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June, 2014
EXECUTIVE ORGANIZATION
BOARD OF DIRECTORS
President – Toby Kravet – 808-224-1065
Vice President – Jonathan Carr
Treasurer - Geoff Chu
Secretary - Paul Ferguson
Rene "Fergie" Ferguson
Roy Manzoku
Bill Hodges
Cathy Lau
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Club Historian
Jo Yee
Newsletter Editor
Toby Kravet
(Click on Contacts for e mail addresses)
CALENDAR OF EVENTS:
Additional events, such as concerts, hikes, excursions, may be added. Watch your email for possible updates.
Every Monday evening (except on holidays): 4:30 P.M. A group of ski
club members and their friends play
tennis at Keehi Lagoon courts, off Lagoon
Drive. Stay in shape and share refreshments afterwards!
May 30 (Friday) 4:00 P.M. Pau Hana at Schooners, Pear Harbor.
May 31 (Saturday) 4:30 P.M. Symphony in the Park, Kailua District Park
June 1 (Sunday) Volunteer assistance at the Special Olympics, U.H. Manoa Campus.
June 5 (Thursday) 6:00 P.M. General Membership Meeting at Seven Palms. Come no later than 5:30 for the Sunset Specials on dinners.
June 20 (Friday) 4:30 P.M. Pau Hana at Lisa's House, near the airport.
July 17 (Thursday) 5:30 P.M. Board Meeting at Henry Loui's.
July 19 (Saturday) 11:45 A.M. Volunteer assistance with the lunch service at Institute of Human Services in Iwilei.
July 25 (Friday) 4:30 P.M. Pau Hana at Pinky's in Kailua.
PRESIDENT’S MESSAGE:
First, I'd like to apologize to Cathy Lau for leaving her name off the list of current Board Members in the May edition of the Newsletter. Also, apologies to Roy for not listing the volunteer activity at IHS in the Calendar of Events. The change in date, from May 31 to June 1 for the Special Olympics, however, wasn't a mistake: We fully expected to be assigned on May 31 when we "went to press."
We had our first Board Meeting (not counting the Annual Board Dinner Meeting in April) on May 15, and the addition of new Board Members, with new ideas, is already, and refreshingly, in evidence. Effective with the Board Meeting, for a limited period of time, we will be giving a free Club tee shirt to every new member or Family Membership, i.e. one per membership. We are also looking at ways to better publicize our existence. If you have any ideas on this, don't hesitate to contact me directly: pres@hawaiisnowskiclub.com .
I'm sorry to have personally missed the Kaena Point hike, described below, but have some lingering ankle and foot problems from my ski accident in New Zealand last August and am still sorting out what I can tolerate---which keeps changing with gradual improvement interspersed with multiple "false starts." While I am hopeful about skiing next year, it looks like I will need further surgery this fall and won't be able to make the signup deadline for Steamboat, a place I very much like and would not get to if it were not a Club trip. Talking about Steamboat, don't forget that the first deadline (see trip announcement) is June 15.
I'm really pleased that Cathy has taken over the hike planning reins and that, despite the early hours of the hikes, participants have been turning out. No promises, but a hike in Temple Valley, and a walk to Chinaman's Hat, at low tide, may be in the offing. Also, depending upon interest, we might schedule a trip to and walk around Coconut Island in Kaneohe Bay where the University of Hawaii has an extensive marine biology installation and where you can see the remnants of a resort which never got off the ground (think Fantasy Island). If you are interested, please contact Cathy: cathy@hawaiisnowskiclub.com . I believe it will cost $12.00 for the boat ride to the island.
As you can see below, we have three events coming up before the June General Membership Meeting at Seven Palms (June 5). Due to the fact that the first Thursday in July is the eve of July 4th, we will be dispensing with a General Membership Meeting in July (I believe we've done this a number of times in the past) and start with General Membership Meetings again in August. We, however, will be having activities throughout the summer.
Hope to see you at some of the activities and at the next General Membership Meeting on June 5.
TOBY
UPCOMING SKI CLUB ACTIVITIES:
PAU HANA AT SCHOONERS
May 30 (Friday) 4:00 P.M.
