Remember when we used to have to go around the house and reset our watches and clocks when Daylight Savings Time started or ended? Now our cell phones, which most of us use for watches, do it automatically.
In case you do have an alarm or nice analog grandfather clock in your house, don’t forget to set it an hour back on Nov. 4. For me, that is always the big dramatic change that puts the official seal on the end of our summertime. Don’t worry, in a mere 20-some weeks, it will be March 10 and we can start the process again.
Down at the port this month, you will see the staff putting up all of the holiday decorations. If you thought last year was great, stand by. It just keeps getting better. I would like to thank all of the 18 volunteers who have come down to the port all summer to help create this wonderland.
What a great community we live in.
I have heard that Sunset magazine and the local TV stations are taking an interest in our production. We will see who shows up on Dec. 1 to watch us throw the switch.
The Chamber of Commerce Events Committee is planning all the appropriate festivities for the occasion.
Santa should be down at the gazebo around 5 p.m. and music and refreshments will be available. You might want to come a little early. Kingston Cove Yacht Club members will decorate their boats on the guest dock and, weather permitting, will parade around the bay.
Have you thought about getting a boat, but worry about the long waiting lists to get permanent moorage? Well, our waiting lists for A, B and C dock are getting pretty short and we expect moorage to be readily available for boats up to 32 feet in the near future. And you know that the Great Seattle Boat Show is just 14 weeks away.
If you are interested, or just want to come down and meet the staff and get a tour of our Port of Kingston facilities, we are having a Port Open House on Nov. 10 from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. Refreshments will be served. And those who sign up for the waiting list A, B or C docks on that day can do so without paying a deposit.
Nautical Term
We talk about “the foreseeable future” and it is discussed in literature as “in the offing.”
Well, did you know that it was a maritime term as early as the 16th century? The area of the sea where one can view a ship or vessel, when it is not anchored in the harbor or tied to a wharf but before it rounds a bend or transits over the horizon, is called “the offing” as well. We see a lot of ships in the offing around Kingston.
Oops, I see the edge of the page just ahead so I will sign off for this month.
On behalf of the commissioners and the staff at the port, we all wish you a wonderful Thanksgiving holiday and may your favorite team win the Apple Cup. As always, thanks for taking a few minutes to read this stuff. I enjoy doing it for you.
— Pete DeBoer is a Port of Kingston commissioner. Contact him at pete@petedeboer.com
