by Armand Gutierrez, President

It must be getting closer to ski season as my Email Inbox is getting overtaken by emails from ski resorts, ski rentals, ski vacations, ski season passes, and anything else that is related to skiing. Of course, some emails are read, some are bypassed to be read at a later time, and the rest are deleted. And, of course, receiving these emails is prepping more for the onslaught of political emails and snail-mail brochures that will soon be arriving prior to the mid-term elections. Fortunately my Mail app has rules to delete the detritus before entering the hallowed shrine of the Inbox, but alas, I have no control over the deliveries from the USPS.

NSC Bocce Ball Event

On August 20^th Hoyt Nelson, Bocce Ball player extraordinaire, hosted a number NSC Bocce Ball players for several games and a picnic lunch afterwards. Although I was unable to attend it’s my understanding that Mother Nature cooperated with good weather and everyone had a good time.

NSC Bike Ride Event – Saturday, September 24th

The next NSC event is a Bike Ride that will cover the Bay Trail in the Mt. View/Palo Alto area starting at Shoreline Park. There will be two distances to chose from: a ~13 miler and a ~25 miler, so get your legs ready for some riding. And yes, what kind of event would it be without food? After the bike ride there will be a picnic lunch (BYOF). Details will be provided at a later date. The road warriors in the photo attended the Bike Ride Event in 2020.

2023 NSC Ski Week to Breckenridge

Currently there are 11 snow warriors that will are on the Breckenridge trip, the smallest group that we’ve ever had for a ski week. We’ve got three condos filled and any more signups will be put on a waitlist until I can get four people to fill a fourth condo. Since we didn’t meet the minimum group rate requirements the original price had a slight increase and to keep the price reasonable the souvenir gift and Farewell Dinner were eliminated. However, we can still have a Potluck Dinner and a smaller Farewell Dinner at our own cost.

For 2022-23 Breckenridge will be on the Epic Pass, and is also good for Northstar, Heavenly Valley and Kirkwood. Here is what you need to know about the Ikon and Epic Passes for the Breckenridge trip:

• Purchase an Ikon Pass (Palisades/Alpine) from Sports America and receive a:
  • $60 trip discount for an Ikon Base Pass, or
  • $60 trip discount for an Ikon Pass.
  • Go to this link to purchase: : www.sportsamerica.com/ikon-nisei.
  • The Ikon Pass or Ikon Base Pass cannot be used at Breckenridge or Park City.

• Purchase an Epic Pass (Northstar, Heavenly, Kirkwood) from Sports America and receive a:
  • $40 trip discount for an Epic Local Pass, unlimited at Vail Resorts
  • $30 trip discount for an Epic Tahoe Local, 5-days skiing at Breckenridge
  • $30 trip discount for an Epic 5-day Unrestricted Pass, 5-days skiing at Breckenridge.
  • $20 trip discount for an Epic 5-day Holiday Excluded Pass, 5-days skiing at Breckenridge. This pass is recommended if you only want to ski 5 days at Breckenridge.
  • Our trip will not be during any of the Holiday Exclusion dates.
  • Go to this link to purchase: www.sportsamerica.com/epic-nisei.

• Purchase both the Ikon/Epic passes and you will receive a combination trip discount based on the type of passes you purchase.

If you have any questions about either of the passes then drop me a line at president@niseiskiclub.org.

QotM:  When the debate is lost, slander becomes the tool of the loser – Socrates

by Karen Soo, Newsletter Editor

All across the United States there’s been an on-going heatwave. Many people flocked to San Francisco just to avoid the heat in their own neighborhood and enjoy the cool blast of “Fogust”. I myself am keeping cool in New York under the blasting air conditioner. Labor Day is here . Summer is over and it’s time to stop wearing white. The weather should be cooling down unless Indian summers stay with us.
Just think, winter is coming in 4 months. I can feel it in my bones. Here some videos to get you ready for winter.

By Celeste Rogers, Nisei Ski Club Member

Saturday, August 20^th, 2022, at 10:00 am

It was a great day to be outdoors among blue skies, the trees, feathered friends, Lake Almaden (with water!!) and friends of NSC.

We occupied two courts for the day. Thirteen people turned out for Hoyt’s bocce ball event   Hoyt, Nancy, Tina, David T, Beverly, Judy and Winston, Janet and Rod and their 2 dogs on the sunny court.

I played in the shady court with Greg, Jeanne and Dorothy.  It was a lot of fun. It became competitive and addictive as we improved our rolling skills. It got better while keeping scores too. 

