Nisei Ski Club

by Armand Gutierrez, President

Welcome to the Chinese Year of the Dragon! Yes, the Chinese New Year starts February 10th and celebrations culminate with the Lantern Festival on February 17th. People born in the year of the Dragon (1928, 1940, 1952, 1964, etc.) are often considered to be charismatic, ambitious, adventurous, and fearless.

It was with hopeful anticipation that pursuing my skiing pleasures would come to pass before the Christmas holidays, but alas, Mother Nature just wasn’t cooperating. The snow conditions at Tahoe were less than ideal and the three major resorts (Northstar, Palisades, and Heavenly) were only operating 2-3 lifts and only a handful of bunny runs, not quit enticing enough for me to make a 4-hour drive to Tahoe. So, another season is starting late for me. But, recent weather patterns look favorable for more snowfall and an early January trip looks very promising and I need to get on the sticks before Jackson Hole.

2024 NSC Jackson Hole – 27 January to 3 February

Our ski week to Jackson Hole, a skiers mountain, is coming up at the end of the month. Jackson Hole has been receiving some good snowfall and, as I always say, more is better. The Jackson Hole Orientation meeting is on Saturday, 13 January and the Evite has been sent out, so let me know if you did not receive the Evite (president@niseiskiclub.org). Come by if you can to pick up your souvenir jacket, luggage tags from Sports America, and to meet and greet your fellow skiers.

QotM: Every time someone comes up with a foolproof solution, along comes a more-talented fool.

by Karen Soo, Newsletter Editor

Happy New Year! Welcome to 2024

Eating and gathering were always centered around our club and club members.

This year I will be posting recipes from The Official Nisei Ski Club Recipe Book.

Recipes from this book were used at many NSC events. The weekend ski trips, annual picnics and pot luck parties.

The first NSC Recipe Book was written in 1975. This was immediately followed by another book in 1997. Annie Ogata was NSC president 1997-1998 and NSC was celebrating the 40th anniversary.

Just a reminder, we just celebrated NSC 65th Anniversary in October 2023

In 2005, Judy Hom and Winston Fong printed copies of our cookbook and sold copies at Nikkei Traditions. This was a way to raise money for our club.

Maybe we can bring this cookbook back? Who is interested in The Official Nisei Ski Club Recipe Book? Send me an email. newsletter@niseiskiclub.org.

The first recipe is our famous Chinese Chicken salad that we made and sold at the annual Nikkei Matsuri in Japan town in San Jose.

We sold Chicken Salad as a fund raiser. We sold over 2000 bowls of chicken salads.

The preparation took 2 days and 60 members to cook and shred the chicken, clean and cut the lettuce and finally mixing the salad dressing. We had to follow food temperature protocol and made sure the salad is chilled properly before selling to the public.

SO MUCH WORK!!

Bon Appetite – Julia Child and Karen Soo share the same birthday.

Ingredients

Reprinted from the Nisei Ski Club Recipe Cookbook

1976 – 1977 was a drought year and NSC made Chicken Salad for a fund raiser at the San Joe Japanese American Community Bicentennial Celebration. This has since become known as Nikkei Matsuri and NSC made $400.00 from sales of the salad with this recipe!

Preparation Time – 1 day ahead Serving: 4,000 bowls

Ingredients

• 250 pounds chicken breasts, cooked and shredded
• 400 pounds lettuce, shredded
• 1,200 stalks of green onions, chopped
• 40 bunches Chinese parsley, chopped
• 35 pounds rice sticks, deep fried according to package directions.
• 10 pounds sesame seeds, toasted

Dressing

• 20 pounds sugar
• 12 cups salt
• 4 cups Ajinomoto
• 1 ½ pounds extra fine ground pepper
• 3 gallons sesame oil
• 6 gallons vinegar
• 13 gallons salad oil

In a 30-gallon pot, mix dressing ingredients vigorously. Stabilizer may be used to make the dressing thicker, approximately 1 cup. Combine salad ingredients just before serving and mix with dressing.

