Ferris Wheel Whimsy celebrating Christine

ZINO Team members l-r: Jamee Nunnelee, Chuck Roxin,
Kate DesRosier, Christine Gilbert, Meg Landies, Cathi Hatch

Yesterday, the ZINO Society team was celebrating our departing team member, Christine Gilbert (who has accepted the Client Relationship Manager position at Absolute Mortgage Co.) so we went on a field trip to the Seattle Great Wheel and the Pike Place Market.  Christine, along with Jamee Nunnelee, Chuck Roxin, Kate DesRosier, Meg Landies and I met at the base of the ferris wheel and though some of us seemed a little more nervous than others (Chuck??), we embarked on the Great Wheel for our three revolutions.

Scary!?  Christine, Meg & Cathi

As we climbed onboard, we remarked on the number of signs in the ferris wheel car pointing out what is NOT allowed and then noticed that Chuck appeared to be a bit queasy as we even talked about it. By the time we took multiple photos and remarked on the incredible views from the big wheel, it was over.  It turns out that three revolutions doesn't take very long so we were back on terra firma within around 15 minutes or so of embarking.  Chuck's spirits picked up once his feet were back on the ground.

Kate, Chuck, & Jamee

From there, we walked uphill to the Pike Place Market where we browsed a couple of the food shops and introduced Christine to Rachel the Pig, whom she had never met.  She was encouraged to give Rachel a kiss on the snout which is known to bring good luck.

At one of the shops, we saw a display that included products from two past presenting ZINOpreneurs; bacon flavored croutons from J&D's Foods, and Chocolate Salted Caramel popcorn from POP Gourmet Popcorn.

Rachel the Pig with Christine and ZINO Team

From there, we headed to Etta's Restaurant for lunch and were all very pleased with our food selections and the service.  The favorite food consumed was either the French Fries or the Coconut Cream Pie and I think the group was evenly divided.

Christine kisses Rachel for good luck.

Kate, Jamee, Christine, & Meg

Once we returned to the office after our adventure, Christine jumped right back into training mode working with Meg Landies, who is taking her place at ZINO Society, to make sure that Meg has all the information she needs to be effective as the new Events & Marketing Manager.  When I left the office well after 6:00 pm, Christine and Meg were still hard at it.  We are all delighted to have Meg join us, but we are also sorry to see Christine leave.  She has been such an important part of the ZINO team for the past several years when she first served as an intern each summer while going to college and then a little over a year ago when she took on the full-time position of Events Manager.

Christine points out Bacon Croutons and Popcorn

We all wish Christine much success in her new career and look forward to the day when she comes back to us as a member of ZINO Society!

Our Annual Weekend Golf Adventure

Front row l-r: Patty Barrier, Sarah Rindlaub,
Cathi Hatch, Carole Ellison; Back row l-r:
Jimmy Barrier, Bob Cremin, John Rindlaub,
and Ken Hatch

Last weekend, Ken and I were invited to join good friends Sarah & John Rindlaub at their family beach cabin at Sandy Point.  We drove with our friends, Patty & Jimmy Barrier, north and arrived in time to play 18 holes of golf at Semiahmoo.  But first, we moved into the large cabin where each of us had our own suite which included a separate kitchen.  The cabin is right on the beach so the sound of seagulls and smell of saltwater was enticingly noticeable.

Though we were chastized for playing too slowly (we were a five-some since Ken was our designated scorekeeper) and Jimmy was chastized for driving both too close to the tee box and green simultaneously (which was rather challenging), we had a great 18 holes of golf at Semiahmoo.  Following the game,  Bob Cremin and Carole Ellison joined the group for dinner in the restaurant.



Carole and Jimmy accept their awards.

The next morning we were up and out early for another golf game at the nearby Shuksan Golf Club.  The course has incredible views of Mount Baker on many holes and seemed especially challenging to me.  I was surprised at the end of the round to see that my score was about the same as usual, though I thought it was going to be much higher.

