Ned Luce

Hope all you fathers reading this had a really nice Father’s Day. 

If you got a tie, your kids are out of touch. If you got a phone call or more, you are amongst the blessed ones. 

We had guests from Colorado who are actually old friends from Kansas City. They are on a road trip that even vectored through Hawaii before heading north from California to see us. Figure that road trip out. 

They were the first guests we have had for some time given COVID and a hip replacement. They even brought Heidi, the friendly wonder dog!

We renewed our standard program for friends who had not spent much time in the Pacific Northwest by traveling out to Lake Crescent for a nice lunch at the lodge last Sunday. We even got the first sunshine we have seen in awhile. 

The special for lunch involved a burger made of ground boar, bison, elk, and Kobe beef with a shrimp sauce. I accused them of just grinding up all the leftover meat from the night before, an accusation they denied. 

It was a beautiful day on the lake with wonderful views of the brave fools actually getting in the snow-melt water. 

The trip back included a stop at Camaraderie Winery in Port Angeles to enjoy a little tasting, a warm fire, and some camaraderie. Our guests had spent some time wine tasting in Napa during the aforementioned road trip and were amazed at the reasonable wine-tasting fee structure on the Olympic Peninsula. It was a relaxing afternoon interlude giving us an opportunity to pick up some more unneeded wine. 

As we headed back to Port Ludlow we went by the baseball stadium in Port Angeles and I was reminded that former Seahawk wide receiver Golden Tate has joined the Port Angeles Lefties baseball team. 

It turns out he is retiring from football and he was an outstanding baseball player in high school and college so is looking forward to joining the West Coast League with the Lefties. It could be fun to drive out and catch a game and certainly wouldn’t take as much time and money as going into Seattle! Sounds like a good thing for the grandsons.

The next day the regular visitor schedule for guests calls for a trip to Port Townsend, making a tourist stop at Finn River Cidery even though it was closed. 

Then it was the Port Townsend view stops to point out Indian and Marrowstone islands as I tried to provide some historical and national security information about the area. 

The Leader gave me a chance to pick up a newspaper to show the guests it actually carries a column by an old guy from Port Ludlow. BJ cuts out the column every week and files it. 

Our guest, Cindy, wanted to read some of the columns so BJ gave her the file and Cindy proved how easy it is to make her giggle as she read many of the old ones. 

A trip through Point Hudson gave me a chance to demonstrate my “Huge RV” avoidance skills on their narrow lanes. Then it was out to Fort Worden providing again an opening to show off what limited history I am able to remember. 

Finally, we headed through Uptown on our way downtown to look for a place for a bite. We found a great option at TommyKnockers as BJ and I split a beer and a macaroni-and-cheese with buffalo chicken. Darn tasty! Then it was off to Elevated Ice Cream where we waited long enough in line to enjoy some fine dessert to tamp down the spice from lunch. 

Nice to have visitors and the beginning of a fine summer. You heard it here first. 

Then again, I am reminded that visitors means more food. The side benefit being that the more you weigh the harder it is to kidnap you!

Love a curmudgeon and have a great week. 

(The always-welcoming Ned Luce is a retired IBM executive and Port Ludlow resident. Call first and he’ll leave the light on. Contact Ned at ned@ptleader.com.)