Hot Dog!  Summer’s here!  (Well, not  officially until June 21)

Lot’s of events this month and in the upcoming months!

First off, however, RENEW your MEMBERSHIP or join the club.  << Membership Form link >>

This month, we have:

• Hoyt Nelson’s St. Joseph’s Hill hike on Saturday, June 15 – details here: <<  St Joseph’s hike >>
• President’s membership report and election results.
  Click here: << membership report >>
• June President’s message, click here: << President’s Message>>
• NSC weeklong snow trip at Sun Peaks, British Columbia – Feb 8-15, 2014
  Details here: << Sun Peaks >>
• NSC Las Palmas Park picnic – Sat. June 22, 2013 – Details: << Picnic Flyer >>
• BAC Baseball – A’s vs Rangers – Fri. Aug 02, 2013 – Details << Baseball Flyer >>

Remember to perform random acts of kindness!

~ by Armand Gutierrez  ~

1.      Membership Activity

The month of May saw a good number of members taking advantage of the discounted membership fee by renewing their membership.  We had 18 members join, plus the returning board members (8), and Morgan Hua has decided to take a break from the board after serving a number of years. That brings us to 30 members.  Also, congratulations to Joe Feng for being the first to renew his membership.

2.      2013-2014 Election Results

I would like to thank the membership for participating in this year’s NSC board nominations and elections. There was a 40% turnout for elections and the results are as follows:

a.      President – Armand Gutierrez
b.      Vice President – Hoyt Nelson
c.      Treasurer – Frank Chang
d.      Secretary – None ~ position is available!
e.      Trip Director – Karen Soo
f.       Newsletter Chairman – Dan Lew
g.      Board Member – Joel Hayashida
h.      Board Member – Curtis Otaguro
i.       Board Member – Bryan Hess

~Armand Gutierrez~

Last year I volunteered to be President of NSC because Morgan Hua had already served two terms and he decided that it was time to pass the gavel to another NSC member. This year I volunteered to be on the ballot along with any other nominees for President. Well, there were no other nominees or write-ins so it looks like I’m back for another season. Once again, the board will remain the same; with the exception that Morgan will be taking a “break” from serving on the board. I would like to thank the current board members for remaining “on board”, and a special thanks to Morgan for serving on the board for a number of years. Besides my duties as President I will also continue my Membership Chairman position.

This past ski season was slightly better than last years, but not by much. The season started off well with snow in November and December, but after that it seemed like Mother Nature decided to take a nap. The highlight of the season had to be the Steamboat trip where everyone was treated to the famous champagne powder.

This year’s ski week will be at Sun Peaks, BC. I picked Sun Peaks because it offers great skiing on a variety of slopes, Nisei has never been there, and I figured it was time to explore new territory. Take a look at the flyer on the website and sign up for what should be a great ski experience.

This month we’re also having a Post-Season Picnic at Las Palmas Park in Sunnyvale. There was such a good turnout at last year’s picnic the board decided to have this event to once again reunite old friends, meet new friends, and get everyone excited about the upcoming season. Read the flyer for details and look for an Evite invitation in your email. One other upcoming event is the Mt. View Obon Festival on July 20-21. If you’re interested in volunteering for this event please contact Karen Soo ().

I’m hopeful that this season will bring us an increased membership, a few more social events, and a good ski season.

MAY is membership renewal month!  Your NSC membership expires at the end of May.  Renew before the end of the end of the month and get a $5 discount for the 2013-14 membership year!  For you mathematically inclined, that’s a 16.66% discount – try to get that kind of return on your mutual fund!!!  Click here for the membership form: >>membership form<<

At this year’s tragic Boston Marathon, the following  humorous sighting was made at the athlete’s village at the starting town of Hopkington, adding a bit of levity for an otherwise unforgettably sad day.

On a happier note, we have Armand’s President’s Message and Membership Report which can be read here: >> President’s Message<< and >> Membership Report <<.

Lastly, Curtis Otiguro reports on the Pinnacles National Monument hike. We in the San Francisco Bay Area are blessed with the proximity of  National Parks, Yosemite and the newest, Pinnacles, within easy driving distance.  Read Curtis’ “Lure of the Pinnacles” and enjoy some armchair travelling!

REMEMBER – RENEW YOUR MEMBERSHIP!!!  Invite your family, friends & enemies to join!!! The more the merrier!

Ischgl, Österreich

~Armand Gutierrez ~

Sad to say, but, I’ve finally acknowledged that the ski season has ended. It wasn’t  the best of seasons with Mother Nature giving us great hope in November and December and then leaving us high and dry from January to April.  Still, it was a better season than last year and this was one of those seasons that I didn’t have to use 4WD up at Tahoe, which means either I missed the snowfall weekends or it just didn’t snow that much. Fortunately, there was plenty of snow on my Innsbruck trip. Three days at Innsbruck, one day at St. Anton, and one day at Ischgl provided some excellent skiing. A return trip to Ischgl is in the cards because I was amazed at how big this place is. Think three or four Vails put together and you have what Ischgl has to offer.

This is also the end of our 2012-2013 season and it’s time to bring in the 2013-2014 NSC season. Last month we had our nominations and this month it’s time for elections. Based on the nominations it looks like there won’t be much of a change on the board, but we’ll still have the election ballot go out to everyone so you can due your duty of voting. Lucky winners will be announced at the June NSC Post-Season Picnic.

We’re currently finalizing plans for the June NSC Post-Season Picnic at Las Palmas Park (Sunnyvale) on June 22^nd. As mentioned last month, this will be a potluck lunch where you provide your favorite dish and the Board will provide the beverages (beer, soda, and water). Details will be in the June Newsletter.

Interested in volunteering for a worthwhile event? Well, the annual Mt. View Obon festival is scheduled for 20-21 July and they could use a helping hand, especially for the ever-popular beer booth. If interested then contact either Karen Soo ( "> ) or me ( "> ) for details.

 Membership Activity
~ Armand Gutierrez ~

We’re ending our 2012-2013 season with a total membership of 58 members and I’m hopeful that the upcoming season will see an increase in membership. The 2013-2014 season starts in June but if you send in your completed membership form during the month of May the early membership fee is only $25 instead of $30. This last season our membership was sufficient to plan and have one weekend ski trip (we did have three planned but two had to be cancelled), and the ski week had 28 lucky skiers at Steamboat. So now is the time to for you to recruit some friends and if we can get 75+ members then we can start planning on a possible 2^nd weekend ski trip.