WASHINGTON D.C.

WASHINGTON D.C. - Congress and The Capitol, March 19-20

We arrived in Baltimore on Monday afternoon and were met at the airport by PGER and State Sponsor Paul and Jane Helsel.  We headed out for a casual dinner and then called it a night, knowing that we would be having an early start the next day.

Tuesday morning, we went to the Metro Station and took the train into Washington, D.C.  We arrived at Arlington National Cemetery where we met up with Shawn Bullard of the Duetto Group who had planned and coordinated our visit with representatives from the various offices as well as Noel, our photographer.  We were escorted through the Cemetery to the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier by Donald Delap, the VEA State Veterans Chairman and a former member of the Old Guard, the soldiers who, among other duties, guard the Tomb 24 hours a day, seven days a week.  We had a chance to view the Tomb and then were given a tour of some of the other key sites in the Cemetery.

After leaving Arlington, Paul and Tom began their round of visits with several of the officers of the Drug Enforcement Administration and the Committee on Veterans' Affairs.   Don took Jane and Venita to the Jefferson Memorial, followed by a stop to see the Pentagon Memorial, established to honor the people who died in the attack of September 11th, both on the airplane and in the Pentagon.  It is simple in its design, yet extremely powerful and moving.  The ladies then returned to Arlington to tour the Women's Memorial.

Don then dropped us off to meet Priscilla Schwab, Justice of the Grand Forum and her sister Martha for lunch at the National Press Club.  We enjoyed a great meal with them and then had a tour of Georgetown, stopping at a small pub near Georgetown University for an afternoon break.  Priscilla then took us back to our hotel to wait for the men to finish their meetings.  When they arrived, we decided on a local Latin restaurant for dinner.  A small, unassuming restaurant, "Sin Fronteras" had great margaritas and featured a great selection of Mexican/Cuban menu items to choose from.

Wednesday morning, Paul and Tom again made their way into D.C. for meetings with some of the representatives of Congress including Representative Sam Farr from California and a brief meeting and photo with Speaker of the House John Boehner.  The ladies took the hotel shuttle over to Annapolis for a visit to the largest quilt shop in the area, Cottonseed Glory.  After a relaxing lunch at a local bistro and a stop at the Harley Davidson shop for a souvenir t-shirt, the ladies returned to the hotel to wait for the men to arrive.

That evening, we were joined by State President Jim Stewart and Sandy and Priscilla Schwab and Martha for dinner at the Fisherman's Inn.  We all indulged in our fondness for seafood including Maryland crab and oysters followed by a local specialty dessert, seven-layer "Smith Island Cake."  We made our way back to the hotel, thus ending the D.C. portion of our trip.  Tomorrow, we start the Maryland, Delaware, D.C. Elks convention.

MISSOURI

MISSOURI - Time with Family and Elks, March 15-18

Missouri has a special significance for Venita since it is where her mother was born and raised.  We flew into Kansas City on Wednesday evening and were met at the airport by Venita's sister-in-law, Sue Helgeson.  We spent that evening visiting with her and catching up on what has been going on in her life.    

After breakfast on Thursday morning, we headed east across the state to rendezvous with the Missouri Elks for their convention at the state capitol, Jefferson City.  After a short time on the freeway, we chose to travel the smaller back roads and see some of the Missouri countryside.  Along the way, we stopped to see the Sedalia Elks Lodge and Tom took a moment to relax on their front porch.   We also found a small town called California, Missouri.  Well, since we live in the state of California, nothing would do but that we stop for a picture!

We arrived in Jefferson City in the afternoon and were greeted at the hotel by State Sponsor and PGER Ted Callicott and Betsy, State President Skip Bell and Carol and SDGER Carl Simpson and Sharon.  After settling into our room, we drove to the Jefferson City Elks Lodge #513 where we joined some of the Past State Presidents and their spouses for a wonderful fried chicken dinner prepared by the amazing volunteer cooks at the Lodge.  With our stomachs full, we went back to the hotel for the night.

