by Jeanne Katsuro, Vice President

The Eastern Canada Trip, also called “The Potato Chip Trip” was Nisei Ski Club’s first annual vacation that didn’t involve skiing. The trip was fabulous!

Here are some of the highlights!

Toronto – The Spectacular Magestic Niagara Falls

We could feel power of the falls as our boat traveled right next to it. We experienced the wind and the water spraying against our faces. It was one of the most tremendous feelings that we have ever experienced.

Niagara-on-the-Lake is a charming town filled with Canadian retail stores. We found the Budapest Bakeshop that made their own Chimney cakes, known as Kürtőskalács in Hungarian.  pIX. Sandwiches were made out of the Chimney cakes filled with incredibly fresh meats, cheeses and lettuce. Truly, it was one of the best sandwiches we ever had. We also found a shop that specialized in many types of maple syrups. Colors of maple syrups ranges from yellow, yellowish orange to a caramel brown to a deep rich brown maple syrup.

Ottawa – Thousand Islands National Park

We traveled up the St Lawrence River and saw many tiny islands after tiny Islands. Each island has a single tiny house to large castle like resorts. The Thousand Islands National Park has over 1800 islands.  As we sailed pass island after island, some islands were located on the Canadian side and some were located in the  United States side.

Ottawa – Thousand Islands National Park

We traveled up the St Lawrence River and saw many tiny islands after tiny Islands. Each island has a single tiny house to large castle like resorts. The Thousand Islands National Park has over 1800 islands.  As we sailed pass island after island, some islands were located on the Canadian side and some were located in the  United States side.

City of Ottawa – We experienced a blend of Canadian and French culture, Parliament Buildings and the Rideau Canal and the City National Art Gallery – Gothic Quebec – Heart of Canada’s French Heritage – Many people spoke French and English and some people only speak French. They had French TV programs in the hotel.  We took a coach tour of the Old Town and saw picturesque 17th century building, the famous Chateau Frontenac.

Sugar Shack was located in the Quebec Country Side – This is my favorite part of the trip.  They demonstrated Maple Syrup Making. We had the traditional Maple Syrup Breakfast Crepe, Eggs and Sausage. We also tried Maple Syrup Ice – Delicious. We purchased many traditional Canadian delicacies, such as Ice Wine, Ice Wine Tea, Maple Green Tea, Maple Hard Candies, Maple Sugar, Maple Butter, etc It was Maple Heaven.

Montmorency Falls is a 272-foot wonder. This fall is actually taller than Niagara Falls.  It was magnificent will all the fall colors reflecting on the water.

Montreal is filled with cathedrals, rushing waterways and lush gardens. We did the city tour of Jacques Cartier Square, Mount Royal and Notre Dame Basilica.

Collette, our travel group arranged 12 meals for the week. Nisei Ski Club Distributed Pineapple Cha Shu Bao and snacks for breakfast at the San Francisco Airport. The Pineapple Cha Shu Bao was hit with our members. Everyone talked about how good it was and asked where it was purchased.  It was purchased at Tai Pan 477 Saratoga Ave in Lion’s Plaza.

We had 3 dinner banquets during the week. In Montreal, during Canada’s Thanksgiving, we went to Occo Kitchen and Universal De’jeuners,

In Quebec, we went to Cabu. The kitchen was run by Canada’s first award winning female Chef Marie-Chantal Lepage.

Janet Gee celebrated her birthday there with a fabulous “Blue Chocolate Flower Cake”.  When milk chocolate was poured over the flower, it opened to reveal another beautiful red flower made of white mousse with red raspberry sprinkles.

Everyone loves a Goodie Bag.  A goodie bag distributed to all the members from the Maple Sugar Shack. It was filled with a Sugar Shack gift bag, Maple Syrup in a Maple leaf bottle, Maple Butter, Maple Sugar, Maple hard candy, Ice Wine Tea and Maple Green Tea and a Canadian Magnet.

How did our trip become the Potato Chip Trip?

Sarah Lowe found this unusual bag of chips from the Dollar Store called the “All-Dressed Potato Chip”. The other people in our group started to buy them too. In addition to the, All Dressed Potato Chip, we found other flavors from different cities:  Ketchup Potato Chips, Dill Pickle Potato Chips, Curry Potato Chips and Beef Potato Chips. Everything was hand carried back in their Maple Sugar Shack Gift Bag!