Here’s the ingredients for smaller proportions:

• 1 head lettuce, shredded
• 3 stalks green onions, chopped,
• Few sprigs Chinese parsley
• 2 oz rice sticks, dep fried according to package directions
• 2 tbsp sesame seeds, toasted (slivered almonds, optional)

Dressing:

• 2-3 tsp sugar
• 1 tsp salt
• 1 tsp Ajinomoto
• ½ tsp extra fine ground pepper
• 1 Tbs sesame oil
• 3 Tbs vinegar
• 3-4 Tbs salad oil

Here are some pictures from the last time we participated at Nikkei Matsuri in 2011, 2010 and 2008

by Karen Soo, Trip Director

Klaus Obermeyer is 104 years old and still telling great ski stories.

While Klaus no longer turns down Buttermilk, he is still present in the office and is active every day stretching and practicing Aikido.

Read his incredible story here.

by Karen Soo, Trip Director

During the time I worked for Marmot, we would attend the annual sales meeting at Lake Tahoe. After the meetings, we would mingle and talk to the sales people. Dinner and drinks led to the our shot ski competition. Basically taking shots from a shot glass that was attached to the ski. The goal was to take shots without spilling any whiskey. 3 people standing shoulder to shoulder.

Breckenridge just broke the record for the longest Shot-Ski with 485 skis connected together, 2469 feet long and connecting 1377 people.

Check it out here

by Armand Gutierrez, President

Tahoe ski resorts are open, although they have very few lifts and runs open. But still, I guess it’s better than bare slopes. Tahoe resorts were hoping to open early this year (by Thanksgiving) but lack of precipitation didn’t bring the Winter Wonderland, and more snow is needed if they want to get this skier to spend four hours of driving time (one-way) up to Tahoe. Next to Thanksgiving perhaps the Christmas season is my favorite time of the year. There’s nothing like listening to Christmas music (old standards and new versions), watching the neighbors put up Christmas lights and decorations, and everyone getting into that Christmas spirit that permeates the atmosphere. And then again, it also means that the ski season is starting and the white slopes of Tahoe will once again become my playground. This is when Mother Nature does some of her best work, laying down a carpet of endless snowflakes and transforming the hillsides and mountain vistas into a true Winter Wonderland

2024 NSC Jackson Hole – 27 January to 3 February

Everything is in place for the Jackson Hole trip in January. Unlike last year with our Breckenridge trip there will be an Orientation Meeting in January and you will be notified with an Evite in early December. There will be a Potluck Dinner on Tuesday and a Farewell Dinner on Thursday. Since our group is spread across three buildings it is probably prudent to have each building host a potluck dinner. Info about the Grand Targhee day trip on Wednesday is forthcoming; just want to confirm the pickup points. Hopefully you will get a chance to get a few days of skiing in before the trip. You know, just to limber up those legs and find out what hurts and what doesn’t hurt.

Christmas Greetings

This has been a good year for NSC with the altitude-challenging Breckenridge trip, the annual Luau/Membership Meeting picnic, a 65^th Anniversary Reunion dinner, several Pickleball events, and a Bowling event. On behalf of the NSC board I would like to wish everyone a Merry Christmas and a safe and Happy New Year.

QotM: If you’re going to try cross-country skiing, start with a small country – Victor Borge

by Tina Woo, Membership

Our 2^nd Annual Nisei Ski Club Pickleball Social was held on Saturday, November 4 at the Sunnyvale Tennis Center.  Rain was originally forecast but we had a sunny, gorgeous, “blue bird” day.  16 players signed up for the event, which included 12 NSC members and 4 non-members.  Our group included experienced players and some completely new to the pickleball sport. The stadium courts were reserved from 9-11 am which kept our group together without interruption from other players and clubs. There was no “waiting time” and all players were on the courts for the full two-hours of instruction and play. Cindy and Steve, the Lifetime Activities “Pros” provided instruction, drills, strategies and critique of play. We had two groups of experienced players and two groups of beginners and advanced beginners.

There was one minor crash but no injuries in the advanced beginner group.  Everyone enjoyed the event and had a good time playing. Steve stated he enjoyed teaching our group and played with the beginner group. It looks like the instructors enjoyed themselves as well because they were contracted for one hour of instruction but spent two hours with us.