Friday morning, we all had breakfast at the hotel and then Tom attended the meetings with Ted and Skip.  Venita went shopping with the ladies followed by lunch at the Red Lobster.  Two of the ladies took Venita to a local quilt shop where she found a book containing a star pattern for each of the 50 states.  She also came away with several new ideas for quilts - if she ever gets a free minute!  That evening we attended the State President's Dinner at the hotel.  We then got into our casual clothes and joined the members in the various hospitality suites to talk with them, share our pins and sign membership cards.  At 11:00 pm, Tom delivered the old Eleven O'Clock Toast around the pool, after which we said good night to all.

Saturday morning, the Association held its business meeting, followed by the Past State Presidents' Luncheon.  Venita and the ladies were hosted to brunch at the Jefferson City Lodge.  Since it was St. Patrick's Day, the dining room was beautifully decorated in all things green and several men of the Lodge were also decked out in their green ties and hats as they circled the room pouring mimosas for everyone.  Venita gave out her pin and had a chance to thank everyone for their hospitality and tell the story of her Lone Cypress pin.  In the afternoon, Venita attended the Past First Ladies Social and Tea held at the hotel.

Saturday evening, the Association held their banquet where Tom had a chance to speak to the attendees, sign cards and hand out pins.  The Missouri Elks presented Tom with a Resolution from their Congress and a $100 donation to the ENF in his name.  After dinner, we finished visiting the other hospitality suites and then headed for our room to pack for our departure the next day.

Sunday morning, the final business meeting was followed by their Memorial Service and installation of officers for the coming year.  We joined everyone for Sunday brunch before we turned our car toward Kansas City to spend some additional time with Sue and her mother.  Monday morning, we boarded our plane for our next destination -  the Maryland/Delaware/D.C. Elks.  We so enjoyed our time with the Missouri Elks and look forward to seeing them again soon as we make trips to visit with our family and friends.  Thanks so much, Missouri.  We had a ball!

UTAH

UTAH - Red Rock Country, March 7-10

Wednesday evening we flew from San Jose to Las Vegas and were met by Grand Lodge Committeeman Bob Jarvis and Adele for the two hour drive to St. George, Utah.  Upon arriving at the hotel late that evening, we joined SDGER Dick and Jerry Lyons and PGER Jim and Lucia Grillo for a little conversation prior to retiring.

Thursday morning we met up with our escorts Jack and Karen Ryan and the whole group left for a tour of Mill Creek Alternative High School.  This school serves over 800 high school students who might otherwise not be in school through various program options, including a daycare nursery for those who have children.  We had the privilege of meeting several of the students, two of whom were on their last day of school.  One was planning on going on to become a phlebotomist and the other will be starting college in the fall.  We then had a chance to tour the daycare area and play for a minute with two of the boys.  The Elks help fund some of these services through the Community Investment Program.  This is truly an amazing program, performing miracles every day. 

After leaving Mill Creek, we moved on to the dedication of the refurbished Veteran's memorial at the Dixie Lodge attended by the Marine Veterans.  It was a moving ceremony and we were proud to attend.  Tom congratulated each of the veterans and gave them his pin.  Thursday evening, we had a casual evening of hamburgers at the Dixie Lodge and enjoyed the company of the Utah Elks.

Friday morning we boarded the van for a tour of Zion National Park.  While the weather did not cooperate and we had rain for a good part of the day, the views were still magnificent. We toured out to the east side of the Park, going through the amazing tunnel that cuts through the massive sandstone mountains and cliffs.  Everywhere we turned, there was another breathtaking view.  When we stopped for lunch at the Zion Lodge, Venita bumped into one of her best friends, Susan and her husband, Marty from Helena, Montana and visiting friends, Steve and Jan from Indianapolis, Indiana.  The ladies had no idea they were going to be in the same city at the same time!  Another small world coincidence.

That evening we all went for dinner at the lodge, followed by a hysterical revue titled "Music thru the Decades" featuring the members, spouses and family of the Dixie Lodge.  They were all dressed in costumes of the various eras and had to lip sync songs that were not necessarily representative of their costumes.  During the "commercial breaks", everyone was required to get up and dance.  Needless to say, we all laughed until we had tears running down our cheeks!  It was a great evening and a successful fundraiser for Camp Wapiti.

