food was delicious. There was a good variety, and plenty of everything.
Long time member Phyllis Leach came to the picnic with Betty and Shelly Muir, and Lloyd Van de Bogart, another long time member, came to the picnic with Jon and Susan Hanson. Thank you Ron and Helen Bartlett, Roger and Ruth Kelley, and Dave and Barb Van Winkle for making the hot drive from Portland. While Clarke and Wilma Hamm are able to make most of our club events, they had a long, hot drive from Camano Island.
Thank you to everyone who came and made the picnic a success. And thank you Frank and Cathy Stubbs for staying and helping with the clean up.
Rosemarie, Morris and Gayle
Click on a picture to view larger:
Our tour, once again, started at the Starbucks on Grady Way in Renton. This seems to be the favorite place for our tour starting point. The group from the North consisted of; Bruce Eardley in his 62 Sports Roadster and Vickie Willson in her newly acquired 65 Mustang Convertible, Tony and Eve Dilores in their Retro Bird, Dan and Fran Delduka in his 57, Cliff Holland in his 56, and guests of the club Eric and Cindy Selby and Dennis Christian and his wife in their Retro Birds. Our picnic has always been open to ALL thunderbirds, old and new, big and small.
We left Renton on time, the weather promised to be a “hot one” but was quite pleasant in the morning, so we all put our tops down (those that could) and headed out for our trip to Wally’s in Buckley. The drive was quite scenic and enjoyable as we wound our way through the country back roads. The tree lined streets provided a pleasant shaded drive, a welcome relief from the bright sun.
At Wally’s we met up with Doug and Patty Wanamaker in their 57, Chuck and Julie Birch in their 57, Glenn and Debra Gehrke in their 56, and Frank and Cathy Stubbs caught up with us in a bright Pink 57 (Cathy was driving because Frank refused to drive a “Pink” T-bird). This is always a very important stop on our tour as we all headed for the restrooms. While waiting and talking to each other in the parking lot, many of Wally’s customers stopped to admire the T-bird gathering and take pictures. After we gathered ourselves together we headed off to Eatonville for our picnic.
We would like to thank everyone that showed up and we hope everyone enjoyed the tour.
Bruce and Vickie.
31st Annual ALL T’Bird Picnic
On Sunday, August 15, our club held its annual picnic at Glacier Park in Eatonville. It’s been the site of the Olympic club’s annual picnic for some years, and it’s a wonderful facility…..refrigerators to keep the cold things cold, plug ins to keep hot things hot, and a large covered area with picnic tables. Forty-five folks really appreciated the covered area on Sunday. There was a little less wandering around the grounds looking at cars this year because of the heat. As usual, the food was delicious. There was a good variety, and plenty of everything.
Long time member Phyllis Leach came to the picnic with Betty and Shelly Muir, and Lloyd Van de Bogart, another long time member, came to the picnic with Jon and Susan Hanson. Thank you Ron and Helen Bartlett, Roger and Ruth Kelley, and Dave and Barb Van Winkle for making the hot drive from Portland. While Clarke and Wilma Hamm are able to make most of our club events, they had a long, hot drive from Camano Island.
Thank you to everyone who came and made the picnic a success. And thank you Frank and Cathy Stubbs for staying and helping with the clean up.
Rosemarie, Morris and Gayle
Click on a picture to view larger:
MUSEUM OF FLIGHT
AIRCRAFT RESTORATION CENTER
JULY 17 2010
On Saturday, July 17th, 28 members of the Olympic Classic Thunderbird Club met at the Snohomish County Airport to tour the Museum of Flight Restoration Center. This facility does accurate restoration of historic aircraft for display at the Seattle flight museum. The members were divided into two groups and given a guided tour by very knowledgeable docents.
The aircraft are restored to exact original condition using original engineering drawings. The work is done by volunteers who have special skills and information from past experiences. There are persons who do specific jobs, such as restore instruments, engines, sheet metal work, fabric covering, etc. The workers are very proud of their work and love to talk.
The aircraft vary in size and design, from the “do it yourself” Heath Airplane kit, to military, commercial airliners, helicopters, and engines of all sizes or types.
The club members then caravanned 25miles to Tulare Beach on beautiful Puget Sound for an old fashion picnic at the sea shore. The members provided an ample supply of hot dogs, salads, beer, wine, and ice cream for all. The eight classic thunderbird cars were put on display on a grassy field for the public to enjoy. The few non thunderbird cars were parked in an inconspicuous driveway so as to not be a distraction.