Bob, Jimmy and Ken

That evening, we prepared dinner at the cabin and feasted on fresh Dungeness crab which one of the Rindlaub's neighbors brought to us after Patty befriended their dog on the beach.  Over dinner, John awarded golf head cover prizes to Jimmy for Most Improved Golfer and to Carole for Favorite New House Guest.  Carole was definitely invited to return next year and it appeared that Bob is to be invited as well.

Following dinner, firebug John, built a crackling campfire on the beach and we gathered around it to enjoy the ambiance of  the beach and the fire.  We were all still so sated from the delicious chocolate pie that Carole had brought for dessert that none of could even get interested in doing s'mores.  However, we did enjoy drinking a magnum of ZINO Vino blend that Bob brought to share which included equal portions of Cabernet Sauvignon from DeLille Cellars, Dunham Cellars, and Pepper Bridge.

The next morning it was time for Hatchman's Big Breakfast which included "Hatch browns" of course, scrambled eggs and all the fixings.  After breakfast, it was time to clean up, pack up and head home.  I'm already looking forward to next year!  Thank you John and Sarah!

Horse Racing at Overlake Golf Club

Claudia & Philip Robbs

I have never played golf in a horse race format before, but since this year it began at Overlake Golf & Country Club late afternoon on a Friday, I decided to participate.  The women really got into it, dressing up in Western wear.  The beverage cart came along during the entire 1-1/2 hours to make sure that the players' thirst was quenched. 

Th event was crazy and measured chaos!  Sobie Foody set up her golf cart with stereo and speakers playing country Western music while Claudia Robbs, who deserved a prize for most glitzy and cute Western outfit, staffed two super soakers to harass and intimidate the other golfers.  There were 11 teams participating and each team was comprised of 3 golfers, one low handicap, one medium handicap and one high handicap.  Misbehavior and distracting behavior was encouraged and recommended.  Most teams crowded three people and three golf bags into a golf cart, which turned out to be quite fun. My team #5 included Bonnie Keene and Leslie Byrne.  My other golf friends, Patty Barrier and Maggie Dorsey were playing on other teams.

Maggie Dorsey and KJ Hoetmer

Team #5 was thrilled when we managed to grab one of the top three spots after two holes of play when the field was narrowed from 11 teams to only 3.  Bonnie was our star player and she managed to hit a long playable drive on the first hole and chip on close to the pin on the second hole, so we were at a total of 11 points.  We proceeded to the third hole where each team member had the chance to hit a ball on the green with best ball to be selected. 


Pat surrounded by the women



Cathi Hatch, Donna Keene, Leslie Byrne

 

We each hit a ball and selected the best ball which was on the green but not very close to the pin.  We took 4 points to complete the hole and were tied with one of the other teams for 2nd place.  We had to play a "chip off" to determine who would get 2nd place.  After taking turns pitching or putting (I chose to putt) with the other tied team, Team #5 won 2nd Place!  Hooray!

However, the only bet I placed was for our team to win while Donna bet her money on our team coming in 1st, 2nd or 3rd.  Congratulations, Donna!  You are in the money!

Spiders, Violets, Sunflowers, Potatoes and Snakes. Oh My!

Jim Towne

Two nights in a row, I went to events to learn more about finding a cure for cancer.  Last night Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center and Washington State University teamed up to produce an event entitled A Partnership for Our Pets targeted at pet owners who are interested in finding a cure for cancer.  Chairwomen of the Volunteer Committee, Bonnie Towne was nursing a broken toe, so her husband Jim Towne stepped in to replace her and try to fill her small shoes.  He actually did just fine in keeping us on track and leading the evening.



Maggie Dorsey, Shelley Hovind and Patty Barrier look on.