The trip was fun and exciting. Everyone had a great time. We spent a week together and created fun memories, new friendships and rekindled old ones.

We hope you can come to Nisei Ski Club’s trip to FRANCE! (A Vacation, non-skiing trip) October 23 – November 3, 2025.

Email me if you are interested.  Jeanne classicrock570@aol.com

by Tina Woo, NSC Member

What and Why Pickleball?

Over the last few years, pickleball has been rising in popularity.  Pickleball is considered one of the fastest-growing sports in the US.  But, what is pickleball exactly and why is it so popular?

Pickleball is a paddle sport that combines tennis, badminton and ping-pong using a paddle and a plastic ball with holes (called a wiffle ball).  It’s a game for players of all ages and skill levels.  It’s a great introductory sport.  It can also be challenging, fast-paced and competitive.

Why is Pickleball so popular? 

•  It’s ideal for all skill levels
• Pickleball is a social activity
• Pickleball is healthy
• Short learning curve, appeal to all ages and fitness levels, low costs

Want to learn more about pickleball?  Come and join us for a Nisei Ski Club pickleball event on Saturday, November  9 from 9-11 am at the Sunnyvale Tennis Center. For those who can’t make it, please plan to join us for lunch.

by Tina Woo, , Board Member

BEAT LA!   BEAT LA!   BEAT LA!

Take me out to the ball game,

Take me out with the crowd;

Buy me some peanuts and Cracker Jacks,

I don’t care if I never get back.

Let me root, root, root for GIANTS (OR DODGERS),

If they don’t win, it’s a shame.

For it’s one, two, three strikes, you’re out,  at the old ball game.

Come see the 2024 World Series Champions, the Los Angeles Dodgers play against the San Francisco Giants. See the players: DH Shohei Ohtani, Mookie Betts, Teoscar Hernandez, Tommy Edman, Will Smith, Max Muncy, to name a few, including Most Valuable Series player, Freddie Freeman. They beat the New Work Yankees 4 to 1 in an exciting final win!!

Would you be interested in joining fellow Nisei Ski Club members in the classic battle between the SF Giants vs. LA Dodgers.  If so, please complete this survey.  How many tickets can we order for you:  Sunday, July 13, 2025  at SF Oracle Park.  Game time:  12:45 pm.

Name & Contact Info_________________________________

____ # of tickets you need? 

Please email Tina Woo for if you are interested at baseball@niseiskiclub.org

She would like to start the process of ordering tickets for the game.  View Reserved Section 313 beginning with Row 12.  Go Giants!  Go Dodgers! 

by Jeanne Katsuro, Vice President

Nisei Ski Club Potluck

Save the Date!

Invite your Friends!

Saturday, January 18, 2025

Starts at 12 Noon

Ends when the Fun Ends!

Miraido Village in San Jose Japantown 550 N 6th Street

Bring a Main Dish or Appetizer

We will take care of the salads, desserts & drinks

Let’s Play Mahjong, Card, Games and Let’s Talk Story!

Email: Subject Line “Potluck” ClassicRock570@aol.com

To let us know that you are coming! ~ Jeanne Katsuro

by Jeanne Katsuro, Vice President

Pack your bags and passport, Nisei Ski Club is heading to FRANCE in 2025!

Here is the itinerary for Nisei Ski Club – Vacation (No Skiing) to FRANCE

Sign up Here!

https://gateway.gocollette.com/link/1286433

Call or Text – 408 569-1415 Jeanne Katsuro

If you need a roommate, I will try my best to find you one.   

New Dates – October 23 – November 3, 2025

It is a great group price $5999 for a Double

12 Days

16 Meals (10 Breakfasts, 1 Lunch 5 Dinners)

Last Dinner is on the Eiffel Tower Over Looking Paris!

Includes the prices of all the excursions everyday

Transportation to and from each of the excursions

Transportation to and from each city.

Elite Flights to France

Package includes One Group Pick up from San Jose Area to SF Airport and Back
(North Bay and East Bay Participants will need to find their own ride to SFO)

Cities, Communes and Regions visiting

• Versailles
• Giverny
• Caen
• Saint Malo
• Loire Valley
• Chenonceau
• Amboise
• Paris

Highlights Includes:

• Versailles Royal Palace and Gardens
• Giverny
• Normandy
• D-Day Landing Sites
• Omaha Beach
• American Cemetery
• Le Mont St. Michel
• Loire Valley
• Winery Tour
• 2-Night Chateau Stay
• Chenonceau Castle
• Amboise 
• Paris

Choice on Tour: Paris City Tour by Bus or Montmarte by Metro Walking Tour

• Seine River Cruise
• Eiffel Tower Dinner

I hope you can make it. It will be exciting.     