Participant comments included:

“It was a real pleasure to meet you all and reacquaint myself with the Nisei group. I had so much fun learning how to play pickleball for the 1^st time. Instructor Cindy was very hands on with great tips and cheered us on when we had good technique which was very encouraging. Would definitely play again.”

“Cindy provided really good drills and suggestions.  She is enthusiastic, knowledgeable and shares her great positive energy.” Very knowledgeable and unafraid to step right in with drills and suggestions for improvement.”

“There were enough players at the same level to drill and play with.  It was nice getting a different perspective on strategy.  The drills were different than the ones I know and I learned some new tricks.  If only I could incorporate them into my game.”

“We really enjoyed today’s pickleball lesson and play.  Steve’s instructions were very straightforward and easy to follow.  Furthermore, he went over the game basics, player positioning and scoring.”

After the pickleball event, a group of seven continued with the lunch afterwards at Bonchon in Sunnyvale for Korean fried chicken, Bulgogi fries and tacos! 

An enjoyable fun event for all.  Hope you can join us at the next one.

by Jeff Honda, Board member

Do you remember that 70’s TV game show Bowling for Dollars? The game show took place at a real bowling alley where local people could play the sport of bowling to win cash and sometimes prizes based on how well they bowled.

Well Nisei Ski Club members had their own bowling competition.

Strikes were cheered and gutter balls loathed as the Nisei Ski Club hurled bowling balls down the lane at Homestead Bowl, Cupertino on November 10th.

Nine club members (Alex Kami, Carol Takeda, Wendy Low, Curtis Otaguro, Roland Lee, David Tom, Bev Lee, Jeff Honda and Armand Gutierrez) and one guest (Karen Moreland) participated in the event.

Roland had the high score for the day, but Karen proved to be the most consistent with the highest pinfall over two games.

After the 10^th frame, the group went to lunch at Dish n Dash to closed out an enjoyable and relaxing event.

Everyone had a great time. We hope to see you at the next bowling event.

Curtis’s concentration pays off.

by Karen Soo, Newsletter Editor

These healthy carrot cake muffins are easy to make with oatmeal, lots of fresh carrots, and a handful of other simple and healthy ingredients. Feel free to top them with a lightened-up cream cheese drizzle too!

I made them without the cream cheese drizzle.

Bon Appetite – Julia Child and Karen Soo share the same birthday.

Ingredients

HEALTHY CARROT MUFFIN INGREDIENTS:

• 2 3/4 cups old-fashioned oats*
• 1 1/2 teaspoons baking soda
• 1 1/2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
• 3/4 teaspoon fine sea salt
• 1 teaspoon ground ginger
• 1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
• 2 eggs
• 1 cup unsweetened plain almond milk (or your preferred kind of milk)
• 1 cup (5 ounces) shredded carrots
• 1/2 cup maple syrup
• 3 tablespoons melted coconut oil (or any mild-flavored oil)
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 2/3 cup optional add-ins (chopped pecans or walnuts, raisins, shredded coconut, or chocolate chips*)
• coarse turbinado sugar (optional)

CREAM CHEESE DRIZZLE INGREDIENTS:

• 1/3 cup low-fat cream cheese, room temperature
• 1/4 cup powdered sugar, sifted
• 2 to 3 teaspoons almond milk (or your preferred kind of milk)
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Instructions

1. Prep oven and muffin pan. Preheat oven to 375°F. Line a 12-cup muffin pan with baking liners, or lightly grease with cooking spray.  Set aside.
2. Purée oats. Purée the oats in a blender or food processor until they reach a flour-like consistency. Add in the baking soda, cinnamon, sea salt, ginger, nutmeg, and pulse a few more times until the mixture is evenly combined. Set aside.
3. Mix the ingredients. In a separate large mixing bowl, whisk together the eggs, milk, shredded carrots, maple syrup, coconut oil and vanilla extract until evenly combined.  Fold the oatmeal mixture in with the wet ingredient mixture, along with any optional add-ins, and stir until the mixture is just combined.  (Try to avoid over-mixing.)
4. Prep the baking cups. Portion the batter evenly into prepared baking cups.  Then sprinkle a generous pinch of turbinado sugar on top of each cup of muffin batter, if you would like.
5. Bake. Bake for 15-18 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center of the muffins comes out clean.  Remove from the oven and place the pan on a wire cooling rack until the muffins cool to room temperature.
6. Make the cream cheese drizzle. While the muffins bake, whisk together the cream cheese drizzle ingredients in a small mixing bowl until smooth. If the drizzle seems too thin, add in a few extra tablespoons of powdered sugar. If it is too thick, add in a tiny extra splash of milk.
7. Serve. Once the muffins have cooled to room temperature, use a fork or a piping bag to top each muffin with your desired amount of cream cheese drizzle. Serve immediately, or transfer to an airtight container and refrigerate the muffins for up to 3 days or freeze for up to 3 months.

