The saturation of Port Ludlow and some sports | Life in Ludlow

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You may not realize it but this event happens about once a year. Your neighbors and friends in Port Ludlow are being “saturated” as they get The Leader, even if they don’t have a subscription! 

What an opportunity for all the Port Ludlow folks to get local news and opinions about events, people, and mandates in Eastern Jefferson County. Yep, The Leader came this week to everybody in Port Ludlow in a not-so-subtle attempt to get all of you who do not get the paper to get a subscription. Hey, call the paper and use my name to get the first month free!

This week I am going to provide at least one perspective on the people of Port Ludlow. 

I will start with the overwhelming volunteerism I see in the community. Most of us in Port Ludlow seem to have the time, (are we retired?), and inclination to be involved in something. It can be the Art League, the Performing Arts, the Blue Bills, the Rotary Club, (the car show is in 10 days), the boards of the South Bay Association and the Ludlow Maintenance Commission, the hiking club, the garden club, the Association of Naval Aviators, the Pickleball Association, the Village Council, the Community Foundation, the yacht club and many more including, may God forgive us, golf. 

Unfortunately, folks outside of Port Ludlow sometimes denigrate us for reasons not necessarily based on our innate goodness. 

I have a good friend who refers to us as the “dudlows” and thinks most of us are “curmudgeons.” What awful things to be unless you are loved. 

Frankly, many of us do in fact exhibit the unattractive characteristics of “PIPs,” that is “Previously Important People” who think they still are important. No fake news here, the days of being important are over! 

Many of the folks here take advantage of the opportunity to provide time and treasure to various causes through their involvement in a local group. It is rare the week I don’t come across some way to support the local food bank through local organizations as diverse as the yacht club and Rotary. The locals seem to have health, energy and skills recruited and welcome in many of the local groups. 

Despite the news highlighting the big divisions in our country, little of that acrimony seems to settle in Port Ludlow. I see various attempts to fan those flames on Next Door and in opinion pieces in this newspaper and the occasional street corner but most relationships with people are cordial. 

It even seems as if there are just a few of the folks left unwilling to take the vaccine. I understand there are occasional break-ins but there does not seem to be a crime wave. In fact, some efforts are even being focused in areas where there have been no crimes, witness the reduced speed limits in the middle of town. 

In any case, most of us seem to get along and are mostly helpful to others. 

How about some sports? 

The University of Washington Football Huskies seem to be struggling as they sport an 0-2 won-loss record. 

Washington State seems to be doing better with a 1-1 record. 

The Seahawks and the Chiefs had an auspicious start and now sport a 1-0 record. 

All of you inquiring minds will be happy to know Wabash College is 2-0. 

Regular readers may recall that our first grandson went off to Macalester College in Minnesota a few weeks back. He is busy rehabilitating a strained knee so he has not yet begun playing for the college team. Nonetheless after three games he was the leading scorer on the team. 

It turns out the actual leading scorer on the team had ripped his team shirt and thus borrowed our grandson’s. His success became our grandson’s success, at least for a couple of days. 

So, if you do not yet get The Leader, enjoy the saturation and put in a call to order your own personal subscription before you get saturated again. 

In addition, continue to give to your community in whatever way you can. Heck, just take a walk.

Finally, love a curmudgeon and have a great week. 

(Ned Luce is a retired IBM executive, Leader MVP, and Port Ludlow resident, BTW. Email Ned at ned@ptleader.com.)