Saturday, Tom attended the Utah Elks Association business meeting.  One of the highlights of the meeting was getting the meet the Fisk family and young Emma.  Four years ago, this young lady could not walk.  The Utah Elks were approached to see if they might help get a wheelchair for her.  But the Elks did more.  They found therapy services for her.  And today Emma can dance!  There were not very many dry eyes in the meeting as dad and mom thanked everyone for what they had done for their family.

While Tom was at the business meeting, Venita went to the meeting of the Utah Ladies of the Elks.  Much to her delight, the ladies presented Venita with a beautiful silver and turquoise pendant.  The meeting was followed by the ladies lunch and a short afternoon shopping trip.

Saturday evening was the formal dinner at the lodge where the Utah Elks presented us with a fundraiser “brick” which will be engraved and installed around the fire pit at Camp Wapiti outside of Tooele.  They also presented us with a framed photo of the camp and an empty frame which will be filled with a photo of the brick when it is completed.  Jay also gave Tom a commemorative golden spike and Venita received a “Camp Wapiti Shining Star” blanket from the Ladies of the Elk.  We were touched by the generosity of these wonderful people.

Sunday morning, we packed up and Jack and Karen took us to Las Vegas to catch our flight home.  We very much enjoyed seeing all of our friends in Utah and it was wonderful to be home in Area 7.  Thank you, Utah Elks - you’re doing great work in your state!

ARKANSAS

ARKANSAS - Hot Springs, The First National Park, Feb. 28 - March 3

Arkansas was one of the few states that Tom and I had never visited.  Upon our arrival, we were met by State President Jan Dorn, District Leader Roy and Joyce Worley and District Deputy Joe and Tammy Coulter.  State Sponsor PGER Chuck Williams and Gladys arrived a little after us, so we had the fun of turning the tables and welcoming them to Arkansas! 

After arriving at and settling into our hotel in Hot Springs, we all went out to a casual dinner at a local Italian restaurant.  Both the food and the company were excellent.  Friday morning, we went to view the Arkansas Major Project, the Arkadelphia Human Development Center.  One of five centers located throughout Arkansas, the Arkadelphia Human Development Center is a residential facility for adults with intellectual disabilities.  Their mission is to continuously enable the people that they serve to advance the quality and independence of their lives.  The Center has partnered with the community to operate a recycling center for the city and county, thus providing job development training for the residents.  The Elks have provided grants and donations to the Center to fill specific needs throughout the facility, such as the aviary in the lobby, computer equipment for their technology trailer and workout equipment for their wellness center.   This program is a great example of Elks reaching out into the community to develop a relationship and get people involved.

After visiting the Center, we returned to Hot Springs where the gentlemen went to The Bleu Monkey for lunch, followed by a tour of the area surrounding Hot Springs.  In order to give Tom a “bird’s-eye” view, they took him up the observation tour that overlooked the entire Hot Springs area.  Meanwhile, the ladies stopped for a quick bite and then took Venita to the Buckstaff Bathhouse.  These historic baths along "bath house row" provide the chance to soak in the hot water from the naturally occurring hot springs that make up the National Park.  This relaxing soak was followed by massage.  And they thought I could move after that?  Just leave me here, thank you!

Friday evening went to Hot Springs Lodge for their fish fry.  The fried catfish was superb, and was accompanied traditional southern hush puppies, beans and all of the other fixin’s.  We very much enjoyed seeing the lodge and visiting with the members and their guests for the evening.

Saturday morning we headed for the Oaklawn Racetrack for "Elks Day at the Races". We enjoyed brunch and a behind the scenes tour of the track.  Tom had the privilege of going down on the track to present the trophy to the owner of the winning horse in the fourth race, “the Elks Race”.  That was followed by a visit to the Press Box where we met the race stewards, one of whom was a former jockey with over 6,000 wins. We also were able to stay in the box while the announcer called the next race.  It was a fascinating day and one we thoroughly enjoyed.  It didn’t hurt that we won a couple of races, as well!

Saturday evening went to Hot Springs Lodge for dinner and Tom spoke to the group about our year and the future of Elkdom.  The Arkansas Elks presented Venita with several knitting and quilting books to add to her library and gave Tom an athletic jacket with the Arkansas Razorback logo on it.  We finished up the evening signing cards and giving out our pins.