As the evening approached, the members gradually departed. The event was a success. Some even suggested that it should be an annual outing.
Click on a picture to see larger size.
The aircraft are restored to exact original condition using original engineering drawings. The work is done by volunteers who have special skills and information from past experiences. There are persons who do specific jobs, such as restore instruments, engines, sheet metal work, fabric covering, etc. The workers are very proud of their work and love to talk.
The aircraft vary in size and design, from the “do it yourself” Heath Airplane kit, to military, commercial airliners, helicopters, and engines of all sizes or types.
The club members then caravanned 25miles to Tulare Beach on beautiful Puget Sound for an old fashion picnic at the sea shore. The members provided an ample supply of hot dogs, salads, beer, wine, and ice cream for all. The eight classic thunderbird cars were put on display on a grassy field for the public to enjoy. The few non thunderbird cars were parked in an inconspicuous driveway so as to not be a distraction.
As the evening approached, the members gradually departed. The event was a success. Some even suggested that it should be an annual outing.
Click on a picture to see larger size.
ERUPTION TO EROSION TOUR
June 26-27, 2010
At the final stop of our amazing tour to Mount St. Helens last month, the participants were discussing this write-up. The consensus was that it would be very difficult to make the writing as interesting as the tour itself.
Five cars from OCTC, plus two from Rose City, met at either Renton or the turn-off for Mount St. Helens and proceeded up the mountain. From the Olympic Club were the Olmers, Diloreses, the Allstroms, Bruce Eardley and Vickie Willson, and of course, Chuck & Julie.
The drive itself was an experience in sensory overload as the views of the mountain, the vibrant colors, and the beautiful weather all caught our attention. Walking from the parking lot at Johnston Ridge Observatory we caught our first up-close-and-personal look at the massive devastation caused by an obviously angry mother nature. At the observatory, we watched a film that showed the eruption as it described the speed and size of the area affected by ash, molten rock, wind, and water that spewed from the mountain. When the presentation was over, they opened the curtains that were behind the screens. The view was of the domes inside the crater… so close that we felt we could reach out and touch them. After the film, we hiked farther up the side of Johnston Ridge to enjoy even more expansive views.
That night we stayed in Kelso, enjoying an excellent Mexican dinner with margaritas as big as some swimming pools. We had a chance to get to know the folks from Rose City and to catch up on news with other OCTC members.
Sunday was a great day for a cruise. And we cruised, and cruised. My odometer said we covered just under 400 miles in the two days. We used secondary roads and got an up-close glimpse of life on the Olympic Peninsula. Our tour guides, Chuck and Julie, had enjoyed many vacations at Julie’s parents cabin on the Peninsula. This let us hear some very interesting stories about the area. Especially interesting was the story about the city that used to sit on what is now referred to as “Wash-Away-Beach” in North Cove. The town of North Cove once consisted of a lighthouse, school, hotel, post office, cemetery, streets, and commercial and residential buildings. Today, it is all gone!Tidal action continues to erode the beach and all that is left to remind you of what once was there are a few dead-end roads. Even a concrete bathhouse/restroom that was built just five or six years ago has been swallowed up by the tides. Our understanding of what has taken place was aided by a number of stories photo copied for us by our hosts and a three-dimensional flip chart that Chuck and Julie made for us. Although the word awesome is overused today, this was truly an awesome sight!
Sunday’s food stops included a much-used-by OCTC Dairy Queen in Raymond. It was there that we learned from Tony and Eve to adopt the phrase “while on vacation there shall be no deprivation.” Lunch Sunday was a quaint little restaurant called the Mutineer. Seafood to die for! After lunch and a stop at Brady’s in Aberdeen to pick up raw oysters, we were on our way home.
Thanks to Dave & Dee Dee Olmer for the write-up.
Five cars from OCTC, plus two from Rose City, met at either Renton or the turn-off for Mount St. Helens and proceeded up the mountain. From the Olympic Club were the Olmers, Diloreses, the Allstroms, Bruce Eardley and Vickie Willson, and of course, Chuck & Julie.