NOTES

Oat flour: Alternately, you can sub in in 220 grams (7.75 ounces) oat flour.  And as always, be sure to use certified gluten-free ingredients if making this recipe gluten-free.

Optional add-ins: Feel free to add 2/3 of extra add-ins total to this recipe, such as chopped nuts (I’d recommend chopped pecans or walnuts), raisins (or dried cranberries or cherries), shredded coconut (sweetened or unsweetened), chocolate chips (semisweet or white) — or a combination of any of these.

Prep time: The prep time listed above does not include the amount of time needed to let these muffins cool, which can vary between about 30-60 minutes. That said, if you’re in a hurry, you can always eat the muffins right away without the cream cheese drizzle, or spread the cream cheese frosting on with a knife as a spread.

by Karen Soo, Newsletter Editor

The Christmas tree at Rockefeller Center was illuminated by more than 50,000 multicolored lights on Wednesday, kicking off a Midtown Manhattan holiday tradition that dates back to the 1930s.

This year, the window displays at Saks Fifth Ave explored Christian Dior’s first visit to the United States and New York, in 1947, a trip that ignited his fascination with the city.

The collaboration was the first time that Saks had partnered with a luxury fashion house for its holiday display.

In the displays, with the theme of “Dior’s Carousel of Dreams at Saks,” miniature figurines of Mr. Dior, who died in 1957, were placed in various scenes of the windows along Fifth Avenue.

On behalf of the NSC board, I would like to wish you and your family a very Merry Christmas and a fantastic New Year in 2024.

Enjoy the pics..

TURN UP THE VOLUME – Darn tourist talking behind me…

Wishing you health, peace and happiness to you and your family.,, And the rest of the World.

See you in 2024 , Nisei Ski Club Officers and Board Members.

by Karen Soo, Trip Director

Here are some ski / snow related movies that were recommended by our Nisei Ski Club Members.

Both Dan and Judy will be on the Jackson Hole trip in 2024

Dan Lew recommends – K2: The Impossible Descent

On July 22, 2018, a Polish ski mountaineer clicked into his bindings at an altitude of 8,611m to make history. Follow Andrzej Bargiel’s expedition from Poland to Pakistan, as he descends K2 on skis.

https://www.redbull.com/int-en/films/k2-the-impossible-descent

Judy Bracken recommends –Buried: The 1982 Alpine Meadows Avalanche

This gripping documentary revisits the 1982 massive, deadly avalanche at Alpine Meadows in Lake Tahoe and the frantic search-and-rescue operation that followed. This is streaming on NETFLIX

https://m.imdb.com/title/tt13033424/?ref_=ttvi_tt

by Armand Gutierrez, President

November is coming in crisp and cool and Tahoe resorts are beginning to get some snowfall. Remember two years ago when Palisades Tahoe actually opened before Halloween with a rare early snowfall? Well, this year it’s back to the usual November opening dates. And this month the main attraction is also Thanksgiving. Yup, this is when we all gather around the feasting table and forget about diets, counting calories, and enjoy a bountiful meal with family. And on the subject of feasting, we certainly did that at the NSC 65^th Anniversary Dinner on Saturday, 28 October. China Stix kept bringing out entrées and more entrées throughout the evening.