Please read the descriptions of the excursions and meals in the attached flyer

Merci. Jeanne

by Karen Soo, Newsletter Editor

Hey Fellow Chefs,

Wow, this year just flew by so quick. We just gave out candy on Halloween, we turn our clocks back for daylight saving time and Thanksgiving and Christmas is just around the corner.

I like to take the easy route in celebrating on Thanksgiving. Thanksgiving here is pretty quiet for me. I love turkey and this is an easy recipe to follow. Roasting a spatchcock turkey reduces the cooking time by 75% and its easier for me to take it out of the oven. My biggest fear when roasting an entire whole turkey is that it decides to roll off the pan and exposed on to the floor. Yikes that would create messy disaster.

Simply cut out the back bone and spread the bird out flat before roasting. This technique is called spatchcocking that is commonly used with chickens.

Roast at 450 degrees for a 10-pound bird will be done in 45 minutes. The skin will be evenly brown because all the skin is exposed to the heat and will be cooked more evenly.

Bon Appetite – Julia Child and Karen Soo share the same birthday.

Ingredients

Yield: 10 servings

• One 8- to 12-pound turkey
• 10 garlic cloves, peeled and lightly crushed, more to taste
• 1 branch fresh tarragon or thyme separated into sprigs,
• Or ½ teaspoon dried thyme or tarragon
• 1/3 cup extra virgin olive oil or butter.
• Salt and pepper to taste

Instructions

1. Heat oven to 450 degrees. Put turkey on a stable cutting board breast side down and cut out backbone. Turn turkey over, and press on it to flatten. Put  it  breast side up, in a roasting pan. Wings should partly cover breasts, and legs should protrude a bit.

2. Tuck garlic and tarragon under the bird and in the nooks of the wings and legs. Drizzle with olive oil, and sprinkle liberally with salt and pepper.

3. Roast for 20 minutes, undisturbed. Turkey should be browning. Remove from oven, baste with pan juices, and return to oven. Reduce heat to 400 degrees (if turkey browns too quickly, reduce temperature to 350 degrees).

4. Begin to check turkey’s temperature about 15 minutes later (10 minutes if bird is on the small side). It is done when thigh meat registers 165 degrees on an instant-read meat thermometer. Check it in a couple of places.

5. Let turkey rest for a few minutes before carving, then serve with garlic cloves and pan juices.

by Sandy Kiyomura, NSC Member

On September 26, I began my trip to Africa along with NSC members Carol Henry, Roland Lee, and Rosa Luy. Our first flight was to Doha, 15 hours away. Doha is like a “designer’s paradise”. It’s not just the stores, but even the airport was like a Neiman Marcus with its own hotel. We then flew to Kilimanjaro (another 5 hours). By September 28, we arrived in Arusha and met our drivers for the week. Our drivers and their trusty Toyota Land Cruisers provided us with hours of animal sightings. I felt like I was on the “Indiana Jones” ride at Disneyland. Our room was a “hut”, but a 5-star hut. Debbie Stewart, the tour leader organized a wonderful dinner for us, along with a band and singer. Some of us even danced a bit.

The next day was our first Safari to Lake Manyara. We saw mostly monkeys and elephants. But the best was yet to come as we drove toward the Ngorongoro Crater. This is an extinct volcano with one of the world’s largest densities of wildlife. It’s a Unesco World Heritage site. Over the course of two days, we saw wildebeests, zebras, buffalos, lions, elephants, gazelles, flamingos and hippos. Our “5-star” lodging at the crater provided every room with a view of the crater since it was built along a hillside.

We drove towards Serengeti National Park for our next stop. The lodges we stayed at were again “5-star” huts. Since we were inside Serengeti National Park, there were no fences (the animals can roam freely). So at night, one had to call for an escort to the restaurant since animals could be around.

We spent another two days on Safari while in the park.  Some of us also took a hot air balloon ride.  We didn’t see as many animals from the air as from the road, but the scenery was still breathtaking. We even had an “English breakfast” afterwards. The balloon ride and breakfast was $700 and not included in the trip ($8,000 for land, food and air). 