The drive itself was an experience in sensory overload as the views of the mountain, the vibrant colors, and the beautiful weather all caught our attention. Walking from the parking lot at Johnston Ridge Observatory we caught our first up-close-and-personal look at the massive devastation caused by an obviously angry mother nature. At the observatory, we watched a film that showed the eruption as it described the speed and size of the area affected by ash, molten rock, wind, and water that spewed from the mountain. When the presentation was over, they opened the curtains that were behind the screens. The view was of the domes inside the crater… so close that we felt we could reach out and touch them. After the film, we hiked farther up the side of Johnston Ridge to enjoy even more expansive views.
That night we stayed in Kelso, enjoying an excellent Mexican dinner with margaritas as big as some swimming pools. We had a chance to get to know the folks from Rose City and to catch up on news with other OCTC members.
Sunday was a great day for a cruise. And we cruised, and cruised. My odometer said we covered just under 400 miles in the two days. We used secondary roads and got an up-close glimpse of life on the Olympic Peninsula. Our tour guides, Chuck and Julie, had enjoyed many vacations at Julie’s parents cabin on the Peninsula. This let us hear some very interesting stories about the area. Especially interesting was the story about the city that used to sit on what is now referred to as “Wash-Away-Beach” in North Cove. The town of North Cove once consisted of a lighthouse, school, hotel, post office, cemetery, streets, and commercial and residential buildings. Today, it is all gone!Tidal action continues to erode the beach and all that is left to remind you of what once was there are a few dead-end roads. Even a concrete bathhouse/restroom that was built just five or six years ago has been swallowed up by the tides. Our understanding of what has taken place was aided by a number of stories photo copied for us by our hosts and a three-dimensional flip chart that Chuck and Julie made for us. Although the word awesome is overused today, this was truly an awesome sight!
Sunday’s food stops included a much-used-by OCTC Dairy Queen in Raymond. It was there that we learned from Tony and Eve to adopt the phrase “while on vacation there shall be no deprivation.” Lunch Sunday was a quaint little restaurant called the Mutineer. Seafood to die for! After lunch and a stop at Brady’s in Aberdeen to pick up raw oysters, we were on our way home.
Thanks to Dave & Dee Dee Olmer for the write-up.
Cruizin’ the Canal
May 8, 2010
Our May event gave Tony Delores a rare opportunity to drive “Topless”. Eve had other plans for the day so Tony took the top off his T-bird for this driving event. Tony also offered to take Bruce & Vickie’s friend, Richard Bruhn, along for the ride.
Bruce, Vickie & Richard met Tony at Factoria Mall in Bellevue to start the day. From there we headed to the Poodle Dog Restaurant in Fife to meet up with others to begin our event. The Poodle Dog had us set up in a separate room so we could enjoy breakfast and gather our selves for the trip. Joining us at the Poodle Dog were; Chuck & Julie Birch, Bill & Linda Fisher, Michael & Bonnie Hall, Bill & Doris Hummel, Dave & Dee Dee Olmer, Frank & Cathy Stubbs, John & Marion Veer, and David & Terry Benson. After breakfast we headed toward the Tacoma Narrows Bridge to our next meeting place in Purdy. Most of the vehicles still had their tops up as it was a bit cool, except for Tony, who was enjoying every minute of “top off” driving.
As we pulled into the lot at the Bridgeway Market, we were joined by Van & Lynn Victor and a host of locals admiring our group of T-birds. It was a rare site indeed, since there was 11 T-birds present, and no two the same color!!! By now the weather was warming up so this was the perfect spot to “drop the tops” to enjoy a beautiful driving day.
We now began the scenic driving tour along the water and 2-lane country roads. After about 1 hour we made our next stop at the Twin Totems gas station, where we were greeted by more local people admiring our cars and taking pictures. After a quick potty break and stretch we headed out to our next stop, the Hama Hama Seafood Company.
At the Hama Hama Seafood Company we were greeted by Ms. Lissa James, the granddaughter of the founders of the company. She gave us a wonderful tour and shared her wealth of knowledge about Oyster farming and harvesting. Some of us shopped at the company store for fresh and smoked oysters and other fine seafood. It was now time to get to our lunch stop, the Olympic Timber House Restaurant.
On the way to the restaurant, as we continued to enjoy the beautiful scenery and drive, we hit a few brief showers, not enough to dampen the drive or make us put the tops up. As we arrived at the restaurant we were met by Barry & Linda Birch, who were joining us for lunch. Everyone enjoyed a great lunch and could not stop talking about the trip and the stops along the way. We had a brief club meeting and thanked Bruce & Vickie for organizing this event and thanked everyone for attending. It was now time to begin the final leg of the trip, driving across the Hood Canal floating bridge and heading for ice cream at Dairy Queen in Bremerton. Some of our group decided to skip the ice cream and head for home.