Relax with a cold one while watching the water lap gently against the boats in the harbor and the sun set slowly over the horizon (Corny, huh?). Since the last Newsletter, we have reserved a table for twelve and, I am sure, they can add a few more chairs as necessary. Schooners is located at 57 Arizona Memorial Road just past the Ford Island Road overpass. Turn off of Kamehameha Highway, from either direction, as if you were going to visit the Arizona Memorial, take a right onto Arizona Memorial Road, drive down the road a short ways, go under the Ford Island overpass, and you will see Schooners on the left. Should be plenty of free parking right beside the restaurant which is always a plus for a Pau Hana venue.
TOBY
SYMPHONY IN THE PARK
Kailua District Park Pavilion
May 31, (Saturday) 5:00 P.M. - 7:00 P.M.
Ann Krinitsky, conductor
Ignace Jang, violin
Anthems
Candide
Carmen
Masquerade Waltz
Dennis Kamakahi Tribute
La Campanella
Tchaikovsky No. 4 (4th movement)
Armed Forces Medley
Disney Adventure
Hawaiian Set
Raiders March
FREE for the entire
family, but you have to leave the dogs at home. Bring a blanket or chair and pack a dinner and non-alcoholic beverage.
FREE parking is available at the Kailua District Park
on Kainalu Street adjacent to the Baseball field where the concert will be
staged. Kainalu Street is the back (ocean side) of the park. Meet me (Wanda Sowell) at the parking structure by Long's at 4:30
P.M. If you need more information, you can email me:
wanda10s@aol.com
WANDA
VOLUNTEERING FOR
THE SPECIAL OLYMPICS
June 1 (Sunday)
As you can see, the expected date of our participation has changed from Saturday to Sunday. As of Thursday, May 15, only six members, out of an expected ten, had signed up to participate in manning the food booth at this worthy, annual event, and a first for our Club. Unfortunately, the signup deadline has passed so those of us participating will probably get to meet some new people assigned to "take up the slack". Who knows? Maybe we'll get a new member or two.
TOBY
GENERAL MEMBERSHIP MEETING
Seven Palms Bar and
Grill
Navy-Marine Golf Course Club House
943
Valkenburgh St., Honolulu, Hawaii
June 5, (Thursday) 6:00 P.M.
Come to our General Membership Meeting at the usual location on June 1. Although the meeting doesn't "officially" begin until 6:00 P.M., many members start coming at 5:00 for drinks, dinner, and "talking story." You need to be there by 5:30 P.M. to take advantage of the reduced prices of dinners for two.
TOBY
PAU HANA AT "LISA'S HOUSE"
3250 Ualena Street
Honolulu, HI 96819
June 20 (Friday) 4:30 P.M.
With a name like Lisa's House you may think this may be a
Korean Bar. NOT! This low key establishment located in the airport
industrial area has been classified by many as a "Gastropub". WELL MAYBE!
(Editor's note: Toby classifies it as a "Dive Bar.") Having been there
many times, I have to admit the food is excellent for bar food but it lacks the
flashiness of more frequented gastropubs like Pint and Jigger. Definitely
a blue collar older crowd in for the food, pool and darts with prices that
reflect that. The location is convenient, just off the H-1, and the
parking is plentiful. Happy hour is from 4:30 to 7:00 PM with discounted drinks
and low priced pupus. However, I do recommend ordering off their
menu. Go online to read the Yelp reviews, and that should peak your
curiosity to check out this place that I'm sure you have probably not heard
about. Hope to see you there!
GEOF
LUNCH SERVICE AT THE INSTITUTE OF HUMAN SERVICES
July 19 (Saturday) 11:45 A.M.
We will serve lunch again at the Institute of Human Services
on Saturday July 19, 2014 at the Men’s Shelter, 350 Sumner St., Honolulu
(across the street from the Iwilei K-Mart).
We need 10 volunteers and
need to check in by 11:45 am to serve lunch from noon to 1:00 pm. Additional
information from the Institute of Human Services:
1. Respect the
confidentiality of our guests - no cameras please
2. Sign in and out with
reception
3. Parking is very limited, so please carpool
4. Wear
appropriate clothing - Closed shoes, long pants, no tank tops etc.
5. Please
have each volunteer return the Hold Harmless Form on day of
volunteering. The form was attached to the original email announcement. All volunteers under 18 needs to have a parent or guardian sign
the form.