Sunday morning dawned clear and beautiful and we headed home early, smiling and relaxed.  It was a wonderful stay in Arkansas and we thank the Arkansas Elks for all of their gracious hospitality.

NEW ORLEANS - MARDI GRAS

NEW ORLEANS – “Laissez les bon temps rouler!”, February 10-12

After leaving Florida, we headed for New Orleans, Louisiana and the biggest party in the United States – Mardi Gras.  If you don’t know what the title above means, it is French for “Let the good times roll!”  And they certainly did while we were there.  Hosted by the New Orleans Elks Lodge #30, we were greeted at the airport by, State Sponsor PGER Chuck Williams and his lady Gladys, SDGER Richard and Sue Conran, State President Charles and Glenda Schmuck and Exalted Ruler James Hester and his lady, Sonia.  Our Administrative Aide Les Yeffa and his wife, Nancy had arrived the day before and were there with smiles and hugs.

Sunday evening, we all went to a great seafood restaurant, Jaeger’s, and started in on some of our favorite foods – gumbo and grilled oysters.  The food and the company were exceptional and we all had a wonderful time.  Monday morning, our first stop was Café de Monde for beignets and coffee!  After getting our blood sugar and caffeine to an appropriate level, we stopped by the cemetary to view the Elks Memorial built by New Orleans Lodge #30.  It is a beautiful and moving memorial and we appreciated having the opportunity to see it.  We then headed for the WWII Museum where we presented the Museum with several bags of the Mardi Gras commemorative Elmo dressed in this year’s special outfit as a clown.  We then toured a small portion of the museum including a viewing of the new overview historical World War II film narrated by Tom Hanks.  After leaving the museum, we were taken to lunch at a neighborhood restaurant, Katy’s.  We enjoyed the excellent local cuisine, making special note of the three-foot long hoagie sandwich ordered by two guests to share.  Pretty impressive, to say the least!

Monday evening, we had dinner at the lodge.  The menu again featured our favorites – gumbo, jambalaya and red beans and rice among others.  The Louisiana Elks presented Tom with a caricature portrait of him throwing beads from the float and Venita with a hand painted egg decorated in the Mardi Gras theme colors – purple, gold and green.  Tom spoke to the assembled group, recognizing the achievements of the Louisiana Elks and their continued support of the Order.  After dinner, we headed for the hotel knowing that we would have an early start on Mardi Gras morning.

Tuesday dawned a little overcast, with the weather forecasters calling for “showers.”  We headed for the lodge at 6:00 a.m., Tom in his tuxedo and me with all of the rain gear.  After getting the float loaded and on its way to the starting point, we worked our way down the back streets to the corner of Napoleon and St. Charles where a viewing area had been set up for all of us.  While waiting for the Krewe of Rex to being their parade, Venita ventured out to distribute an additional eight dozen Elmo dolls to the children along the parade route.  Shortly after 10:00 a.m., the Rex parade began.  Their theme was “All Creatures, Great and Small” and the floats all depicted some type of creature.  The beads and other throws were plentiful and our bags began filling up quickly.  Immediately following Rex, the Elks Parade began.  Consisting of 110 truck floats, Tom and the officers were on the lead float and as they arrived at our viewing area, they stopped for photos and a toast.  The then presented Venita with a giant stuffed bear who immediately took up a place of honor in the viewing area.  The parade then rolled on and we spent the balance of the afternoon admiring the hard work and creativity of the groups who had put together these wonderful floats.

 

After the parade, we adjourned back to the New Orleans Lodge for what else?  Muffaletta sandwiches, red beans and rice, etc., etc., etc.  (We do love the food of the area.)  Shortly after we arrived, the float returned as well, and we all went out to hail our conquering heroes!  We ate, drank and talked until James and Sonia eventually took us back to our hotel.  After organizing ourselves for an early morning departure, we collapsed into bed – and visions of beads and feathers danced in our heads.  Thank you, Louisiana Elks Association and especially New Orleans Elks Lodge #30.  We could not have had a more wonderful time!