Other Volunteer Committee members attending were Patty Barrier, Nancy Pellegrino and me.  We invited guests to join us and first had the opportunity to hear from Dr. Jim Olson, who is not only a Professor of Pediatric Oncology at the University of Washington, but also an attending Physician at Seattle Children's Hospital as well as a member of the Clinical Research Division of Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center and focuses on studying brain tumors in children.  His resume is impressive, but most impressive was his abiltity to communicate clearly and make the topic of cancer research totally approachable.

Norman in the Lab.

One of his most impressive findings (in my layperson's opinion) is that he was able to discover that a specific Israeli scorpion toxin sticks to cancer cells but not regular brain cells and serves as a molecular flashlight that causes the cancer cells to light up.  This is of course a huge aid to a brain surgeon trying to figure out how much of a brain tumor needs to be removed in order to get all the cancer cells.

We also had the opportunity to go on a lab crawl and meet the brilliant researchers who are looking for answers everyday.  My favorite part was meeting Norman the golden retriever, who was happily ensconced in one of the labs with his researcher owner, Sally.  In another lab, we saw his very ugly tumor the size of a grapefruit that had been removed from his intestine and how bits of the tumor are sliced off to study on slides and placed in a machine affectionately named the "mosquito" that sticks tiny pins into dye and deposits them on the samples that are being studied.

Leading the fundraising evening from Fred Hutch were Nancy Greenwood Vehrs, Alex O'Neill and staff team who were thrilled to announce that we raised a total of $61,000 last night towards our total goal of $80,000.

Other friends also attending that I was happy to see joining us were Shelley Hovind, Maggie Dorsey and Roberta & Jim Weymouth.

You ask why the name of this blog post is Spiders, Violets, Sunflowers, Potatoes, and Snakes?  These are all plants or animals that contain knotted mini proteins that act as drug scaffolds and have been discovered to help address cancer and are being used to develop new drugs.  We can all stay tuned for future breakthroughs!    

 

Deciphering the Complexity of Cancer

Last night Ken and I attended a cocktail party hosted by Carole Ellison at her beautiful Kirkland waterfront condominimum featuring Dr. Lee Hood, Founder and President of Institute for Systems Biology.

His Institute for Systems Biology faculty associate, Dr. Ilya Shmulevich spoke passionately about how cancer should be viewed as part of the overall system of our bodies versus as a germ that enters into our bodies from an outside source.  They believe that what causes cancer is a morphing of individual cells that reproduce within our bodies and that the actual fingerprint of various cancers is not separated by which organs they inhabit, but instead what cell variations or mutations occur in the body.  The cancer "fingerprint" for breast cancer can be absolutely the same as that for ovarian cancer.  They both also believe that millions of dollars can be saved in cancer research if instead of addressing cancer with only one drug at a time since the cells quickly mutate to avoid the effects of the drug, that at least three drugs should be used simultaneously to overcome this obstacle.  Though some of the slides were far too complicated for most of the layperson audience, Dr. Shmulevich was a fascinating speaker.

Some of those whom we knew also attending the event were Stan McNaughton, Gordon Kuenster, Bob Cremin, Patti Payne, Gloria Northcroft, Sherri Rogalski, Robin DuBrin and Doug Howe.

Arlene's 80 Years Plus One Day Party

Arlene Wright with her Great Granddaughter, Jaden

This is the second party in the past week I have attended to celebrate Arlene Wright's 80th birthday.  Last evening was a beautiful black tie party at Arlene's Hunts' Point home that she organized to share her BIG birthday with her many friends that love her.  I am so pleased that Ken and I are counted in that very special group!

It was a spectacular sunny evening on the shore of Lake Washington where four bagpipers played at water's edge as the guests arrived.  Their music included a wide repertoire including "Happy Birthday" and each looked so elegant in his tartan kilt and formal jacket.

Rod Hoffman, Diane & Gordon Kuenster

Arlene had arranged for a beautiful white tent complete with crystal chandeliers on her terrace and as we arrived, we were all immediately drawn to the outside to hear the bagpipers and to connect with the many friends and relatives of Arlene.