Since we should carpool, I will let volunteers know of other
volunteers in their neighborhood. Please respond to me,
roy@hawaiisnowskiclub.com as soon as possible so that I
can give the Institute of Human Services our head count.
We plan to meet
for lunch after the event.
Please come out and help the Institute of
Human Services to serve the homeless population.
ROY
PAU HANA AT PINKY'S IN
KAILUA
July 25 (Friday)
4:30 P.M.
We last went to Pinky's in May of 2013, the month after we went to Lisa's House. We didn't intend a one month follow-up, just like last year, but that's the way it worked out. Pinky's Pupu Bar and Grill, in no longer "laid back" Kailua, is set beside a canal, is decorated in art deco Hawaiiana (rattan, canoe paddles, sculptured fish and tiki torches) and is brightly lit, even around a horseshoe- shaped bar near the entrance. The family-casual menu is local all the way and has an extensive pupu menu. This is a great location for all, including families and those who don’t drink alcohol. Pinky's is located at 970 Kalaheo Drive at the intersection of Kalaheo Drive and Mokapu Blvd. If you are coming from Honolulu/Pearl City side via the H3 or Likelike and continuing down Mokapu Blvd., it will be on your right (Aikahi Park Shopping Center will be on the far side of the intersection on your left). You will have to take a right onto Kalaheo Drive and then a quick left (if there is no traffic) or turn around a little ways down Kalaheo and drive back to get into the parking lot. Of course, coming down Kalaheo from Kailua town, the turn into Pinky's is "mo easy." There are small tables in the bar and longer tables in the restaurant, and history at this venue (we've been here a number of times) tells us that we will be seated in the restaurant after our group reaches enough "critical mass" to justify it (to the restaurant management). See you at Pinky's
TOBY
HAWAII SKI WEEK 2015
AT STEAMBOAT
The Hawaii Ski Club is going to Steamboat
Resort ( http://www.steamboat.com ) in
Colorado for the 2015 Hawaii Ski Week, January 30 – February 7, 2015. The
Steamboat ski area comprises 2,965 skiable acres with a vertical drop of 3,668
feet. The elevation of the village at the base of the gondola is 6,900 feet.
They average 385 inches of snow per year. The ski terrain is described as 14%
beginner, 42% intermediate and 44% expert. They started a night skiing program
in 2014. You can explore the mountain with the Ambassador ski guides, Director
of Skiing Billy Kidd, mogul expert Nelson Carmichael (yeah, right), or with the
Over the Hill Gang (that sounds more like it). They have a First Tracks program
for the day that all the powder is there for the taking.
In addition to
skiing, the resort offers snowshoeing (including a guided, gourmet snowshoe
luncheon), sleigh rides, snowmobiling, tubing, etc. The town of Steamboat
Springs is 3 miles away by free shuttle. The town is cowboy themed, and they do
things like tow skiers down the streets behind horses. In town and nearby there
are two different natural hot springs, which might make for a fun excursion.
Our transportation and lodging is being booked by our familiar travel agent,
Ski.com.
Our flights are as follows:
United-383 S Depart: HNL
1/30/2015 09:00 pm Arrive: DEN 1/31/2015 06:46 am
United-328 W Depart: DEN
2/7/2015 11:30 am Arrive: HNL 2/7/2015 04:07 pm
We may change these
flights if we can obtain a reasonable and convenient flight into and out of
Hayden (HDN), Colorado, which is only a 35 minute bus ride from Steamboat. We
should find out about this in late May, when the airlines “load” the fares and
schedules to Hayden. Otherwise we will have to put up with the 3 ½ hr bus ride
to and from Denver. (I understand it is very scenic though).
We are
mainly staying in the Phoenix Condominium, which is a block away from the
gondola. The Phoenix (http://www.thephoenixatsteamboat.com) offers 2, 3 and 4
bedroom condos, two outdoor hot tubs, a heated, outdoor pool, free WiFi,
exercise room, co-ed sauna, clubhouse and meeting rooms. The condos all have
fireplaces, a washer and dryer, and some sort of sleeping arrangement in the
living rooms. Many of the condos are on two levels. They have many more 4
bedroom condos with single bedding than 3 bedrooms, so consider the 4 bedroom
with larger common areas for your mini-groups.