After we crossed the bridge, there were still 7 cars as we made another pit-stop for gas. When we arrived at Dairy Queen we noticed that 2 cars were missing. After checking with the group we discovered that Frank & Cathy had a starter problem and never left the gas station, Mike and Bonnie stayed behind with them. After getting a tow to get them started (thanks to Phil McCurdy) they headed, non-stop, directly home. Everyone who stopped at the Dairy Queen received free Blizzards, compliments of the management.
After Dairy Queen Chuck & Julie and Bill & Linda headed home, while Bruce & Vickie and John & Marion followed Van & Lynn to see their new house which was only a few blocks from the Dairy Queen (we are sure this is going to be a new hang-out for Van). They have a beautiful home with a great view over the water. They are still in the process of painting and moving in and are still trying to sell their Tacoma home.
It was a great day (and a long one) but we are sure that everyone had a good time and enjoyed the event. Thanks to everyone for making it a great success.
Bruce & Vickie
Click on a picture to see larger, then click Next to see next picture
Bruce, Vickie & Richard met Tony at Factoria Mall in Bellevue to start the day. From there we headed to the Poodle Dog Restaurant in Fife to meet up with others to begin our event. The Poodle Dog had us set up in a separate room so we could enjoy breakfast and gather our selves for the trip. Joining us at the Poodle Dog were; Chuck & Julie Birch, Bill & Linda Fisher, Michael & Bonnie Hall, Bill & Doris Hummel, Dave & Dee Dee Olmer, Frank & Cathy Stubbs, John & Marion Veer, and David & Terry Benson. After breakfast we headed toward the Tacoma Narrows Bridge to our next meeting place in Purdy. Most of the vehicles still had their tops up as it was a bit cool, except for Tony, who was enjoying every minute of “top off” driving.
As we pulled into the lot at the Bridgeway Market, we were joined by Van & Lynn Victor and a host of locals admiring our group of T-birds. It was a rare site indeed, since there was 11 T-birds present, and no two the same color!!! By now the weather was warming up so this was the perfect spot to “drop the tops” to enjoy a beautiful driving day.
We now began the scenic driving tour along the water and 2-lane country roads. After about 1 hour we made our next stop at the Twin Totems gas station, where we were greeted by more local people admiring our cars and taking pictures. After a quick potty break and stretch we headed out to our next stop, the Hama Hama Seafood Company.
At the Hama Hama Seafood Company we were greeted by Ms. Lissa James, the granddaughter of the founders of the company. She gave us a wonderful tour and shared her wealth of knowledge about Oyster farming and harvesting. Some of us shopped at the company store for fresh and smoked oysters and other fine seafood. It was now time to get to our lunch stop, the Olympic Timber House Restaurant.
On the way to the restaurant, as we continued to enjoy the beautiful scenery and drive, we hit a few brief showers, not enough to dampen the drive or make us put the tops up. As we arrived at the restaurant we were met by Barry & Linda Birch, who were joining us for lunch. Everyone enjoyed a great lunch and could not stop talking about the trip and the stops along the way. We had a brief club meeting and thanked Bruce & Vickie for organizing this event and thanked everyone for attending. It was now time to begin the final leg of the trip, driving across the Hood Canal floating bridge and heading for ice cream at Dairy Queen in Bremerton. Some of our group decided to skip the ice cream and head for home.
After we crossed the bridge, there were still 7 cars as we made another pit-stop for gas. When we arrived at Dairy Queen we noticed that 2 cars were missing. After checking with the group we discovered that Frank & Cathy had a starter problem and never left the gas station, Mike and Bonnie stayed behind with them. After getting a tow to get them started (thanks to Phil McCurdy) they headed, non-stop, directly home. Everyone who stopped at the Dairy Queen received free Blizzards, compliments of the management.
After Dairy Queen Chuck & Julie and Bill & Linda headed home, while Bruce & Vickie and John & Marion followed Van & Lynn to see their new house which was only a few blocks from the Dairy Queen (we are sure this is going to be a new hang-out for Van). They have a beautiful home with a great view over the water. They are still in the process of painting and moving in and are still trying to sell their Tacoma home.
