Greetings to everyone. This has been a fairly eventful month, with the relaxing of outdoor CDC guidelines and indicators that we might be headed in the direction of normalcy. We had a Zoom Council Meeting in April, and talked a lot about the possibilities and roadblocks associated with resuming our luncheons. Oregon is one of the few states that is seeing an increase in COVID activity, to the extent that it looks like restrictions to activities might be reimposed in order to control outbreaks. Janette Sandberg said that it would be a wasted effort to talk to restaurants until after things settle down, and Doug Bomarito said there might be an opportunity to eventually use the Forrester Building at the zoo. So that is all on the back burner.
PICNIC:
What is not on the back burner is a picnic to re-start our Alumni Association activities. An August 21 date has been established with a reservation of the picnic grounds at the Port of Camas/Washougal for us to have our much-anticipated picnic. I am looking for volunteers to help me with the event and its planning. Within the next two weeks, I will arrange for a Zoom Meeting for those who volunteer and those who are interested. I’ll get the notice out to the Council and to the distribution list. Mike Carmichael and Mark Springer have already thrown their hats in, and I am hoping for help from some of those who have assisted with prior picnics. If there are issues with the date, I need to know soonest.
HAPPY HOUR:
The Chapter continues to have its weekly happy hour Zoom meetings at 1800 hours every Wednesday. The confusion associated with the renewal of our URL has been resolved, so use the information below to access the meeting. We are having consistently 10 to 12 participants each week. We would love to have all of you join in. There is no driving required and it is a fun time to connect with local alumni.
I’m thinking of using the Happy Hour time on May 12 as the kick-off meeting for the picnic. It shouldn’t take up the whole time, and it might create some participation from Happy Hour participants. I created an agenda with issues that need to be addressed and have already gotten suggestions for fulfilling those and adding others. Thank you to all who are interested.
The new Happy Hour invitation is below, good until July 7.
The council meeting was held on April 24, and it seems like we are continuing to not only survive, but thrive. We have a presenter ready for our November luncheon, and that will be our normal Marine Corps birthday luncheon. By that time, hopefully Oregon will have COVID issues under control. More on that later. Existing officers are maintaining their posts, but we will be looking for a change in personnel as we move on.
Mike Carmichael is in charge of our Zoom subscription, and he asked that all of you are informed of its availability for your individual group needs. It is a very nice option to have at our disposal, and he will accommodate you if at all possible.
Go Navy, Beat them all,
John Adams ‘69, CDR, USN (Ret)