Ken Hatch, Suzy & Moe Krabbe

Everyone looked so elegant; men in their tuxes and white dinner jackets and the women in summery cocktail atttire.  Ken and I had the opportunity to talk with many of the guests and long-time friends including Jane & David Davis, Michele & Dan Heidt, Kent Stowell & Francia Russell, Tom & Ann Gores, Jim & Kathy Tune, Tom & Sue Raschella, Carol Anderson, Jan Rogers, Kathie Price, Patti Payne, Diane & Gordon Kuenster, Moe & Suzy Krabbe, Van & Nancy Strom, Sandi & Tim Premselaar, Lee & Carolyn Lewis, Toni & Rod Hoffman, Trudi & Dave Syferd, Joyce & Doug McCallum, Leena & Mel Sturman, and many others.

Nancy & Van Strom, Sandi & Tim Premselaar

As we arrived, we were greeted by caterer, Steve Gordon's handsome service staff and offered Dom Perignon champagne or our choice of any cocktail.  The passed hors d'oeuvres were delicious including seared ahi on a homemade potato chip, tiny puff pastry mushroom tartlets, shrimp dumplings and a number of other choices too.  Once we sat down for dinner, the main courses for the buffet supper included prime rib with horseradish cream or saffron aioli and sea bass with fresh tartar sauce and a host of delicious side dishes including one of my favorites, tiny new pototoes paired with fresh shelled peas.

Toni Hoffman, Cathi Hatch, Diane Kuenster

The only snafu was when everyone went galloping to the buffet table simultaneously and started down both sides of the table which created a "salmon swimming upstream" kind of bottleneck as people were trying to merge together from two different directions as Steve sliced the prime rib to order.  Luckily, there was not a food fight and everyone was ultimately served and happy.  Phew!

Carolyn Lewis, Bob Dodson, Kathie Price, Jan Rogers

After dinner, there was a beautiful birthday cake, which one of the servers with a thick handle-bar mustache had proudly prepared and it was served with French vanilla ice cream and fresh strawberries.  Arlene's beautiful eight-year old great granddaughter, Jaden, helped her blow out the candles after we all sang "Happy Birthday" together.  As an encore, Jaden brought Arlene a tiny American flag on a toothpick and began singing the "Star Spangled Banner".  Arlene, who loves to sing, immediately joined in and pretty soon everyone at the party was singing our anthem together as Arlene waved the tiny American flag.  After the party, Arlene told me later how proud she was of Jaden, for starting the singing and how good it made her feel to see all of her friends singing together regardless of their political party affiliation.

There were several people that stood and made toasts to Arlene including Jan Rogers, Doug McCallum, Patti Payne and Ken Hatch.  Arlene's response to the toasts was heartfelt and poignant when she promised that she would attend each of our 80th birthday parties too.  Though some of us have longer to wait than others, she promised that whether she was still living or not, that we should know that she will be there with each of us.


Rousing rendition of "Star Spangled Banner" led by
Jaden and Arlene.



Thar' she blows!

Happy, happy birthday beautiful Arlene!  We each look forward to celebrating with you for many more years!

Sue & Tom Raschella

Arlene Turns 80 Years Young!

Arlene Wright surprised!  With Jan Rogers

Considering how young she looks, it is hard to believe that Arlene Wright is turning 80 years old this week!  She has promised to share her secrets of continuing to look so youthful which we are all eager to hear.

In celebration of the big event, friends Jan Rogers, Kathie Price and Suzy Krabbe hosted a surprise birthday luncheon for her at the Chihuly Boathouse this week.  Arlene was thoroughly surprised when she arrived with co-hostess, Jan Rogers. 

Kathie Price signing the framed invitation.

Tour of the Hot Shop.

