Ned Luce

August has brought a rising tide of folks gathering to tell lies and pass gas while enjoying the various aspects of each other’s vehicles. 

Last Thursday eve I motored over to Port Gamble for a weekly gathering of these people. 

My friend Glenn Davis showed me his 1941 Ford pickup truck while admiring a 1940 version of the same. Really nice restorations of both cars. 

My friend Skip Owen was a regular attendee at these events with his 1958 Oldsmobile but now shares pictures of his car in similar events in the warmer climes of Arizona. 

I saw a “Nextdoor” notice about some guys with old vintage cars getting together last Friday morning at “Reveille” at the Commons in Fort Worden. 

In no particular order I found Michael Walsh, Brooks Townes, Jim Bowman, Marc Ogren, Martin Musson, and Norm Christie up to the task of fun conversation while sharing an espresso or coffee. Norm had his 1957 TR3A qualifying as the senior whilst my 2012 911 was the newest. In general, I think it fair to report the group of us curmudgeons was interested in finding a way to gather more often. 

Potential Porsche Club (PCA) members Steven and Fran Gross joined BJ and me for the monthly meeting of the Olympic Peninsula Region’s board, this time at the Seven Cedars Casino. These meetings are an opportunity to see other members’ cars and meet them. Unfortunately, the meeting itself is not designed to entice new members or even to retain old members! ‘Nuf said.

In an effort to wash off the road dirt and tar of the past week, BJ scheduled a table for 10 at the Dusty Green Café for brunch on Sunday. She recruited Anne and Ramsey Smith, Vic and Sharon Draper, John and Lucrezia Paxson and Fran and Steven Gross to enjoy the fog at the Port Ludlow Golf Course while eating the bacon stuffed pancakes. That is a pile of food. The sun came out after the second cup of coffee. 

While at brunch John Paxson and Steven Gross noted my ball cap emblazoned with the word Macalester which celebrates the matriculation of our first grandson into Macalester College in Saint Paul, Minnesota. 

John wondered if it really was a hat presented to people who had been released from the Oklahoma State Penitentiary in McAlester, Oklahoma. No respect.

Now for the entertainment section. Ramsey and Anne Smith are staying with us for a few days as their boat undergoes unexpected repairs. Are any boat repairs really expected? I doubt it or nobody would buy a boat. 

In any case, we typically watch a movie when the evening descends upon us. 

The two most recent viewings have both been named “CODA” and I think we would heartily recommend them. One of them was made in 2010 and starred Patrick Stewart whilst the other one was just released and stars Marilee Matlin. You are well advised to note the Friedrich Nietzsche quote, “Without music, life would be a mistake.”

There is a heretofore unknown but recently documented side effect of all the COVID vaccines I find myself increasingly displaying. TikTok has shown that the arm into which vaccine is injected becomes magnetic and therefore the vaccination makes a person’s kitchen a danger zone as various metal utensils fly from the countertops to inject themselves into the injection site. 

No kitchen attacks have yet required arm shields for me, but I can confirm another side effect gaining traction and being documented every damn day. The vaccinated folks are rapidly becoming less patient, tolerant, understanding and compassionate with those who are unable to conjure up some reasonable excuse for not taking the shot. I agree with Sarah Silverman when she says the unvaccinated may even get to the point where like kids going to school, they’ll have to get a shot for polio, diphtheria, tetanus, measles, mumps, rubella, chicken pox, and hepatitis B. Oh, wait a minute, the kids already do that before going to school. 

Does having COVID look more attractive than the vaccination? Believe me, I continue to try to be a nice guy but the unvaxed are making it tough as they create “mask Nazis” out of well-meaning people who make sure you know that this or that establishment REQUIRES you to wear a mask. 

Life will get even more annoying as the variants continue to develop. The unvaxed are not helping end this pandemic, they are supporting more disease, death and disruption in our lives. 

Yes, I am empathetic to people with good reasons for avoiding the shot but I suspect they are probably not 30 percent to 40 percent of the population currently unvaxxed.

Sorry for the rant, but, as Shonda Rhimes said, “You can waste your lives drawing lines. Or you can live your life crossing them.”  

Love a curmudgeon and have a great week.

(TikTok sensation Ned Luce is a retired IBM executive and Port Ludlow resident.  Reach him at ned@ptleader.com.)