For those of you who want
to stay in a hotel, we are offering the Ptarmigan Inn, which is two doors down
from the Phoenix. The Ptarmigan
(http://www.steamboat-lodging.com/about-the-ptarmigan-inn) is slope-side with
true ski/in ski/out access. They have an outdoor hot tub and pool, ski shop
(Christy’s) and a popular restaurant. The rooms feature one king or two queen
beds, free internet and a refrigerator. The Ptarmigan is $200 more per person
that the 2 bedroom units at the Phoenix. A daily breakfast buffet is available
for $80 for the week.
We will have the traditional ski club activities –
reception, pot luck, pizza party – and a few more that the Trip Committee may
dream up. On Sunday, February 1, 2015, your après ski experience can include
viewing of the XLIX Super Bowl between the Detroit Lions and Oakland Raiders.
The prices for all this are on the Registration Form which has
already been emailed to current members. If you have not received a form
please contact Jonathan (
jonathan@hawaiisnowskiclub.com ). If you are not a current member and wish
to join the Club, the membership form can be found on our website
(
www.hawaiisnowskiclub.com ). Please fill
out the Registration form carefully and mail it in with your first payment (due June 15). The
flights and rooms are limited so mail in your forms as soon as you can. Don’t
worry if you do not have roommates lined up yet; that can be worked out later.
If you cannot read or print the Registration Form, please contact Jonathan.
Trip insurance is available from our travel agent. It is possible to pay for
your trip with a credit card, but there is a 3% surcharge. Let Jonathan know if you want either of these options.
TRIP COMMITTEE
PAST SKI CLUB ACTIVITIES:
PAU HANA AT CATTLE COMPANY
April 25
The April 25th Pau Hana at Cattle Company was very instructive for this Kamehameha Heights resident for I now know what the commute out of town is like for you Pearl City and Mid Island folk. I left home at 3:15 P.M. thinking that I would assuredly be there by 4:00: I arrived 4:45, much the worse for wear. I, however, counted as many as 14 Ski Club members and guests, most likely from points west of Honolulu, and the price for the drinks and Pupus were just right. Now I know why this is one of Geoff's favorite hangouts on his way back from work in Campbell Industrial Park. Next time, I'll be early.
TOBY
KA'ENA POINT STATE PARK HIKE
April 27
Our early rising group of ski club
members met at Blaisdell Park and carpooled out to Ka'ena point, and we
were on the trail by 8am. It was a beautiful, slightly overcast morning
which was perfect on a trail that can be very warm due to lack of shade.
It was a pleasant walk on the old jeep road with time for conversation and
photos along the rocky coastline watching the waves crashing on volcanic rocks
below. The hike ended at the bird sanctuary where we caught a glimpse of
seabirds nesting in their sand burrows. Unfortunately, the monk seals were
off sunning themselves on another beach that day. After a short snack and
some time to explore the tide pools, we headed back with a blessing shower of
misty rain and took some photos on a natural stone arch. A great way to spend a
Sunday morning and looking forward to our next beach hike.
CATHY
ANNOUNCEMENTS:
FREE TEE SHIRTS FOR NEW MEMBERSHIPS
Effective May 15, 2014, for a limited period of time, one free Ski Club tee shirt will be given to all new "Memberships," i.e. one per Membership, individual or family.
INTERESTED IN A TRIP TO COCONUT ISLAND?
Depending upon interest, we might schedule a trip to Coconut Island in Kaneohe Bay where the University of Hawaii has an extensive marine biology installation and where you can see the remnants of a resort which never got off the ground (think Fantasy Island). If you are interested, please contact Cathy: cathy@hawaiisnowskiclub.com There is a charge, $12.00 we believe, for the boat trip to the island.
THE HAWAII SKI CLUB IS ON FACEBOOK
If you are on Facebook, add the HSC as a “friend.” You will be up-to-date with recent HSC activities that members upload. The HSC Facebook page has photos from members on ski trips and at Club activities. You can also include your personal photos and announcements relating to the club for all HSC members to view.
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Contributions from the membership to future newsletters are encouraged and will be greatly appreciated: Please e mail them to Toby (see Contacts) no later than 9 calendar days from the end of the month. Thanx much.
Updated club info available at http://www.hawaiisnowskiclub.com/