For those of you that dream about skiing in November, and before Thanksgiving, here are some important resort opening dates:

• Northstar – 17 November
• Heavenly – 17 November
• Alpine/Palisades – 22 November
• Jackson Hole – 24 November
• Kirkwood – 1 December

The Latest from NSCF/OnTheSnow

The National Ski Council Federation (NSCF) issues a monthly newsletter on ski-related items within the ski industry, and OnTheSnow also offered a few items. Here are some of the highlights:

• Lift prices are going skyward. Expect to see $300 (no, that’s not a typo) window prices, and here are some expected prices for the Tahoe area:
  • $259 – Heavenly
  • $269 – Northstar
  • $279 – Palisades
  • Do you feel the burn in your back pocket?
• Resorts are transitioning to cashless systems.
  • Vail went cashless in late 2022
  • Use of reverse ATMs.
  • Kids use smart phones to pay for everything, now it’s time for us adults to get on that bandwagon.
• Resort Upgrades (this is the good news)
  • Remember that 15-person cylinder that went to the top of Lone Peak at Big Sky? Well, rejoice, it’s been replaced by a 75-person capacity tram
  • Sun Valley has two new lifts.
  • Not an upgrade, but Palisades will be introducing a new parking reservation system. The majority of the parking inventory will be dedicated to free reservations, paid parking reservations are available for those of you that have the money, and want to arrive late in order to secure a parking spot.

Upcoming Events Get your calendars out and mark these dates down for planned events for the remainder of the year.

November 4  – NSC Pickleball Event – Tina Woo reports that she has people signed up for this latest craze happening across the states, and there’s room for more. See the flyer for details.

November 11 – NSC Bowling Event – Following Tina’s Pickleball Ball there’s Jeff Honda’s Bowling Event the week after. This should be a fun experience because it’s unknown who is good and who is not good at rolling a 13-16lb. ball down a wooden floor just to hit a bunch of wooden pins. Come and join us for an exciting morning and then lunch afterwards and hear the bragging on who had the best scores. See the flyer and an Evite for details.

2024 NSC Jackson Hole – 27 January to 3 February

The Jackson Hole trip is fully booked with 46 signups and a few extras going along on their own arrangements. Since there were only 21 signups for air we will be taking Alaska Airlines, and all remaining Alaska and United Air seats have been released. If you have an Ikon Pass then you will need to make reservations for the week we are there, and you can login in to your account at ikonpass.com and make reservations. And yes, that is a current picture at the summit of the Teton Lift.  The upper mountain has already received 36” of snow.

QotM: If you’re not criticized, you’re not doing enough.

by Jeff Honda, Board Member

by Jeanne Katsuro, Vice President

It was so much fun to see old and new Nisei Ski Club members!

Seven past Presidents were present who served as presidents during the years listed below.

        Jeanne Katsuro       1986 ~1987

        Curtis Otaguro       1988 ~ 1989

        David Tom             1993 ~ 1994

        Doug Higashi         1999 ~ 2000

        Judy Hom               2003 ~ 2004

        Armand Gutierrez   2005 ~ 2006

        Curtis Otaguro        2007 ~ 2008     

        Joel Hayashida        2008 ~ 2010     2 years

        Armand Gutierrez   2011 ~ 2023    12 years

Our current and past President Armand Gutierrez is the GLUE that has kept our club together all these years!  We need to give him a standing ovation!

We welcome 3 brand new Members   Philip Toy, Arlene Tom and Mark Tsukuda

We welcome back 6 returning Members – Dean Santo, Lydia Santo, Debra Fong., Dorise Yee~Ouye, Tony Moy and Celeste Rogers

Nisei Ski Club is growing and coming back STRONG!

A big thank you to Bill Lee for all the fantastic photography of all the attendees!

A big thank you to Randy Hirai for our new NSC 65^th Anniversary graphic logo!

Nisei Ski Club continues to make changes to make our club a Strong SOCIAL CLUB as well as a Ski Club!

