Happy Thanksgiving! May your conversations over succulent turkey, green bean casserole and cranberry sauce settle all the religious, political and family differences of these times.

I had the opportunity to talk with my friend Mary Ronen, who confessed to reading this column and noted I rarely write much about the South Bay people. After a few minutes, I told her I wasn’t much interested in talking about the retreat the South Bay Board has taken on the subject of greater cooperation between the South Bay folks and the North Bay folks.

For many years, both organizations have not charged a fee to Port Ludlow organizations which meet regularly since they go back and forth between the Bay Club in the South Bay and the Beach Club in the North Bay. About six months ago, the South Bay chose to begin charging a fee for those meetings.

All those flags subscribed to by residents and erected by members of East Jefferson Rotary really looked good on a nice, mild Veterans Day weekend. Just to be sure, Mary, many of those flags were actually subscribed to by folks in the South Bay. However, the most impressive display is right in the middle of town where all the folks of Port Ludlow can enjoy them together.

The drawing at the annual Port o’ Gold raffle Rotary Fundraiser was last Thursday. We sold almost 600 tickets for a chance to win one of the six prizes in the raffle. The prizes were four first prizes of $2,500 each, $1,000 at QFC and $500 at Hadlock Building Supply.

One man, who did live in the South Bay, bought 120 of the tickets — one in five — and won three of the six prizes, one $2,500 prize and the QFC and Hadlock Building Supply prizes.

I have been selling those tickets for years and never had a winner. Well, BJ won the $1,000 at QFC a few years back. This year, I sold a winning ticket for the $2,500. And it was to a friend who claims to never buy raffle tickets because he never wins. There is a guy who changed his attitude.

There were some interesting folks at the Veterans Appreciation event at the Beach Club sponsored by the Ludlow Lot Owners. I spent a long time talking with Wendell Johaningsmeir as he lived in Red Bridge, Missouri, near where BJ and I lived in Lee’s Summit. He is just one more example of my contention that the Midwest grows tough and principled people with character. Doug Hubbard and I discovered we had the same rating of Communications Technician while we were in the U.S. Navy.

OK, Mary, there you are, three stories including the South Bay. There may have been a little fluff there, but I promise to do better as time goes on.

In fact, any of you folks who would like me to pontificate on anything related to Port Ludlow, including the South Bay, should just send me a note. After all, to paraphrase Sam Levenson, “One of my virtues is that I don’t let the facts get in the way of my imagination.”

Love a curmudgeon, and have a great Thanksgiving!

NedLuce@sbcglobal.net