The other court had with 6 players per game. They play with 4 extra balls and the court ended up 12 balls at one time. The weather started out with moderate temperatures but it quickly climbed to 93 degrees. Just in time to go to lunch.

We finished playing at 12:00pm and we had a few discussions on where to go for lunch.  Hoyt suggested his favorites:  Crepe Bistro and Back A Yard.  Due to a request for outdoor dining, most could not join so we split into 2 groups: Dim Sum and Crepe Bistro.

I had lunch at Ocean Delight with Tina, Jeanne, Greg and Tony M – who joined us for dim sum. http://myoceandelight.com/site/ 

NSC VP Jeanne K was full of energy and full of ideas for future NSC events. She asked for our feedback on future weekend Tahoe skiing, road trips, dinner and concert, the 65^th Anniversary Dinner and Dance. After lunch, she had to run off to pack in preparation for a 10-day tour and cruise somewhere in Europe for 10 days. What a life.

I loved the event that included good conversations and especially the good food. It feels like the old days when Hoyt led us on the stairway hikes in San Francisco years ago! It was a fun day. Thank you, Hoyt, for leading this event.

Hoyt Nelson / Board Member

I happened to be in Palo Alto a few days ago at an odd time for lunch I remembered the only remaining Harry’s Hofbrau was still in Redwood City on the El Camino (and still stays open most of the day).   Same menu, line of servers slinging the same hash, same ambience, same clientele, same 4 kinds of mustard on every table.  My old favorite Turkey ala King (a huge mound of turkey & peas over rice) tasted the same (except for the price of about $10 vs. the old $7 including cranberry sauce and roll).  There’s also a Harry’s on E. 14^th in San Leandro.  I assume it’s like the others, but haven’t been there. https://www.harryshofbrau.com/

While working in North San Jose in the 1990s, I frequented Chez Sovan – the only Cambodian restaurant at the time on South Bascom, San Jose.  Unfortunately, Sovan soon left for Cambodia, but her son still runs a great Cambodian lunch 923 Old Oakland Rd. San Jose (but it closes at 1:30 PM).  Several places took over the South Bascom location with mixed results, but finally, but a new Cambodian place called Bayon Temple recently moved in and it is just about as good as the old Chez Sovan. https://www.yelp.com/biz/bayon-temple-campbell

To recap a few of my favorite places that are now closed fyi:  A Taste of India, Coconut’s Fish Café, Indo Café, the tasty Peruvian place on North Winchester – Isabella’s went missing for about 8 or 9 months, but has recently been replaced with a new Peruvian place called Inka’s at the 700 South Winchester.  The menu is a bit smaller, but the quality is still as good since the old chef still does the cooking. https://www.yelp.com/biz/inkas-restaurant-san-jose-2

Let me know about your favorite places.  I always have my antenna up.

by Armand Gutierrez, President

August is upon us and the weather is getting more fall-like with pleasant days and comfortable temps. Yours truly finally joined that all-exclusive COVID club, although it was a short membership (about two days) and more like a mild case of the flu. Nevertheless, we’ll continue to hear and read all about the roller-coaster cases ‘till the end of the year (and probably longer). Although the mask mandate has been lifted (except in medical facilities), wearing a mask does offer that added protection in crowded environments.

NSC Annual Luau Picnic and Membership Meeting

The NSC Annual Luau Picnic and Membership Meeting were held on Saturday, 23 July at Las Palmas Park, Sunnyvale, and there was a great turn out. Mother Nature blessed us with great weather and, as usual, there was plenty of food. This was also a great opportunity to say farewell to Karen Soo, as she will be moving to New York in August. She will continue her roles on the board as Newsletter Editor and Trip Director.

Board Movement (again)

Well, this time it’s Jeanne Katsuro that is making the change. Jeanne emailed me and said that she would like to volunteer for the open VP position, a spot that hasn’t been filled for years. Based on our Constitution/By-Laws the protocol for appointing a member to the board requires the board to nominate, second, and then vote, and if approved make the appointment. And this we did at the Luau Picnic/Membership meeting on the 23^rrd at Las Palmas Park. And yes, Jeanne was unanimously approved. So there you have it, a new VP on the board. And like a true politician Jeanne gave a short speech and related her plans for getting more non-ski events planned to increase our membership.