Check out Bill Lee ‘s Pictures:

Nisei Ski Club 65th Anniversary Dinner

by Karen Soo, Newsletter Editor

Tender and chewy, this big-batch dessert — as comforting as cake and as fun as bar cookies — is always a hit at parties. Mochiko, sweet rice flour, not only gives it its distinctive marshmallow-like softness, but it also lends a natural sweetness. This version of butter mochi uses only coconut milk for its richness and subtle nutty taste, but you can substitute equivalent amounts of whole milk, evaporated milk or a combination of those liquids. Butter mochi develops a crackly top that stays crunchy the day it’s baked, making it a delicious dessert to eat without adornment. But, if you’d like more crunch, you can sprinkle dried shredded coconut evenly over the top before baking, or, for a tangy, colorful top, you can coat it with the passion fruit glaze below.

Bon Appetite – Julia Child and Karen Soo share the same birthday.

Ingredients

Yield1 (9-by-13-inch) cake

FOR THE MOCHI

• 6 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted and cooled, plus more for greasing the pan
• 3 cups mochiko (sweet rice flour), like Blue Star brand
• 2 teaspoons baking powder
• ½ teaspoon fine sea salt
• 4 large eggs
• 2 cups granulated sugar
• 2 (13.5-ounce) cans unsweetened coconut milk (scant 3½ cups)
• 1 tablespoon pure vanilla extract

FOR THE PASSION FRUIT GLAZE (OPTIONAL)

• 1½ packed cups confectioners’ sugar
• 2 to 4 tablespoons passion fruit pulp or purée (see Tip)
• Pink or red food coloring (optional)

Instructions

1. Make the mochi: Heat the oven to 350 degrees. Lightly butter a 9-by-13-inch cake pan, then line the bottom and sides with parchment paper.

• Whisk the mochiko, baking powder and salt in a medium bowl. Prepare the batter in a stand mixer or in a large bowl with an electric hand mixer or whisk: Whisk the eggs and sugar until pale yellow and thick. Continue whisking while pouring in the coconut milk, then the butter and vanilla. Continue whisking while gradually adding the mochiko mixture. Whisk until the batter is completely smooth. Pour into the prepared pan, then tap it against the counter to get rid of any air bubbles.

• Bake until golden brown and crackly, 1 hour 15 minutes to 1½ hours. When you press the center, it should bounce back but not indent at all. Cool completely in the pan on a wire rack. Use the parchment paper to slide the cooled mochi out of the pan.

• The mochi is delicious plain, but you can add a glaze if you’d like: Mix the confectioners’ sugar with 2 tablespoons passion fruit pulp until smooth. It should be thick but drippy. If needed, add another 1 to 2 tablespoons pulp. If you’d like to create an ombré or sunset effect, scrape some into another bowl or multiple bowls and tint with food coloring. Spread the glaze evenly over the mochi, in stripes if you’d like, and let stand until set.

• Cut the mochi into squares or bars. Serve immediately, or keep in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 3 days.

TIP

You can buy pure passion fruit purée from specialty markets and some grocery stores in the frozen fruit section. If you can’t find the fruit or purée, you can substitute passion fruit juice or nectar, but it will be much sweeter. To prepare passion fruit pulp from fresh fruit, halve 2 fruits and scrape the pulp into a small microwave-safe bowl or saucepan. Warm by microwaving for 15 seconds or heating on low until loose and runny. Press through a sieve to extract the pulp from the seeds

If you want to go the easy route – Just use this easy mix here.                                                            

by Karen Soo, Newsletter Editor

One of the best ways you can help Maui and its affected residents is by simply donating what you can to trusted donation funds. While so many have already donated, the amount of funds that will be necessary to help rebuild what was lost, and assist those who are hurting, is truly staggering. We recommend giving to established funds and organizations, such as the Maui Strong Fund, the Maui Humane Society and Red Cross Hawaiʻi, which are all directly involved in the recovery of Maui.

Please email Karen at newsletter@niseiskiclub.org if you have the answer..

by Armand Gutierrez, President

Ahhh, Once again the neighborhood is slowly making its annual transition to “the Dark Side”. Witness the incursion of creatures of the night and from beyond. Dare I walk at night not knowing what lurks behind every bush? The custom of visiting houses with ghoulish characters for purpose of being rewarded with confectionary treats escapes me, but I’ll take that risk just to be rewarded with my favorite candy, chocolate of course!

Upcoming Events

Get your calendars out and mark these dates down for planned events for the remainder of the year.