FLORIDA

FLORIDA - Speedy to Serene, February 6-10, 2013

We arrived in Daytona Beach, Florida on Wednesday evening and were met at the airport by PGER and State Co-sponsor Val and Claudia Bates, State President Sean and Barbara Maguire, DDGER Pat and Ed Jackson as well as many of the Florida Elks.  We were whisked away to our hotel, The Shores Resort and Spa located right on the beach.  That evening, we had a wonderful dinner atop the hotel next door and were even treated to a fireworks show up the beach.  After dinner, the ladies all went out to the fire pits at our hotel with our "smores" kits.  We sat around the fire talking, laughing and roasting heart-shaped marshmallows to make our smores.  It was a great evening.

Thursday morning, we had breakfast with the group and then headed for the Daytona Speedway.  Upon arriving, we were greeted by Ron, our tour guide for the morning.  We boarded a private bus and he took us to the Archives of the Speedway.  This section, not open to the public, contains all of the history of the Speedway and racing in Daytona in general.  The climate controlled vault itself contains over four million racing photos and negatives.

We left the Archives and returned to the Speedway where we had a riding tour around the apron of the track and were able to view the 30 degree banked turns at each end of the speedway.  We had a chance to see the driver's meeting room, Gatorade Victory Lane, the garages and the Inspection Viewing area.  We were also shown the premium boxes where we were able to see the entire track and infield.  It was a very impressive site.  Our final stop was back where we started where we were both presented with track jackets commemorating the 55th Anniversary of the Daytona 500 race.  This was definitely a tour we will not soon forget.

After leaving the Speedway, we went for a BBQ lunch at the Daytona Pig Stand.  Part of a complex called Destination Daytona, we had an absolutely outstanding lunch of pulled pork, brisket, ribs, fried okra, collard greens and cornbread.  What a meal!  After lunch, we walked next door to the Daytona Harley-Davidson shop, reported to be the largest in the world.  We had a personal tour by Shelly Rossmeyer, the daughter of late owner and visionary Bruce Rossmeyer, who showed us through the entire store, including their service department which is located on the second floor!  The Florida Elks Association had given us two gift cards to shop with.  As Claudia Bates said, "We can't take you into the candy store and then not let you buy anything!"  We came away with some wonderful goodies, but no new motorcycles.  Darn!

After leaving the Harley shop, we made the hour drive to the Florida Elks Youth Camp which would be our home away from home for the next three days.  After settling into our tent, we joined the Past State Presidents for dinner.  We were also joined at our table by several special guests, Betty Tewksbury, Lee Weigel and Ed and Pat Jackson.  These folks have made significant donations to the ENF over the past year and we were pleased to share some time with them.  After dinner, we headed for our beds, tired after such a busy and eventful day.

Friday morning, Tom joined Sean, Bob, Val and Mike for breakfast while Venita took time to enjoy a leisurely breakfast that was delivered to the room.  While the men were all in their morning meetings, Venita went with Barbara, Claudia and Sandra to a "Meet and Greet" where she had a chance to visit with the Florida ladies over mimosas and hand out her pin.  They then adjourned to a wonderful lunch enhanced by the wonderful companionship. The men also took Tom out to lunch. A picture is worth a thousand words.  No more needs to be said about their lunch! 

Friday evening, we joined all of the attendees in the Pavilion for a BBQ dinner including cornbread, corn-on-the-cob, chicken and ribs.  We danced throughout the evening to the music of the "Knights to Remember", a 50's and 60's band that played all of our favorite tunes from our growing up years.  Partway through the evening, we were brought up to the stage and presented with two beautiful leather motorcycle vests from the Southern Florida Chapter of the Elk Riders.  We had a great time modeling them for everyone and wore them for the rest of the evening.  Tom spent some time signing cards for the folks and we handed out our pins to those who did not have them.

Saturday morning we joined everyone for breakfast and then the morning meetings.   The official luncheon was also held in the Pavilion and Tom gave his speech, talking about membership and community involvement.  We also saw a presentation about their Therapy Project, including a slide show featuring many of the children they serve.  Special presentations were made to the generous ENF donors, Ed and Pat Jackson, Lee Weigel and Betty Tewksbury.  There were a lot of teary eyes in the audience.  The Florida Elks presented Venita with a beautiful strand of pearls made by Claudia Bates, matching the earrings she received from Alabama.  After the meetings, the ladies took Venita out to lunch and shopping in Mt. Dora, a small artsy town about half hour from the camp.  They had a wonderful time, enjoying conch fritters and other seafood dishes.  Saturday evening, we had a terrific surf and turf dinner at the camp with the State Sponsors, the Florida State President and the visiting State Presidents from Georgia, Mississippi and Alabama.