It was a great day (and a long one) but we are sure that everyone had a good time and enjoyed the event. Thanks to everyone for making it a great success.
Bruce & Vickie
Click on a picture to see larger, then click Next to see next picture
Tom Crook’s Open House
May 1, 2010
The day started out grey and gloomy, but it did not dampen the spirit of our group of eleven..
We met at our usual meeting place; Starbucks on Grady Way in Renton, there were 5 baby birds. Bruce & Vickie-White 55, Chuck & Richard ,(Bruce’s friend)-Yellow 57, Tony & Eve-Grey 57, Frank & Cathy-White 57, and Clark in his Black 55. Barry & Linda Birch brought their daily driver since their own T-bird was vacationing in Port Townsend.
We left Starbucks and headed to our lunch stop - Dave’s Diner in SeaTac. We were greeted at the front door by the full sized shell of a '57 Chevy. They had 2 tables reserved for our group so that we could sit together. We all had a good lunch and were able to get caught up with the group’s current events. Dave’s staff liked seeing our T-Birds in their parking lot, and pointed out to us enthusiastically that they have a T-Bird on the cover of their menu.
After lunch we headed for Tom Crook’s Open House event. There were quite a lot of cars in the parking lot, including our T-Birds, which were well worth looking at. Despite the beauty outside, the real stars of the show were Tom’s buildings and collection of cars consisting of Duisenbergs, Cadillacs, Packards, Muscle cars, Hot rods, and of course the V8 Motorcycle. This collection is always a sight to be seen. Tom rarely opens his business to the public and we were sure glad he did - and that we got invited. Our thanks go to Tom and Randy for their hospitality and putting on a great Open House.
Bruce & Vickie.
Click on a picture to see larger, then click Next to see next picture
We met at our usual meeting place; Starbucks on Grady Way in Renton, there were 5 baby birds. Bruce & Vickie-White 55, Chuck & Richard ,(Bruce’s friend)-Yellow 57, Tony & Eve-Grey 57, Frank & Cathy-White 57, and Clark in his Black 55. Barry & Linda Birch brought their daily driver since their own T-bird was vacationing in Port Townsend.
We left Starbucks and headed to our lunch stop - Dave’s Diner in SeaTac. We were greeted at the front door by the full sized shell of a '57 Chevy. They had 2 tables reserved for our group so that we could sit together. We all had a good lunch and were able to get caught up with the group’s current events. Dave’s staff liked seeing our T-Birds in their parking lot, and pointed out to us enthusiastically that they have a T-Bird on the cover of their menu.
After lunch we headed for Tom Crook’s Open House event. There were quite a lot of cars in the parking lot, including our T-Birds, which were well worth looking at. Despite the beauty outside, the real stars of the show were Tom’s buildings and collection of cars consisting of Duisenbergs, Cadillacs, Packards, Muscle cars, Hot rods, and of course the V8 Motorcycle. This collection is always a sight to be seen. Tom rarely opens his business to the public and we were sure glad he did - and that we got invited. Our thanks go to Tom and Randy for their hospitality and putting on a great Open House.
Bruce & Vickie.
Click on a picture to see larger, then click Next to see next picture
40TH ANNIVERSARY A THUNDERING SUCCESS
The best way to start this is by offering a sincere THANK YOU to all eighty-one of you who came out to Billy Baroo’s on Sunday, March 14, to celebrate the 40th Anniversary of the Olympic Classic Thunderbird Club. We would not have been celebrating this landmark event if it had not been for your continued support throughout the years. The number who attended was beyond our expectations and is a true testament to the success of our club. The group included current members, past members, and Thunderbird friends who all showed up to enjoy the fellowship of our common bond—the incomparable classic Thunderbird. And many shining examples of this classic were in the parking lot to help make a statement about the enduring history of our club and this special car. It was a remarkable day!
What a great 40th Anniversary gathering! Frank, Cathy, Dean, and Carmen are to be commended for selecting Billy Baroo’s as the perfect site for this occasion, and for their extra efforts in putting together such a fine program. On the front page of this months newsletter is Cathy’s complete re-cap of the day’s festivities.
Very enjoyable reading!
What a great 40th Anniversary gathering! Frank, Cathy, Dean, and Carmen are to be commended for selecting Billy Baroo’s as the perfect site for this occasion, and for their extra efforts in putting together such a fine program. On the front page of this months newsletter is Cathy’s complete re-cap of the day’s festivities.