Website Transition

Morgan Hua, our behind-the-scenes Webmaster, discussed with the board that our web site hosting service is going up in price and that we should eventually move to another hosting service. Plus, our mailing capability is getting outdated and that service should also be moved to another host. So, in the next few months we’ll be looking at how to best transition from our current services to a newer service. As we progress to implementing a transition you will be notified of any changes.

2024 NSC Jackson Hole – 27 January to 3 February

The Jackson Hole trip is fully booked with 6 2-bedroom units and 4 3-bedroom units. However, there are additional 2- and 3- bedroom units available. New applications will be accepted but put on a Waitlist until a condo can be filled.  So if you’re interested in going then now is the time to let me know because by the middle of October there will be no more applications accepted.

QotM: Experience is something you don’t get until just after you need it.

HAPPY HALLOWEEN!

by Jeanne Katsuro, Vice President

Join us and celebrate – Nisei Ski Club’s 65th Anniversary.

Date: Saturday, October 28, 2023

Location:       China Stix Restaurant https://www.chinastix.net/

                     2110 El Camino Real

Santa Clara, CA 95050

Time – 5:00pm

Come out and get reacquainted with past presidents and your NSC members.

It’s going to be a fantastic evening!!

For more information, please send updated emails to

Jeanne Katsuro vicepresident@niseiskiclub.org

65th-Anniversary-Dinner-Final-Flyer-Version-3-FinalDownload

Here are some pics from our NSC 60th Anniversary DInner in 2018

by Tina Woo, Membership

Join us for our 2^nd annual Nisei Ski Club Pickleball Event. Our inaugural event (held in October 2022) was met with such enthusiasm and success we decided to organize a second club event. Grab a paddle and join us on Saturday, November 4 from 9-11 am.

Pickleball’s popularity has skyrocketed in the last two years.  What is pickleball?  Pickleball is a mash-up between tennis, ping pong and badminton and is played on a court smaller than a tennis court.  It offers a safe, socially distanced form of exercise, is low impact and is accessible for people of all ages.  Sign up and join us!!  Even if you don’t play, you’re welcome to join us for dim sum lunch afterwards.  All are welcome!

by Jeff Honda, Board Member

by Karen Soo, Newsletter Editor

Hey Fellow Bakers,

I’m always in search for recipes made with fresh blueberries.

Fresh blueberries are low in calories and incredibly healthy, potentially regulating blood sugar levels and aiding heart and brain health. Often marketed as a superfood, blueberries are an excellent source of several vitamins, beneficial plant compounds, and antioxidants.  I use a handful for my smoothies. pancakes and especially for blueberry muffins.

I’m really looking for an excuse to have dessert for breakfast. Honestly, Jordan Marsh’s blueberry muffins are light, cakey in a good way and so easy to make. I make them often for the weeklong ski trips. Want one? Come over to our condo at Jackson Hole.

Try them out and let me know how you like them. Enjoy!

Bon Appetite – Julia Child and Karen Soo share the same birthday.

Ingredients

Yield:12 muffins

• 1/2 cup softened butter
• 1 1/4 cups sugar
• 2 eggs
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 2 cups flour
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 2 teaspoons baking powder
• 1/3 cup milk
• 2 cups blueberries, washed, drained and picked over
• 3 teaspoon sugar

Instructions

• Preheat the oven to 375 degrees.

• Cream the butter and 1 1/4v cups sugar until light.

• Add the eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition. Add vanilla.

• Sift together the flour, salt and baking powder, and add to the creamed mixture alternately with the milk.

• Crus1/2 cup blueberries with a fork, and mix into the batter. Fold in the remaining whole berries. ( I skipped the crushing)

• Line a 12-cup standard muffin tin with cupcake liners, and fill with batter. Sprinkle the 3 teaspoons sugar over the tops of the muffins, and bake at 375 degrees for about 30-35 minutes.

• Remove muffins from tin and cool at least 30 minutes. Store, uncovered, or the muffins will be too moist the second day, if they last that long.

by Karen Soo, Newsletter Editor

It’s a Small World After All…

I guess you can figure out where Curtis and I spent our vacation in September, Walt Disney World. (WDW). We had sunshine, 80% humidity and the temperature was in the 90’s. Its was HOT but its was still a happy place for us.