Of course, the Boathouse was the magical place that it always is and we all thoroughly enjoyed the hot shop demonstration and the brief tour of the Boathouse led by Damian.  Though I had seen it before, I so enjoyed seeing Dale Chihuly's good friend and mentor, Italo Scanga's room again.  I had forgotten what an art piece the entire room is with tin and copper walls, a sunken bathtub filled with Chihuly-style glass rocks and the bed located in front of a big plate glass window just at water level.

Arlene admiring the Flora & Joey Chihuly pieces.

We especially enjoyed our time in the Hot Shop watching the artists work with the hot liquid glass and appreciated our tour guide Damian's insights.  Damian has worked with Dale for over 12 years and it is evident how much he loves his job. Another favorite we toured was the all white glass aquarium and of course the swimming pool with the many brightly hued Chihuly glass pieces displayed below a clear acrylic shelf just below the lap pool.  We all admired the "car room" with two of Dale's classic convertible sports cars displayed along with glass art from his collaboration with artists, Joey Kirkpatrick and Flora Mace.

Seated lunch in the Evelyn Room

I was actually surprised that there were still so many Edward Curtis photographs and Indian blankets displayed, since having been to the Chihuly Garden and Glass, I assumed that the entire display of Edward Curtis and Indian blankets had come out of the Boathouse since there was such a large installation of those items in the new museum.  But no, there were still just as many displayed at the Boathouse as had ever been displayed.  When Dale collects, he REALLY collects!

Though we had been instructed to bring no gifts, we did bring cards and had the opportunity to sign a framed picture of the invitation as a gift which was a photo of Arlene riding a camel; one of her many past adventures.

Arlene surrounded with co-hostesses Suzy Krabbe,
Kathie Price and Jan Rogers

Arlene was thrilled with the entire party and enjoyed seeing all of her friends and the women of her family there to surprise her too including her daughters, daughters-in-law and granddaughter.  Some of her other friends attending were Susan Neumann, Patti Payne, Trudi Syferd, Joyce McCallum, Toni Hoffman, Michele Heidt, Carol Anderson, Nancy Strom and Sue Raschella. 

Arlene blew out her candles with gusto and was delighted with the three bunches (I assume there were 80!) of exquisite long-stemmed pink roses presented to her by Jan, Kathie and Suzy.

Arlene accepting roses from Jan, Suzy and Kathie

Happy birthday, dear Arlene!

Summertime & Friends

Susan Neumann and Joyce McCallum

Ken and I have so enjoyed getting caught up with some of our family and friends this summer, though it seems like we never have time to see everyone that we care about.
Last weekend we so enjoyed going to the Neumann home for cocktail and hors d'oeuvres prior to a casual dinner at the Seattle Yacht Club.  Susan and Gary invited Joyce & Doug McCallum and Ken and me to come and celebrate both Joyce's and Ken's birthdays.  And there were even gifts!

Doug McCallum and Gary Neumann

One of Ken's gifts was a kitchen tool specifically used for beheading a soft-cooked egg.  It is quite a marvel of engineering and makes a huge bang when it does the job.  We couldn't wait to try it the next morning.  And Joyce received a beautiful oversize hammered stainless steel spoon that both Susan and I coveted.

Debi & Len Giannola with Diane Foreman

Sarah Rindlaub, Betty Tong

The next night we saw a few more friends at a casual barbecue including Sarah Rindlaub, home from Hong Kong for a few weeks, Betty Tong & Joe Miner, Debi & Len Giannola, Diane & Dick Foreman, Michael & Peggy Swistak, Patti Payne, Trudi & Dave Syferd, Toni & Rod Hoffman, Diane & Gordon Kuenster, Barb & Dale Rasmussen, Carole Ellison, Sandi & Tim Premselaar, Delphine & Charles Stevens, Esther & Walter Schoenfeld, and others who were happy to just kick back for a relaxed evening of food and friends.

Trudi Syferd, Carole Ellison, Michael & Peggy Swistak