Very enjoyable reading!
Griot's Garage Event February 6, 2010
Believe it or not, we had 56 people show up for our February event at Griot’s Garage in Fife. We were pleased to have joined us several members from the local Ford retractable club and from the local Edsel group. Weather-wise, we had a mild sunny day which brought out a large number of beautiful classic automobiles. The parking lot at Griots’s looked just like a 1950’s era Ford dealership. Too neat!
Jim and Jean Denton, our newest members, volunteered their vehicle, a beautiful red 1956, for the various car detailing processes that were demonstrated by Griot’s staff. The demo included a lot of helpful advice about using an orbital buffer, applying a variety of compounds, polishes, and wax. The results were nothing short of lustrous, and the presentation held the interest of all who attended. The staff at this facility knows their car care products and eagerly answered all questions we posed to them. Toward the end of the session, a raffle was held that included some of Griot’s product merchandise; the lucky winners were Tony Dilores and Lynn Victor.
From Griot’s we travelled a short distance to Porter’s Place restaurant in Tacoma where we enjoyed a barbeque style buffet lunch that included peach cobbler for dessert. (A note of caution: stick with their regular barbeque sauce. They have a ‘hot’ variety that is made with insane peppers.) While at the restaurant, we were joined briefly by two more members from our club, Dick St. John and Dick Wisenburg. That brought our total attendance for the day to 58. Simply amazing for a February car club event.
Individual groups followed up Porter’s with a trip to the Brown & Haley Chocolate Co. Outlet Store in Fife. Besides their signature Almond Roca, they make a host of other fine chocolate confections as well.
A much deserved appreciation goes to Michael and Bonnie for hosting this well-attended outing. Click on the link below for the pictures.
Jim and Jean Denton, our newest members, volunteered their vehicle, a beautiful red 1956, for the various car detailing processes that were demonstrated by Griot’s staff. The demo included a lot of helpful advice about using an orbital buffer, applying a variety of compounds, polishes, and wax. The results were nothing short of lustrous, and the presentation held the interest of all who attended. The staff at this facility knows their car care products and eagerly answered all questions we posed to them. Toward the end of the session, a raffle was held that included some of Griot’s product merchandise; the lucky winners were Tony Dilores and Lynn Victor.
From Griot’s we travelled a short distance to Porter’s Place restaurant in Tacoma where we enjoyed a barbeque style buffet lunch that included peach cobbler for dessert. (A note of caution: stick with their regular barbeque sauce. They have a ‘hot’ variety that is made with insane peppers.) While at the restaurant, we were joined briefly by two more members from our club, Dick St. John and Dick Wisenburg. That brought our total attendance for the day to 58. Simply amazing for a February car club event.
Individual groups followed up Porter’s with a trip to the Brown & Haley Chocolate Co. Outlet Store in Fife. Besides their signature Almond Roca, they make a host of other fine chocolate confections as well.
A much deserved appreciation goes to Michael and Bonnie for hosting this well-attended outing. Click on the link below for the pictures.
Fins & Fur Event September 19,2009
Our first stop of the day was touring USA of Yesterday in Tacoma WA, wandering through 2 floors of showroom with a great collection of cars plus a large shop containing quite a few cars undergoing repairs and/or restoration. These cars are displayed in a "50's" environment since their facility was originally built in 1948 as a "state of the art" automotive dealership.
Our second stop of the day was in Graham for lunch at Amici Italian Eatery. They had a table set up for us and were ready to serve. Most of us had the buffet but a few did order the Alaska fish and chips and specialty salad. The food and service were excellent and everyone enjoyed their meal.
Our final stop of the day was at Northwest Trek. We boarded the Tram for the first part of our tour to see the free roaming area of the park. We saw bison, big horned sheep, deer, and mountain goats. The highlights of the ride was seeing a 2 year old bull moose and a young female moose, and having the tram challenged by the trumpeting dominant bull elk. After the Tram we went our separate ways to explore the walking area of the park and the wonderful display of animals.
Our second stop of the day was in Graham for lunch at Amici Italian Eatery. They had a table set up for us and were ready to serve. Most of us had the buffet but a few did order the Alaska fish and chips and specialty salad. The food and service were excellent and everyone enjoyed their meal.
