Events

2023 Journeys have been announced.  FFCC will be traveling to Saporo Japan as a club this spring, the Ohio club will be visiting Portland/Vancouver in July, and FFCC will be traveling to Baton Rouge, Louisiana in the fall.  Fun will be had by all.

FF Greater Seattle was welcomed at FF Columbia Cascades October 1-4, 2022.  The group all gathered for welcome dinner at Donna’s lovely waterfront home, spent a day discovering downtown Vancouver courtesy of a Pat Stryker tour, and had a delicious farewell brunch at Jim Arnoux and Gwen White’s Portland heights home surrounded by quilts make by Gwen and Emily Smith.  Many folks also took in a hiking day, some taking in the famous 4T trail (train, trolley, tram and trail) visiting an iconic view from Council Crest and the Oregon Health Science University campus.  Thank you to all for your sharing, kind friendships.

15 members of our club spent five days exploring the Long Beach Peninsula, the lovely 28 mile beach on the southwest corner of Washington state.  We enjoyed lots of trail walking, exploring history and eating seafood.  Thank you to the Chinook native people and the local inhabitants for sharing this beautiful home with us.  Take a peek at our discovery below.

LB trivia answers

FFCC members spent a lovely three nights with our friends in Seattle in mid-April.  We visited the Ballard Locks for a tour of the transport system with a picnic at Commodore Park (see herons nests below); the RoozenGaarde and Skagit Acres to walk in the tulips; a forest hike at Deception Pass; and lots of time chatting and eating with friends.  Wonderful time to make friends and share camaraderie.  Happy Easter to our friends around the globe!

Joni Kimoto-Reeves, a local Japanese-American who was incarcerated in an internment camp during WWII, invited us to hear her story about her experience.  Several members and some younger family members attended on November 7, 2021, 11am, at the St. James Lutheran Church at 1315 SW Park and Jefferson in downtown Portland.  Joni Kimoto told her very touching story, along with a power point presentation entitled Looking Like the enemy, A Child of the Camp.  Thank you Joni for inviting us, sharing your very personal experience, and helping shed light on this historical fact.

Our 2021 Annual Meeting will be held via Zoom at 10am, Saturday, November 13, 2021.  President Pat Stryker will be leading us again into the new year, along with her board who all have agreed to continue on for another year.  Thank you to all for your service.  Please join us to review what we have been doing this past year regardless of the Covid restrictions that have kept us home.  We are still learning and sharing culture and friendships across the world.  May your world be filled with peace, kindness, love and friendships of every variety!

Email Gwen if you wish to join.  She will then send you a zoom link.

FFCC and FF Seattle held a great virtual journey during the months of January and February courtesy of Zoom and some very special members with presentation skills.  Getting to know our own larger communities is especially delightful in these times of hunkering down at home.  Thank you to the Seattle club for suggesting this and making it happen.  If you are interested in learning more about this or participating after the fact, we did tape the events.  Check out both club newsletters for more information.  A special thank you to Mary Dickson and Joyce Frost for coordinating all the activities!  Job well done.

We continue to hold board meetings via Zoom.  Please stay tuned for information coming soon on our annual meeting.   Please plan to attend!  See you there!

All members are invited to share in a Zoom meeting hosted by the Seattle FF club on Sunday, August 30th, 3pm.  Jeremi Shook, FFI CEO, and Bobbie Mulholland, FFI Board Chair will be featured conversation and there will be time for Q&A.   Way to go Seattle FF.  Come and join the fun exploring.

For more information contact Mary Dickson at mbdinor@gmail.com.

Our annual picnic is this week, Wednesday August 26, 11:00am at Frenchman’s Bar in Vancouver, Washington.  There is a parking fee.  Go west from I-5 onto Mill Plain which becomes Lower River Road.  Turn left rather than going to Lake Vancouver at the junction to Frenchman’s Bar.  We will be at the covered pavilion at the end of the parking lot on the Columbia River.  Bring your own chair, drink, food, and MASK!  All of us will be appropriately social distancing.  We intend to walk the trail.  Come join the fun and have a good time checking in on your friends!