WWURA NEWS
Welcoming retired WWU Faculty and Staff and others
January 2022
Notes from our Leader:
Happy Holidays! Hope you were able to meet with friends and family during the holidays. We went down to my son Mike's for Christmas dinner.
At our December board meeting we decided not to renew the rental of Squalicum Yacht Club. They raised the rental by $20 per use. We felt that we probably wouldn’t be able to use the venue before spring at the earliest and didn’t want to pay when we can’t use it. Will look for another venue when the time comes.
I hope we can have our picnic in the summer. Will discuss this at our January board meeting. It worked out well at Fairhaven as we were able to bring tables and sit outside.
Looking forward to our January Travelogue where we go canoeing with Veronica Wisniewski and Edoh Amiran.
We got a message from Kevin that he and Sally are trying to come home but having trouble booking a flight. He wanted to be here for the January board meeting but may have to join us on Zoom from DC if able. He will be at the February board meeting.
Happy New Year to you all. May 2022 bring us better news on COVID.
Peggy Loudon
360-733-6052
For Your Calendar
TRAVELOGUE: A CANOE JOURNEY
The Canning River: Mountains to Ocean through the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge
Wed., Jan, 19th at 4:00 PM
Presented by Veronica Wisniewski & Edoh Amiran
You will receive your Zoom link the day before from Lina Zeine.
They will discuss preparations, excursions and wildlife on a 17-day paddle in the Alaska wilderness.
EVENTS
For now, most functions will be held virtually on Zoom. As 2022 evolves we hope to return to in-person gatherings. Your suggestions are welcome for possible venues and events
New Additions to the Newsletter
YOUR TURN
It is your turn to write a short article [< 180 words ] on any topic for this newsletter.
GETTING TO KNOW MEMBERS
Please encourage a member you know to submit their introduction and perhaps some fun fact that is not widely known.
Please send your submissions to:
Minda Rae Amiran
715 N. Garden St. #202
Bellingham, WA 98225
Interest Groups
BOOK GROUP
We will meet Jan. 18th at 2:00 pm on Zoom - Lina will send a link.
- January's book is The Brilliant Life of Eudora Honeysett by Annie Lyons, Evelyn Ames-discussion leader.
Donna Moore
360-733-5769
INFORMAL DINING
Stephen Hutchens
360-483-6873
Plans will be assessed later.
OPERA GROUP
MET Opera live on screen in cinema (at Regal): times generally are 9:55 PST.
- Rigoletto (Jan 29, Bartlett Sher new production set in 1920's Europe)
- Ariadne (March 12, with Isabel Leonard as the composer)
- Don Carlos (March 26, original 5 act French version; starting time is 9:00)
- Turandot (May 7)
- Lucia di Lammermoor (May 21, with Nadine Sierra as Lucia)
- Hamlet (New opera by Brett Dean - June 4)
MET Opera radio broadcasts (10 am on King [FM 98.1] and 1 pm on CBC radio 2 [FM 98.1])
January
- 8: Fire Shut Up in My Bones
- 15: Le Nozze di Figaro
- 22: La Boheme
- 29: Rigoletto
February
- 5: Met's first Decade on the Air 12: Verdi's Requiem
- 19: Boris Godunov
- 26: Celebrating Black History Month with some of Met's most revered African American stars.
Recommendation: For an hour and half, enjoy listening and watching on your computer to Scott Joplin's opera TREEMONISHA. Go to You Tube and search for Houston Grand Opera 1982 production of the opera. The last ten minutes is singing and dancing to "the slow drag".
Northwest Pacific Opera: Barber of Seville: Feb 22 and 27, March 4 and 6.
Evelyn Ames
360-734-3184
WRITER'S GROUPS
The first writer’s group of six (five at present) has an opening for one writer.
We have decided to keep our group all female. We meet on second and fourth Thursdays from 2p.m till about 4 p.m. If you would like to be part of a supportive group where your writing can be heard and receive feedback, as you wish, at every meeting, we welcome hearing from you.
Contact Lynne Massland
Lynne.Masland12@gmail.com
(360) 676-9821
A second writing group has started and is accepting new members. Unlimited gender. Usually meets twice a month, but recently has had one meeting every three weeks.
Interested?
Contact Bill Smith
billsmith1545@yahoo.com
360-920-5390
COOKING FOR ONE (OR TWO)
Three days ago I was in Mexico, suffering the indignity of a cotton swab up my nose. My goal: to prove myself healthy enough to leave warm, sunny La Paz by plane. Having succeeded, I spent the next two days in mobbed airports, on a crowded airplane, in a freezing Seattle hotel room, and aboard a Bellingham-bound shuttle bus before digging my car out from under a week of piled-up snow. And at last, here I am at home.
By last night, my condo had finally heated to my hoped-for level of comfort, yet something seemed to be missing. I decided it was a cup of cocoa. And not just any cup of cocoa. A few weeks ago I had encountered a recipe that, judging from the list of ingredients, was going to take a ridiculous amount of time to make. Perfect, I thought, for an evening of snowed-in isolation.
I fiddled with the ingredients a bit, as well as with the process, since I had neglected to write down the instructions and had no memory of the recipe’s origin. Happily, I had all the necessary ingredients, left from earlier Christmas baking. The result of my efforts: the creamiest and most intense cocoa I have ever tasted.
Plan to make it some evening when you really have nothing else interesting to do, and the thought of spending too much time making something as basic as cocoa, actually sounds like a good idea. I doubt you’ll regret it.
- Suzanne Krogh
Easy Baked Halibut for One
Group One
1/3 cup water
1 teaspoon cocoa powder
2 oz. milk chocolate (about 50%)
2 oz. dark chocolate (at least 70%)
1 teaspoon sugar
Pinch salt
Group Two
2 tablespoons heavy cream
3/4 cup milk (any %)
1/8 teaspoon vanilla
Instructions
- Break chocolate into small pieces and place in small saucepan.
- Add Group One ingredients and cook, stirring, over low heat until chocolate is melted.
- Add Group Two ingredients and continue cooking over low heat until as warm as you’d like. Do not boil.
Tips
- For a more intense, “sipping chocolate”, reduce sugar to 1/2 teaspoon, heavy cream to 1 tablespoon and milk to 2/3 cup.
Creative Aging Programs and the Frye Art Museum
The Frye Art Museum is a living legacy of visionary patronage and civic responsibility, committed to artistic inquiry and a rich visitor experience. The Museum is now offering programs for adults to engage in creative lifelong learning. Programs explore the rich potential of aging and offer opportunities to impact the community’s health and wellbeing.
About Western Washington University Retirement Association
Email: mal.iaap@clearwire.net
Website: https://www.wwu.edu/wwura/
Phone: (360) 733-6052