Our final stop of the day was at Northwest Trek. We boarded the Tram for the first part of our tour to see the free roaming area of the park. We saw bison, big horned sheep, deer, and mountain goats. The highlights of the ride was seeing a 2 year old bull moose and a young female moose, and having the tram challenged by the trumpeting dominant bull elk. After the Tram we went our separate ways to explore the walking area of the park and the wonderful display of animals.
August 18-20, 2009 - "Thunderbirds Roll at the River Rock", Region 3 CTCI Convention, Richmond (Vancouver), B.C., Canada
The Totem Classic Thunderbird Club of BC, CTCI Chapter #80 was our hosts at the River Rock Casino Resort in Richmond, BC, Canada. This upscale facility is located thirty minutes by car from the US border and ten minutes from the Vancouver International Airport. (See www.riverrock.com) They had some exciting activities planned for guests, including tours of unique and extensive local car collections, shopping excursions and a visit to the Vancouver Aquarium, a world-class tourist attraction located in beautiful Stanley Park in the heart of scenic Vancouver.
Enjoy the Picture Slide Shows:
The Totem Classic Thunderbird Club of BC, CTCI Chapter #80 was our hosts at the River Rock Casino Resort in Richmond, BC, Canada. This upscale facility is located thirty minutes by car from the US border and ten minutes from the Vancouver International Airport. (See www.riverrock.com) They had some exciting activities planned for guests, including tours of unique and extensive local car collections, shopping excursions and a visit to the Vancouver Aquarium, a world-class tourist attraction located in beautiful Stanley Park in the heart of scenic Vancouver.
Enjoy the Picture Slide Shows:
2009 BC Convention Vancouver Aquarium
2009 BC Convention Show Feild
2009 BC Convention Johnson Collection
2009 BC Convention Pollon Collection
2009 BC Convention Ratsoy Collection
2009 BC Convention Show Feild
2009 BC Convention Johnson Collection
2009 BC Convention Pollon Collection
2009 BC Convention Ratsoy Collection
Our Ride to the Rails Event July 18,2009
Our Trip to Grand Coulee Dam June 13-14, 2009
BOOKS 4 CARS Saturday Feb 7, 2009
Books4cars began from the manual collection built up by Alex and Ruthie Voss at their home in Detroit, Michigan. The book business was incorporated in March of 1997. Although an automotive design engineer, Alex had begun his working career as a mechanic and thus developed an appreciation of workshop manuals.
During the early years, Alex traveled the world engineering some of the new models that came out of Detroit, and Ruthie designed office interiors at some of the auto company headquarters. Later, when inventory and sales grew, Alex took temporary leaves from his automotive engineering career to tend to book sales at home.
Finally, after 16 years of fun in the automotive community of Detroit, Alex and Ruthie decided to move their growing family back to their roots in Seattle. The Columbia City Historic Business District of Seattle was undergoing a revival with Art Galleries, Restaurants and other small businesses moving in. Within this stimulating environment a store location was found. Sales and Inventory have continued to grow as new books, manuals, friends, and partners, are added to the books4cars organization.
Visitors are welcome anytime. Wednesdays are recommended, as a Farmers Market is open across the street from May through October
Our purpose is to supply you with the printed information that you need to enjoy your current car or the car of your dreams. We strive to stock a huge selection of manuals and books for every make and model of car, truck, and motorcycle. Please search our web site or come browse the shelves in our Seattle store and warehouse. Our knowledgeable staff is available to help you choose the books that best meet your needs and desires.
A link to their web site has been added to our "Links" page, www.books4cars.com
T-Birds at the Red Horse Diner in Ellensburg WA 2008
Club Auto Kirkland
Club Auto Kirkland brings a premier collector car storage and clubhouse facility to the greater Seattle metro area.
Conveniently located in Kirkland, just off Interstate 405, our 9,000 sq. ft. facility is minutes away from both downtown Seattle and Bellevue, and the winding mountain roads to the Cascades. Only 35 minutes from Sea-Tac International Airport and near several excellent hotels and restaurants in lively downtown Kirkland, our clubhouse brings you secure, climate-controlled vehicle storage along with amenities like a comfortable lounge area with a big-screen TV, a well-equipped kitchen area, internet access, and a car wash area.
The facility is available for both member and non-member events and receptions. Capacity is 75+. Alcoholic beverages permitted with permit.
Plenty of guest parking is available for large car clubs and groups.
