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