Walt Disney World Resort (WDW) is a world – renowned entertainment complex located in Orlando, Florida. It is one of the most popular tourist destinations in the world, drawing millions of visitors each year.

Walt Disney World Resort is a significant economic driver for the state of Florida. It generates substantial revenue and has a significant impact for the local economy in various ways.

Thanks to our charge cards, we spent our share of “Benjamin’s” on park tickets, accommodations, dining, shopping, transportation and other tourism related expenses which benefited the local businesses and the state’s economy.

This is Curtis’s first trip to the Sunshine State. My 8^th time to WDW.

I started planning our trip after the ski season. I subscribed to Ear Shots YouTube videos. Read all the blogs on Facebook and tried to understand what people do to plan for their trips.

We picked a week after Labor Day when all the kiddies were back at school and of course we went during the hurricane season. ( Less crowded) What are the odds of Hurricane Ian 2022 hitting land again? We got lucky, no hurricane in sight. We had the occasional thunder shower downpour.

We used my miles to fly down to Florida. We purchased advance park passes for 4 full days. DING $99.00 a day for the theme parks which includes. Epcot, Magic Kingdom, Hollywood Studios and Animal Kingdom.  Just like a ski resort, walk up ticket prices were $150.00 a day. OUCH!

We spent 14 hours in the park. We did rent a car and drove to the parks – DING $25.00 a day for parking. We walked 26,000 to 28,000 steps a day, that’s 11 to 12 miles. Good sneakers are advised.

OUT is the traditional Fast Pass. IN is the Genie + – A reservation system for select rides. The plus side of Genie + is the lines were shorter and the wait was quick. I think Genie + was worth it. DING $15.00 – $20.00 a day per person, depending on the park.

Curtis was a champ in reserving the rides. Believe me, we did not miss a thing. We rode almost all the rides and seen all the shows and attractions.

We stayed at my friend’s time share, Club Wyndham at Bonnet Creek, which was on the Disney property but not a Disney affiliated accommodation. DING $80.00 a night / a bargain. 10–15-minute ride to the parks.

The disadvantage is we cannot go into the park 30 minutes earlier. We did go to the park early for rope drop (7:30am-8:00am)– this means we were there at the front of the line when the parked opened up. Once the rope drop we did our power walk to our first ride.

 The 4 parks offer various shows, parades, character meet and greet. At the end of the night, the fabulous fireworks show took place at 9:00pm – People were already waiting at their spots at 7:00pm.

Epcot has the new Guardian of the Galaxy roller coaster ride plus the international food festival.

Magic Kingdom has the Tron Light cycle ride- A ride on an individual motor cycle. See Video

Hollywood Studio has the Star Wars theme rides.

Animal Kingdom has the Pandora – The world of Avatar. Fly on the back of a mountain Banshee.

(Watch the Avatar Movie and you will understand what a Banshee is.)

We packed sandwiches for lunch and we carried a lot of snacks with us. We each had our own Camel bak so we were hydrated throughout the day. Plus, Florida tap water is nasty.

I had my smoke Turkey Leg on steroids. It was tender and not dried at all.

Epcot had their annual food festival around the park. Different kiosks had different types of food.
Again, Curtis researched and ate and drank his way around Epcot.

We invested in the Disney photo pass package. DING $169.00. Photographers were stationed all over the parks to take your pictures. Standing in line, we got our pictures in front of various place like Cinderella Castle and the Millennium Falcon. We didn’t do take too much pictures with the Disney characters – a long wait and we had no time for that. We did get one picture with Mickey Mouse. There were 275 photos of us from the package, in addition to our own pictures.

We had one day of rest after 2 days in the parks. We just laid by the pool and walked around Disney Springs and had dinner there.

Overall, It was a fun,, well planned trip. You definitely need to plan ahead. We were like 2 kids running around from ride to ride. Did we get dizzy on the rides? Not really, but some of the ride effects were amazing. If anyone wants to take a magical trip to Walt Disney World, send me an email and I’ll share my notes with you.

Here are some pics taken by the Disney photo pass Package.