 

Sunday morning Sean and Barbara loaded us up and, after a stop for breakfast, drove us back to Daytona to catch our plane to New Orleans. We were sad to say goodbye and promised to see them again in the near future.  All of the Florida Elks were so gracious and hospitable and they are doing great work in their state.  Congratulations to all of you!

SOUTH CAROLINA

SOUTH CAROLINA - Myrtle Beach, The "Grand Strand", January 31st - February 3rd

We arrived without incident in Myrtle Beach, South Carolina and were met at the airport by PGER and State Sponsor, Jack and Sharon Frost, Special Deputy Bob and Diane Ressler, and State President Terry and Becky Wade.

We arrived at our hotel, the Landmark Resort and settled into our room.  Upon strolling out onto our deck, we were greeted with a beautiful view of the Atlantic Ocean.  We then joined the Past State Presidents and South Carolina State Association Officers for a welcome reception and a chance to say hello to everyone and hand out our pins. The reception was followed by a wonderful filet mignon dinner at the Myrtle Beach Elks Lodge #1771.  Their chef was excellent and we all had a great time at the Lodge.

Friday morning, we were treated to a beautiful ocean sunrise from our room.  The sun does not come up over the ocean in California.  Sure confused me for a while. Tom left early for breakfast and the morning committee meetings with Jack and Bob.  Venita had a more leisurely start and met with many of the ladies for a "meet and greet" breakfast in the hotel.  Lunch for the ladies was held at a restaurant called the Sea Captain's House.  Built in 1930, it was a beach residence for many years, and later an inn with nine guest rooms and three home-cooked meals a day.  In 1962, the property was sold and plans were put in place to tear the old home down and build a high-rise motel.  While waiting for financing, the owners decided to operate the building as a restaurant.  That was over 49 years ago.  We had a superb lunch with beautiful ocean views and warm southern hospitality.

Meanwhile, the gentlemen had gone to Murrell's Inlet for lunch.  After lunch, Jack and Sharon took us to the local Harley-Davidson shop to purchase the traditional souvenir t-shirt.  Tom took the opportunity to restock his supply of "do-rags" for whenever we get to start riding our motorcycles again.  (That would be August, I believe.)

Friday  evening, we joined the Past State Presidents for social time and a very nice dinner at the hotel.  Later, we toured the four hospitality suites, visiting with the South Carolina Elks, sampling their BBQ and handing out pins.  A great time was had by all.

After the Saturday morning breakfast and meetings, the South Carolina Elks held their memorial service followed by the convention luncheon.  Tom had the opportunity to share his vision and hope for the future of the Order and everyone appeared to appreciate his remarks.  They presented Tom with a beautiful Pulsar watch sporting the trademark South Carolina palmetto tree and crescent moon. Venita received a beautiful pendant and earring set, also representing the palmetto tree and crescent moon. The Association also made a very generous donation in Tom's name to the ENF.

Saturday evening we went out to dinner with Jack, Sharon, Bob and Diane to a wonderful Italian restaurant, Villa Romano.  After stuffing ourselves on osso bucco, manicotti, shrimp and the best spumoni ice cream ever made, we returned to the hotel, donned our formal wear and attended the GER Dance. This dinner was  appreciated by Tom because of a chance to relax and casually enjoy the comraderie of a couple of good friends. The band was great and we enjoyed ourselves very much, and Venita even got me off my bottom to dance a few dances.  Seems to me that I moved better in high school!   After the Eleven O'Clock Toast, we bid everyone goodnight and headed for our room to get a few hours of sleep before our early flight home.

We truly enjoyed our time in South Carolina.  We know we only touched a small corner of this beautiful state, but we have put it on our list as a return destination to do some more exploring.  Thanks, South Carolina Elks!  Your generosity and southern hospitality made our weekend very special.