After our days of safaris, we flew to the island of Zanzibar in a 13-passenger plane. Roland Lee offered to “co pilot” and helped us to arrive safely. Our first stop was Stone Town, another Unesco Heritage site. It was a trading post for spices, silk and the slave trade. It is a mixture of African, Indian, Arab and European cultures. We visited a spice farm on the way to our final destination: the Neptune Pwani Beach resort. This was a 5-star all inclusive resort, so food and beverages were included. Carol and I took some Yoga classes at their Yoga center. The beach and pools were beautiful and a nice way to end our trip.

I’ve taken several Far West trips and have found that the non-ski trips are definitely as enjoyable and worthwhile as the ski trips.  I think our 8 day Safari was very reasonable in cost, especially since it provided luxury accommodations, food, and transportation.  Everything was first class.

New York City Halloween Parade 2024 – Seems like Michael Jackson is still popular on Halloween…

by Armand Gutierrez, President  

Last month the Tahoe region experienced its first dusting of snow (all melted by now) and now we are all waiting for the rainy season to begin. Long-range forecast is for La Niña to provide a normal snowfall this season in the Tahoe region, and above normal snowfall in the northwest and Canada. And, of course, it’s also time for the witches, ghosts, goblins, and creatures of the night to come out to celebrate Halloween. Before the ski season starts there are still a number of non-ski events coming up:

• 11-19 October, Eastern Canada Trip with Jeanne Katsuro at the helm
• 9 November, Saturday – Pickle ball Event with Tina Woo/Jeanne Katsuro

Membership Report

There were four returning and one new member for the month of September and that brings us to a total of 81 members.  Membership signups usually increase from signups for the ski week, but it’s not expected to get any more ski trips signups at this late date. However, there may be more new signups in the coming months for the 2025 France trip.

Ski Pros Avalanche Sale

Remember the Snow Bomb shows that offered sales on ski gear, clothing, and accessories? Well, Snow Bomb gradually went away, but now there is Ski Pros. Ski Pros offers a variety of products similar to the Snow Bomb shows. So, if you’re interested getting new gear this year then think about attending the Ski Pros Avalanche Sale going on in October and November. Here are links to the various shows:

San Francisco — Oct 5-6 — https://theavalanchesale.com/event/san-francisco/?_kx=X8jM4lfhGbvrtbKBIeElNJfUwciS6owFtd49zr9Qc74.Xnteyk

San Jose — Oct 18-20 — https://theavalanchesale.com/event/san-jose/

Sacramento — Nov 22-24 — https://theavalanchesale.com/event/sacramento/

Uncrowded Ski Resorts

 I don’t know where this is but I sure would not want to be in that line. So, if you want to ski with space to breathe, carve your own path, and short lift lines then here are the top nine resorts to visit:

1. Beaver Creek, CO
2. Telluride, CO
3. Lake Louise, AB
4. Arapahoe Basin, CO
5. Big White, CO
6. Grand Targhee, WY
7. Whitefish, MT
8. Sun Peaks, BC
9. Kirkwood, CA

IKON/EPIC Pass Update

Here is some information regarding the Ikon/Epic passes for this season:

• October 9, Epic Passes increase in price.
• October 10, Ikon Passes increase in price.

Not sure about which pass to get? OnTheSnow (an online magazine) provides a section on ski pass comparisons to help you decide which pass to get if you haven’t done so yet. Click here https://www.onthesnow.com/news/ski-pass-comparison-ikon-pass-vs-epic-pass/?utm_source=newsletter&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=09_26_24 to review the Ikon Pass vs. Epic Pass comparisons.

2025 NSC Ski Week

The Sun Peaks ski trip is full with 22 people occupying six condos. Final payments are due October 15^th, so get your checks out. Sports America has posted the Epic/Ikon links for the 2024-2025 season and is offering a 6.5% trip rebate (based on pass price) if you purchase the passes from Sports America and go on the Sun Peaks trip:

Use this for Epic passes: https://www.sportsamerica.com/epic-nisei

Use this for Ikon passes: https://www.sportsamerica.com/ikon-nisei

Password: snow

Questions: contact president@niseiskiclub.org

QotM: A journey of a thousand miles begins with a cash advance.