2023 NSC Ski Week to Breckenridge or Park City?

During the Membership Meeting at the Luau Picnic I mentioned that Breckenridge might be canceled due to lack of signups (currently there are 11). The idea of no ski week didn’t sit well with me so I looked at various other options, including Beaver Creek, Telluride, Keystone, Vail, and finally Park City. Beaver Creek was deemed to small given the higher price, Telluride and Keystone didn’t make the finals because of their elevation (same as Breckenridge), and Vail would have broken the bank getting lodging at this late date. So, the latest candidate is Park City and I am currently awaiting a proposal to see what is available and cost at this late stage. Over the years I’ve been securing lodging by March-May to ensure availability and reasonable pricing, and now that it’s August the options are greatly diminished. Since a number of people purchased the Epic Pass from Sports America it would be better to find a resort that was on the Epic Pass.

The question now becomes: do we try to fill the Breckenridge trip or go with Park City? In either case, the minimum signups needed to maintain our group rates is 20 for lodging and 10 for air, meaning that we need at least a minimum of 25-30 signups because there will be a number of people arranging their own air. The deadline for final reservations is mid-October, and that doesn’t leave much time to decide on a final destination. To facilitate identifying a final destination I need those of you that are going, or planning to go on the ski week, to email me (president@niseiskiclub.org) your commitment to one of the resorts (Breckenridge or Park City) as soon as you can. At the moment we do have great lodging at Breckenridge that is ski in/ski out, plus a complimentary Wine and Cheese Reception. Park City will most likely require a shuttle bus to the slopes.

Breckenridge and Park City are Epic Pass destinations so you can pick up an Epic Pass for the next season. Once again, Sports America will be offering the Epic/Ikon Pass promotion-trip rebate for anyone that goes on the trip and purchases a pass through Sports America.

For 2022-23 Breckenridge/Park City will be on the Epic Pass, and is also good for Northstar, Heavenly Valley and Kirkwood. Here is what you need to know about the Ikon and Epic Passes for the Breckenridge trip:

• Purchase an Ikon Pass (Palisades/Alpine) from Sports America and receive a:
  • $60 trip discount for an Ikon Base Pass, or
  • $60 trip discount for an Ikon Pass.
  • Go to this link to purchase: : www.sportsamerica.com/ikon-nisei.
  • The Ikon Pass or Ikon Base Pass cannot be used at Breckenridge or Park City.

• Purchase an Epic Pass (Northstar, Heavenly, Kirkwood) from Sports America and receive a:
  • $40 trip discount for an Epic Local Pass, unlimited at Vail Resorts
  • $30 trip discount for an Epic Tahoe Local, 5-days skiing at Breckenridge/Park City
  • $30 trip discount for an Epic 5-day Unrestricted Pass, 5-days skiing at Breckenridge/Park City
  • $20 trip discount for an Epic 5-day Holiday Excluded Pass, 5-days skiing at Breckenridge/Park City. This pass is recommended if you only want to ski 5 days at Breckenridge/Park City
  • Our trip will not be during any of the Holiday Exclusion dates.
  • Go to this link to purchase: www.sportsamerica.com/epic-nisei.

• Purchase both the Ikon/Epic passes and you will receive a combination trip discount based on the type of passes you purchase.

If you have any questions about either of the passes then drop me a line at president@niseiskiclub.org.

QotM:  No matter how you feel, get up, dress up and show up.

By Karen Soo, Newsletter Editor

NEWS FLASH BULLETIN…

Sorry for the last minute addition to the NSC August Newsletter. I finally moved out of my apartment last month and I will be spending a few days in the bay area before flying off to the Big Apple on August 9^th.

I had the opportunity to visit exhibit of Guo Pei: Couture Fantasy, which is located at the Legion of Honor Museum in San Francisco.

As a Fashion Design major at the Fashion Institute of Technology in New York, I was blown away by this exhibit.

All I can say is WOW.  My mouth just dropped open as it’s the most exquisite exhibit I had ever seen. I can imagine Lady Gaga wearing her designs.

Guo Pei is hailed as China’s first couturier. The exhibit includes more than 80 works from the past two decades highlighting her most important collections shown on the Beijing and Paris runways.

With exquisite craftsmanship, lavish hand embroideries, pleat work and Swarovski crystals, Guo Pei’s whimsical, fun creations dramatically connect the paintings, drawings and ceramic objects from the 17th century

Elaborate head dresses, accented jewelry and matching shoes was just as beautiful as the garment itself. One dress took over 8000 hours of hand embroidery

The Guo Pei main exhibit is located in the lower level, but make sure you walk though the other galleries on the MAIN floor.  The over-the-top dresses are strategically coordinated with the European décor that is located thought out the museum.

Make you get to the Legion of Honor Museum and check out this exhibit. The exhibit ends on September 5^th 2022.

 XOXO KAREN   

Here are some of my favorite pieces from the collection.